As I noted last week, Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes is pretty much officially this season’s “that really good show nobody watches”.  Every season seems to have one, and “Holmes” was always a pretty good bet this time around.  It was also my #1 sleeper pick for the summer and though it’s been a crap season for sleepers generally, I do feel like this bet has paid out in a satisfying way.  It’s all good – it’s not as though this show is changing the world or anything, but if you’re have the right sort of tastes, I think it could be a real surprise.

Yes, I do like this series a lot – but I’m the first to admit it’s a classic horses for courses scenario.  As always, Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes has several different arrows in its quiver, and I think what we saw this week is likely to be a typical pattern – not all of them are going to hit the target with equal proficiency every week.  The travelogue side is pretty tame this time – one of my favorite places in the world, the Philosopher’s Path, does get a cameo but that’s about it.  But the romance, general character drama and mystery sides all get a good airing, with varying degrees of success.

On the character front, the introduction of Takiyama Rikyuu (Kobayashi Sanae, as always excellent when called on to play a boy), the last major character from the OP, seems to hold a lot of promise.  He’s the son of the owner’s hot younger girlfriend and in Kiyotaka’s own words “like a little brother”.  He starts right out trolling Aoi, reveals a thorough knowledge of antiques to go along with his general ikemen snarkiness, and later it’s revealed that what he’s been studying abroad in France is judo.  At first flush it might seem odd for a Japanese kid to go to France to study a Japanese sport, but it’s apparently hugely popular there.  In any event Rikyuu is starkly different from anyone else in the main cast, certainly at Kura, and if he ends up back working there as the OP suggests he’ll certainly add something fresh to the dynamic.

The mystery side is less successful for me, however.  The scenario this time is that a big party is being thrown for Seiji’s 77th birthday, and everyone (including Akihito and Aoi’s friend Kaori) is invited.  Turns out Seiji had an ugly run-in while filming a Japanese “Antiques Roadshow” knockoff, calling out the vase of a famous magician as a fake during the taping (which never aired).  Two performer friends of that magician have been invited, and they decide to prank Yamashita by staging the destruction of his prized Celadon vase (whether they ever intended to actually steal it I’m not sure), but they’re frankly rank amateurs.  The whole thing plays as a bit silly, to be honest, but it does manage to set up some interesting developments along the other narrative routes.

That leads us to the last of “Holmes” main themes, the romance.  And this is once more quite interesting.  Aoi comes pretty close to admitting that she’s interested in Kiyotaka, and when he sees her dressed in mature fashion (and made up) by Rikyu’s mother for the party, Holmes’ head is seemingly turned a little.  There’s an interesting dynamic between these two, and potentially they might be one of the more engaging couples of the season – and that side of the series probably has the most potential for mass appeal, if more viewers gave this series a chance (which they won’t, of course).  I also enjoy the slice of Kyoto culture this series serves up = not sparing the tart asides about certain unflattering traits Kyotoites are seen by other Japanese to often possess.  It’s a really interesting cocktail, this series, but more a very dry martini than a margarita or a cold beer – and I don’t see a lot of anime fans drinking dry martinis.