Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth-

Episode 4

Herlock Sholmes? Really? Yes gentleviewer, Herlock Sholmes indeed. Rather than blame this one on the original creators of the Code:Realize game trying to circumvent copyright (which honestly wouldn't make sense, given how many iterations there are of Victor Frankenstein and Abraham van Helsing running around in fiction), this is actually a deliberately terrible renaming of the famous detective created by Maurice Leblanc, author of the original Arsène Lupin stories. In a 1906 short story initially called “Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late,” Leblanc pitted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective against his own gentleman thief—but unfortunately for him, Doyle was still alive and objecting. So Leblanc cattily changed the detective's name and all was, if not precisely forgiven, at least dropped. Rest easy, Won Jhatson and Mofessor Proriarty shouldn't be putting in any appearances.

If nothing else, the use of Leblanc's special name for the great detective says that the creators of Code:Realize did their homework about Lupin's origins, and that's actually really neat. It also gives them a little leeway when the story overlooks other things, such as when Lupin leans in to kiss Cardia early on in the episode, apparently forgetting that doing so will melt his lips off. (The artists didn't forget though – look at his hand in the post-credits image.) Seeing Lupin and Cardia falling for each other so quickly does seem to indicate the clear route that this story is choosing, although next week's episode looks like it will be a good one for Frankenfans. While it's a little too bad to have the route laid out so early, it also allows the show time to develop it rather than stretching itself thin trying to incorporate elements of each romantic option into the main plot.

That plot is definitely heating up too. This week's plan to kidnap Finis of Twilight to thwart his wicked intentions seems solid enough, and not only allowing but expecting Cardia to take part helps develop her further as a character. We see her express herself even before the plot is set into motion, when she skillfully gives Dracula something important to do back at the house (take care of Sisi, the dog who saved Lupin's lips). During the escapade proper, she's certainly thinking more about Lupin as a person rather than a random rescuer she's indebted to, but more importantly, she's thinking in general. Instead of just going with the flow, we see Cardia make her own decisions and take action based on her thoughts and feelings, instead of standing around like a poisoned doll. She's putting her training to good use, and Fran's gift of more practical clothing helps free her to do so. Even grumpy old Abey seems to trust her now, and this more engaged Cardia can both see that and trust in her companions. She's still not the queen of agency in her own story, but she's definitely moving away from the blank slate she was in the first two episodes.

Finis' revelation about being Cardia's “brother” is bound to give her a lot more to think about. He definitely knows too much about her, and he does have the exact same color eyes as her, so he may not be lying. On the other hand, this could be a relationship of created siblings rather than blood ones – the fact that his associate is named Aleister makes me wonder if this is Aleistair Crowley, the famed 19th-century spiritualist. If he is Crowley, that adds a whole new dimension to both Cardia's missing father and her lack of memories, to say nothing of the Horologium and her poisoned flesh. One thing's for sure – there's more going on here than even Cardia's new friends know, and if they don't figure things out soon, it's going to cost them.

Rating: B

Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.