Sherlock Hound (名探偵ホームズ, Meitantei Hōmuzu; lit. "Famous Detective Holmes"), known also as Il fiuto di Sherlock Holmes, is an anime television series produced by Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS). Based on the character Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, almost all the characters are depicted as anthropomorphic dogs. The show featured regular appearances of Jules Verne–steampunk style technology, adding a 19th-century science-fiction atmosphere to the series. It consists of 26 episodes and aired between 1984 and 1985.
Contents
Production
The series was a joint project between Japanese Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) and Italian Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI). Hayao Miyazaki worked on six episodes in 1982 until problems with Arthur Conan Doyle's estate led to a suspension in production. By the time the issues were resolved Miyazaki had turned to other projects, and thus the remaining series was directed by Kyōsuke Mikuriya. The show was finally aired in 1984. The same year, before their television debut, a film version of two of the episodes directed by Miyazaki ("The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" and "Treasure Under the Sea") edited together was released alongside Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in Japanese theaters, entitled Meitantei Hōmuzu Gekijouban. Another film, compiling "Mrs. Hudson Is Taken Hostage" and "The White Cliffs of Dover" episodes was released in 1986 alongside Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Episode 3 of the series, "A Small Client", actually aired in the United States before it aired in Japan, as it was dubbed into English in 1982 (possibly commissioned by either TMS or RAI) and was broadcast on HBO in November 1983 under the title The Adventure of Sherlock Hound.
Music
Two pieces of theme music are used for the Japanese version: The opening theme is "Sora Kara Koboreta Story" (lit. "Story Spilled From the Sky") and the ending theme is "Thames Gawa no Dance" (lit. "Dance of the Thames River"), both performed by the Japanese duo, Da Capo. The series' international versions had a single piece of theme music for the opening and ending credits. The frequent soloists are Joe Farrell on soprano, tenor and alto saxophones and flute (in his final recording) and Milt Jackson on vibes. This English theme is not included on the UK DVD's from Manga Entertainment, instead instrumentals of both the Japanese opening and ending themes were used.
Characters
Sherlock Hound (ホームズ, Hōmuzu)
Voiced by: Taichirō Hirokawa (Japanese); Larry Moss (English); Elio Pandolfi (Italian)
Just like his original incarnation, he has a genius intellect and is extremely knowledgeable in multiple fields. He keeps a cool and logical head despite the situation. Unlike his original incarnation, however, his only drug habit is smoking a tobacco pipe. He keeps his apartment a mess and is regularly conducting chemical experiments that lead to clouds of noxious fumes. He also seems to have feelings for Mrs. Hudson, as does the rest of the male cast. He drives a Benz Velo.
Doctor Watson (ワトソン, Watoson)
Voiced by: Kōsei Tomita (Japanese); Lewis Arquette (English); Riccardo Garrone (Italian)
Hound's loyal companion, he is a trained doctor who returned to England shortly before meeting Hound. He tries his best to help Hound as he can, but has difficulty at times keeping up with Hound, both mentally and physically, being a bit overweight.
Mrs. Hudson (ハドソン夫人, Hadoson-fujin)
Voiced by: Yōko Asagami (Japanese); Patricia Parris (English); Cristina Grado (Italian)
Hound and Watson's landlady. In most adaptations, Holmes's long-suffering landlady is shown as middle-aged or older, but in this version she is a young comely widow and a love interest of many, including Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty (mostly Holmes), and given the first name Marie (マリー, Marī). Her late husband Jim was a pilot and Hound finds her contacts in the world of aviation useful; many of the local aviators are also former buddies of Mrs. Hudson's late husband and/or have strong romantic feelings for the caring gentle-natured Mrs. Hudson herself, and so they are always eager to assist in any way she asks. Mrs. Hudson displays a serenely-dignified and level-headed personality comparable to Hound's; she can also be quite quick and resourceful herself when need be, plus she appears to be both an experienced high-speed driver and a crack shot with a revolver. Miyazaki actually wanted to present her as the real brains of Baker Street, running rings around both Hound and his enemy Moriarty, but he was overruled.
Releases
DVD
In 2002, Pioneer Entertainment released the series on DVD (Region 1, NTSC format). 6 volumes or 'Case Files' were released. Each disk was double sided with the Japanese version on one side and the English dubbed version on the other side.
On February 1, 2010, Manga Entertainment released the complete series on DVD (Region 2, PAL format) in the United Kingdom as a HMV exclusive set. It has since become available in other outlets. It only contains the English dubbed version. This release also lacks the episode title cards, though the episodes are listed on the DVD case and menus.
Discotek Media released the series in a complete, unabridged DVD box set with English and Japanese versions on September 30, 2014.
Blu-ray
On November 21, 2014, Bandai Visual released the restored complete series on Blu-ray (Region A, Japanese language only) in Japan as a 4-disc set. On November 29, 2022, Discotek Media released a Blu-ray of the restored series for North American home video based on the Bandai HD transfer, including both the Japanese and English dubs, restored promo clips, and a restored rare English dub of the pilot.