REVIEW: ‘Moriarty the Patriot,’ Episode 16 – “The Phantom of Whitechapel Act 2”

Moriarty the Patriot Episode 16 has a thinner plot but more than makes up for it with flashy action and tag-teams that will satisfy fans of the show. The anime from Production I.G. adapts the manga series of the same name by Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi. The manga is available in English from VIZ Media. The story reimagines Sherlock Holmes’ rival, James Moriarty, as a young aristocrat out to overthrow the corrupt upper class and societal structure of Great Britain using the criminal underworld.

Focusing back on the Jack the Ripper case, Team Moriarty has grown with the additions of both James Bond and Jack Renfield. Renfield, who entered the cast at the end of Episode 15, was also known as ‘Jack the Ripper’ back when he was on the battlefield. He has come to track down who is using his old moniker. There isn’t much mystery to this case, as the episode essentially opens with William explaining to the team the culprit and the motivations. While it makes sense for William to have solved it so quickly, it does make the reveal rather anticlimactic. It is hard not to think it would have been better to leave the audience wondering what William was up to, even if not everything was revealed initially.

Moriarty the Patriot Episode 16 reveals that the Jack the Ripper murders were committed by multiple co-conspirators. A group is trying to fuel a war between the Vigilance Committee and the police. The murderers are ultimately trying to overthrow the caste system in the country…which is the same goal as the Lord of Crime. It isn’t immediately explained why William wants to stop this group, as it seems it would work against their initial plans. The reasons given are satisfying, keeping the Lord of Crime as an oddly moral criminal. William and the rest cannot abide by the murders of prostitutes, and the group using them as a stepping stone for their goal. Unfortunately, this would have more impact if any care was given to these murdered women beyond the moral high ground. It would have been nice for William of any of the other characters to mention the women’s names or any element of their lives. It is a small detail, but in the confrontation, it would have made it feel less forced. William feels ethical and principled, but there isn’t any emotion behind it compared to how he responded in earlier cases.

Most of Moriarty the Patriot Episode 16 is action, and it delivers. Jack Renfield flips, jumps, and flies around, looking like he came straight out of Castlevania. Piggybacking off of Episode 15, Moran and Bond have a fantastically flashy duet moment. The animation will excite viewers and plays into how ridiculously extra the characters can be. Even William and Lois get in on the action this time and prove they might be the most deadly of everyone. Viewers are reminded that these two are brothers by blood and have been together the longest of anyone. The show’s love of red is back, making the brothers’ red eyes literally glow and glint like knives when they move. It reminds people that the two can be deadly and bloodthirsty, and it is a look we haven’t truly seen in them since they were children.

Moriarty the Patriot Episode 16 has a thin plot but is clearly meant to be an episode for spectacle. The flashy action is just as extra as the characters can be, and that alone will satisfy fans. It is frustrating to have murders of prostitutes be reduced to a simple plot device for moral high ground. It makes this story arc lack empathy and emotional connection to the characters.

Moriarty the Patriot is streaming now on Funimation.