Reiko Houshou, heiress to a large conglomerate, seems like any other wealthy lady. However, not many people know that she is a rookie detective for the Kunitachi Police Department. In addition, she hides her identity from her incompetent boss, Kyouichirou Kazamatsuri, a flashy heir to his family's motor business.
During an investigation involving her college friends, Reiko has trouble identifying the culprit and their motive. Out of nowhere, a man approaches Reiko and introduces himself as Kageyama, her newly assigned butler. As soon as Reiko confides in him about her worries, he criticizes her lack of deduction skills and helps her quickly crack the case. Now with the sharp-tongued Kageyama at her side, Reiko may just become the detective she desires to be.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Nenhum episódio encontrado.
Comentários
5iv3_
To be honest, this show was not what I had imagined this show was gonna be, but I really enjoyed it! It's honestly just a lot of fun comedy with a bunch of different little mysteries to solve (this show did make me realize i'm so bad at mysteries though, omg). The artstyle is fun and very comic book-y, animation is pretty nice. Nothing over the top, but it's better than decent. Plot was fun and I think the characters are quite entertaining and make for some fun interactions. Truly, it's a fun show. (don't understand why it isn't liked :/. it's funn). Also, asa little tidbit, i cried a bit (granted I cry really easily haha. i have a soft heart 💕) But the episodes that were a little sad/bittersweet were really well done (Episode 6 especially).
Anyways, It's a good show 👍 You 🫵 should watch it :)
Marinate1016
When we talk about hidden gems of Spring 2025, Dinner Table Detective needs to be near the top of the list. This is such an underrated detective series with some decidedly good writing and one of the most unique detective premises in the genre. Not to mention a loveable MC and fun supporting cast. Finally, a detective who has just as much of an idea what’s going on as I do! Reiko being totally unqualified to solve any of these cases made this hilarious to watch because we, as the audience, will think she’s on to something just to realize how stupid we all arewhen Kageyama comes around to solve the case. The “dinner table detective” of it all referring to Reiko’s butler solving all her investigations over dinner every night is different. A lot of these detective anime feature brilliant protagonists who can make everyone look dumb and never take an L, not here. Reiko is constantly made to look silly and couldn’t be further from the mark most of the time. That’s not a knock against her either, I love her as a character. She’s the classic spoiled rich girl with split personalities, she’s hilarious, beautiful and badass when she wants to be. What she lacks in criminal investigatory acumen, she makes up for in spirit. Worst detective, but number 1 in our hearts.
The most important thing in detective shows is of course, the cases. This show genuinely had some of the best twists in criminal investigations I’ve seen. There wasn’t a single case where I actually had the suspect/motive correct. The author is a master of false flags and red herrings and I was constantly second guessing and changing theories often at multiple points in the same episode. There’s a nice variety in the cases as well. From crimes of passion to obsessed vtubers to financial greed. I actually found most of them to be very realistic and sadly the motives to be quite real as well. There’s a big focus on moral ambiguity/morally grey culprits who you kind of sympathise with. This made me even more invested in the stories. Sometimes in detective anime, things are just so detached from reality that it’s hard to really care about them, fortunately this series doesn’t have that issue. I think that’s thanks, in-part, to this being a novel adaptation as opposed to a Light Novel. There’s only a few episodes where I’d say the culprit was genuinely just an awful person. Most of the times I was going “well, they kinda had a point..” when we found out the motives and that just makes things way more fun. People and life is complex and rarely black and white.
The seiyuu castings in this are incredible. Some real big name talent and it shines through. All of Reiko and her detective partner Kazamatsuri’s interactions were comedic gold, as were those with Reiko and Kageyama. The show also looks really bright and pretty. Animation isn’t crazy, but it doesn’t need to be. Madhouse gave this a ton of love and care and it shows.
If you’re a fan of mystery and criminal investigations, this is a must watch. It’s one of the best ones we’ve got recently and we’ve got some very good ones. It’s unique, has a silly and loveable MC and some very well written cases!
Dinner Table Detective gets 8 out of 10.
kiyo_seibah
Exceeded my expectations! Actually enjoyable and entertaining. Yes, it's a detective story so of course the main theme will be mystery. But the type of mystery that's light and not too complex and confusing. There'll be new case every 1-2 eps so the mysteries are pretty quick to solve. Not really bothering me tho bcs they aren't dark psychological anime in the first place, in fact it's a comedy mystery so u can expect few good comedy scenes. And other things i really like is the artstyle. It was lovely and unique, kinda reminds me of great pretender tbh. Scoring also decent and fitting thescenes very well.
