Sherlock Holmes
GenrePuppetry
Based onCanon of Sherlock Holmes
Written byKōki Mitani
Directed byStudio Nova
Voices ofKoichi Yamadera
Wataru Takagi
Keiko Horiuchi
Narrated byWataru Takagi
Theme music composerWEST GROUND
Opening theme"Scarlet Story"
ComposerKana Hiramatsu
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes28
Production
Executive producerNobuhisa Kihira
Running time20 min. (Series 1)
30 min. (Series 2)
Original release
NetworkNHK General TV (GTV) and NHK Educational TV (ETV)
ReleaseMarch 25, 2014 (2014-03-25) –
September 24, 2015 (2015-09-24)
Related
Let's search 'Sherlock Holmes' thoroughly
Sherlock Holmes Awards
Sherloc-Q!

Sherlock Holmes (シャーロック ホームズ) or Puppet Entertainment Sherlock Holmes is a Japanese puppetry television series written by Kōki Mitani and produced and broadcast by NHK. The puppets for the series were designed by Bunta Inoue. The first series of 18 episodes was broadcast on Sundays from 12 October 2014 to 15 February 2015 by NHK Educational TV (ETV); the first six episodes were broadcast by NHK General TV (GTV) in March and August 2014. A special programme[1] was broadcast on 5 October 2014 while a "Sherlock Holmes Award" was broadcast on 28 December 2014. Each episode was rebroadcast on successive Fridays. The programme won the Japan Sherlock Holmes Award on 22 March 2015.[2]

The series is based on the Canon of Sherlock Holmes, with characters and events adapted to a fictional London boarding school where a teenage Sherlock Holmes (voiced by Kōichi Yamadera) investigates incidents with roommate John H. Watson (voiced by Wataru Takagi). There are no murders, and characters appear where they were not present in the original stories.

Some episodes are being rebroadcast from 22 February 2015. The production of new episodes was announced on the official website of the programme and on website "Sherlock Gakuen".[3][4] Staff member Kunio Yoshikawa said that production and broadcast of an English version are scheduled.[5] On 1 June 2015, NHK announced that a new series of the programme, called Holmes and Watson Mystery - (No heya : a room of mystery) would be broadcast on Thursdays' from July to September 2015. The series featured John H. Watson commenting on the deductions of Holmes. Some episodes from the first series were also broadcast.[4]

Premise and character adaptations

John H. Watson, a boy who transfers from Australia to a fictional London boarding school called Beeton School, becomes the roommate of Sherlock Holmes. Although Holmes has a reputation as a trouble-maker, he has keen powers of observation and the two are able to solve the many incidents which occur at the school, at the request of teachers and pupils.[3]

The name "Beeton School" is taken from Beeton's Christmas Annual, the magazine in which the character Sherlock Holmes first appeared, and Eton College.[6]

In the show, Sherlock Holmes is a strange but clever pupil who lives in room 221B of Baker House, one of the houses of Beeton School. He sleeps during class and has poor grades, especially in literature, philosophy and astronomy. He is thought by teachers to be a troublemaker, but has brilliant reasoning powers and blows a party horn when he thinks about something.[7][8]

John H. Watson (pronounced "Watoson" in the Japanese) is a transfer student from Australia to Beeton School and roommate of Holmes (pronounced "Homuzu" in the Japanese).[9] He has a strong sense of justice and writes about their investigations in a notebook called "Watoson memo" (memo by John H. Watson),[10] which is reported to the school paper, the "Strand Wall Poster" (a wall newspaper). Though depressed from a leg injury that made him retire from playing rugby football, he pulls himself together with the case of Jefferson Hope ("The First Adventure") and comes to understand Holmes.[11][12]

Mrs Hudson (pronounced "Hadoson" in the Japanese)[13] is the housemother of Baker (pronounced "Beika" in the Japanese) House. She is jolly and loves singing and baking cookies. Only she calls Holmes by his first name, Sherlock (pronounced "Sharokku" in the Japanese).[14] As Holmes helps her get out of trouble in "The First Adventure," she comes to take a motherly interest in Holmes and Watson.[12][15]

James Moriarty (pronounced "Jeimuzu Moriati" in the Japanese)[16] is a tall and blond deputy headmaster of the Beeton who has two different aspects: the right half of his face looks calm, but the other half looks severe. He manages the school and is strict with the pupils, especially Holmes, who always behaves at his own pace.[17]

Mycroft Holmes (pronounced "Maikurofuto" in the Japanese)[18] is a sixth former of Dealer House, elder brother of Sherlock and a founder of the Diogenes Club in the house.[3][19]

Irene Adler is a school nurse who is having an affair with Headmaster Ormstein but takes up with art teacher Godfrey Norton. Her elegance and sweetness charm male teachers and pupils. She comes to assist the investigations of Holmes and sometimes snaps her fingers at his nose.[20]

Gordon Lestrade (pronounced "Resutoredo" in the Japanese) is a pupil of Cooper House and has an atmosphere of mod subculture. He is a member of the life guidance committee in the school but assists Holmes in investigations that are disfavored by teachers, especially Grimesby Roylott, who is in charge of giving pupils life guidance.[21][22][23]

Langdale Pike acts as an informant to Holmes. He is quick at his work but tight with money. He partially plays the role of the Baker Street Irregulars through a group of mice that inform for Holmes.

