Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes has fans almost all over the place. The unique stories have been adapted in several forms within the media through the years. From authors picking and putting the characters in latest stories to creators imagining gender-reversed characters, the media consistently reinvented Sherlock Holmes.
To those lamenting the shortage of female presence in Holmes’ lives, let me take you to the past! In a rare collaboration with Hulu Japan, HBO Asia got here on board to create a female-led adaptation of the fan-favorite sleuth. The 2018 show Miss Sherlock encompasses a female Sherlock Holmes, a female John Watson, and even a female Moriarty!
What sets this Japanese adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories other than the remainder is undoubtedly the female-led forged. But other than that, we see that Sara “Sherlock” Shelly Futaba, aka our dear Miss Sherlock (played by Yuko Takeuchi), will not be obnoxious or uppity like another versions of the detective are. She is well-informed of her surroundings, has a keen eye for detail, and is quirky in her own way. After all, some parts of her personality might be deemed as ‘anti-social’, but she wouldn’t be Holmes without the world being wary and interested in her at the identical time.
Dr. Wato Tachibana, aka Wato-san (played by Shihori Kanjiya), is the dear Watson to our Miss Sherlock. Every Watson has the same fate once they are available in contact with Sherlock Holmes. On this adaptation, Poor Wato-san discusses Holmes’ whimsy along with her therapist as a substitute of maintaining a diary. She is a war doctor who has returned from Syria and suffers from PTSD after seeing the war.
Sherlock needs the nemesis, and here now we have a moderately sensible one. Mariko Irikawa (played by Yuki Saito) is the stellar antagonist on the show. She went from being a talented therapist to a brutal antagonist on the show in a single fell swoop. This Holmes’ nemesis makes you desire to delve deeper into her psyche as her plans are revealed in a surprising climax.
Kento Futaba (played by Long Long Man ad fame Yukiyoshi Ozawa) is Sherlock’s older brother. He makes a smooth delivery because the Japanese counterpart to Mycroft Holmes. It wouldn’t hurt to see more of the Kento and diplomatic brilliance come into play for private and public interests.
Each case is customized to suit the Japanese culture and audience. The three major characters bask of their feminine glory without morphing into a perfect figure set by the male gaze. The intricacies of this adaptation are something truly interesting to delve into. One might argue that HBO Asia and Hulu Japan’s Miss Sherlock sets the bar high for other gender-bender adaptations of Holmes.
There have been several books and characters, but none have satisfied the hungry audience as this Japanese TV show adaptation has. The show ended with an open ending with ample scope for a sequel. Nonetheless, there was no news of a sequel since Yuko Takeuchi passed away in 2020 after reportedly committing suicide. If there are any probabilities for the show’s revival or a sequel, the makers indeed have some big shoes to fill!
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