Housekishou Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei

First of all, this show isn't BL, so if you're expecting to get that kind of content here, I am already telling you to back away. I'll go back to this bit of info later on because I think it's kind of important. I actually am pretty much making this review mainly to criticize that issue.

Anyways, I'll make the review quick, and start off with the characters. Both main characters are very much likable, and one can easily see the the chemistry that builds between them as you watch through the show. The story is decent at best. Having it revolve around mineralogy made it ... refreshing to watch. I feel like there are disconnects between some of the episodes, especially the later ones, but still, it was enjoyable. The artstyle is pretty good. Both characters are very pleasing to look at.

That ends my short review of the show's main elements.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this show, but I do think it has a severe problem of queerbaiting which is the issue I mentioned in the beginning.

Multiple times have Seigi and Richard mentioned their "love" for each other, and yet barely moved forward in their relationship after saying such remarks. Perhaps the biggest show of affection there was was Seigi's heroic deed of traveling overseas to find Richard and free him of his family's reins. Consequently, Richard did the same for Seigi in the final episode, although to a much lesser extent.

Now, I am telling you, I don't think anyone who is merely a "friend" would casually travel overseas to find a"friend", not especially a college student. If that deed isn't an act of love for a significant other, then I don't know what else it is. And yet the show denies from its viewers a deeper manifestation of the two main characters' relationship, limiting it to shallow words of "I really like you" and "I do love you" while also almost coming to a point where the two could have married each other as husbands, despite it being a fixed one. If you fully paid attention to the show, I'm pretty sure you'd agree with me. Seigi and Richard ARE gay.

The bare minimum I expected from this show was for the two to at least acknowledge the fact that they have become lovers after all they have gone through, but the show has denied that to its viewers until the end.

This queerbaiting, I would think, is the pivotal issue of this show. It didn't have to be labeled under the shounen-ai genre to show that two gay men could get explicitly into a relationship. It just really feels weird to me that both would visibly express their love toward each other, all while the show purposefully denies their status as gay lovers. I really think it's about time LGBTQ characters have more presence in more slice of life shows like this. They don't have to be the main focus of the show obviously, but just be granted the acceptance that they DO exist. All the writer/s had to do for the two main characters was to acknowledge and accept that glaring fact that both were gay. The show kept dropping subtle, verbal hints about their status as lovers throughout the show, but still failed to explicitly disclose it in the end.

I don't usually write reviews but I have to make an exception for this one. It's been a long time since I've watched an anime that has such a soothing, aesthetic vibe to it; the last one was probably Tsurune. As far as slice of life goes, it really doesn't get more true to the genre than this.

The art and animation is as soothing and calming as the music - the ED is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard lately, and I haven't skipped either the OP or the ED even once. The voice acting is perfectly done, but then I wouldn't ... really expect anything less of seiyuus like Uchida Yuuma and Sakurai Takahiro. The story is the highlight of the anime, according to me, and I was really intrigued by Richard's past till the unraveling and final reveal. Seigi's character is easier to understand though, and he is kind of like the perfect foil to Richard's personality.

Another thing that I can't help mentioning is how the topic of sexuality is treated - it is approached with the kind of normalcy that you don't really see much in anime. There is no internalized/externalized homophobia, no one freaks out when the topic is brought up; it is refreshing to see this kind of treatment for a topic that is always either brushed off to the side and never brought up or dealt with very badly.

This anime is one of the most wholesome shows I've watched in a very long time. If you're into slice of life with a side of mystery and drama, then this anime is for you.

// spoiler- less review //
Houseki- shou richard shi talks about a foreigner with beautiful European features ( Richard Ranashinha De Vulpian ) who visited japan and unfortunately got hit on by bunch of drunkards, and his hero who saved him from the bunch, he was the ally of justice as everyone called him ( Nakata Seigi ). The foreigner thanked him and gave his card as they parted. Seigi soonly learned that this handsome gentleman 'Richard' is a jeweller, so he consulted him in a certain matter and ended up working in his jewellery store as a part- time job. Those two encountered various people ... and helped them in their lives.