Sherman, a taxidermist in The Sign of the Four is adapted to a female pupil who loves animals and speaks like a boy. She cooperates with Holmes in his investigations.

Production

Development

Kōki Mitani

Following the broadcast of The Three Musketeers from 2009 to 2010, Kōki Mitani planned to adapt The Brothers Karamazov to a puppetry. Despite his love for the stories of Sherlock Holmes, Mitani was reluctant to adapt the series into puppetry due to the difficulty in describing the details of investigations through the operation of puppets. He also worried that it was too late to produce a Sherlock Holmes series as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes gained popularity and the modern adaptation Sherlock had already received a reputation.[24] Then he planned to make a puppet with the spitting image of Sherlock Holmes drawn by Sidney Paget but abandoned the idea as tall puppets are difficult for puppeteers to operate. Mitani then decided to make it a show set in a fictional boarding school called "Beeton School" with Sherlock Holmes as a fifteen-year-old schoolboy. Though many incidents occur in the school, there are no murders and the same puppets appear many times.[25] According to Mitani, as the story progresses it will be revealed to viewers the full picture of why the show is set in a school. All four novels of the canon – A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Valley of Fear – are dramatised in the puppetry, which Mitani says may be the first case among screen adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle's work.[26]

At a March 2014 press conference for the show, Mitani said that only real Sherlockians can enjoy the show.[25] Though the comment aroused criticism, he stated that what he wanted to say is that real Sherlockians should have the playfulness of mind to accept and enjoy any adaption of the series of Sherlock Holmes and that the material is worth creating derivative work.[24] He also said that the presence of John Watson as a storyteller is very important and a splendid invention of Arthur Conan Doyle. He describes Watson as having warmth and passion that Holmes lacks and appreciates Martin Freeman who plays Watson with good nature in Sherlock. In 2007, Freeman appeared in the play The Last Laugh, based on University of Laughs (Warai no daigaku, 笑の大学) written by Mitani.[24]

Puppets and sets

Bunta Inoue

Mitani has said that what a human plays can also be played by a puppet.[27] The series' puppets are designed by painter Bunta Inoue.[24] He emphasises the cleverness of Holmes by giving the character large ears and broad forehead and made the nose of Holmes characteristic[25] of Holmes in the original.[24] Mitani instructed Inoue on the image of the puppets. For example, the image of Sir Henry Baskerville and Stapleton in the episode based on The Hound of the Baskervilles are modelled on Prince William and Woody Allen, respectively.[24]

Inoue said that he intended to design the puppets to become familiar to children and inspire them to draw doodles. He judged an illustration contest of this show and The Three Musketeers held in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo in September 2014. The faces of the puppets are basically expressionless and directed by lighting as is done in Noh and Bunraku.[28] The hair of male puppets is painted as colourful as a merry-go-round[29] while shibori dying techniques are used for that of female puppets.[30]

As the show is produced in Japan, washi paper is frequently used in set construction and properties, including bags, tea sets and lanterns lit by LED lamp. Washi is also used for trees and interiors along with cheesecloth and nonwoven fabric to make the atmosphere natural and warm. Nonwoven fabric also has the advantage of never causing halation in the shooting. The appearance of the set is similar to that of a dollhouse and the cloister is modelled on that of an abbey in Cotswolds. The staff referred to the stained glass in the Sherlock Holmes Museum and the building of St Pancras station in constructing the set.[31]

Beeton School has four houses and each of them has its colour such as dark red for Archer, dark blue for Baker, green for Cooper and grey for Dealer. These colours are adopted in the uniforms of pupils.[32] Holmes wears the dark blue of Baker and hangs a clock and a pair of compasses on his left chest but Watson wears the pale brown uniform of his former school. In Inoue's original sketch, Holmes has a cane whose top is shaped like a skull and the letters of "Sherlock Holmes" are written on each of his shoe soles using the stick figures in "The Adventure of the Dancing Men".[23][33]

Voice acting

On selecting voice actors, Mitani asked experienced voice actor Koichi Yamadera to voice Holmes, knowing that acting ability was needed to portray the difficult character.[24] Mitani admires Yamadera for he acts the role as if he were a boy who is naive and sensitive, though he is not so in reality.[34]

Like The Three Musketeers, some voice actors play multiple roles in the show. Masashi Ebara voices Jim Moriarty, Godfrey Norton, Aloysius Garcia and Barnicot; and Yuko Sanpei voices Enoch Drebber, Helen Stoner and Henderson.[35][36]

In "The Adventure of the Cheerful Four", actors Masachika Ichimura and Kenji Urai, who are famous for their appearance in musical theatre, voice some puppets.

