The Case Files of Jeweler Richard Episode 3

I must say the words “case files” really made me think this was going to be a crime procedural but apart from the first episode, which dealt with long past petty pick pocketing, there really hasn’t been any criminal element to this show. Instead, the series has been vignettes of self contained family dramas. I don’t hate it. It sort of feels very proper and grown up. But I can easily see someone calling this boring. What do you think Karandi?

I can definitely see some people checking out and finding this boring. So far each little drama has had enough to keep me interested, but this one is strictly weekly viewing. I would never buy this on a DVD or try to binge watch it. One episode is absolutely enough at a time.

This week’s drama, revolved around a young boy who goes to see Richard in search of a Cat’s Eye to match the one his father gave him for good luck. The boy, Hajime (I remembered someone’s name – praise me!) is at a point where everything is changing and he doesn’t quite know how to deal with it. His mother is giving birth to a younger sibling as such his parents have been preoccupied and less available. His beloved pet cat is gone and now Hajime is pouring his fears and uncertainties into the symbolic good luck of the Cat’s Eye (a gem that has always been cursed in the stories I’ve read).

It was quite a sweet episode in many ways. Understated and even keeled. There was no large drama or conspiracy in the end. Even the cat is alright…ummm….spoilers(?). Sure Jeweler Richard is not exactly exciting but I do find each episode calming.

It is interesting that even Richard acknowledged that the Cat’s Eye has different meanings in the East and West. I personally like them just because I think they are really pretty but they’ve certainly had their fair share of curses in literature. And yeah, everything this week happened in the shop through conversation and a few flash backs, so not exactly thrilling viewing, and yet there’s enough here to keep me interested and I wanted to know how and why Hajime wanted to buy a jewel. At first I suspected maybe he’d lost the matching pair and was trying to cover it up before his parents found out, though that was soon proven to be an incorrect assumption.

I did like the tidbits of character establishment we got. Subverting expectations, Richard seems to quite like children and be good with them while Seiji not so much. Was this what you expected Karandi?

Seiji carries a lot of his own baggage into the cases, or at least he has in the last two. For someone so concerned with justice he’s going to need to watch his desire to lurch to assumptions and taking action on incomplete information. That said, I certainly feel there will be children Richard is less good with. I think he just got lucky with Hajime’s personality there. Still, this episode also made Seiji’s own immaturity, he is still a student, more apparent. I mean, it should have been obvious already given his issues with his mother, his need for Richard to acknowledge his tea making efforts, and so on, but for me this episode just really clarified his character.

I’ve mentioned before that I have a soft spot for dorks. They may be my favourite characters. And this episode Seiji was a huge dork. First being adorably incompetent while trying to ask his lady friend out then completely over the moon when she takes the initiative. Seiji has no cool and it’s refreshing! On the other hand, Richard finally decided to be something other than a stereotypical “prodigy” and let his childish side out a bit which makes him way more appealing a character.

Although I don’t expect the Case Files of Jeweler Richard to blow me away or anything, the relaxing ritual of watching an episode has been a welcomed break in my week. I hope you’re enjoying it too Karandi.

I am enjoying this. It’s very low key but there’s a bit of thought behind it. The portrayal of various characters has been nicely done so far with each character having their own reasons for their actions. I am still enjoying their efforts to give us a bit of information about gem stones. While this one won’t top a favourite list for me, I am certainly enjoying it while watching.

Thanks for Reading From
Irina and Karandi