Moriarty the Patriot was one of the most expected anime adaptations of 2021. It is one of the rare works in the genre of crime & mystery, which stands out from many conventional genres such as romantic comedy and isekai. The series brings a new breath to the world of Sherlock Holmes that everyone knows. Based on Ryōsuke Takeuchi’s manga which has been published since 2016, the anime is licensed by Funimation. Production I.G makes animations, and Kazuya Nomura directs the series. We also know the successful studio from popular animes like Haikyuu!! and Cells at Work!. The first season of the anime aired in two parts. While the first 11 episodes aired between October 11, 2020, and December 20, 2020, the second part started on April 4, 2021, and we watched the season finale of the anime on June 27, 2021. After a hearty 24-episode season, fans are wondering if a second season will be confirmed.
What is Moriarty the Patriot about?
Yes, welcome to take a fresh look at the Sherlock Holmes universe. In the anime of Moriarty the Patriot, we look at the events from the window of Sherlock’s archenemy, the crime consultant Professor William James Moriarty, whom he is obsessed with and who offers him the greatest mysteries.
Moriarty lives in Great Britain at the end of the 19th century when class segregation was at its peak. According to Moriarty, if the bad people are eliminated, everyone will be fine, and the world will be a great place. For this, he skillfully sometimes uses another bad guy and sometimes people who are burning with the fire of revenge, who have nothing to lose anymore, to eliminate the bad guys.
Well, isn’t it a crime under the law to cover up the crime with another crime? Is Moriarty right in his case? What if justice doesn’t work for the nobility? Moriarty’s philosophy makes the audience ask these questions. According to Moriarty, if we remove the evidence that could be a crime, there would be nothing that could be a crime. In other words, he opposes Sherlock’s principle of “there is no perfect crime” by saying “perfect crime is possible”. While he carefully crafts and puts his plans into practice, things get even more interesting when he encounters Sherlock Holmes.
Will there be a third season of Moriarty the Patriot?
The second part of the Moriarty the Patriot anime aired weekly between April 4, 2021, and June 27, 2021. Although this part is called a second season on some platforms, it was a continuation of the first season almost ready to air. Therefore, the fans hadn’t had to wait long between these parts. However, since this is not a second season and is actually a continuation of the season, the actual second season will not meet the audience quickly like part two. As of June 11, 2022, Production I.G, Shueisha, or any anime-related companies have not yet renewed the Moriarty the Patriot for a second season. The new seasons of anime are linked to some main factors. If the anime achieves positive results from these metrics, there is always great hope for a new season. There is no official news yet, but we have speculated about the new season under these key factors.
Manga status of the anime
The manga of the series is written by Ryōsuke Takeuchi, as we mentioned at the beginning of our article, and illustrated by Hikaru Miyoshi. Published by Shueisha, it has been published since 2016, also meets the world’s readers in English thanks to Viz Media. The manga series is still ongoing, and the 17th volume will be released on April 4, 2022. So how many of the 17 volumes were adapted into anime? The answer is that almost half of the light novel series has been adapted so far (8 volumes). The fact that the anime is progressing fast and that many important manga chapters are skipped have upset some manga readers. On the other hand, the version published by Viz Media in English is at volume 8 currently. There seems to be enough source material available for a new season of Moriarty the Patriot. However, this amount of script has just been reached and we think there was no time for adaptation yet.
Popularity and the disc sales
Since animes are financial products, the probability of a second season depends on popularity and disc sales. Disc sales have been declining in recent years for all new animes. This is because viewing habits have shifted from discs to online streaming platforms. Still, disc sales are good financial data to compare with other anime aired in the same period. Disc sales for the first 11 episodes of the anime were made separately. It sold 1,370 copies at a 4-volume average and the second part sold 1,771 units on average. Considering that “Princess Connect! Re:Dive” sold 31,259 units and “Jujutsu Kaisen!” sold 28,410 units in the same period, we can say that this is not a good sales figure.
On the other hand, it is possible to examine the popularity in Japan from the number of followers on Twitter. Although it did not achieve the desired success in disc sales, the reviews are very good, and 98k people on Twitter follow Moriarty the Patriot. Although this number of followers is not as high as Re:Zero, it seems to be equivalent to popular anime like Kekkai Sensen and Noragami and enough for a second season. In parallel, we see an above-average search volume on Google.
Two OVA episodes are now released!
Moriarty the Patriot anime’s official website has announced on September 2, 2021, that two new OVA episodes will meet with the audience. Although there is no official announcement for the second season yet, the news of the OVA episodes delighted the fans of the anime. The episodes have an original storyline separate from the manga story. Episodes hit a special screening in Tokyo on March 5, 2022, and then will be available on April 27 worldwide.
When is the second season of the anime?
We speculated above about Moriarty the Patriot Season 2. The manga just has enough stock material for a new season, and we will have to wait a little longer. Although disc sales of the anime were not successful, a new season won’t be a surprise with above-average popularity. Based on forecasts, we see a 60% probability of a new season. The average production time is a year, but considering the manga situation, we think we will wait a little longer for a renewal. The new season of the anime may air in 2023. Till then, we recommend ID: Invaded or Banana Fish from similar genres of anime.