REVIEW: op. 3 - moriarty the patriot (musical)

NOTE: this review is about the musical, not its manga, anime, or stage play adaptations. despite this, please take note that there are spoilers mentioned in this entry for scenes that are also adapted in other Moriarty the Patriot media.

REVIEW #11: OP.3

Content Type: Musical 

Media/Franchise: Moriarty the Patriot 

overall thoughts 

• every time I pick up the Moriarty the Patriot musical I am incredibly astonished at how this piece of media exists. the actors are so expressive and have insane vocals, the ensemble is so dynamic, the violin/piano accompaniments are so evocative (super talented instrument players btw 💖), the songs have such profound and poetic lyrics... ohh Morimu you're really bringing Liam's theater kid dreams to life 😭💗
• I really appreciated how OP.3 made the Whitechapel arc so much more riveting and multi-layered. aside from focusing on just the action/thrill/mystery elements, the musical portrayed each character's sense of justice and internal conflicts so vividly through their songs. I think that this theme of justice/morals/values is especially crucial to the plot of OP.3, when the characters are nearing the climax leading up to the Milverton face-off/Final Problem arc - also where each character's moral standpoints are challenged 
• on the topic of solo songs, I'm happy that Morimu delves into each character so deeply with even just one song. every song has such impactful lyrics that fleshes out a character's attitudes and internal thoughts in such a captivating way, and this is especially highlighted by how amazing each of the characters sing!! 
• I also appreciate how Morimu makes use of their ensemble to further convey the story. for this OP specifically, the ensemble mostly took the role of the Whitechapel residents, whose passioned cries and tragic depictions of the murders solidify the tense, demanding atmosphere. aside from that, the ensemble not only works well as a group but also as individuals - you can sympathize with the distress of the wife of the doctor who was framed as Jack the Ripper, you can feel the hesitancy and eventual hope of Bill the aspiring math student, etc. I also love how Morimu takes the time to give its ensemble actors exposure time like this, like they're maximizing the multiple ways they can further evoke mood and chronicle the story!! the ensemble slays so hard 🤩🫶

• Shogo Suzuki-san as William never fails to make me so in awe 😭💖 I'm already speechless every time I hear his insanely amazing vocals (he's really just out here soprano-ing his way through every scenario), but I'm even more astonished by his little facial expressions - like you can clearly see the conflict that rages within him, his cute little smiles when he's being genuine and silly with everyone else, and the pure sadness and tragedy when he talks about his eventual fate. oh, my heart broke when he was singing about how a person like him doesn't seem salvageable in the eyes of God, yet he is here asking for forgiveness 💔 no matter how many times I've seen the Moriarty the Patriot plot play out, I still always get super sad whenever Liam talks about facing his fate on his own and pushing away everyone else so that they won't get hurt 😔
• Ryo Hirano-san as Sherlock is just. utterly iconic. a diva. he did not have to be doing all of those silly, grandiose gestures whenever he's singing in the opening song but he's so Sherlock-coded for that 😭🫶 in fact those silly gestures just make me believe he really IS Sherlock; I like how Hirano-san conveys how overly energetic and chaotically intelligent Sherlock is through his mannerisms and fast talking. oh does he talk so fast, it's like his mouth is trying to catch up with the genius thoughts his brain came up with 😅 also I cannot get over the way Sherlock has had so many solo songs about the "Lord of Crime" in this OP like he gay as fuck 🫵 bro's just constantly yearning for a phantom of a boyfriend and getting all giddy whenever he realizes that "the Lord of Crime must also be behind this case!! :0" also Sherlock calling other people's names tends to be so funny, like I love the way he drawls out "John" and the way he excitedly calls out "Liam!!"
• Hidetoshi Kubota-san as Albert and Ikkei Yamamoto-san as Louis are so so adorable, I love scenes where the three Moriarty brothers are next to each other because look at those brothers go 🥹💖 I will never stress enough how drop-dead gorgeous Kubota-san's Albert is (thank you sir for feeding the Albert simp in me!! 😭💞). I also really loved his solo song where he just knew that Liam was hiding something from them, and he just yearned to understand his brother 🥺 I personally feel like we as a society don't talk enough about how much Albert and Liam emotionally rely on and understand each other, because their relationship hinges so much on supporting each other especially when the whole world is against them 😔 aside from that, I was really happy to see more Louis scenes (I am constantly begging for my boy to utter even just ONE word), and he absolutely slayed (quite literally lmao) in the scene where him and Liam took out the guys behind the Whitechapel murders!! his fight scenes were so so cool 🤩
• John Watson's stage actor is SO CUTE like ohh he really is just a ball of sunshine!! 🥹💖 I appreciate how OP.3 specifically emphasized John's fierce loyalty to his values, and fleshed out his role as Sherlock's moral compass. I didn't expect his solo song during the part where the wife of the accused doctor approaches him and Sherlock for help, but I love the conviction behind him declaring his need for fairness and stronger justice. I also thought it was kinda funny when Sherlock was about to protest against Lestrade bringing them to the Scotland Yard and John just stared him down like "nuh uh bestie you're doing this RIGHT 🫵"
• Cecile Daigo-san as James WAAHHH 💞 y'all I'm literally the number 1 James Bonde fan /hj. I LOVE how expressive Cecile-san made James, like his cute little grins and smirks, his little head shakes and tosses, his adorable hair-fixing... 💗 I love how the musical understood that James has incredible charisma (even to a hilarious degree) and is just so so playful with the other MI6 members!! it was so funny when Moran was striking hilariously cringe poses and the other MI6 members just called for James to demonstrate actually good poses lmfaoo  
• speaking of Moran, I find his actor funny simply because he's low-key dramatic and a dum dum 😭 like he's just here picking random fights with the other MI6 members and yelling at them in the funniest ways possible because. Moran's just like that sometimes. ALSO IT WAS SO FUNNY when Moran tried copying James' adorable suave flying kiss pose and he directed the flying kiss at Albert and Albert fucking dodged it 💀💀 Albert really just friend-zoned Moran HARD but also Moran was so fucking gay for that 😭💔
• PATERSON APPEARANCE!! 🥳 I've always found Teruma-san so cool and I was so happy to find out he plays Paterson, and oh I love the nuance he brings to Paterson's character. I don't remember there being much commentary on his personality/identity aside from his role in the Scotland Yard and his moral grayness, but him having an entire solo song where he speaks about resonating with Liam's goals already makes his character so much more fleshed out, even if he was just there for a short chunk of the play 🥺 also I can't get it out of my head that Paterson looks so freaking zesty like the way he's walking?? the way he flicks his wrists?? the way he stands there and blinks slowly like he's internally saying "...girl... bffr" 😭
• every day I am so grateful that Morimu made Lestrade THE comic relief. I always look forward to his fourth-wall breaks, his silly interactions with the violinist, his terrible puns... I love how he was so dramatic about asking for Sherlock's help with the Whitechapel case, like he really needed musical inspiration from the violin accompaniment to come up with the puppet show idea 😭 then he really went and had an entire solo song recapping the Whitechapel case to Sherlock and John WITH THE ENTIRE ENSEMBLE TOO 💀 honestly one of the best solo songs in the entire OP.3 /hj 
• I was really shocked when Milverton appeared in this OP... he didn't do anything significant yet, but it was so interesting to see how he was pulling the strings behind the Whitechapel murders and Arterton's corruption in the Scotland Yard 🤔 I've always admired Ray Fujita-san as an actor and I love the creepy, sinister vibes he's giving as Milverton (especially during his solo songs!). and those evil laughs!! 😵 they legit send shivers down my spine 

