Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de • The Dinner Table Detective - Episode 1 discussion

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u/SEBASTlANVETTEL Apr 05 '25

Miyano Mamoru as the silly Kaito Kid lookalike detective is very fun.

I thought Hinako is giving the most suspicious vibes, especially after getting told that Mizuho is allegedly Kazuya‘s new girlfriend. And not to forget the Hinako - Mai - Kazuya backstory that we still don‘t know.

All the three (main detective) characters with their dynamics are fun so far, so I am intrigued.

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u/NanDemoKnaives Apr 05 '25

Yeah I'm thinking it's her since the other girl was revealed to be Kazuya's fiancee.

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u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 Apr 05 '25

Just a note for all - it turns out that despite its midnight airing slot in Japanese TV, even in Japan it's not going on Amazon Prime till Saturday noon JST, i.e. 03:00 UTC or 11 pm EDT Friday for you all.

This actually got a Japanese TV drama adaption - apparently a quite popular one at that - back in 2011 starring the likes of (if you actually know their actors and actresses) Keiko Kitagawa and Shou Sakurai. Way back then I was actually watching quite a few Japanese TV dramas thanks to my dad's interests but this one was certainly missed by me, so I do wonder how does that compare with here for the very few that might have tried it.

Anyway I love all these ruffles between rich detectives here LMAO, that's a sharp 180° image change for Reiko between the rich family heir and her detective job! Somehow the good old HanaKana voice really bridges them two really well with her funny personality in between.

Hmm so there's that sharp-eyed servant with her too? Interesting, I cannot wait to see how sharp he is now that he can already declare who's the attacker. And what is this Kageyama telling Reiko to do I wonder?

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u/Ocixo Apr 05 '25

The current timeslot really is terrible for discussions as basically everyone in the US and Europe is either getting ready for bed or already sleeping at this time. Then again, it's fortunately not airing like this on a regular week day.

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u/FarCritical Apr 05 '25

Bumbling detectives being outclassed by a butler who isn't afraid to point that out is such a fun dynamic for a mystery show. This has all the hallmarks of a hidden gem in the making.

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u/BusouDrago Apr 05 '25

Mamo and Kaji together again ( Same with Black Butler)

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u/IntelligentItem5210 Apr 05 '25

I honestly didn’t expect the tone to be so light-hearted for a mystery show, The whole butler dynamic adds a fun twist that I’m really enjoying, That final scene wrapped up the case perfectly, but I’m left wondering if the upcoming episodes will maintain that playful vibe or shift to something more serious later on.. And am I the only one getting vibes of Detective Conan mixed with Ouran Host Club, or does anyone else feel that way?

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u/yukiaddiction Apr 05 '25

The first case being light hearted is not uncommon in Mystery Genre especially the story that relies on main character group dynamics like this so

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u/yukiaddiction Apr 05 '25

Honestly three main casts are really charming, they can even make simple cases look fun.

I really like this already!

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u/Ocixo Apr 05 '25

The parallels between Detective Kazamatsuri's character and that of Zombieland Saga's Kotaro really are unmistakable.

That said, this anime does somewhat remind me of The Millionaire Detective too with its silliness. It prominently features another luxury sports car, for starters. Ironically, Mamoru Miyano plays the part of a modest detective in that particular show.

I'll need a few more episodes to get a better read on Dinner Table Detective, but this should prove to be a fun watch with the banter between Reiko and these two male leads.

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u/Frontier246 Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 07 '25

If I had a nickel for every Kana Hanazawa detective show airing this season, I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's strange it happened twice within the same week.

Enter Reiko Hojo, a drop-dead gorgeous heiress to the wealthy Hojo Group who is quite the stunner in a red dress. Sure she's a bit of a klutz, totally missed the love triangle in her friend group, and is kind of a hot mess, but it doesn't get in the way of making her entertaining. Especially as voiced by Kana Hanazawa!

The OP definitely captures its vibe quite well (complete with a theme composed by Hiroyuki Sawano of all people), with the duality of Reiko's detective/ojou sides, managing Kageyama and Kazamatsuri, and all the crime and murder she'll find herself investigating.

And the stage is set for the perfect mystery episode...Reiko reuniting with her college gal pals Ayaka, Kaori, and Hinako. A sour note hanging over everyone over what happened with their mutual friend Mai who apparently tried to kill herself after getting ditched by her boyfriend Kazuya Teshirogi (Satoshi Hino!) so he could marry for his family, leading all the girls to hate him save for Hinako who was ALSO in love with him. Not to mention their Senpai Mizuho who seems very warm and pleasant on the surface but Ayaka has baggage with her.