It is the type of anime you would watch after a long anime who needed a lot of thinking, it's a light-hearted anime that will definitely relax you. It was the episodic type where you can easily pick up with and understand. Surely original. I loved how each episode had a moral, and on top of that it was educational, as it displayed tons of information about gems and jewelries.

The art is just so spirit-lifting, it heals your soul. It brightens my day seeing their faces, totally not exaggerating. I love this style of art with the cheerful colors.


The ending and the opening are gold, they make my day and I can't skip them, like never ever! Especially that they were sung by great Japaneses groups such as Da- ice for the ending!!

Each character had its own unique characteristics, I could say they are polar opposites, but that's what makes them a powerful duo, they aren't perfect, they had their struggles that helped them reach where they are standing now. Their back stories, past and childhood added a spice to the anime, as it gave a background on who we are watching. Even supporting characters were unique as they passionately supported the MCs

I definitely recomend houseki- shou richard shi as a light anime to relax, it's heart-warming with simplified explanations about gems, if you are interested~

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

It's a sad, sad justice that not very often, we get niche shows like this that break the monotony of seasonal shows, providing stories and insights through objects (in this case, gemstones and their representation on human personality and behaviour), and having character interactions play out the drama in its mysterious shroud whilst keeping the slice-of-life elements intact. These elements when combined together doesn't seem promising, but this show made it all good. 2018's Holmes of Kyoto did that with the various "case files" and things of value, and this premise is no different here.

“Justice, like beauty, is ... in the eye of the beholder. Some see an innocent victim. Others will see evil incarnate getting exactly what's deserved.”

The first thing you'll start to notice from this show is the strong bishounen (and BL but not much) aspects on the characters, and although love (and like) can be uncertain, it certainty makes for one very interesting pairing. For context, Nakata Seigi is the typical bishounen trait of a good-natured guy, being aloof and caring for anyone he sees, and speaking of his name (Seigi, which means justice in the katakana naming convention), he'll not shun at bringing the truth to light, even in his naivety. On the other hand, Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian (just refer to this British bishounen as Richard), more than just being a jewelry appraiser, is like Sherlock Holmes in the sense of figuring out episodic situations that make and break people depending on the gemstone-of-the-week visual cues. Despite the atrocity that is his family's prestigious and high-life mechanics that got the worse of him in his young days growing up, he's learning contentment through Seigi and compliments him as and when he does fit.

These two people are the yin and yang of each other: One having to accommodate for the other's actions, going to great lengths for each other so that they don't drift apart like a turbulent relationship. Despite that, both Seigi and Richard, no matter how rocky their relationship can get at times, it's mostly learning to compromise in the appropriate sense and leading the way forward.

“The value is always in the eye of the beholder. What is worthless to one person may be very important to someone else.”

The theme of this show being the gemstones and its acquaint relationship with the people who dons it is quite the spectacle. Learning how people's lives function by the gemstone they have (e.g. Seigi with his deceased grandmother's Pink Sapphire in Episode 1) and learning of their struggles and hardships that surround the toxicity of even the brightest and strongest gems is very relatable and humane, it gives people the reason of their sufferings as is. More than attempting a recourse at life going at it, with the gemstones as a sign of their price to pay for various deeds, the understanding ripens through the shedding of human behaviours. And I've gotta say it feels wholesome with the relaxed, Iyashikei feeling.

“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.”

Shuka's animation was quite good to say the least, though far from the usual spectacles of Natsume Yuujinchou, and it shows a very good and clean, healthy dose of production. Much care has been taken to this show with the beautiful artwork and visuals (not to mention the gorgeous eye-catching gemstones). The same can be said for the OP/ED which also emits the exact same feelings of shows that are worth the time of relaxation, and both songs are low-key good as well, far from impressive but still good nonetheless.

“The quality of beauty lies on how beholder values an object.”

Overall, while this show isn't the typical "underrated" stuff, I can only say that if you love Iyashikei shows like Yuru Camp to exhibit the relaxed and emotional feels whilst keeping the realistic humane stuff possible, then this show is right up your alley. Sure, this show isn't gonna be everyone's favourite, but try it if you can, it's worth the shot examining your very own life akin to gemstones (the same way as horoscopes tend to be).