Music and the opening theme

Kana Hiramatsu,[37] a member of Spanish Connection is in charge of music.[38] Nano, a singer who also likes the series Sherlock Holmes, performed and wrote the lyrics of the opening theme, "Scarlet Story", that deal with A Study in Scarlet. Nano tries to express the inner pains of Holmes who always searches for the truth.[39]

The show is produced by using prescoring,[24] and projection mapping is used in the title sequence that describes "The Adventure of the Dancing Men".

Playfulness

As well as Mitani's other works, playfulness is included in the show. For example, the episode based on The Sign of the Four is adapted into a musical play;[40] each speckle on a snake that appears in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" has the shape of crocus, the flower Holmes mentions in the original.[23] Besides Holmes's violin is on the shelf for personal belongings near his bed.[8] Some words and conversation in the series seem to reference the series, Sherlock.

Cast

Main characters

Other pupils

Archer House pupils

  • Fuminori Komatsu as Abdullah, a pupil from India and roommate of Arthur Morstan
  • Masashi Ebara as Aloysius Garcia, who goes missing in "The Adventure of the Serious Witness"
  • Yuko Sanpei as Henderson, a roommate of Garcia who also goes missing
  • Satoshi Tsumabuki as Jefferson Hope, who takes revenge on Drebber and Stangerson in "The First adventure"
  • Keiko Toda as Isadora Klein, a female juvenile gang leader of Beeton School
  • Kenji Urai as Arthur Morstan, who forms a chorus band "The Treasures" with the Sholto twins
  • Anna Ishibashi as Mary Morstan, younger sister of Arthur Morstan, she becomes a love interest for Watson
  • Daisuke Kishio as Stamford, a model pupil
  • Sosuke Ikematsu as Jack Stapleton, a childhood friend of Mary Morstan who likes excavating fossils and harasses Mary's boyfriends

Baker House pupils

  • Atsuko Takaizumi as Agatha, who is tutored privately by Charles Augustus Milverton
  • Zen Kajihara as Beppo, who destroys plaster works in "The First Adventure" and requests Holmes to solve his trouble in "The Adventure of the Portrait of a Teacher"
  • Shinji Takeda as Duncan Ross, who invites Jabez Wilson to enter the Red-Headed Club

Cooper House pupils

  • Masashi Ebara as Barnicot, one of the editors of the school newspaper
  • Yōsuke Asari as Baynes, who provokes Holmes in "The Adventure of the Serious Witness"
  • Fuminori Komatsu as Jabez Wilson, a red-headed pupil
  • Tatsuya Fujiwara as James Windibank, one Mary Sutherland's childhood friends who pretends to be Hosmar Angel

Dealer House pupils

  • Tomohiko Imai as Henry Baskerville, who witnesses a fearful "Monster Dog" in the back of Beeton School
  • Yuko Sanpei as Enoch Drebber, a delinquent pupil who is always with Joseph Stangerson
  • Kōichi Yamadera as Mycroft Holmes, elder brother of Sherlock and head of the pupil council
  • Masanori Ishii as Wilson Kemp, who kidnaps Sherman in "The Adventure of the Dog's Language Interpreter"
  • Hiromasa Taguchi as Bartholomew and Theddaus Sholto, twin members of "The Treasures"
  • Daisuke Kishio as Joseph Stangerson, a friend of Enoch Drebber
  • Catherine Seto as Mary Sutherland, who requests Holmes to find Hosmar Angel in "The Adventure of the Missing Boyfriend"

Teachers and school staff

  • Yasunoti Danda as Charles Augustus Milverton, a history teacher
  • Masashi Ebara as Godfrey Norton, an art teacher
  • Baijaku Nakamura as Headmaster Ormstein
  • Kazuyuki Asano as Grimesby Roylott, who teaches chemistry and gives pupils life guidance
  • Yuko Sanpei as Helen Stoner, a trainee teacher of chemistry

Other characters

  • Masachika Ichimura as Jonathan Small, a mailman who is a member of "The Treasures" and attacks other members in "The Adventure of the Cheerful Four"
  • Kōki Mitani as Mr. Douglas, an American who lives behind Beeton School, appearing in "The Adventure of the Residence of Mr. Douglas"
  • Yasuko Fujino as Mrs. Douglas, who is suspected by Watson for the murder of her husband
  • Takahiko Sakoda as Inspector MacDonald, who investigates the murder of Mr. Douglas

Animals

  • Toby and Sophy, the dogs kept by Sherman
  • Baker House Irregulars, a group of mice corresponding to the Baker Street Irregulars in the original.

