Spoilers avoided. The most unique take on Sherlock Ive seen so far. Plenty of Sherlock adaptations go with a fairly standard formula Sherlock but in insert location here to varying results. Many are boring or at the bare minimum uniform. They dont take risks in terms of the fundamental portrayal of the main cast of characters that the namesake series is known for. Kabukichou Sherlock AKA Case File n221: Kabukicho made a ton of changes. An anime original story produced by Kadokawa and Production I.G. Case File endeavours to shake up the classic series in a very anime way and mostly succeeds. A case of the week murder mystery makes up the first half or so of the season which can get a tad repetitive at points. However the second halfs twists enable the story to shift in a direction I didnt see coming. Some particular plot points you will see coming if you have ever seen or read a Sherlock story before however the execution is far more unique than what I wouldve expected. I watched the show dubbed on Funimation so that means I got to see Justin Briner shine among a lovely cast of Funimation regulars keeping the absurdity of the animation and the story alive and well. Kabukicho is an absurd place and the cast sells it. It would be easy to allow the performance to fail to sell the story and they manage to pull it off under the careful direction of Cris George and the strength of the rest of the cast. There are some issues with it I cannot go into too much detail without entering spoiler territory but I will say that the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters is mixed in the show with some stereotypes and negative connotations causing me some concern. Its great to see an anime with so many LGBTQ+ characters that is not a yaoi/yuri story but it was not handled as well as I would prefer in this dayandage... There are uncomfortable moments in the show beyond this it is not a pure comedymystery play. There are entire portions of episodes without humour which can lead to some tonal whiplash especially compared to the start of the series. Nonetheless I really enjoyed it. The animation is gorgeous the opening is fantastic how often do we see a jazzstyle song in an anime opening? and wish it would be able to continue but I doubt it. If you have no interest in mysteries or a new take on Sherlock Holmes that is verrry different from what youve seen before dont watch this show. However if you want an eccentric adventure that you wont forget quick this is the show for you. There is no word yet on a second season but the complete Season 1 is available +1 OVA on Funimation. It could have been better it had some weak episodes but overall it was fine but memorable.