The anime has an interesting idea but not very entertaining it is mostly just sitting at a table in one room and talking. There isn't really any mystery or at least one worthy of getting interested in. These 'mysteries' wouldn't exist if the parties involved just talked to each other, especially in ep 3.

The story and art aren't bad but nothing to write home about either. Sound is kind of not really something that is really focused on here.

The characters are kind of boring Richard is bland and uninteresting, Seigi has his moments and is probably only a bit more interesting than Richard at least.

Enjoyment: ... well it is mostly just these 2 plus their clients sitting in a room and talking. That's it. It isn't really something I think people would enjoy

5/10

This show has more in common with iyashikei stories than it does with detection. The whole structure reminds me of Bartender where a customer comes in with an emotional problem, and the problem is resolved via gemstones or alcoholic beverages. I can appreciate stories with lots of action, and I can appreciate stories like this where not much happens except for the character interactions. Also like Bartender Jeweler Richard provides a brief history and background on the jewel of the week. I like these educational interludes, but not everyone will.

Stellar cast of actors with Sakahiro Takurai as Richard, Uchida Yuuma as Seigi, and Kanazawa Hana ... as Seigi's classmate and possible romantic interest.

You'll know after episode two if this is for you.

I found this anime while browsing CR to find anything to watch at all. And since I'm a sucker for bishounens, this one got me good. Tbh when I first glanced at the poster I was somehow expecting this to be a shounen-ai of sorts, but other than that, no expectations at all. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much of a good story this series has.


I absolutely love these "story behind the things" styles, where each episode focuses on one particular object, spirit or creature and how people were involved with it. It reminds me of Natsume Yuujinchou and Mushishi, two of my ... favourite anime of all time. The pace is somehow slow, the characters are lovely and you can enjoy it without feeling much tension.

The MAL rank score for this series does not make it justice at all. But sure, if you're looking for a scandalous soap opera a La Ursupadora, this anime might not be for you (unless you're willing to wait until episode 6 hoo boy that final scene got me on the edge of my seat).

Looking forward to see the development between Richard's and Seigi's relationship (so I can fuel my fanfictions yassss)

I LOVED IT.

It's refreshing, lite and nice anime to watch.

You can learn something about jewels too.

It has some funny scenes and some serious scenes.

Every case is interesting to watch and I would RECOMMEND it to everyone.

... It is slow peace and it doesn't have action scenes or anything like that. It's simple, it's about life and emotions.

It is not BL, even though they are very close and often express their affection towards each other (I like you, you are very beautiful etc.).

It's kind of friendship - platonic love maybe relationship.

The character design is so pretty and even the story is about how pretty Richard is in a way.

This was almost painful to watch.
While the premise of the series was actually kind of interesting, the story and characters were handled very poorly and the series was overall a great disappointment.

Plot: I feel like its a bit of a reach to say this show is a “Mystery” when most of the mysteries they encountered felt like family therapy sessions and were solved by the characters just speaking together.

After a while the plot suddenly takes on a more dramatic route involving crazy family drama and a bunch of very stereotypical “I’ll disappear from your life forever and its better this way” lines, but ... in the end that doesn’t even matter as throughout the whole series, no one’s actions ever have any consequences.

Characters: The character writing overall seemed very stereotypical, especially the whole “hero of justice” thing...seriously? Both the main characters felt very bland and uninteresting and as a result of this almost inhuman.

The relationship “development” between the two was especially dreadful to watch and felt as if the entire script was written separately by two people with no communication between eachother one of which wanted them to be a couple and the other one just wrote them as friends, many lines contradict eachother, and their relationship seems extremely unbalanced and awkward.
At this point i don’t even know if this should be considered queerbaiting or just bad writing.

I’d also like to mention the main character’s girl-friend. For a brief moment i got quite excited that there was a character in the series with aro/ace traits, but apparently not, she just needs to “not give up on relationships and find the right man”. (I’d comment more on that entire scene but i am not sure how to do that without spoilers)

Art and sound: The artstyle was pretty decent i guess...? There was nothing really wrong with it and the colour palettes weren’t unpleasant to look at.

