Sherlock Holmes’ arch-enemy Moriarty has always been a staple of the classic story we know and love. Moriarty the Patriot takes the original design and throws a completely new twist into the system by making Moriarty both likable and equally egotistical. Instead of always rooting for Holmes you find the rivalry between the two—when it does appear—to be less in favor of the beloved detective and more towards the known villain. This set up makes the entirety of Moriarty the Patriot to feel less like a retread of familiar grounds and almost like a remake of the well-known story.

Moriarty the Patriot isn’t just one giant narrative but instead various cases that have an underlining plot in the background. We loved the numerous stories provided in Moriarty the Patriot and constantly felt ourselves immersed in the detective work happening on screen. Any mystery anime that can capture our attention like that is a truly solid series and should be praised.

Seriously, one element that we gushed over constantly in Moriarty the Patriot was the fact that Production I.G was able to take a character known to be a villain and turn him into a pretty boy anti-hero. If you know what the original design is for Moriarty you know he’s far from the word “handsome” and looks like an evil man who wants to rule the world. In Moriarty the Patriot, Moriarty is quite debonair and has an air of class to him that makes him likeable, intriguing and slightly cynical. Moriarty might go down in history as one of our favorite anti-heroes and he kind of deserves that title.

While not a huge issue, if you’re a die-hard fan of the classic literature of Sherlock Homes then you might have issue with the titular character’s lack of screen time. Sherlock Holmes takes a back seat to Moriarty—which makes sense as this series is focusing on the latter—and only truly starts appearing in the story near the end of the first cour. Try to go into Moriarty the Patriot with an open mind if you’re a super fan of all things Holmes.

Weirdly enough, Moriarty the Patriot is only 11 episodes and while there has been a confirmation of another season coming soon, this makes the finale feel quite rushed. The last episode was thought-provoking and impactful as Moriarty clashed with Holmes to solve a dubious murder but then the series wraps up with a sudden appearance from a new possible threat and a cliffhanger. In our minds, we would have liked Moriarty the Patriot to be at least 12-13 episodes but again this only a minor issue.