Moriarty The Patriot: The Mind Games of Classism
Moriarty The Patriot was developed by Production I.G in October of 2020 being adapted from the manga of the same name created by Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi. This 19th-century British setting anime follows the intricate and puzzle-like stories of William James Moriarty. A brilliant mathematician and aristocrat aiming to overthrow the British class system after seeing the injustice it causes for citizens of the lower class. In these stories we see or main character Moriarty, along with his brothers, work to destroy the classist system. All by getting rid of people in high power and assisting the suffering lower class.
When it comes to puzzle-based anime I feel that Moriarty is a cut above the rest. If you’ve ever watched the Sherlock Holmes series, you’ll find a very similar style of puzzle-solving and planning. However, instead of solving crimes. It shows you the puzzle-solving in how to commit them. Moriarty is not like Sherlock. At heart, he may be a good person with a noble goal, but I feel his methods are far more extreme than what is needed. That is his method, watching Moriarty plan how to eradicate the class system while constantly outwitting law enforcement is amazing.
I watched this anime with awe. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sherlock Holmes and all the good that he encompasses. He has had many adaptations with different personalities that I adore. But watching a man put arrogant and cruel aristocrats in the grave with careful and calculated tactics is an entirely different kind of feeling. It’s common when realistic anime makes you root for the downfall of someone powerful. What’s uncommon however is seeing that someone of the same class is working so hard to destroy the system that works favourably for him.
Imagine watching an anime where the main character destroys the source of his power, it’s almost unthinkable. But watching Moriarty the Patriot has given me this sense of understanding. Moriarty is the villain. But he is a villain for whom we root. All because he is doing the wrong deeds for the right reasons. And I understand his point of view and agree with him.
It’s emotionally investing, and you often feel for the people because the writers actually write them like people in trouble, and in pain. It pulls at the empathy you feel and makes you want Moriarty to help them and watching the greedy and rich get what is coming to them is one of the best feelings this anime gives you time after time without fail.
This mostly translates to a loop where Moriarty the Patriot’s cunning mind absolutely destroys the arrogant.