The soundtrack was extremely boring and there was nothing very memorable about it but i would rather say that’s a matter of taste.

Overall i think this was a waste of time so unless you specifically enjoy mineralogy or stories about family drama or really like the characters i wouldn’t recommend.

Story: 9/10
I feel like the story for this anime was really strong, but it suffered from two main things that dropped it down from a 10. The first is that the first three or four episodes felt really disconnected from each other, and more of a "gem of the week" type of series. This was fixed as the series continued, but it could be a hurdle for people wanting to get into this series that they have to watch half of it before they can see the connected plot line. The other issue I found with the story was that like anything based on books, ... they had to cut a lot of stuff out and that hurt the pacing. I feel like they could have ended on episode 10 or 11 and spread things out a little more to make it flow better. To me, episode 12 feels like it should have been the start of a second season or an OVA/ONA.

Art: 10/10
The people were drawn extremely life like (although a little lanky and stretched, but not as bad as has been seen in other anime), and the way they made the gems sparkle and shine was outstanding.

Sound: 10/10
Every voice actor did a fantastic job, and the voices seemed natural and fit the characters well. The OP is fine, nothing amazing, but it works well for the series. I love the ED, it has the same cheesy quality that the ED to No. 6 had.

Character: 8/10
The characters suffered from the same problems the story had-they tried to fit too much stuff from the books into too little time and they left stuff out that could have been included if they focused on a smaller section of the novels.

Enjoyment: 9/10
The series had a good premise and the episode arcs and stories kept you hooked, waiting for the next week's episode.

Overal: 9/10
If you can make it through the first 1/3 to 1/2 and give it a real shot, I feel like this series will hook you in, and generally surprise you.

I added this anime to my plan to watch list when i've seen it in the news section because the art style looked pretty good and the mystery of jewel-cases caught my interest. This review contains my opinion about the first 10 episodes.

Story: First 3~ episodes are pretty good for a start, but not so special, probably that's why people dropped the series, BUT i'm really glad i continued the anime, i was sure the anime won't be like that every episode. Beside the jewels cases there is a lot of background story for Richard and development for both of them, but the general idea ... of a new jewel in each episode its not dropped and its still there with a meaning. Sadly, some important parts from the novel were not included in the series, but people describe them in the episodes discussion, which is amazing.

Art: The art is beautiful and it fits the story, each jewel looks amazing (especially in the opening) and the main character, Richard is designed so good, it fits the story and how he is described as a very beautiful person in the novel.

Sound: The sound in the anime is nice, not really my type but it suits the story and moments. I liked the voice actors that were picked for the characters, they did a great job.

Character: At first, the main characters looked pretty simple to me, but with each episode you see how their relationship develops, how they interact with the customers and with the other characters that appear along the way. Also, Richard's backstory is very good and that's one of the reasons this anime is so great from my perspective. Seigi may seem a bit annoying at some points, but he changes a lot trough the story.

Enjoyment: i like this anime so much, i can't wait for the last 2 episodes and i hope we will get another season.

Overall: I recommend to watch this anime and try to get past the first 3 episodes, it's worth. Episodes 9 and 10 are just amazing. This anime is not considered a BL anime as many people say, it has some hints at it, but atm its not one so i can say everyone can watch it.

I put this in my list not expecting much from it honestly. But man, did it break my expectations in a good way!

Its based in a jewelry store that just popped up in a certain area in Japan. Seigi comes by trying to sell his grandmother's jewel and soon enough finds himself a part time work at Richard's store.

Yeah the main characters are handsome but its their personalities that really shine through in this series. Their personal struggles, determination, suave, kindness, and just their unwavering friendship is one thing that made me appreciate this series.

But the main thing that did so was the ... stories. We have many themes but I'll hit a few. There's a queer woman trying to do what's right by society by marrying a good man. But she doesn't love him, isn't attracted to him, and is just torn with herself in if she should fit in or be true to herself. And one thing Richard told Seigi in that particular episode before she appeared was to respect all guests no matter their religion, race, sexuality, etc. I won't go too far in it but I really appreciate them hitting this without having to sexualize it in any way shape or form.