Although yea i feel like sometimes the case was too quick to solved because the moment the detective are meet dead end, kageyama the butler was there to quickly solved the case. And the case also not complicated at all, just ur basic criminal case, nothing too serious or psychologically complex.
So if u want a mystery comedy anime with unique art style and won't make u confused and stressed, then this anime is for u. But if u want more psychologically complex and confusing and stressful then ofc don't pick this up
Otaku_Senpai
I liked the main characters at their introduction. The lead detective and his assistant are both heirs of very rich families. The lead detective is a bit incompetent but makes a big show with his loud mouthed flair. The assistant is more competent but she isn't much smarter either. However, the butler seems to be the real genius who can solve cases on the spot mainly with observation skills, kind of like Sherlock Holmes. This guy is my favorite in the show. And he isn't afraid to blatantly insult his boss, the assistant detective, which lead to a funny dynamic between them. Highlight of theshow for me is not when the murder mystery is solved but every time the butler would insult/tease the lady detective Reiko's 'detective skills' before helping her solve the case. Because that is the funniest moment, though that lost its charm a bit by the end of the show as it was predictable.
The cases they solve are decent but I don't buy how the butler can solve some of them without even visiting the site but by just talking to Reiko. My skepticism is maybe because he would need to see the things for himself, the tiny details which the lady detective probably would leave out as she wouldn't think it was important detail. I mean in one case the butler knew what background picture was on a suspected cell phone. Or he knew about the flower petals on the car of one of the suspects. How detailed description did the lady detective give him, offscreen? Did she show him all the pictures taken in the crime scene? I don't think I saw her showing the butler pictures and videos. The doesn't show us the butler prying out the details from Reiko that would make sense for him to know for his to solve the cases.
Finally I like the opening. I didn't skip it. This is a good detective show that has humor.
Salvatierra21
Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato shows a proposal that brings a breath of fresh air to detective anime since the main character is not based on Sherlock Holmes. A worn-out writing method here shows us what would happen when the police and detectives are not the most qualified for the job, but with effort, help, knowing how to win over their bosses, and knowing how to maintain a good presence, they can continue to keep their jobs by solving cases in the process. The humor that is used may seem somewhat exaggerated and out of place, but thanks to the personalities of the characters, itworks well and does not overshadow the crimes, keeping the scenes serious.
In the cases, we see that they are based on the adventures of high-status families, businessmen, and showbiz, which is good given the development of the main characters. It is true that they are not the most far-fetched cases or with striking and mysterious methods, but they know how to capture the public, keeping their interest. This is thanks to the fast-paced and constant pace of the chapters, not episodic like other series. If it weren't for this, the chapters would be repetitive and tiring. The viewer leaves the anime in episode 2.
The dynamic with the Butler will surprise you and leave you wondering what's happening with this guy in the conversations he has with his Mistress, wondering how the relationship between the two will develop.
I hope it gets a second season, as this story still has a lot to offer, but it's a matter of time. Its future, even if it's successful, is very uncertain. The Japanese domestic market is still very conservative with mystery stories, giving more preference to characters based on Sherlock Holmes and other books by famous mystery authors.
CinaGinger
It's not extraordinary, just another story about detectives. However, I started to see some potential when I finished watching all the episodes and realized this was just the beginning of something very special and particular. Maybe watchers wanted her to be extremely intelligent and smart from the start-go and the comedy is silly, like every Japanese anime that we are familiar with, but the butler character seems to be a key point in this and seems to have some mysterious reason as to why he's serving her, maybe to teach her about the profession and of course, make her mature.
Kumoiro_Shizuki
I can see that this anime isn't exactly a hit with fans, and I can understand why. This little series has several flaws that tarnish the picture, but it still has a certain charm. So I'm going to elaborate on a few points that might, perhaps, encourage you to give it a chance. Animation: 9 Art direction: 9.5 Visually, the anime does well with its polished animation and distinctive art direction. For my part, I saw strong inspiration from Great Pretender, particularly in the color palette. Madhouse, without reaching the level of Frieren of course, delivers a visually sparkling series that should appeal to the widest possible audience. Music:9
Dubbing: 5.5
As for the music, there's a very pleasant jazz-funk ambience, a real pleasure for the ears. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the dubbing... I'm not talking about the Japanese dubbing, but the French version. I'm usually a big advocate of French dubbing (be it in Great Pretender, Spriggan, and many others), but here, the final rendering sounds rather amateurish. With the exception of the main trio, the majority of secondary characters unfortunately prove the detractors of VF dubbing right. Many of the dubbers seem to be either beginners or poorly directed - which is regrettable, given the quality of the dubbing of the main trio.