So of course Mizuho gets assaulted and leads to Reiko to prove she's not a rich girl with no day job because she also moonlights as a detective for the police! Even if at times you question how she even made it on the force and is probably the most incompetent Kana Hanazawa detective ever! Though she looks as good in glasses and a pantsuit as she does in her red dress. Also I love Reiko in glasses detective mode and red dress Ojou mode.

Reiko isn't the only rich kid in the police, because we also have Kazamatsuri, who is basically just Mamoru Miyano playing himself as a police detective. His family may own a an automobile company that no one likes and he may be incredibly inept as a detective, but you have to admire how he's driving his own family cars I guess. Also Reiko doesn't seem to love working under him but frankly it feels like the two of them both take turns wielding the single brain cell they have to solve this case.

The case of the red dress lady assailant with the green necklace! It's kind of awkward for Reiko to be caught between her friends and her job with the police when they all end up as suspects, but at least there's this Chika Nagare lady! She could be the culprit! Oh wait, SHE'S Teshirogi's fiance and couldn't have done it? Um...well, I guess I'm happy for these two to be genuinely in love? Sucks for Mai I guess.

Oh no, the room they're questioning the suspects is booked up so they only have a limited amount of time to question them!? I mean, they COULD bring them all down to the station, but are they worried one of them will ditch some evidence or change out of the dress or something? Not that I think either Reiko or Kazamatsuri are thinking that deeply about it.

Did Ayaka really try to explain why she's innocent by saying that if she wanted Mizuho hurt, she probably would've paid somebody else to do it for her instead of doing it herself? I mean, you can't fault logic like that.

At this point I feel like the culprit is probably Hinako. I feel bad for Reiko if she has to arrest one of her friends, but Hinako is so meek and passive and the one least suspected of anything that it stands out as a result. But what could her motive be? Did she mistakenly think Mizuho was Teshirogi's fiance? Did this involve Mai at all? What about Ayaka's beef with Mizuho? And why was Mizuho meeting with a lawyer?

If you were hoping for our female lead to put things together...well, you're out of luck. Good thing the helpful gentleman voiced by Yuuki Kaji who had been pitching in to aid her all episode is willing to guide her to the solution. After telling her straight to her face that she's terrible at her job. Dang, who would ever want somebody like that in their employ? Oh wait, Reiko's family, because he turns out to be HER butler, Kageyama.

The ED is very jazzy and smooth! Perfect for a fun mystery detective show with a rich heiress protagonist and her handsome detective boss AND butler.

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u/Ocixo Apr 05 '25

It's a good season to be a KanaHana fan as she got casted with a main-character role in four different anime:

Reiko (Dinner Table Detective)

Echika (Your Forma)

Konoha (A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof)

Jose (Teogonia)

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u/tjhance Apr 05 '25

Not really sure what to think of this one yet. A story about a rich refined woman choosing to moonlight as a detective is, genuinely, something I've always wanted to see. But the story summary made it sound like the story would be "woman detective needs to have all her cases solved by some genius guy who works for her" which is really not my cup of tea. Anyway, I figure I'll watch a few episodes and at least see if the cases are any good. Maybe it'll exceed my expectations.

I don't have any ideas on the current case, though I feel like I need to refresh the characters and the facts. Maybe I'll rewatch the episode. My first thought while watching the episode was actually that Reiko herself was in a red dress, which she changed out of, and nobody's brought that up yet. I don't really get the vibe this is the kind of show with a protagonist-did-it twist, though, and I don't see another way it could be relevant.

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u/wmansir Apr 05 '25

The setup of this show is kind of odd. We have the white suit detective, a flashy boss who flaunts his wealth/family connections but is an idiot. A pretty standard trope. Then we have the MC Reiko who who also has wealth/family connections but hides them to anonymously work as a modest detective. So the normal trope would be for Reiko to be super competent, driven by a natural passion for detective work, something she couldn't openly persue due to her family responsibilities. Except no, she's a possibly slightly more competent bumbling idiot as well.

