Woodpecker Detective's Office

Episode 4:

Well, that was a depressing episode of Scooby-Doo. Usually the unmasking doesn't lead to two more corpses.

Ishikawa really is a case of arrested development and not particularly well earned confidence. I decide if it's sweet or naive that Kindaichi wants to protect that part of Ishikawa. Probably a bit of both and since we've already seen this is going to end with Ishikawa dead I suppose it's kind of tragic too.

That being said I had to laugh at the way Ishikawa just grabs evidence off a fresh corpse in front of a crowd people. "It's okay, people. I am a genius poet. I can solve this mystery."
 
Episode 4
This show should really stick to two-parter mysteries instead of one-and-done episodes. There was just way too much going on here for me to follow what was happening with the case. Especially since it all involved characters who we just met, I could barely keep their names straight.

Confusion aside, there were a couple twists here that I enjoyed--Ishikawa's suspicious friend, the prime suspect, actually being the victim's partner who's trying to fish out the real murderer was a nice touch, as was the revelation that she wasn't saying some cryptic shit like "throat moon" but actually meant "throat wound". I couldn't help but laugh when Ishikawa pulled the ol' "AHA! Only our stalker would know where we were that night!" card on the guy.

What really kept me around this ep though was the character development; Ishikawa and Kindaichi's friendship is a goddamn mess and I'm all here for it. It's messy in a way that seems grounded, and with their good chemistry it makes for a really interesting dynamic. Ishikawa's self-centered and impulsive--we know it, the show knows it, and Kindaichi knows it. I think that last part's what sells it for me. Kindaichi fully understands his friend's got issues, but he still cares despite that.

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(damn someone send a telegram to the detective's office, we just witnessed a murder)

Also, big props to the voice acting this episode--Ishikawa's VA is absolutely killing it out there.
 
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What a bittersweet episode. Ishikawa solved the mystery of the murder but it ended in more tragedy. I suppose props for not sugar-coating it but also, kind of depressing. Ishikawa is such trash but I don’t hate him, I think like Kindaichi said he’s rather child-like...but letting him get away with whatever all the time also makes me think Kindaichi is making his own bed. Just my take on it.
 
Aerythrin said:
What a bittersweet episode. Ishikawa solved the mystery of the murder but it ended in more tragedy. I suppose props for not sugar-coating it but also, kind of depressing. Ishikawa is such trash but I don’t hate him, I think like Kindaichi said he’s rather child-like...but letting him get away with whatever all the time also makes me think Kindaichi is making his own bed. Just my take on it.
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I agree. In real life, a friendship like theirs would be considered unhealthy- Kindaichi basically is the mature one with a soft spot for Ishikawa who he admires as having the talent he lacks, but Ishikawa just goes about doing whatever he wants without regard to the consequences for himself or others. It was actually nice to see Kindaichi call bs this episode- any self-respecting individual won't put up with that kind of behavior forever. Ishikawa knows he's presuming on their friendship, as evidenced by how he goes to his other friends and borrows money from them instead, with the intent of doing something nice for Kindaichi.
 
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Akishima said:
I agree. In real life, a friendship like theirs would be considered unhealthy- Kindaichi basically is the mature one with a soft spot for Ishikawa who he admires as having the talent he lacks, but Ishikawa just goes about doing whatever he wants without regard to the consequences for himself or others. It was actually nice to see Kindaichi call bs this episode- any self-respecting individual won't put up with that kind of behavior forever. Ishikawa knows he's presuming on their friendship, as evidenced by how he goes to his other friends and borrows money from them instead, with the intent of doing something nice for Kindaichi.
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Indeed. If not for that kind of endearing thing I think he'd be quite unlikeable, but he's not for some reason. I agree that it was nice that Kindaichi called him out on it as well, I think it would be hard to watch if it was just Ishikawa constantly walking all over the poor guy.
 
Ep. 5-
Well, Ishikawa just keeps digging himself a bigger hole. I think I'm getting a sense of what the show wants to do now, and it's interesting and rather refreshing. Not entirely sure how I feel about the focus on the red light district, but it certainly gives the story the feel of a different era. It almost seems like a gentle critique of the literary lifestyle- I suppose this comes from looking through the eyes of Kindaichi, who is straight as an arrow in his principles (while being so very gay for Ishikawa). I had to laugh at how he blushed this episode- poor guy is never gonna see that hope blossom. I feel like I owe him a haiku-

Cherry blossoms drift
caressing my upturned cheek
your eyes gaze elsewhere
 
So is every episode of this show going to be Kindaichi finding an excuse to break up with Ishikawa?
Dude, he's already gotten you thrown in jail for murder. I don't know how many more red flags you need than that. You even recognize he's a child.

Just found episode 5 to be kind of dull. A repetition of what we've already seen played out before.
 
