Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, Hikaru Miyoshi
Series Name: Moriarty the Patriot
Genres: Historical
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1715-6
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book
Before he was Sherlock’s rival, Moriarty fought against the unfair caste system in London by making sure corrupt nobility got their comeuppance. But even the most well-intentioned plans can spin out of control – will Moriarty’s dream of a more just and equal world turn him into a hero…or a monster?
In the late 19th century, Great Britain rules over a quarter of the world. Nobles sit in their fancy homes in comfort and luxury, while the working class slaves away at their jobs. When young Albert James Moriarty’s upper-class family adopts two lower-class orphans, the cruelty the boys experience at his family’s hands cements Albert’s hatred of the nobility he was born into. He asks the older of the two boys-who has a genius mind and a killer instinct- to help him rid the world of evil, starting with Albert’s own family!
Personal & Info
I’ve had my eye on this series for a while. It wasn’t a priority, so this volume was on my wishlist. A friend got it for me for me as a gift, and I’m excited to get started on the series.
Moriarty the Patriot, as many probably already know, is about Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes universe. I don’t believe you need to know anything about his previous iterations or Sherlock to enjoy the story/series. If you do, the most important thing to know is probably that he is Sherlock’s rival, and usually portrayed as a villain.
After I finished reading this, I found out there is already an anime for it. It looks like the anime released around the same time as the English print of the manga. So, if anyone is interested, there’s at least one season to watch.
Characters
Moriarty, who acquires the name William James Moriarty, is the main character. By technicality, he’s the second oldest brother of the Moriarty family of nobility. Eventually he will become the rival of Sherlock Holmes, but not in this volume.
Louis is Moriarty’s younger brother. He handles the matters of home and finance.
Albert Moriarty is the eldest son of the Moriarty family of nobility, and the current head of the family. He’s the one who brought Moriarty and Louis into his family as his brothers. He completely supports Moriarty’s idea to cleanse the world.
Colonel Moran, I get the feeling that he’s a military weapons specialist. His introduction is toward the end of the book, so it doesn’t provide much information about him. The most obvious thing about him is he is a ladies’ man.
Fred is a disguise specialist. Like Moran, his introduction is toward the end of the book. He has a quiet demeanor.
Story & Thoughts
This manga starts fast. It takes place in the Victorian era. The first chapter is the backstory. It covers Moriarty’s childhood, from his time at an orphanage with his brother, to starting his life of crime. However, they seem like the crimes of an anti-hero.
Moriarty comes off as a likable character because he goes out of his way to be friendly to anyone and everyone, no matter their social standing. He helps people with any problem they may have, no matter how small, and without always knowing or caring about the reason the help is needed. In a way, he lives his life as an example of how he thinks other nobility should be.
The running theme is murder. Moriarty specifically murders people he deems evil, which usually ends up being corrupt nobility. He either takes his own initiative, or takes jobs from people the same way detectives take cases. The murder is never based on hearsay, though. He takes the time to research his targets and confirm their guilt or get a confession before carrying out his executions. All of which are orchestrated to make them look like accidents or suicides.
He has friends with specific special skills he can call on to help him with more elaborate plans. Two of them from the group picture at the beginning of the manga appear in the third chapter. They seem interesting, so I’m excited to meet the rest.
The first page has nothing to do with anything in this volume. I’m curious to see the events that lead up to what happened on that page. It seems like that particular scene might be a long way off.
I think this volume had a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of pages to do it. It didn’t blow me away, but it’s a good start to the series. I’m definitely interested in reading more. At the very least, the volume does well portraying Moriarty’s wit and giving the reader a good feel for his character.