Most of the animals in the show are voiced by Kōichi Yamadera.

Episode list

Series 1

Episode No. Title OriginalAirDate
1–2"The First Adventure"
"Saisho no bōken" (最初の冒険)		12 October 2014 (2014-10-12)
19 October 2014 (2014-10-19)
25–26 March and 14 and 17 August 2014 (GTV)
John H. Watson, a transfer student from Australia becomes the roommate of Sherlock Holmes in room 221B of Baker House at Beeton School, but he feels a sense of emptiness caused by retiring from playing rugby. A few days later, Watson witnesses a pupil break a plaster hippo to find something inside. Watson is wrongly accused of breaking the work by Deputy Headmaster Moriarty but Holmes pleads on his behalf. Later, Dealer House pupils Enoch Drebber and Joseph Stangerson are taken to hospital due to violent stomachache. Though the cookies baked by Mrs Hudson are thought to be the cause, Holmes discovers eggshells in their rooms and ascertains that Jefferson Hope, who was bullied and driven into leaving school by Drebber and Stangerson, sought revenge on them by making them eat rotten eggs. The contents of the plaster hippo are another matter.
Loosely based on A Study in Scarlet and "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons"
3"The Adventure of the Headmaster with Trouble"
"Komatta kôchô sensei no bōken" (困った校長先生の冒険)		26 October 2014 (2014-10-26)
27 March and 17 August 2014 (GTV)
Head Master Ormstein requests Holmes to retrieve a photo of himself and school nurse Irene Adler from her possession. Holmes pretends to be ill and goes to nurse's office where he secretly observes Adler's behaviour – though what he sees is Adler and art teacher Godfrey Norton enjoyably painting portraits of Ormstein. Later, Holmes makes a false fire with Watson to trap Adler but she outwits him and informs him that she had already returned the photo to Ormstein.
Loosely based on "A Scandal in Bohemia"
4"The Adventure of the Missing Boyfriend"
"Kieta bōifurendo no bōken" (消えたボーイフレンドの冒険)		2 November 2014 (2014-11-02)
19 and 21 August 2014 (GTV)
Mary Sutherland, a tall girl, requests Holmes to find her missing boyfriend Hosmar Angel, who disappeared in a cave at the back of the school. Holmes doubts that Angel and Windibank, one of Sutherland's childhood friends, are the same person. He searches the cave with Watson and they find a hidden exit – and they also find that no pupil named Hosmar Angel is enrolled in the school.
Loosely based on "A Case of Identity"
5"The Adventure of the Red-Headed Club"
"Akage kurabu no bōken" (赤毛クラブの冒険)		9 November 2014 (2014-11-09)
21 and 23 August 2014 (GTV)
Jabez Wilson, a red-headed pupil, visits 221B after being invited by Duncan Ross to enter the Red-Headed Club, exclusively for those with red hair. Strangely enough, the activities of the club are painting balls, stones, bottles, and a replica of Venus de Milo red, and their clubroom is a storeroom though the club is said to have a long history. Holmes guesses that the club is a fiction and a means of Ross to make Wilson stay away from the edge of a pond where he draws a picture as a member of the art club.
Loosely based on "The Red-Headed League"
6"The Adventure of the Serious Witness"
"Kimajime na shōnin no bōken" (生真面目な証人の冒険)		16 November 2014 (2014-11-16)
Pupils Garcia and Henderson go missing despite being grounded for stealing bread from the dining hall. Baynes suspects Lestrade, a member of the life guidance committee, who chatted with them the previous night.[41] Baynes has a strong sense of rivalry against Holmes and provokes him. Holmes becomes irritated but realises that it's a trick of Garcia and Henderson who are using the seriousness of Lestrade – but is unsure of their purpose. Holmes understands everything from a piece of wood, a toy for a dog found in their room and the reason why Baynes provokes him.
Loosely based on "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge"
7"The Adventure of the Dogs' Language Interpreter"
"Inugo tsūyaku no bōken" (イヌ語通訳の冒険)		23 November 2014 (2014-11-23)
Sherman is kidnapped by a man in black coat and is made to interpret dog's language using her ability of understanding animals. The kidnapper seeks to find a Neanderthal bone he stole, which was subsequently taken and hidden by the dog. Holmes decides to solve the problem with the help of his elder brother, Mycroft, who is the pupil council head. He visits his brother in the Diogenes Club in Dealer House, and Holmes, Watson and Mycroft discover the bone. When they learn that the kidnapper is Wilson Kemp who lives in Dealer house, Mycroft takes an unexpected action.[42]
Loosely based on "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter"
8–9"The Adventure of the Cheerful Four"
"Yukai na yoningumi no bōken" (愉快な四人組の冒険)		30 November 2014 (2014-11-30)
7 December 2014 (2014-12-07)
Pupil Mary Morstan visits 221B, wanting to know the truth behind an attack that injured her brother Arthur. Holmes feels suspicious about the signs on a torn piece of paper found in Arthur's room, small handprints around the skylight and the unnatural behaviour of the Sholto twins who are in vocal group "The Treasures" with Arthur. One night, the twins are also attacked. Holmes searches using the "Baker House Irregulars" and finds that Jonathan Small, a mailman who delivers mail to the school, is trying to steal the score of "Agra Treasure" – for he suffers a disadvantage caused by trouble over the music.[43]
Loosely based on The Sign of the Four.
10"The Adventure of the Portrait of a Teacher"
"Shitsurei na nigaoe no bōken" (失礼な似顔絵の冒険)		14 December 2014 (2014-12-14)
Beppo draws a portrait of history teacher Charles Augustus Milverton during a class but Milverton, who is severe with pupils, takes it away. Beppo requests Holmes to retrieve it. Holmes and Watson wear masks and enter Milverton's room while he is absent. In his room they discover Agatha, a female pupil who is tutored privately because she is too nervous to attend class. Agatha tells them that Mr. Milverton is kind and they recognise this truth when Milverton returns to the room and praises Beppo's artistic talent.