There was also an episode where an abusive parent was hassling Seigi and would not stop. This resounded with me greatly and the way it was portrayed was done incredibly well. I don't want to spoil anything more than I have, but just know that while watching it I learned a very interesting lesson.

"But I share his (abusive parent) blood." "Then carry that weakness with you."


Overall I loved this show and I'm definitely going to miss it! Here's hoping for a season 2! (either way I'm still gonna read the manga!)

I don't usually write reviews, I don't like it, but I made an exception just for this one. I won't make spoilers so rest assured. Right now I just watched episode 10 and I'm astonished by how much a plot could be so BADLY WRITTEN. Everything they say it's like the "family friendly" version of BL (and be careful, I'm a HUGE FAN of Boys Love but this is just, let me say it, bullshit. I did not watch this expecting a good romance, I just wanted to enjoy a good plot with some interesting characters), but this story its clearly aiming to that ... kind of audience and, meanwhile, trying so hard to make us believe they're straight. From episode 9, I think, everything gets worse. While a naive BL fan could say "OH MY GOD I LOVE IT" I just want to say that the plot is so random, things happen because idk, first they say one thing, then they say another thing which is the EXACT OPPOSITE of the first one. Moreover the characters are so superficial I was literally crying while watching it. Girls have no personality, the two protagonists psychology is as deep as a puddle. There are also some quite stupid attempt to be "politically correct". But let me just say this, if I say, for example, that life in japan, for LGBTQ+ people it's more difficult than maybe living in others countries, I am stating a fact. I am not insulting anyone by saying that. That is just a matter of fact, so could someone tell the author that she did not understand a thing about this? Thank you very much.
Also I'm sorry for this review/rant I just wanted to save you from watching some stupid story, if you are looking for a good BL story just go read idk therapy game or koi ga ochitara, if you are interested in mystery I suggest you Boku dake ga inai machi or zankyou no terror. Don't waste your time over this. Also sorry because English is not my mother tongue so forgive me if I made some mistakes.

This is a good anime if you're looking for a chill, slice-of-life show to watch in between the more action-packed, drama filled anime's out right now. The two main characters, Seigi and Richard, have good chemistry and while the story is simple (picks up in drama near the later episodes though) I came into wanting to watch something light and simple.

I do like the characters, though I wish Richard was a bit more expressive like his light novel and manga counterpart. I also recommend reading the light novel and manga as the anime does leave out certain plot points which in turn messes with the ... pacing of the anime. I have not read the novel as it is in japanese but I have read a couple of manga chapters and it's a lot more detailed then the anime, so I'm excited for more chapters to come out. i think this anime needed more than 12 episodes to tell the story and if it did it would be immensely better.

In short - I loved it.

I don't think there will be a second season although it would be nice if there is since I feel like the plot could have been developed more. I learned some things about mineralogy and gemstones thanks to Richard and overall don't regret watching this anime.
Seigi and Tanimoto are cinnamon rolls and deserve it all. I don't know if I ship them or if I ship Seigi x Richard. Both ships have a future in my opinion.

The opening and the ending songs are perfect. The melody is so peaceful and relaxing For the first time in awhile ... I didn't skip them once.

I came into this anime blind; not having any idea about the novel or manga. That being said, Housekishou confused the hell out of me! (lol) At first I thought it was going to be an episodic-type detective show with each episode being about a different case, but things started going awry when the episodes turned out to be more of uncovering customers' personal drama, with each jewel having a symbolic significance, rather than being a part of a mystery or crime. And then after a few episodes of that, the story totally blindsided me by suddenly focusing on Richard's life! Needless to say, it ... was a complete roller coaster of expectations for me.

Looking back, I see now that the early episodes were supposed to be about a string of third party characters whose problems would resonate with the main character, Seigi, and serve as character growth, but this was executed rather poorly. As such, when we arrive at the point where Richard and Seigi's story comes to a climax, there is a lack of emotional investment on the part of the audience.

However, I think the show redeemed itself with the last two episodes that featured new characters with deep ties to Richard and Seigi and their separate pasts. I found these two episodes to be well-directed and acted. They definitely helped boost my regard for this show.

