Ameku M.D. Won’t Google Your Symptoms

What do you obsess over? For Sherlock Holmes, it was any puzzle worthy of his analytical and observation skills. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective couldn’t stand that others wouldn’t use their brains like he did. He even took his closest friend, Dr. Watson, to task for not applying reason: “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.” (A Scandal in Bohemia). In Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective, Dr. Ameku has the same obsession and skills, plus extensive knowledge of the cardiovascular system. But will that be enough for her to capture your heart?

Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective follows the titular doctor (voiced by Ayane Sakura) as she solves crimes, diagnoses puzzling ailments, and acts like a spoiled brat. You’ll have a solid expectation if you’ve seen the meme about Dr. House reincarnated as a Japanese girl. Even if it was only a meme.

We Need to Talk about House

It didn’t take long for fans on the internet to find similarities between Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective and House, M.D. (2004-2012).

Some similarities are obviously noticeable. Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and Dr. Ameku fall into similar absorption in the challenging contest of reasoning the truth from facts, exactly like Sherlock Homes. And none of the three care much about upsetting the people around them. Holmes would interrupt a conversation by leaving if he had the facts he wanted. And Holmes ridiculed Watson’s retellings of their adventures. House and Ameku are equally obsessed, like a programming nerd on a coding high who can’t read the room. They’ll save lives, not egos.

And there are tons of references to House, M.D. in the anime if you’re paying attention.

But if Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective is based on House, M.D., is it better than the show that inspired it? Because that’s the vital question here. Why should anime fans — especially people of culture — watch Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective? Why not revisit House, M.D. instead? Or watch something more original, like Zenshu? Or finish a great anime like Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master? You might even go outside and touch grass!

Lovable A-Holes

Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer for you. House was a pain, but a funny, lovable pain. Hugh Laurie’s comic genius had matured from his Black Adder days into acidic art by the time he starred as House.

On the other hand, Holmes won us over with his sharp reasoning. He stood out because of his lack of tact, which was at odds with the ideal image of a gentleman in Victorian and Edwardian England. Much like Deadpool today. Both characters stand out for breaking the cultural mores of their time. We’d love to have the same ballsy attitude and get away with it like they do.

In contrast, Dr. Ameku is an unlovable, self-centered, egotistic brat. She reminds me of Tatsumaki from One Punch Man. I can’t stand either of them. However, we must apply Holmes’s logic and remember that Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective is set in Japan. The show works if her bad manners shock a Japanese audience, and it falls in love with her.

And, of course, this is anime, and even the most reviled character gets a fan club. So, your mileage will vary. 

An Open and Shut Case

House, Holmes, and Ameku M.D. live in worlds ruled by mystery. As soon as the protagonist solves the mystery, viewers like us have little to keep us invested. If the butler did it (and you know how he did it, probably with the candlestick in the ballroom), the mystery would evaporate, robbing our detective’s power to amaze us.

This weakness of detective and medical TV procedurals is why the solution is often obscure or even absurd (it’s never lupus unless it’s lupus). Sure. You might get the dopamine hit from figuring out a thing or two, but you’ll never match the main character’s sharp reasoning.

Unfortunately, Ameku M.D. pushes too hard into the obscure, alienating us further from the unlikeable doctor. And when the anime isn’t serving us a weird solution on a tray, the clues are simple and predictable. There’s no sense of urgency driving the story on either.

A viewer could overlook these shortcomings if Ameku M.D. knew where to find its funny bone. Sherlock Holmes had his moments. House had Hugh. Ameku has lame kanji confusion.

Ameku M.D. is Bad Medicine

If I could give five Chibi Megumis to a show for having pop culture references up the wazoo (including Columbo and Jurassic Park), Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective would have earned them. Unfortunately, Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective tried to stand on the shoulders of giants but ended up looking like a dorky little brat.

Kazuya Iwata directs Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective on behalf of Project No.9. The anime Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective is based on the Ameku Takao no Suiri Karute novel series by Mikito Chinen. The author also wrote, with illustrations from Hiroki Ohara, a four-volume manga series. Publishers released the manga between 2016 and 2018. A second manga series is ongoing.

Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective streams on Crunchyroll with its original Japanese audio track. Multiple subtitle options are available. Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective bent over, and we gave it a thorough medical, but it only earned two Chibi Megumis.

Are you enjoying Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective? Tell us why in the comments or on social media. Prove me wrong!

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