If thereโs any franchise thatโs been told and retold through a variety of media itโs
Sherlock Holmes, so itโs no surprise to see an anime take of the iconic detective (nor is it the first time). However,
Moriarty the Patriot tells the story from the POV of Sherlockโs most noteworthy adversary and kiiiiinda gets you on his side, like, immediately.
Fans of mysteries will likely be familiar with at least the most famous of Doyleโs Holmes stories, perhaps through Hollywood or BBC interpretations, if not through the stories themselves. Though originally a rather minor character, Professor Moriarty has come to serve as Holmesโs arch nemesis in modern tellings. He is a cold, brilliant, and calculating villain, the โNapoleon of crimeโ who keeps the hero on his toes at all times. Because Moriartyโs background is inconsistent in the Doyle stories, it is easy to reinvent him, as
Ryosuke Takeuchi and
Hikaru Miyoshi do in
Moriarty the Patriot. In the manga, the boy who would become Professor Moriarty and his younger brother, Louis, are poor orphans who have been adopted into the Moriarty family as a show of noblesse oblige. Our protagonist jaunts around town under the guise of William James Moriarty, the Moriarty familyโs younger son who has no interest in the people of their town. Together with the eldest son Albert, the future Professor and Louis conspire to kill the cruel Moriarty family in an โaccidentalโ fire, leaving the three boys to rectify the wrongs of the English noble classes as nobles themselves.
The premise
The 19th century British Empire is an entire mess, rife with problematic aristocrats who delight in tormenting the lower class. The class system is set to work against the average citizen and the Moriarty brothers, who are part of an aristocratic family themselves, have decided to tear the unjust structure apart.
William James Moriarty (the middle brother/main protagonist) works as a professor by day but also works as a โcrime consultantโ who takes cases from those who have been wronged by the upper class. He and his brothers (Albert and Louis) work as a team, but their actions soon catch the attention of Sherlock Holmes, setting the stage for the ultimate battle of wits.
And there we have our twist: The Professor Moriarty who is so evil in most Sherlock Holmes adaptations is, in this manga, attempting to equalize society. He is a class traitor in both senses; growing up poor, he has risen to the nobility, but as a noble he consults on the behalf of the working classes, holding his wealthy peers accountable for their exploitation of, and distaste for, anyone they deem below them. But he is not completely sanitized as a misunderstood villain. No, Professor Moriarty is still as calculating as ever, his meticulous methods still relying heavily on manipulation, coercion, and threats. His motives might be pure, but his means still leave the ordinary person shuddering at their cruelty.
How Moriartyโs cases work
The basic formula goes a little something like this: one of the Moriarty brothers (usually Willaim) hears about a crime (usually murder). The crimes Moriarty takes on always involve the lower class, those who donโt have the means to seek justice. Though, honestly, even if they
could their cries would go unheard because the culprits are always upper-class citizens who are either never suspected or who get away with it because theyโre rich.
This ranges from โbored rich asshole kills children on his off dayโ to โgardener pleads with his boss to let him consult his doctor because his son is dying, but his boss is a rich asshole whoโs worried that his gardenerโs kid is gonna give him poor person cooties.โ
Did I mention that the boss is rich
because of his gardenerโs hard work?
Once Willaim (with the help of his brothers) gets all the pieces together, he gets a hold of the wronged party and offers his services, making sure to point out how this,
technically, would be seen as a crime
even if they were the ones who were wronged! William doesnโt do the job unless if the grieving family wants him to, so basically, he asks for consent to rid the world of this particular brand of filth. If they agree then a plan is put into motion where the grieving party is able to come face to face with the aristocrat who killed their loved one.
Now hereโs the kicker.
William isnโt the one who kills the target, the grieving family does. This can be as subtle as serving food that someone reacts poorly to, or as blunt as stabbing someone to death. Whatever the case, William makes sure all the evidence is cleaned up, and the family is able to get away with it.
Miyoshiโs artwork gives Moriarty a bishonen air, making his complexity all the more alluring to the manga fan who is accustomed to the dramatically layered characters of the medium. Indeed, the cast is made up of several handsome men working with Moriarty to realize his utopian dream. The Victorian setting is well established, both visually and as part of the plot, depicting an England on the verge of change and progress.
The Lord of the Crime, Moriarty
Upon becoming the Lord of the Crime, a stage in his plan, he has already designated a man who shall stop him and be the shinning light of the world. That man is none other than Sherlock Holmes
Moriarty has made himself into the ultimate evil, thus forcing people to ally against him, and stay united, and thus fulfilling his coveted dream.