thoughts on specific scenes/general moments 

• I'm so happy they added the mini-arc where Liam and Sherlock find out about Bill and his hidden mathematical abilities!! 💗 I too couldn't help but cry like Bill, I would also be so overwhelmed if THE William James Moriarty and THE Sherlock Holmes kinda adopted me and made me believe in myself 😭💞 for some reason the musical made that moment seem even more emotional with the way Liam and Sherlock were both singing for Bill and OHH the way Suzuki-san's Liam seemed like he was genuinely gonna cry when he approached Bill 
• I also love the song in that scene; to me it was as if Liam and Sherlock were also communicating with each other indirectly, since the lyrics were about "opening your heart" and "finding your path" - which are themes that gradually become relevant later on in OP.3 (and I assume for OP.4 and 5 as well!!) especially since as we approach the Final Problem. it correlates well with the earlier conversation of Liam asking Sherlock what would he do about the Lord of Crime - Liam's indirectly asking what "path" Sherlock would take, the same way Liam accepts his own "path" about sacrificing himself on his own. 
• on that note, I absolutely love how this scene gave Liam and Sherlock a chance to see each other again 😭💗 I LOVE the confused but delighted look on Liam's face when Sherlock barged in, the pure enthusiasm and goofiness in Sherlock's voice when he rushes over to see Liam, as well as Sherlock's "I promised that I would see you again!! 🥺 I live for these wholesome Liam/Sherlock moments where they could forget about being opponents and just. chat intellectually with each other and exchange inside jokes 💔
• Morimu sells the Sherliam agenda so well. every single duet that these have is just so fucking gay and the lyrics are not even hiding it 💀 "I search for you" "will you catch me" Y'ALL JUST COME OUT OF THE CLOSET NOW /lh 
• OHH Suzuki-san and Hirano-san are literally just Liam/Sherlock during the curtain call too 😭💖 I love how Hirano-san was trying so hard to make a connection between the silly bonfire videos he watches to the audience reactions and Suzuki-san just laughs at everything he says while making a more cohesive fire metaphor about warmth 😭 ALSO THE WAY HIRANO-SAN BLEW FLYING KISSES TO THE CROWD AND ENCOURAGED SUZUKI-SAN TO DO THE SAME 😭💞 I absolutely adore these goobers 
• overall, I'm incredibly grateful for Morimu and all the amazing people working in it. it's a phenomenal production and it really brings the story of Moriarty the Patriot to life - in ways that are so heart-wrenching, comedic, and beautiful 💓