General Impression: Layton's Mystery Detective Agency: Katry's Mystery Solving Files

Synopsis

Many know the puzzle solving Professor Layton and all of his adventures. However, this is not his story, rather, this is the story of his daughter Katrielle and her mystery-solving adventures along with her talking dog Sherl and assistant Ernest Greeves.

First Impression

The first thing that stood out with the episode was the art. Given the different anime and their varying styles, this work brought something different to the season. It’s cute, it’s cheerful and the art and animation were rather enjoyable overall. The characters all had some solid introductions given to them and they had their moments in the episode. The mystery was also a fun point given how it was presented and seemed to take points from the game it was based on.

The problem with this, however, is that for those not familiar with the game, may not be able to fully appreciate this aspect of the series. That and the way the character breaks the fourth wall to talk to the viewer as if they were a player of a game is rather awkward. The episode got somewhat exaggerated with the characters and their expressions towards the end but overall the episode was a fun watch.

General Impression

One thing that stood out in the progression of the series is how it seemed to try to consistently end with a type of heartwarming conclusion to the episode. On one hand, it certainly gives a heartfelt quality to the episodes given how there isn’t any real villains and focuses more on character relations. On the other, it feels rather repetitive in terms of tone and you can’t help but expect how the episode will end with this is mind. The mysteries remain fun though and it was nice how much creativity was placed into them. The only real problem of the series is that it can get a bit too exaggerated at times and in the end, is rather predictable, but it’s still cute and fun to watch.

Conclusion

For a series meant to be a mystery which engages the viewer, it’s not too bad. The whole heartwarming ending can get a tad repetitive and the characters can be over the top, but it doesn’t take a whole lot from the series. It’s clear that the series has a specific type of audience in mind and that’s fine. Overall the series is cute, has fun mysteries and not too big of an issue in terms of plot and character development. It’s a simple and cheerful work that’s worth checking out at least one episode.

Rating: 7/10