YMMV / Sherlock Hound

• Alternate Character Interpretation: In "Mrs. Hudson Is Taken Hostage," does Mrs. Hudson play to Moriarti's sympathies so he'll be nicer to her, does she treat him and his men the way she would treat the owners of any home or is it a joke that she'll act this way in any house that's unkempt?
• Americans Hate Tingle: The English dub of this anime is not well-received by some UK viewers due to its perceived low quality and poor imitation of British and other regional accents done by US-based voice actors. Not helping is that, although a DVD was released there, it only contained that dubbed version. When the anime was first released on television, this one never aired in the UK despite airing in other European countries, which accounts for its extended obscurity until the 2010s.
• Awesome Music: The Japanese opening and closing songs, "Story Spilled From the Sky" and "Dance of the Thames River" are beautiful elegant tracks that express the romantic and adventurous nature of the show, courtesy of music directors Seiji Suzuki (Castle of Cagliostro) and Kentaro Haneda (Macross).
  • The English dub comes up with a peppy and fun theme song, heard here. There is debate between fans over whether the Japanese or English versions do the show better justice.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Moriarty here is still a criminal mastermind, if a tad sillier (par for the course in a Lighter and Softer adaptation), but he's also a furry wolf and is voiced by Chikao Ohtsuka (Hamilton Camp in the English dubs). Naturally, fans tend to ignore the first part and love him anyway. Moreso in Japan, where fans paint him as simply being misunderstood and/or pair him with Sherlock Hound, glossing over the fact that Moriarty had tried to get rid of him more than once.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Polly the pickpocket who was confused to be a boy at first sight. Sadly, we don't get to see more of her.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • "Moriarty, nearly crashes paper pterodactyl after getting stuck on wing and catching the wind like a parachute! NO CAPES!!"
  • A white-clad anthropomorphic wolf with a preference for elaborate heists? Why does it sound familiar?
  • Moriarty's Japanese voice actor, Chikao Ohtsuka, would later voice Fidget in the Japanese dub of The Great Mouse Detective.
• Moe: Arguably, Smiley, especially in contrast with the usually strong, neutral-colored, and/or beefy male dogs running around in the show. Something about his face makes him look like he's stuck in Puppy-Dog Eyes mode.
• Narm: The opening theme for the RLK version (full version here). Especially once you see the lyrics.
  Help me, if you can, to find the smile that I lost
  You're the only friend that can resolve all my problems
  Sherlock Holmes, our detective so supreme
  Sherlock Holmes, you're the only one for me...
  ~John Watson^note courtesy of a YouTube comment
  • The prince from the last episode is a serious and badass character but also has a goofy stereotypical Indian accent.
• Nightmare Fuel: Moriarty in "A Small Client" is more ferocious than usual in his other appearances. He makes it clear to one of his lackeys that once the mechanic finishes the repairs in his counterfeiting machine, they are to "get rid of him," even though he promised earlier that the man would be allowed to go home, and his Villainous Breakdown near the end is also pretty scary while it lasts; brandishing an axe at a man who is hanging for dear life when he tries to escape from being shot at. In the only test dub for HBO, his portrayal is even darker due to having a deep growling voice, threatening that something could happen to him and his family (which solely consists of his young daughter) if he doesn't comply, and outright saying "kill him as soon as he's finished the job." Generally, the fact that Moriarty is willing to murder someone's father just so he can't risk being a liability to his plans is alarming for such a normally lighthearted show.
• Only the Creator Does It Right: Many fans felt like the early episodes are the best due to how they're handled by Hayao Miyazaki with its high paced action.
• Popular with Furries: Especially in Japan. The fact that the world consists of anthropomorphic dogs, along with the appeal of Holmes and Moriarty's designs, prove to hit a sweet spot for canine fans.
• Tear Jerker:
  • "The White Cliffs of Dover": Mrs. Hudson faints after rescuing the pilot from his crashed plane before it explodes. The pilot explains to Sherlock and Watson that the late Mr. Hudson died in a very similar crash. What's worse, the two had only been married for a few weeks before his untimely demise. No doubt the incident reopened some old wounds for Mrs. Hudson.
  • "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle": Polly mentions her father a couple of times but he's implied to be dead. Then Polly says that Sherlock's tobacco-scented bed smells like her dad's bed...
  • "Mrs. Hudson is Taken Hostage'': Before he releases Mrs. Hudson, Moriarty says that he'd be a different man if he met her earlier in his life. It makes you wonder what caused the professor to become a criminal...
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: We are so accustomed to her presence in most adaptations of the books that many modern viewers are disappointed at Irene Adler being absent from this series, and probably surprised at Mrs. Hudson being given the Love Interest role Adler typically plays towards Holmes (this comes to the point that people from today watching the opening sequence tend to believe mistakenly that the lady who Drives Like Crazy on it is her). Also, although he was much less known at the time the series was made, Mycroft Holmes is missed in this adaptation by fans of the character.
• Values Dissonance: Even in the 1980s and with the Setting Update, it was a rather dated opinion for Mrs. Hudson to tell Moriarty that he needed a wife to clean up after him (Mrs. Hudson seems to imply that women are the voices of reason here and quickly puts Moriarty to shame by cleaning his hideout, making it look like a house truly worthy of a criminal mastermind). To say nothing of Watson's passive (although not at all impolite) womanizing.
• Vanilla Protagonist: Outside of 'detective', there's really not a whole lot to Sherlock's personality.
• Viewer Species Confusion: Hound is either a Pembroke Corgi or a red fox.
• Vindicated by History: When it first aired, it wasn't seen as any more special than any other children's cartoon at the time and only lasted one season. It's gained a respectable cult following in the Turn of the Millennium in both America and Japan, thanks in no small part to the Furry Fandom. Fans of newer adaptations like Sherlock and Elementary also enjoy it for being a fluffier, cuter version of an otherwise gritty series.

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