In hindsight, reading the feedback for Housekishou after finishing it has definitely changed my opinion of it. It seems a large part of the novels was about Seigi getting to know himself and his sexuality; thus I can't help but agree that the anime version does commit the sin of queerbaiting. While this is a shame, I do admit that I enjoyed the show regardless.

I can't believe that my first review on this site is for an anime that I dropped XD (There will be spoilers ahead!)

Okay, so, like, when I first saw the trailer, I actually expected some queerbaiting—maybe they would tap into it a bit, or likely unintentional, or just fangirls reading too much into certain scenes. However, I don't know if it was the translation or what, but this show took queerbaiting to another level.

For the first three or so episodes, I was actually enjoying this show. It was mainly just about two dudes teaching us about mineralogy and gemstones. I learned a lot ... and had a fairly good time. Episodes four to ten (where I decided to drop it) started, ahem, to go places.

Seigi would bring up every so often (esp in ep 4) how beautiful Richard was. In ep 6, Seigi and Richard decided to be extra as hell to fool gem fraud con artists. In ep 7, Seigi says to Richard that he "liked him," "really liked him," and Richard says, "don't regret saying you like me." (How am I supposed to interpret that?

Then, out of nowhere, it was episode 8 where the production was like, "hey, we gotta remind the audience that these guys are straight." So, Seigi starts getting really bummed out that his college friend who's a girl, Tanimoto, was going to marriage interviews. They really did have good chemistry—as friends. All they did together up until that point was talk about mineralogy, gemstones, and how much Seigi liked Richard (really, she kept pointing that out). Overall, Seigi spent wayyy more time with Richard than Tanimoto.

But, Richard, seemingly out of nowhere, calls Seigi a fool for not going after this girl. Then, when Seigi finally musters the courage to confess, his indirect confession is misinterpreted by Tanimoto as validation for her feelings about not being ready for marriage. (Personally, I interpreted Tanimoto's feelings about men, love, and marriage as her being possibly an aro/ace lesbian, but that's probably just me.)

Then! Episodes 9 and 10, Seigi follows Richard all the way to London! Without knowing his specific location! All so that he can "make pudding for him when he gets tired."

...

Bro, do straight bros do that for straight homies? I mean, really.

THEN THEY NEARLY GET STRAIGHT-UP FUCKING MARRIED??? But, they don't because that was a ruse, obviously, so that Seigi could solve Richard's family's inheritance problem (I won't go into specifics here because that's deep spoilers).

BUT THEN ONE OF THE SHOTS THEY HOLD ON TO FOR A FEW LONG SECONDS IS OF THEM LOOKING LIKE THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS AFTER EXCHANGING PRECIOUS FAMILY HEIRLOOMS WITH THE PROMISE TO "ALWAYS BE IN TOUCH" NO MATTER WHAT???

Dude, they really gave us a wedding vow scene with a no-homo asterisk.

I read into the rest on Wikipedia—episode eleven seems like filler and episode twelve seems like character regression (plus, Seigi is given tanzanite which is like rarer than diamonds?? I mean, dude). Episode ten ended on the conclusion of an arc, so that's where I decided to stop or else I'd just torture myself for another hour.

Look, other than the super-annoying queerbaiting (and big side-profile noses and the opening theme that I found kind of boring), this was a fairly solid show in terms of characters and plot (except for that weird marriage clause thing in order for Richard to get his inheritance which I'm pretty fucking sure doesn't happen in real life). You still do learn quite a lot about gemstones and mineralogy, including certain gems' histories and how con artists operate. The CG gemstones didn't look... too bad and the production value stayed consistent...ly mid-tier.

Overall, not super terrible, but not super great. Now, I'm gonna go rewatch Yuri On Ice or something to cleanse my soul.

EDIT: So, apparently, in the light novel, it's actually a little more clear that Seigi and Richard might have romantic feelings for each other? Sounds great, still doesn't make me feel different about all the mixed messages the show gave me ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡

So, this story is very wholesome. Cheers for inclusion (and celebration!) of different identities and queer characters (one girl is in love with another girl, another is likely ace/aromantic). Richard and Seiga have a lovely relationship, though Crunchyroll's subtitles changed some of the special moments to be "less gay."