Loosely based on "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"
11"The Adventure of the Speckled Band"
"Madara no himo no bôken" (まだらの紐の冒険)		21 December 2014 (2014-12-21)
23 August and 27 September 2014 (GTV)
Broadcast as episode 6 by GTV
One night, Mrs. Hudson is surprised at a large speckled snake and runs into 221B. The next day, Sherman tells Mrs. Hudson, Holmes and Watson that the snake is poisonous. Later, trainee teacher Helen Stoner tells Holmes and Watson about the strange behaviour of chemistry teacher Grimesby Roylott. That night they uncover the truth of his behaviour but Sherman is attacked by the snake.
Loosely based on "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" and "The Adventure of the Creeping Man"
12–13"The Adventure of Henry Baskerville and a Dog"
"Baskābiru kun to inu no bōken" (バスカーヴィル君と犬の冒険)		4 January 2015 (2015-01-04)
11 January 2015 (2015-01-11)
Henry Baskerville of Dealer House requests Holmes to investigate the "Monster Dog" he witnessed but Holmes refuses for he is occupied decoding stick figures from a piece of paper that was posted in the school. Watson, learning that Mary Morstan, a girl he likes, also witnessed the dog, sets about the investigation. His search doesn't go well, even with the help of Sherman who is insightful with animals. Meanwhile, Watson becomes acquainted with a pupil named Stapleton. When Holmes turns to the investigation he suspects it is Stapleton's doing and makes Watson visit the location of the monster's sighting with Mary. There, they find a monster of bananas, which are disliked by Watson. Stapleton, who secretly loves Mary, tries to harass the boys who court her by disguising himself as what they dislike. On the other hand, it is Baynes who posts the notice with stick figures. Though Holmes is displeased with Agatha who decodes the figures prior to him, he later asks her to be his assistant.
Loosely based on Hound of the Baskervilles and "The Adventure of the Dancing Men"
14"The Adventure of the One Hundred Tadpoles"
"Hyappiki no otamajakushi no bōken" (百匹のオタマジャクシの冒険)		18 January 2015 (2015-01-18)
School nurse Irene Adler visits 221B and tells Holmes and Watson that Barnicot, who is shocked by the theft of his picture, says that he wants to take back his picture. It will be entered to an art competition of the school's houses, themed on tadpoles. After searching the pupils who enter the competition of Langdale Pike, Holmes suspects Wilson Kemp and he and Watson takes back Barnicot's work from Kemp at nurse's office where he hides it. Though Barnicot once becomes happy, he finds the work is a counterfeit. Meanwhile Kemp makes Barnicot's his own but misses the championship.[44]
Loosely based on "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty"
15"The Adventure of the Blue Polar Bear"
"Aoi shirokuma no bōken" (青いシロクマの冒険)		25 January 2015 (2015-01-25)
Holmes and Watson harbour Jabez Wilson in 221B. He is sought by Garcia and Henderson who want to take back a doll of a blue polar bear in his possession. They learn that the doll has passed through the hands of several pupils and art teacher Godfrey Norton. Norton tells Holmes and Watson that Isadora Klein, pupil of Archer House and female juvenile gang leader, made the doll. Klein threw it at Norton when he witnessed that she was going to put it in front of 221B. Then Holmes, who obtains evidence, visits Klein with Watson to verify the truth, but his triumphant behaviour makes her weep and makes Watson angry.
Loosely based on "The Adventure of the Three Gables" and "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"
16"The Adventure of the Residence of Mr. Douglas"
"Dagurasu san no oyashiki no bōken" (ダグラスさんのお屋敷の冒険)		1 February 2015 (2015-02-01)
One night, Holmes learns of the murder of Mr. Douglas, who lives in the residence behind Beeton School. Holmes goes there to see a real dead body with Watson (against the regulations) and they meet Jefferson Hope who is studying to become a sculptor while working as carrier again. After that he tries to explain his inference to Inspector MacDonald who investigates the murder and it is enabled by Deputy Headmaster Moriarty who visits the residence to bring back them. Finally, Holmes finds out that Mr. Douglas is alive but he and Watson are obliged to return to Baker House and suspended from attending class. Moriarty warns Holmes that he is just a saucy and immature child in the adult world.[45]
Loosely based on The Valley of Fear
17"The Adventure of the Headmaster with Serious Trouble"
"Hontō ni komatta kōchōsensei no bōken" (本当に困った校長先生の冒険)		8 February 2015 (2015-02-08)
Headmaster Ormstein visits 221B and requests Holmes to retrieve his stolen love letters to Isadora Klein. Holmes begins his investigation using a dummy as a stand-in, despite being suspended from attending class and going out. Finally he takes in Wilson Kemp who has the letters and saves Ormstein from his predicament. But Deputy Headmaster Moriarty denounces Holmes, revealing that it is a trick played by Moriarty, Ormstein and Kemp and tells Holmes to make up his mind to leave the school. That night Holmes promises Watson that he will meet him again and leaves 221B.
Loosely Based on "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone"
18"The Last Adventure"
"Saigo no bōken" (最後の冒険)		15 February 2015 (2015-02-15)
The truth of the Headmaster's love letters is cleared and Headmaster Ormstein, Deputy Headmaster Moriarty and Holmes each take responsibility and leave Beeton School. Mycroft Holmes, who is opposed to his brother, is also involved in the affair but is not blamed. Holmes promises Watson to meet him again and leaves school after being given a good send-off by teachers, pupils and Mrs Hudson and welcomed by Jefferson Hope outside the gate. But Holmes misses Irene Adler who is said to have gone for her honeymoon with Godfrey Norton, and sees an illusion of her on his way. Nonetheless there are still many things to be cleared in the school.
Loosely based on "The Final Problem"

