REVIEW: ‘Moriarty the Patriot,’ Episode 23 – “The Final Problem Act 1”

Moriarty the Patriot Episode 23 ramps up to the finale by putting all of the characters loyalties to the test as William enacts his endgame. Production I.G. has helmed the adaptation of Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi’s manga of the same name. Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Moriarty the Patriot follows Sherlock’s rival, William James Moriarty, and his brothers and they set out to rid England of corruption and oppression. To realize this dream, they become The Lord of Crime to reveal the corruption of society from the shadows. The manga is available in English from VIZ Media.

After the events of Episode 22, William has realized that his plan must come to fruition sooner than anticipated. Sherlock has turned himself in for the murder of Milverton, and has declared that he will no longer fall in line with William’s schemes. This shocks William, because he truly didn’t believe Sherlock capable of murder after his initial test. He now realizes that the end has approached, and the planned finale is his own death at the hands of Sherlock Holmes.

Moriarty the Patriot Episode 23 dives into the excitement pretty quickly, with William openly revealing himself as The Lord of Crime to the public and going on nightly murder sprees of corrupt nobles. His bright red eyes are given excellent animation, with streaks of red illustrating his movement as though he were a bird of prey. While the rest of the group tries to manage things at the estate and Mycroft handles the Queen, they deal with the frustration at William taking the fall for the group’s actions. This is especially difficult for both Louis and Fred, who have been shown to be the most openly emotional of the group. Louis relationship with William has been fairly illustrated throughout the anime. While William was the brains, they were still always a team at the orphanage before they met Albert. If anything, due to Louis being sickly at the orphanage, there is a heavy dependency on William. It is a dependency that Louis is clearly aware of and wants to break free from. He is tired of being protected and wants to be the protector, instead of feeling like a burden.

While Louis provides compelling character moments in Moriarty the Patriot Episode 23, there is a bit of an issue with Fred. His conflict is certainly compelling as well, but it is hindered by the plot’s prior lack of exploration. How Fred met the Moriarty brothers, his specific connection to William, why he is willing to get his hands dirty beyond the group’s main goal…none of that has really been explored or illustrated. It leaves the moments with his character feeling hollow.

On the other side of things, Sherlock and John also have some great scenes. Voice actors Makoto Furukawa and Yūki Ono absolutely nail the delivery. Ono sends home John’s love for his friend embedded in his anger, and in response, Furukawa’s portrayal of Sherlock is that of a slow awakening. It truly portrays a man who is convinced he cannot rely on others, and the concept of others caring about him is foreign.

Moriarty the Patriot Episode 23 is full of strong character moments that are a solid capstone for the journey they’ve been on. The only exception is Fred, who was denied a more in-depth exploration that would have serviced his crisis here. Even with bumps in the road during the course of the show, the penultimate episode is a great foundation for the finale to stand on.

Moriarty the Patriot is streaming on Funimation.