Akishima said:
Ep. 5-
Well, Ishikawa just keeps digging himself a bigger hole. I think I'm getting a sense of what the show wants to do now, and it's interesting and rather refreshing. Not entirely sure how I feel about the focus on the red light district, but it certainly gives the story the feel of a different era. It almost seems like a gentle critique of the literary lifestyle- I suppose this comes from looking through the eyes of Kindaichi, who is straight as an arrow in his principles (while being so very gay for Ishikawa). I had to laugh at how he blushed this episode- poor guy is never gonna see that hope blossom. I feel like I owe him a haiku-

Cherry blossoms drift
caressing my upturned cheek
your eyes gaze elsewhere
Click to expand...

I agree! Still enjoying this show even though it’s not a straight detective flick like I was expecting. I also adore the soundtrack (op, ed and ost). Finding this show on the relaxing side despite the occasional darkness (a la episode 4). I love Kindaichi, I wish he’d cut his losses already (let’s be honest, Ishikawa might be a genius and that kind of magnetic, childish personality people can’t help but pamper but he is also a bit of a douchebag and I feel like Kindaichi deserves better) but we already know that’s not going to happen. I don’t dislike Ishikawa, it just pains me to see him making so many wrong decisions (and being aware of where that leads).
Also, love the haiku.
 
Ep. 7-
Ishikawa might be a dick, but I wouldn't wish TB on anyone. This episode made me sad. Also, this guy really has no impulse control- the things he could have done with that money- like pay back all of his friends- take Kindaichi out- I'll at least hope he paid for their visit to Milk Hall at the end with what little money he had left, but I'm not counting on it. And then he bought that flower cuz it was pretty- did he just casually give that to Kindaichi? This guy...And that prank was so cruel, in a way- here Kindaichi is so excited he solved it, and he was totally manipulated by Ishikawa into apologizing. I'd be pissed, honestly. He didn't even get the reward out of it.
 
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Ep. 8-
I knew it, that boy's eyelashes were too pretty- also they used a woman's voice- dead giveaway. But the short hair does seem very anachronistic considering the time period. Anyway, I'm calling it now- this woman is playing Ishikawa for all he's worth. She probably knows all about him from his landlady's complaints at the food bank. She totally undressed in front of him on purpose knowing how weak he is to women and that he'll be absolutely fascinated by her. She's got him completely where she wants him, and she's gonna try to use him as an alibi when she kills her husband. The thing is- Ishikawa may see through this- or if he doesn't, Kindaichi will. If there's actually a deeper plot here, I'll be thrilled though. Too many murderous women in this show.

Ishikawa really has worn out his welcome with the rest of the gang. It was kind of sad seeing them sit there joking and thinking he's just playing another trick on them when you know he's actually dying. And seeing Kindaichi so frantic and still caring about him so much even knowing what he is. It was both heartwarming how he roped everyone into looking for Ishikawa, and kind of hilarious and sad when Ishikawa shows up predictably with a woman. They have no idea what happened in between though, and how close he possibly came to ending his own life- although I suspect he's far too self-centered to actually follow through with it.

On that note: That conversation on the bridge really resonated with me. I like it when anime says some good things.
 
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look, I love me a good detective anime, but I've been finding this one very dry and hard to watch. I mean I still HAVE to watch it because of the anime lottery game, but god is it painful. It's sad, because it's full of great ideas, and the op and ed are great, but the writing itself is just,,, dry.
 
Episode 10:

Man, watching Ishikawa have this huge self destructive breakdown was actually tough. He's clearly a man with no idea what to do with his life or how to live after his failure to save someone. These last couple of episodes were actually well done. They were thoughtful and not afraid to dig deeper into Ishikawa's flaws than is normal for this type of character.
 
This is getting hard to watch. Not because it's bad or anything (in fact there's something about this anime I love, not sure exactly what) but because watching Ishikawa screwing everything up is painful. I don't think he's a bad person underneath everything - in fact, this episode kind of made me think that he's just terrified and doesn't know what to do with himself. I feel for them both, but Kindaichi honestly deserves far more than Ishikawa could ever give him. Also, I noticed the ED was shorter the last couple of episodes. No upbeat section. Nice touch.
 
Gonna miss the OP, especially the part where Ishikawa steals Kyousuke's hat and then meekly returns it. xD so cute!
DAMNIT. I spent most of the last episode thinking it wasn't gonna get me and it got me in the last minute or so.
Overall though, not the tragic kind of feeling I was expecting (aside from some of the culprit reveals) and not my favourite detective show....BUT I really enjoyed watching this for the characters and the interactions between them. I'm really impressed by how Kyousuke stuck by his pal until the very end, even when he was clearly using him, and I'm really glad that Ishikawa realised what a great friend Kyousuke was to him, even if it took what it took for him to realise it. A really nice emotional slow burn show for me with the added bonus of some interesting mysteries and the flavour of literature/poetry.
 
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