Story: 6
Characters: 8
Development: 5
Don't expect much in the way of storytelling. It's more like a short episodic series, with one (sometimes two) investigation(s) per episode. The format is reminiscent of American crime series such as CSI: Manhattan, Bones and Criminal Minds. And, as with the latter, the development over 12 episodes remains fairly anecdotal. None of the characters really undergoes any significant evolution.
That said, despite these shortcomings, the characters are colorful and give rise to a number of zany situations. I can't really say why, but I found many of them endearing.
In my humble opinion, a different format might have reached a wider audience. Nevertheless - and even if my review wasn't particularly glowing - I hope I've succeeded in titillating your curiosity. Perhaps you'll let yourself be tempted by this charming little series.
LunaPKL
Definitely a hidden gem of the season. The mysteries are pretty decent, I solved a few of them on my own with the clues mentioned, which makes Kageyama calling MC an idiot even funnier. The ending is a great show of how all the characters have improved. The only setback is that this girl WEARS THE SAME RED DRESS EVERY DINNER SCENE! SHE'S RICH! SHE HAS A BUTLER AND YOU'RE TELLING ME SHE ONLY WEARS THAT OUTFIT???? WE'VE SEEN HER CLOSET! SHE HAS OTHER CLOTHES LIKE WHAT???!!!! But other than that small detail, this is a decent detective anime. The op is also pretty good andthe comedic moments aren't half bad.
Sidarif
The Dinner Table Detective is a surprisingly entertaining detective anime that offers something a bit different from the usual mystery shows. Rather than focusing on complex and lengthy cases, this anime keeps the mysteries short, crisp, and engaging. Each case is neatly wrapped up within an episode or two, making it very easy to follow without getting overwhelmed. One of the highlights of this anime is definitely the Butler character, who steals the spotlight every time. His sharp wit and savage roasts directed at the main character always brought a smile to my face. Despite never leaving the dinner table, the Butler manages to solve everycase brilliantly, proving that you don't need to run around gathering clues to be a great detective—sometimes, sharp observation and reasoning are enough.
The animation style fits well with the show's cozy yet mysterious atmosphere. The interactions between characters were fun, and the balance of humor and mystery kept things refreshing throughout the series.
If you're looking for a lighthearted detective anime with clever cases, witty dialogue, and a charming cast, *The Dinner Table Detective* is definitely worth watching!
ZER0F00L
This par of a meal of a mystery show, is served with heart, but the flavor palette leave you wanting more. The visuals are nice and unlike many other shows in its realm is much more colorful and delightful to watch, and does well to match it when the story begins to hit its darker tones, and fills the room with light during the more hopeful moments, speaking of hopefuls our hopeful leading lady supported by her less than tactile boss plays well off one another, and she also plays well with her butler who constantly criticizes her inability to solve the case.It's a wonderful dynamic of the trio that makes them likeable and want to follow them, their energy bleeds over into the audio of the show as well, a score you could swear you heard out of a Professor Layton or Phoenix Wright game in the background while exploring a town, and a great opening and closing track that you will never wanna skip. Despite all that it just seems to struggle to reach a heigh beyond being an almost "quaint" anime. Many others in the genre do it better, but it does not fall so far down the scale that you would disregard it completely if you or someone you know likes mystery shows, but you're not talking to people about it as your "hit of the season"
The show doesn't do anything much for the genre other than be there, in theme with the premise of mysteries being solved at dinner. It's a meal you'll enjoy, but quickly forget. You wouldn't come back to try it again, or see if a restaurant could do it better, (I.E. their live action version they did in 2011 which I have not seen), but it would be one that if I saw a sequel in some fashion down the line I would remember the meal and say "Ahh what the heck" and give it another go
patkarunungan
Having enjoyed Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective, this seems to be yet another female detective anime. Without knowing anything about the already released 2011 jdorama, I assumed based on the key visual that 'The Dinner Table Detective' is about a smart, classy lady detective. I anticipated that if Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective was good, this anime might be even better. I was disappointed. § Overview Houshou Reiko is an upper-class heiress who chose to work as a detective. She is an okay but mediocre detective. In fact, she is the butt of jokes of the real genius behind this show, her butler Kageyama, who is clearly thetitular character and by coincidence bears the surname of the genius setter in Haikyuu!!
She hides her identity from her incompetent superior, Kazamatsuri Kyouichirou, who is the heir of a motor business.
§ Notes
1. The art style itself is a bit jarring because it is not the usual style employed by many anime today. It's a bit of a throwback to some of the styles used in the 90s. It feels more like watching a graphic novel move than a regular anime.
