English Dub Review: Case File nº221: Kabukicho “Where is He?”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Dilan, a friend of the detectives who advertises a…sort of brothel I think? Anyway, he comes to them asking for help in finding his missing fiancé, Cathy, although once he explains how he met her and lost all his money, it becomes clear that she was part of a pyramid scheme that sucked him dry and left him to rot. Still, this could be worth investigating, if only to get proof she fooled him, but Sherlock won’t bother and Lucy apparently has a date (to the shock of many), so Watson and Mary take this one by themselves. They meet with Kimiko, one of the leaders of the group called Vision to You, selling “Vision Rain” that they plan to rain over Shinjuku. Cathy also shows up and they get her to admit he scammed him, so case closed.

Except Mary also notices that someone in one of the group photos looks like her and Lucy’s dad that abandoned them, so they investigate further. Along the way they find proof that the “Vision Water” is actually just tap water. And although the guy she saw turns out not to be Mary’s dad, they do find him being tortured for threatening to reveal the scam by Kimiko and Isshiki…who might be related to Moriarty’s friend from prison? Turns out the scam is getting into deadly terrorist stuff, killing the dad-looking guy and then turning on Watson and Mary, but he takes a shot of poison in front of Mary. Luckily the police catch them (called in by Sherlock), but Isshiki takes a poison tooth to kill himself before they can make him talk, but before he does, he says “8020463840”.

Also, turns out Lucy’s “date” was just her getting wrapped up in this pyramid scheme.

OUR TAKE

We seem to be laying the ground work for the big plot of the remaining episodes, as the terror attacks and code seem to pointing to some major events brewing underneath the surface. That blood falling from the sky seems too distinct to not be leading somewhere important, though what it is and how that “Vision Rain” factors are things I can’t answer quite yet. It surely has to be something big if people involved in it are willing to off themselves just to keep it a secret, which is not something one does if they are not totally committed to the cause, which Isshiki certainly seems to be based on his pretty crazy demeanor towards the end there.

But as for the brunt of the episode itself on its own, it’s cool to see Mary get the spotlight for once. We did have another episode focusing on the sisters before, though last time it was on Lucy and her reasons for protecting and helping Mary. Now we get to see Mary get the attention on top of building her relationship with Watson, which is no doubt a nod to how, in the source material and several adaptations, Mary and Watson have often ended up together. In this version of these characters, it feels natural that the two would bond over a case considering they’re both detectives. Mary is very much a go-getter who can manipulate well with her acting innocent routine and connects with Watson’s straightforward and caring nature, so that bond will hopefully get built up over the remaining nine episodes. That sounds like plenty of time to do so, especially with how they already have a strong friendship as fellow detectives.

Still, it does seem kind of weird that we’re STILL in a breather mode and not doing much more than simply hint at the next big plot. I guess it’s part of the mystery too, so fans who are good at picking things up will catch on quickly, though for me it’s just a bit too much of a lull in the action for my tastes. The episodes are certainly still fun, so I guess it’s fine in the end. We’ve still got plenty of time to work on this and build suspense for this terror plot, Moriarty’s time in jail, and whatever might be going on with Moran and Mycroft. There’s still a lot to explore in this show before the final chapter.