Richard at one point says, "I've never had a male lover, okay?" Per a fellow fan (link below): "If you know enough Japanese, you’ll hear Richard qualify the statement with something along the lines of “before”. But if you’re an English-speaking fan watching on Crunchyroll, the combination of the visuals (Richard standing up to speak, ... the open-mouthed gaping in shock), the music cutting out, and CR’s subs omitting the ‘before’ all combine to turn this into Richard essentially having a no-homo moment..."

And a second time: "Crunchyroll’s subtitles change the meaning of the moment, translating Richard’s ‘most treasured person’ to ‘dear friend’."

https://fanofacertainage.blog/2020/03/13/is-it-gay-gay-where-is-the-romance-in-jeweler-richard/

There is certainly romance in this anime, though a lot of the romance development was taken out of the anime (read the blog above).

I wish that this anime would have developed the relationship more and not shied away from having the two of them show more physical affection. The subtext is very strong (at points, multiple people make references to the love they have for each other, being marriage material, etc.), but I would have liked to see it be explicit. With the normalization of other identities, the unification of these two would have been the cherry on top and made this anime a real knockout.

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this, but I'm glad I did and came in without any expectations.

For the majority of the series, the episodes centre on the stories behind the patrons of the jeweller Richard, one of the main characters, each being simple yet very human and heartwarming as they explore the theme of love, relationships, and even on one occasion self-worth. Each episode is named after a jewel that brings these characters together and reflects the characters' personalities and stories. The focus then shifts from these seemingly independent stories to the two main characters, the other being Seigi, their backgrounds and more ... importantly, their ambiguous relationship.

I've seen a handful of comments and reviews on the topic of queer-baiting. Having read some thoughts from fans of the light novel which this series was adapted, my opinion is that the vagueness of their relationship is apt. Going beyond whether the feelings the two characters have for one another are romantic or platonic, the point of the series seems to be discovering what is love. There are many types of love, and this also goes for the forms they come in. The complex and nuanced relationship we see between Richard and Seigi goes to show the above and I find that very admirable.

On that note, the series addresses the issue of discrimination on many grounds. That is deserving of praise.

This was a refreshing watch to which I enjoyed throughout. The art is pleasing to the eyes and stays consistent. The soft background music is gentle on the ears, used sparingly and appropriately according to the various scenes. Both the opening and ending suit the mood of the series and I loved them very much. Yanagi Nagi nails another opening yes! Last but not least, for all the gemstones they introduced and the jargon they explained this also sparked my interest in minerals. The concept is unique and the series does set itself apart it's brilliant.

In any case, this is a criminally underrated series. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy slow-paced shows do give this a chance!

This show was so sweet it gave me cavities for lovers of banana fish I highly recommend this it has a similer vibe with less death. I saw reviews accusing this show of queerbaiting but i think those people don't fully understand the LGBTQ+ community and all they wanted was sex scenes. This anime showed love in a very genuine wholesome way. I can't express my love for it enough it was so well written I found myself in genuine shock by how well they managed to develop the characters in such a short amount of time. It has so much representation that i dont ... normally see in anime such as internalized homophobia and Asexuality. But this anime was not written to just have LGBTQ+ characters for the sake of having them it treats them like humans these are just people trying to accept themselves. The MCs of the show have a lot of chemistry and show how deeply they care for each other in many ways. It never explicitly states whether these feelings are romantic they to tell each other they really like each other but the way it was done most likely ment as a strong freindship. also both were shown to have interest in women. I do personally tend to see sexuality in terms of a spectrum and feel its the soul you love not the genitals. But if this is just a bromance im still all for it what i loved the most was when they were repeatedly mistaken to be a couple there was no comedic freak out nether character cared much about someone assuming they were a couple and at one point they kind of just went along with it. And thats why I love it, I kept finding myself genuinely smiling you dont have to be a fujoshi or fudanshi to like this anime its just a well made intresting story that is somehow relaxing while also building up tension.