English Dub Review: The Millionaire Detective – Balance:UNLIMITED “Money is the Root of all Evil”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

A flashback occurs to Cho’s time as a detective on Sayuri Kambe’s case. He and his partner, Takei reach Sayuri Kambe’s house where she’s found stabbed in the heart. They go to the Kambe family and ask for a picture of Sayuri’s husband, Shigemaru and Cho obtain an album through underhanded methods. They use the photo to ask around and Cho finds a coin locker key in the album. Kiyomizu warns them not to get too deep into the dangerous case. Then they get the news that Shigemaru committed suicide and a possible location on the key’s locker. However, the key disappears and the higher ups want to end it quickly. That’s when Cho and Kiyomizu were moved to the basement of the Major Crimes Division.

Back in the present, Haru and Cho discuss Daisuke, who hasn’t been around the station ever since Imura’s assassination. They get over to Daisuke’s mansion where Haru questions Daisuke on his reason for joining the police. Meanwhile, Takei and Hoshino talk about the Imura assassination and Daisuke’s role in it. When Takei gets in his car a green gas is released making Takei unconscious and when he wakes up in his past going through his memories while being warned and he’s urged to contact someone. He ends up entering the number of the former director, Saiki on his phone and that’s when the illusion ends. It turns out that Takei was brought into the Kambe mansion and placed into a virtual world as Cho guilt trips him over his ambitions.

Our Take:

The episode starts off like a noir film with Cho’s flashback. It’s obvious with the muted colors complementing the flashback of the murder case in comparison to the anime’s usual bright colors. The people at CloverWorks really know how to use the camera and the colors to their advantage with that flashback. The scenes were composed like a standard case of cops trying to solve a murder with partners and leads drying up. In addition to the muted colors which makes it appear like a memory which was similar to the “dream” that Takei has towards the end. The scene with dripping watermelon ice cream was a good way to link the two scenes on another level making it believable that his dream was a memory until the brief flashes of light and Haru with Cho walking in the park disrupted that illusion.

Furthermore, we get the reason for Daisuke joining the Major crimes Division: to find out who murdered his mother nineteen years ago. It’s a pretty common goal in the crime genre, but what makes it interesting is how the show goes about investigating using Daisuke’s methods and the set up for that reveal. I mean Haru literally drives a car into the gates to reach Daisuke for some answers. I find it amusing how the two men don’t care about having any tact for the other. For example, Daisuke’s nonchalant reveal of Haru’s reason for leaving the First Division. Ordinarily, it’d be after a moment of connection, but Daisuke just strikes where it hurts. Similarly, Haru bulldozes to Daisuke’s mansion for answers and that’s partially what makes their partnership entertaining to me.

Throughout the series, Daisuke’s methods and Haru’s investigative methods have been separate, but in this episode with a combination of Daisuke’s virtual world and Cho’s words cracked Takei essentially. It poses a potential way for Daisuke and Haru’s methods to work together since Haru is following in Cho’s footsteps as a detective. In addition to that, while we don’t see much of Haru or Daisuke occupying the screen the episode is an important one since it gives information on Sayuri’s cold case which is linked to the current Imura’s case given how both cases are related to the Kambe family business. Speaking of the Kambe family, Cho’s words on parents and children appear to be important with how Daisuke’s parents were in the years. There’s also how the camera turns to Daisuke after Takei sobbing was a dead giveaway for a hint of Shigemaru’s personality until he died.

The Millionaire Detective pushes the boundaries on stereotypical crime shows with its characters and plot. While Haru and Daisuke have taken a backseat the next episode will surely have them hunting down the culprit responsible in both cases.