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![憂国のモリアーティ 1 [Yūkoku no Moriarty 1] by Ryōsuke Takeuchi](https://assets.thestorygraph.com/assets/placeholder-cover-a3ae92250eb3301e32dc3eabf8d50576c2f047dda89f6ee7cfa9a859cb1fd746.jpg)
4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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Illustrations by Hikaru Miyoshi
This story follows the young life of James Moriarty, the acclaimed nemesis of Sherlock Holmes. This James is loosely based on the Professor of Doyle's works - he's a math professor, and he is a mastermind of crime. As a child, James and his younger brother, Louis, were adopted by the wealthy Moriarty family, but the parents and youngest Moriarty brother never treat them like equals. The eldest Moriarty, Albert, first met James and Louis at the orphanage, and want nothing more than to be a true family.
Now a young man, James has a Crime Consulting Agency where he uses his intellect to punish the nobles of England who are abusing those of lower status. His ultimate goal is to make-over the British Empire and the world into a casteless system where all can be on equal footing. Along with his brothers, Moriarty breaks down the nobility one mysterious case at a time.
This is a really interesting look into the origins of Moriarty. It is common knowledge that Moriarty is Sherlock's arch enemy, but the criminal mastermind only appears in two stories, and is mentioned in four others. For as ubiquitous as the pairing is, little is known of Moriarty, and he is in very little of Doyle's stories. Takeuchi has taken the pieces that are known and crafted an entire life for Moriarty that is intriguing, especially for fans of righteous vengeance stories like Venom or Punisher. Miyoshi's illustrations beautifully depict the lavish aristocratic life of the Victorian Era, although a few of the noble youth at Moriarty's university look very similar to each other.
VIZ rates this as Teen Plus for "realistic violence, drug use, and criminal activity." The violence at the beginning of the volume would definitely make this a title I would reserve for older high school audiences.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss This graphic novel will be on sale October 6, 2020.
Illustrations by Hikaru Miyoshi
This story follows the young life of James Moriarty, the acclaimed nemesis of Sherlock Holmes. This James is loosely based on the Professor of Doyle's works - he's a math professor, and he is a mastermind of crime. As a child, James and his younger brother, Louis, were adopted by the wealthy Moriarty family, but the parents and youngest Moriarty brother never treat them like equals. The eldest Moriarty, Albert, first met James and Louis at the orphanage, and want nothing more than to be a true family.
Now a young man, James has a Crime Consulting Agency where he uses his intellect to punish the nobles of England who are abusing those of lower status. His ultimate goal is to make-over the British Empire and the world into a casteless system where all can be on equal footing. Along with his brothers, Moriarty breaks down the nobility one mysterious case at a time.
This is a really interesting look into the origins of Moriarty. It is common knowledge that Moriarty is Sherlock's arch enemy, but the criminal mastermind only appears in two stories, and is mentioned in four others. For as ubiquitous as the pairing is, little is known of Moriarty, and he is in very little of Doyle's stories. Takeuchi has taken the pieces that are known and crafted an entire life for Moriarty that is intriguing, especially for fans of righteous vengeance stories like Venom or Punisher. Miyoshi's illustrations beautifully depict the lavish aristocratic life of the Victorian Era, although a few of the noble youth at Moriarty's university look very similar to each other.
VIZ rates this as Teen Plus for "realistic violence, drug use, and criminal activity." The violence at the beginning of the volume would definitely make this a title I would reserve for older high school audiences.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss This graphic novel will be on sale October 6, 2020.
I'll be honest, I started this one, disliked the opening chapters so much I set it aside, lost it and found it several months later cleaning up the bookshelves. It got a little better but hovered around a 2.5 for me. It's not a bad idea, reimagining Moriarty as a defender of the lower classes but the story is over the top violent and self righteous.
Moriarty is taken in by a family in the upper class in Victorian England and after being badly abused by them and seeing how servants and people in the lower class are treated by this one family, decides all wealthy people are like this and sets out to destroy them all. To be fair, the one wealthy dude we see him become judge jury and executioner for pretty much does deserve his fate, I can't imagine being interested in this one-note plot for long. I know this is an extremely popular manga/anime but it's not for me. The art is top notch though.
Moriarty is taken in by a family in the upper class in Victorian England and after being badly abused by them and seeing how servants and people in the lower class are treated by this one family, decides all wealthy people are like this and sets out to destroy them all. To be fair, the one wealthy dude we see him become judge jury and executioner for pretty much does deserve his fate, I can't imagine being interested in this one-note plot for long. I know this is an extremely popular manga/anime but it's not for me. The art is top notch though.
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Classism
the moriarty brothers literally mean everything to me and any crimes they commit are so valid and correct.
I'm a sucker for retellings. I picked this up at my bookstore because I heard the anime was out and I couldn't resist. I didn't expect it to be so good? I can't wait to read more of this though. We love an anti-hero.