Episodes 5 and 6 were to be broadcast on 20 and 22 August 2014 by GTV, but the schedule was revised because of the broadcast about the landslide in Hiroshima that occurred on 20 August. "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is the sixth episode broadcast by GTV; ETV broadcast it as episode 11.

In "The Adventure of the Cheerful Four", the original is adapted to a musical. The songs "Golden Slumbers (cradle song)", "Greensleeves" and "Agra Treasure" (an original work for the show) are sung and Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 is used in it. The words: "Where does a wise man hide a leaf? In the forest." are a quote from "The Innocence of Father Brown".[46]

A Room of Mystery (Misteri no heya)

This is a spin-off of the series broadcast by NHK Educational TV and NTT's Hikari TV from July to September 2015. In it, an episode of the first series is played followed by a quiz programme presented by puppetry characters John H. Watson, Lestrade and Langdale Pike.

Special programmes

Special programme "放送直前SP　徹底調査！シャーロックホームズ" (Let's search "Sherlock Holmes" thoroughly!) was broadcast on 5 October 2014 by NHK Educational TV, promoting the series one week before its ETV debut. In the programme, stage actor and YouTube personality Koji Seto reports on how the puppet show is made, interviews the puppeteers and interviews Holmesians at a cosplay event of Sherlock Holmes in Leeds, at the Sherlock Holmes Museum and at Sherlock Holmes Pub in London, and their reactions to the show are introduced.

In July 2015, there was a promotional programme for "A Room of Mystery" based on some related programmes, adding interviews of Wataru Takagi who voices John H. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes Award

Another special programme "Sherlock Holmes Award" was broadcast on 28 December 2014, while the original series was on a new-year's break. It was presented by Kōichi Yamadera and constituted an awards ceremony, interviews with Kana Hiramatsu, Daniel Harding, Nano and Bunta Inoue and a preview of upcoming episodes.[47]

Mystery Quiz "Sherloc-Q!"

A brief segment produced with the cooperation of Japan Sherlock Holmes Club and navigated by animated Holmes and Watson. It was broadcast after the main part of an episode and gives viewers a quiz with three multiple choices.

