REVIEW: ‘Pretty Boy Detective Club,’ Episode 4 – “The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys Part 1”

Last time with the Detective Club, the Pretty Boy Detective Club put a pin in Mayumi Doujima’s three-part search for a star she saw as a child. It also saw her become a full member of the Pretty Boy Detective Club. Now, in this episode, we’ll move into a new case with the Pretty Boy Detective Club, as well as a new arc of the show. Pretty Boy Detective Club Episode 4, “The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys Part 1”, starts a new case with Mayumi and the boys of the titular detective club. This time, the focus is off Mayumi’s case. We’re in a brand new arc with a whole new mystery.

Oh yeah, and a stranger gives Mayumi a fat stack of ten-thousand yen notes. Unfortunately, yes: they are counterfeit, which means they’re not worth a lot. And of course, the mysterious course of events set up in this first part tie directly into the title, and the overarching plot for the next few episodes, however many parts this case will take.

Thankfully, the bills hide a major secret inside: a ticket to access a casino, which is hilarious for teens. Of course, Sotoin, Mayumi, and the rest of the pretty boys leap at this new case. They dress to the nines and kick off this new, high rolling case with a bang.

One thing that’s interesting to me is how Pretty Boy Detective Club continues to play with gender. Mayumi continues to dress in a non-conforming way, from the start of Pretty Boy Detective Club Episode 4 to the end. It’s only in the introduction that she’s shown in the female student’s uniform. In a lovely way, it really reinforces the fact that the titular detective club is for those who have masculinity and “being a boy” in their heart. There’s no hard and fast rule about needing to have been born a cis male. It’s one of the show’s strongest elements, and honestly, one of its biggest draws.

There’s something so delightful about this arc from the beginning. I found that feeling only increasing as we dove into a casino during the back half of Pretty Boy Detective Club Episode 4. That’s not to say it’s not well executed. Actually, Pretty Boy Detective Club Episode 4 is a solid episode with very few things to complain about. It sets up a solid foundation for the arc and is intriguing enough that I was left craving episode 5.

Hyouta and his legs remain one of Pretty Boy Detective Club’s biggest weaknesses, though the camera seems to be leering at him less and less. I take that as a sign that Pretty Boy Detective Club is getting serious about its story and leaning less and less on author Nisioisin’s tendency to involve fanservice in literally everything. Consider me excited to see where this arc goes!

In the end, Pretty Boy Detective Club Episode 4 opens the next arc with a bang. It’s got a slightly different pace than the first three episodes, for the better. While the show is still fabulously fluffy decadence, there’s a lot more depth here in terms of the gorgeous animation and the sheer concept of a school detective club. It’s enough that I found myself itching to pick up the novels that this series draws from. 

Pretty Boy Detective Club is now streaming on Funimation.