I think that last week’s episode flipped a switch in my brain and I started to fully embrace the Case Files of Jeweler Richard as a calm little cheesy comedy. As a result I’m enjoying it a lot more. And I was not unhappy with it to begin with.
Episode 7 was a little campy but I didn’t dislike it. On the contrary, I found Seigi’s over-the-top protection of Richard kind of cute and basically the ‘villain’ of the episode was one step short of twirling his moustache while laughing maniacally. All and all, taking it as a cheesy comedy seems the best option and it isn’t unsatisfying from that point of view.
Ok, so this week we have Richard and Seigi as his bag boy attempting to win a precious piece of Jade. This is by far the most interesting gem the show has presented us with and I can understand the genuine enthusiasm for this one. Also, and it might be weird of me, I like auctions. As in I enjoy them as a setting or plot element. I have no clue why. There’s an excitement that’s a bit like gambling but it’s all fancy. I can’t explain it but I digging the set up of the episode.
I was a little less sold on the gem this week and I found the auction format a little weird as they weren’t so much outbidding each other so much as playing chicken with their paddles and hoping the other person folded first. Still, I will admit there was a bit more excitement and tension as the plot unfolded this week and that combined with some more back story on Richard made this pretty satisfying to watch. Incidentally, I thought the gem this week was hideous and if it was mine, I’d be giving it away because I wouldn’t want the creepy thing in the house.
Because the set up and gem were more interesting than usual, I was also more interested in the back story which was essentially a tale of greed and heartache as a family turns on each other for the sake of an impressive inheritance. It’s a super cliché tale yet one that is so perfect for an anime about jewels that I’m sort of surprised it took this long to get to it. We also get hints that something similar may have happened to Richard himself. Now that we’re getting more backstory on this guy, he certainly seems to have led a pretty full life.
Yep, the back story really helped this episode along. Unlike some of the earlier stories where the gem stone seemed almost a contrivance just to bring the story to Richard, the set up here with a family fighting over inheritance felt very natural and Richard and Seigi’s involvement felt much more genuine. It was almost like everything just kind of clicked together this week and nothing felt out of place.
I was a bit disappointed we didn’t get more evil Richard. I thought for sure he would make another flashback appearance when that suspicious looking old accintance of his showed up. But now…they just tease us! I guess I’ll have to make due with formal wear Richard. The sad part is that I generally prefer Seigi’s design but I think the show gaslighted me into thinking Richard is beautiful by constantly repeating it.
Come on, Richard looked fantastic in formal wear. I kind of wanted to see Seigi looking all uncomfortable in a suit but the bag-boy look worked well and I guess made more sense given no one was going to be convinced that he was the buyer anyway. I definitely want to see more of Richard’s life as so far the little bits we’ve gotten have been my favourite parts of the series, but I was pretty happy with what we got this week.
I’m sitting rigidly with my back to the elephant in the room. Is it just me or is the show trying to give off some very strong romantic vibes between Richard and Seigi. Seigi was always very complementary about Richard’s looks but up until now it felt more like clumsy friendliness to me. This week I’m thinking the show was pushing the agenda.
I started to feel a little bad for Shouko at some point. However, in my headcanon Shouko is a huge fujoshi and she is living for this moments. She’s been subtly egging Seigi on off camera and encouraging him to “be nicer to his boss” or something. The Case Files of Jeweler Richard have turned into a very different thing in my head than they are in real life…
It definitely went from being something that you could read into their relationship to slightly more overt with Richard’s old acquaintance raising his past and Richard’s comment to Seigi about not regretting saying he liked him. At this point I don’t think it is a case of viewers reading something into this relationship so much as the anime itself is actively wanting viewers to read it that way. Now whether they go anywhere with it is another story. I’d kind of like it to but ultimately it won’t really make much difference to the overall way I view this anime.
In any case, I liked this episode as well. The somewhat cheap bating totally worked on me and I want to see more. I’m an easy mark and I’m not even embarrassed by it.
Apparently I’m also pretty easy to please when it comes to The Case File Of Jeweler Richard because this episode just ticked all the right boxes and I would not be unhappy if this was the standard from here on out.
Thanks for Reading From
Irina and Karandi
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