Studio Park kara konnnichiwa

Kōichi Yamadera appeared in NHK's show "Studio Park kara konnnichiwa" on 13 November 2014[48] and talked about why he became a voice actor and played the role of Sherlock Holmes. He also interpreted a silent film by Charles Chaplin.

Events

From 30 November to 28 December 2014, an exhibition of puppets and sets was held at Studio Park in NHK Broadcasting Center, Tokyo, including a workshop for operating puppets.[49][50] On the last day of the event, Wataru Takagi, who voices John H. Watson, happened to join the workshop.

Bunta Inoue exhibited some puppets from Sherlock Holmes in Art Fair Tokyo held 20–22 March 2015.[51] Besides puppets including the ones newly made are displayed in some areas as Yokohama or Kyoto in 2015. From July to September 2015, an exhibition of the puppets was held in Yokohama. Another exhibition called "Nippon Daaisuki Ten" (にっぽんだぁいすきてん) is scheduled at Happoen, Tokyo from 23 to 29 August 2015.[52]

Media

DVDs

DVDs of the show are released by Pony Canyon.

  • Vol.1 (Episodes 1–3) released on 16 July 2014
  • Vol.2 (Episodes 4–6) released on 19 November 2014
  • Vol.3 (Episodes 7–9) released on 17 December 2014
  • Vol.4 (Episode 10, 12 and 13) released on 21 January 2015
  • Vol.5 (Episode 11, 14 and 15) released on 18 February 2015
  • Vol.6 (Episodes 16–18) released on 18 March 2015[53]

A Blu-ray disc box set was released on 18 March 2015, with eighteen episodes and bonus footage on three discs.

CD

A soundtrack CD was released on 16 February 2015. Nano's album Rock on in which "Scarlet Story" is recorded was released on 28 January 2015.[54]

Novelisation

The novelisations of the series are published by Shueisha.

  • 少年シャーロック ホームズ 15歳の名探偵!!(ISBN 4083212098) on 14 April 2014.
  • 少年シャーロック ホームズ 赤毛クラブの謎(ISBN 4083212322) on 5 September 2014.
  • 少年シャーロック ホームズ 消えた生徒たち(ISBN 978-4-08-321248-2) on 5 January 2015.
  • 少年シャーロック ホームズ こわい先生たちのヒミツ(ISBN 978-4-08-321251-2) on 5 February 2015.

Guidebook

A guidebook that provides the information of the programme (シャーロックホームズ冒険ファンブック, Shârokku Hômuzu Boken Fan Bukku) was published by Shogakukan on 4 October 2014. ISBN 9784091065445
A Memorial Book that summarises eighteen episodes (シャーロックホームズ完全メモリアルブック, Shârokku Hômuzu Kanzen Memoriaru Bukku) was published by Shogakukan on 26 February 2015. ISBN 9784091065513

Other merchandising

A quizbook (NHKシャーロックホームズ推理クイズブック, NHK Shārokku Hōmuzu suiri kuizu bukku) was published by Shufu to seikatsu sha on 21 November 2014. ISBN 9784391146141. Though the book targets the young, it is written by professional mystery writers including Naohiko Kitahara, a member of the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club. It can be called a kind of pastiche for it is not based on the Canon of Sherlock Holmes.

Model figures of Holmes, Watson and Irene Adler were released by De Agostini Japan on 9 October 2014.[55]