If Ameku uses standard art style filled with great art direction, 'The Dinner Table Detective' has a similar æsthetic to that used in Trillion Game — liking this look is an acquired taste.
2. The mysteries are a bit easier to guess or, at the very least, not impossible to guess, unlike in the mysteries in Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective, where the solution actually requires knowledge of medicine.
3. In some episodes, the mystery ends in the middle of the episode, and a new one starts, but only in some cases does the mystery end by the time an episode actually ends.
There are pros and cons. If the mystery ends mid-episode, the new episode might hook the viewer who would have otherwise dropped the anime and continue to the next episode. This is a clever use of the Zeigarnik Effect. In brief, this is the nagging feeling of having an interrupted or incomplete task. People tend to remember the incomplete tasks more than the completed tasks.
On the other hand, the format feels jarring. When a mystery ends and completes the episode, it gives you a sense of emotional payoff. That's the format that good mysteries like Detective Conan, Ameku: Doctor Detective, and 'Professor Chuuzenji's Lectures on Monsters' usually use.
Whilst my personal judgement of this format is that it's jarring, I reckon it really depends on whether you find this format better than the traditional formats. Some might even enjoy both formats.
4. As hinted earlier, Reiko's boss, Kyouichirou, is an insufferable twat. I can't stand him. The way he acts is the stereotypical nouveau riche, always flaunting his wristwatch and always bragging about his wealth and his travels. This he does, thinking that Reiko is an average girl who gets easily impressed by wealth.
In other words, his flamboyance degrades what would otherwise be a decent anime. He is not funny at all. He is the reason I am only giving this a 4 out of 10. Without him, I might give this a 5 or even a 6.
5. Narratively, his function is similar to Mr Mori from Detective Conan. He raises hypotheses that are often wrong. In some sense, he may be a stand-in for the viewers who might have hypothesised something similar.
Like I said, I don't like him. I believe he is put there to also add humour, which I recognise might land with other people, but not me. It's just a matter of taste, as a friend of mine likes him and this show. If the tone is a little bit more serious, it is sufficient that Reiko poses such wrong theories in the presence of Kageyama, who, in turn, will correct her.
6. Speaking of which, I mentioned earlier that their dynamic is one of a fool and the real genius. Reiko is the butt of jokes. Some might complain that this is misogyny, but this anime makes fun of both Reiko and Kyouichirou, so there is gender equality. Regardless of whether you feel that this is misogyny or not, this is the part where it is somewhat funny.
(For an anime that shows a similar dynamic between Reiko and Kageyama but without a character identical to Kyouichirou, check out 'Professor Chuuzenji's Lectures on Monsters.' In that anime, which I deem a superior show to this, a similar dynamic can be found between Kanna and Chuuzenji-sensei.)
§ Conclusion
'The Dinner Table Detective' is a somewhat acceptable detective show. Your enjoyment of it really hinges on whether you can tolerate or even enjoy the (lame) humour brought about by Kyouichirou.
NOTA BENE: A grade of 4 out of 10 means I got some enjoyment out of this anime, but the issues are glaring, or simply I rank it higher than my 3's but below my 5's.
My enjoyment spectrum lies from 4 to 10. If I have scored an anime below 4, I actively dislike it.
Chuy_diazz
A mystery story that lacks mysteries. I'm not a huge fan of the detective genre because I always get frustrated when I can't even guess who the culprit is in each case. Although that's also my indicator of how well a mystery is done. In Nazotoki, I guessed every single case without even trying. Despite being detectives, it feels like I'm watching my local police force trying to figure out who committed a crime despite having all the video evidence. The detectives seem to have their IQs lowered as the episodes went by. The figure in charge of solving the mysteries, who was the butler, wasn'texactly intelligent or a genius; he just had common sense. In Nazotoki, the mysteries are a secondary element to the story, as they don't want to tell a super-complicated mystery but rather give a glimpse into high-class society and offer a few critiques.
As a social critique of wealthy society, there are stories that work and others that don't. Because it's not a typical script in the social critique department either. Sometimes they appear and sometimes they don't. It has episodes that are truly enjoyable to watch due to the animation and production work, but the weak link is the script, so narratively you're left a bit dissatisfied with what you're seeing, even though it looks beautiful. The main characters, who start out as people in a world of luxury, end up being jokes of their initial portrayal. You never really get to know them. Nor does the story work as a slice of life about the lives of two detectives because they always place a mystery in front of you.
Nazotoki is a story that wants to be many things but ultimately fails to find its identity in any of them.
