'Miss Sherlock' Is Way More Than Just a Gender-Swapped Retelling

I’ve loved Sherlock Holmes ever since I was a kid.  And not only have I been fascinated of his original literary depiction by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but also of non-canon accounts and re-imaginations in various media.   TV, in recent years, particularly has had several shows that take a page from or are straightforward retellings of Sherlock Holmes lore – including House, Sherlock, Elementary, and Queen of Mystery – which my fandom for Sherlock Holmes obliges me to check out and follow (I had to drop Elementary a few years ago though) and, more often than not, enjoy.

In view of this, Miss Sherlock – a new show from HBO Asia that spins the legendary consulting detective as a Japanese woman operating in modern Tokyo – was something I was greatly looking forward to when I first learned of its existence early this year.  I thought it looked promising.

And after watching its eight episodes, I was mostly satisfied with it.

Miss Sherlock appears to be more inspired by Sherlock rather than the original Conan Doyle material.  Its production design and music really give off the vibes that it’s channeling Sherlock.  And its overarching storyline reminds me of the first two seasons of the hit BBC show, as it contains a couple of plot beats that are somewhat similar.

However, Yuko Takeuchi – the actress playing the eponymous character – doesn’t at all look like she’s trying to be a female version of Benedict Cumberbatch’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.  She really does have her own distinctive style in portraying the eccentricities and facets of the character.  What she does with him, er, her is truly fresh and striking.  Meanwhile, Shihori Kanjiya plays the Watson role – Dr. Wato Tachibana (she’s often addressed as “Wato-san” to make her name sound like “Watson.”  Clever, eh?) – and she matches the quality performance of her co-star with one of her own.  Together, they have fantastic chemistry.

Despite the cynical impression that its gender-swapped aspect is just a gimmick in order to repackage something that has been showed countless of times before (which, to be fair, can’t be helped), it truly doesn’t feel creatively bankrupt at all.  There’s a genuine sense of originality about it.  By switching the duo’s sex into female, the show is able to truly offer a unique, thoughtful perspective – especially at an emotional level – on the Sherlock Holmes-Dr. John Watson dynamic.

Furthermore, though there are certainly predictable elements within its storyline – especially to someone who has previously encountered a great amount of other Sherlock Holmes stories – it also does something truly innovative, especially regarding the MO of the big bad, i.e. the “Moriarty” figure (who, by the way, is pretty easy to guess who), and how it plays on the climax.

In the end, it’s not as excellent as I hoped it would be.  I do wish it’s more cerebral and a tad bit more humorous.  The mystery cases have intrigue and surprises, but they don’t have the “mind-blowing” factor going for them, while the attempts at comedy, though decent, are not bitingly charming.  Moreover, it lacked random portrayals of Sherlock’s remarkable intelligence as well as the flare of showcasing it (BBC’s Sherlock ruled in this aspect).  On a minor note, I was also mildly disappointed that the show doesn’t feature a male version of Irene Adler.

Nevertheless, Miss Sherlock is an enthralling show.  I enjoyed it enough to wish for a second season (something that is completely up in the air at this point).