Goods related to the programme such as T-shirts, cellular phone cases, tote bags and mugs are sold on the website of SUZURI.[56][57]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 放送直前SP 徹底調査!シャーロックホームズ("Let's search 'Sherlock Holmes' thoroughly", NHK ONLINE)
  2. ↑ Facebook of Sherlock Gakuen (Japanese)
  3. 1 2 3 シャーロックホームズ ｜ NHKオンライン Archived 4 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 シャーロック学園
  5. ↑ シャーロックホームズ 完全メモリアルブック、小学館、2015年、95頁。
    （Complete Memorial Book of "Sherlock Holmes", Tokyo:Shogakukan, 2015, p.95）
  6. ↑ NHK's reply to the enquiry about the origin of the school's name.
  7. ↑ Shogakukan, pp.6-7
  8. 1 2 Shogakukan, p.70
  9. ↑ Japanese-style pronunciation of "Holmes" is "Homuzu".
  10. ↑ Japanese-style pronunciation of "Watson" is "Watoson".
  11. ↑ Shogakukan, pp.8-9,
  12. 1 2 Shogakukan, p.35
  13. ↑ Japanese-style pronunciation of "Hudson" is "Hadoson".
  14. ↑ Japanese-style pronunciation of "Sherlock" is "Sharokku".
  15. ↑ Shogakukan, p.16
  16. ↑ Japanese-style pronunciation of "James Moriarty" is "Jeimuzu Moriati".
  17. ↑ Shogakukan, p.13
  18. ↑ Japanese-style pronunciation of "Mycroft" is "Maikurofuto".
  19. ↑ Shogakakukan, p.90
  20. ↑ Shogakukan, p.12
  21. ↑ Shogakukan, p.6
  22. ↑ Shogakukan, p.11
  23. 1 2 3 Shogakukan, p.53
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 「シャーロック・ホームズはどんな少年だったか？『物語としての面白さ』と出会う」、『ユリイカ』、青土社、2014年8月増刊、148-154頁。
    ("What kind of boy Sherlock Holmes was?", extra number of August issue of Eureka, Tokyo:Seidosha, 2014, pp.148-154)
  25. 1 2 3 三谷幸喜版ホームズ…殺人のない学園人形劇に：ニュース：エンタメ：YOMIURI ONLINE（読売新聞）
    ("Puppetry of Sherlock Holmes written by Kōki Mitani", YOMIURI ONLINE, March 13, 2014)
  26. ↑ Shogakukan, pp.20-24
  27. ↑ Shogakukan, p.21
  28. ↑ Other technique of bunraku is also used in the show.
  29. ↑ Shogakukan, p.52
  30. ↑ Shogakukan, p.63
  31. ↑ Shogakukan, pp.58-63
  32. ↑ Shogakukan, p.15
  33. ↑ Shogakukan, p.51
  34. ↑ Mitani mentions it at the beginning of the episode 3, broadcast in March, 2014.
  35. ↑ Shogakukan, p.28
  36. ↑ 時海結似『少年シャーロック ホームズ-15歳の名探偵』集英社<集英社みらい文庫>、2014年、147頁。
    Yui Tokimi, Shonen Sharokku Hōmuzu, jyuugosai no meitanntei (Young Sherlock Holmes, fifteen-year-old detective), Tokyo: Shueisha, 2014, p.147.
  37. ↑ "Kana Hiramatsu - Google Search". g.co. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  38. ↑ Shogakukan, p.30
  39. ↑ Shogakukan, p.29
  40. ↑ Shogakukan, p.90
  41. ↑ Lestrade makes acquaintance with Garcia when he plays board game and tells him that he respects Lord Wellington. And he tells Holmes and Watson that his given name is Gordon.
  42. ↑ In the episode, Kōichi Yamadera plays eight roles including the voices of animals.
  43. ↑ In the episode, the original is adapted to musical. The songs as "Golden Slumbers (cradle song)", "Greensleeves" and "Agra Treasure", the tune made for the show are sung and Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 is used in it. The words "Where does a wise man hide a leaf? In the forest." are quoted from "The Innocence of Father Brown".
  44. ↑ The theme "tadpole" of the competition is after the nickname of Sir Percy Phelps in childhood. Sir Percy is a founder of Beeton School.
  45. ↑ The murder is the main theme in the episode.
  46. ↑ "愉快な四人組の冒険3/The Adventure of the Cheerful Four 3 ベイカー寮221B/Baker House221B". Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  47. ↑ In it, Kōki Mitani told viewers that he would voice a puppet in one of the episodes to be broadcast and the puppet of Toby is modelled on the dog Tobi he kept in the past. He also said that the name Tobi is after Toby.
  48. ↑ Profile of the Guest, 13 November 2014 Archived 11 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  49. ↑ NHKパペットエンターテインメント シャーロックホームズ展
    The exhibition of Sherlock Holmes     Archived 5 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  50. ↑ NHKスタジオパーク、三谷幸喜脚本の「シャーロックホームズ展」を12/28まで開催 | TOKYOおでかけガイド
  51. ↑ Facebook of Sherlock Gakuen
  52. ↑ Tweet of Sherlock Gakuen (Japanese)
  53. ↑ VISUAL -映像-|PONY CANYON ポニーキャニオン - シャーロックホームズ(1):DVD
  54. ↑ nano Official Site (Japanese)
  55. ↑ NHK シャーロックホームズ フィギュアコレクション Archived 11 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine(NHK Shelock Holmes Figure Collection)
  56. ↑ NHK番組『シャーロックホームズ』オフィシャルショップ∞SUZURI The website is in Japanese only at present.
  57. ↑ Sherlock Holmes items in SUZURI

Bibliography

  • Shinjiro Okazaki and Kenichi Fujita (ed.), "シャーロックホームズ冒険ファンブック Shārokku Hōmuzu Bōken Fan Bukku",[1] Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2014. ISBN 9784091065445
  • Shinjiro Okazaki and Kenichi Fujita (ed.), "シャーロックホームズ完全メモリアルブック,Shârokku Hômuzu Kanzen Memoriaru Bukku", Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2015. ISBN 9784091065513
  1. ↑ A Book for the Fans of the Adventure of Sherlock Holmes
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