The anime series Case File no. 223: Kabukicho has an unwieldy name (with an n° that's impossible to get right) because producers were worried about copyright infringement. In Japanese it's Kabukicho Sherlock: an outré revision of the Sherlock Holmes mythos. I've watched three episodes.
Kabukicho is the red-light district of Tokyo, a realm of "chaos and insanity," where Mrs. Hudson, Holmes' housekeeper from the original stories re-imaged as a muscular, bearded man in a wig and a dress, runs the Pipe Cat bar (along with several drag queen assistants).
When a case come in, she offers it to her team of six detectives, "weirdos, freaks, bozos, and loons," who compete to solve it and get paid.
She also flirts with every man in sight, which they always find shocking and repellent, and I find distasteful, recalling the predatory gay guy who can't keep his hands off the poor, innocent straights.
There are two other gender-bending characters: Lestrade, a male police inspector in the original stories, is here a woman in male drag, and detective Mary usually presents as masculine as well.
Sherlock Holmes, a depressed, possibly suicidal failed rakugoka (comedic monologue performer), usually solves the case by noticing clues that the other detectives ignore.
Dr. Watson (top photo) comes to Mrs. Hudson with an unusual case, but ends up hanging out at the Pipe Cat. Eventually he moves in with Holmes (just as a roommate), and becomes one of the detectives. The gay subtext that appears in many versions does not exist, however, as Holmes specifically states that he doesn't like Watson, and Watson begins dating a woman.
John Moriarity, a master criminal in the original stories, is here the 16-year old leader of a revision of the Baker Street Irregulars. He seems to have a crush on Holmes: he is pleased to discover that Holmes and Watson do not share a bed, and at the bath house, when Holmes' towel falls away, he is very pleased to get a look at his penis.
Cases often reflect the plots of the original stories. I recognized "The Red-Headed League" and "The Scarlet Band."
At first I enjoyed looking for reflections of the Sherlock Holmes mythos, and I was pleasantly suprised by the gender-bending. But Mrs. Hudson is so predatory, and the objects of her interest so shocked and disgusted, that it gradually became clear that this is not a gay-positive world. Why couldn't some guys return her interest, or at least reject her politely instead of recoiling in shock and horror?
Watson is cute, though.
Addendum: A review reveals that there is a gay couple in a later episode, who the detectives treat with derision and disgust.
Holmes with drag queens could work, though I imagine most of the bodies would also be gay or trans or hookers and my mind is screaming no.
ReplyDeleteOh, speaking of queer detectives, I have to say one thing pleasantly surprised me in Dark Crisis. Tim Drake figures out something's wrong with the world when (simulated) Batman thinks he's dating Steph, but he's dating Bernard. (Yes. And it was frankly obvious going back to Marv Wolfman that Tim liked guys.) Simulated Batman says it's just a phase, Steph is his destiny.
Heterosexism proves reality is off.
(Let the record show that the only Robin who is convincingly heterosexual is Jason.)