Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective

Episode 9

Well, we got a mixed bag on our hands this week; an incredibly weak first half, and an emotionally-charged, strong second half.

I guess we can begin at the beginning with the first half of the episode, in which Dr. Takao explains the mystery behind the illnesses of the other child patients and the angel. As per usual with this series, it just flounders when it tries to be a proper mystery series. As per usual, I have gripes with plausibility in this anime. Unlikely as it sounds, let's forget about how the kids both had the foresight to know and skills and resources to allow them to cut the angel on what looks like a piece of plastic wrap to ensure that it was a png and not a jpg. No, the bigger thing I take issue with is the kids getting a hold of the vials.

Again: I'm not a medical professional, I don't work in a hospital. I could be wrong. But I simply can't imagine a hospital would keep dangerous vials, chemicals, medicines, or whatever other manner of possible danger (especially to a kid) are kept in a place where a kid could easily get to them. The way the anime frames it, this isn't exactly cough medicine; even if only temporarily, a kid's heart stopped. “Well, Kennedy, the nurses aren't around. That's why they're able to do it,” you might feel tempted to say. To which I'd respond, “Okay. And why aren't those drawers locked then? Or better yet: why are they in an area that patients can easily and readily access (even if they're not supposed to) in general? Just because the nurses aren't around to functionally guard this stuff isn't an excuse.” I'd think these vials would be, if not in something like a lab or closet or pharmacy somewhere, at least not sitting loosely in a drawer behind a desk that literally anyone can get to, as though they were paper clips and staple removers. They shouldn't, yes, but with minimal effort they can. Again: maybe I'm wrong about how things work in hospitals, but I have a really hard time wrapping my head around how a hospital would allow what reads so obviously like a safety hazard and huge liability.

I get that plausibility won't matter to everyone as much, but in a mystery anime, I think it's a pretty important factor. After all: if we're not operating on the same rules as the writer, how can we (the audience) hope to solve it? Plausibility is what lets us intuit things like rhyme or reason; without it, we're left with only nonsense and vibes. And as fun as those things can be in other contexts, they just don't mesh well with the mystery genre formula.

All that being said though, shout out to whoever's translating this series—you're doing a great job. More than most weeks, we were given an onslaught of complicated medical jargon. I simply can't imagine it was easy to translate this since these just aren't words that most non-medical-professionals are using in their day-to-day lives, so I'm really impressed.

The second half, meanwhile, is heart wrenching. I said it last week, and I'll say it again: word-that-rhymes-with-luck cancer. There's really not too much that can be said about this second half, which really speaks for itself in terms of what makes it so sad to watch. It's an 8-year-old boy dying of leukemia. That said, I will say that since we actually got time to know this kid from the episode last week, that gave this section of the episode much more emotional gravity.

The past two episodes have been a good change of pace for this anime, and worthy steps in a new and better direction. At this point though, I only wonder A. If that'll be enough (and if the rest of the anime continues on as previous episodes have, then it won't), and B. If it can keep up this momentum in these final few episodes. Personally, I don't have my hopes up too high since this anime has been falling so short of the mark at every turn when it comes to being a mystery show, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

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