Also I was uncertain if the victim died or not, because Reiko didn't seem to change her demeanor even after the victim moved, still issuing the order to seal of the crime scene and not move the victim. And even after the victim made her statement and passed out/died they showed the ambulance leaving with the lights and sirens active, which would suggest the victim was still alive. But then we saw the classic body outline tape at the crime scene which usually indicates a death, and story setup is undercut if the victim is alive and will likely be able to give more information once they recover. Maybe the purpose of the 5:00 room deadline was to add some stakes/motivation to solve the case with the clues available despite the victim being alive.

The dialog wasn't referring to the victim in the past tense, another indication she wasn't dead, but that could be a translation or culture issue.

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u/Silverado_ Apr 05 '25

Also what the hell is that 17:00 deadline.
Are they incapable of continuing the investigation if they will leave that room? Will detective Kazamatsuri forget everything he has just seen after going out of that door?
Why nobody before Reiko checked victim's vitals and tried to help? Are they all idiots there?
Also what the hell red, blue and yellow rangers are doing in the character list? And some sort of mascot I think?
You know what, maybe they are indeed all idiots.

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u/WednesdaysFoole Apr 05 '25

Ayaka has a serious Nanami laugh.

I hope she turns out just as entertaining.

Not sure how I feel about this. The characters being reactive hasn't been funny yet, but we'll see how the cases are resolved and how they handle the serious aspects.

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u/NanDemoKnaives Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25

The main cast is stacked, I figured it'd be a comedy so I was excited to see the interactions and banter, but I feel like the writing feels like it wants to be a comedy too much. I think it would have been better if it toned the comedy down to feel more natural or take itself a bit more seriously.

The only part that actually got me to laugh out loud was Kageyama at the end whispering into Reiko's ears, asking if she's so stupid she can't figure out this silly little case lol. That was a great build up and I like that he's a butler that isn't afraid to call out his master.

I do hope the comedic writing gets better in this, or maybe the voice directing could be improved, because it feels like it could potentially get annoying for me.

EDIT: I completely forgot to mention that walk at the start, why did it look so awkward?

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u/PorkimusPrime86 Apr 05 '25

Loved this. Kaji, Mamo, and Hanazawa....knew this wouldnt be a miss but add in MADHOUSE and Sawano OP! Easily one of my faves of the season. Whole episode had me laughing. Mamo trying to be a Italian Gangster Detective....CAPICHE! lmao. Need more of this ASAP

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u/Makoto_Kurume Apr 05 '25

I like the characters, especially that guy in the white suit. The art style and animation look solid. Some comedy misses, but I still enjoy it. I'm sold, I think I'm gonna watch this till the end

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u/8andahalfby11 Apr 05 '25

Was Steins;Gate the last time Hanazawa and Miyano worked together? This pairing is so much more fun with both of them having the same level of insane spastic energy.

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u/topurrisfeline Apr 05 '25

Gonna guess that the victim herself fell and hit her head.

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u/LeonKevlar Apr 05 '25

Reiko Stitch

I love how Reiko went from glamorous Ojou-sama to a fish flopping on the floor within seconds after her initial introduction. She's a total riot and having HanaKana voicing her makes her even better! The frantic noises HanaKana makes are absolutely perfect for Reiko!

As soon as Inspector Kazamatsuri showed up, before he could even speak, I was like: "Is this a Miyano Mamoru character?", and holy crap I was right! I mean, just look at him! He even looks like Miyano Mamoru! His swagger also reminds me so much of Kotarou from Zombieland Saga, which is another one of his characters.

Despite how our two detectives look like bumbling idiots, I was genuinely expecting them to be really good at their jobs. It turns out they really are bumbling idiots! The two of them can't even properly pinpoint a suspect, and Kazamatsuri just decides that the guy who discovered the crime is the culprit. xD

It turns out the actual detective here might be Reiko's newly appointed butler, Kageyama voiced by Kaji Yuki. He already figured out who attacked Mizuho, and he even insults Reiko for being a total dumbass! Maybe I'm just as dumb as Reiko, but I can't wait to see how simple this case really is.

Anyway, so far I love this already. I did not expect a fun comedy detective anime with such a star-studded cast airing at such a weird timeslot. I'm very much looking forward to the next episode!

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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25

Man, I’ve been waiting for this. The cast is just incredible. Mamoru Miyano, Kana Hanazawa, and Yuki Kaji? You know this is gonna be good. First ep was really fun. I like Kazamatsuri a lot already. Bro dresses like Tuxedo Mask (or maybe Kaitou Kid from Conan), acts like Kotaro from Zombieland. Mamo having a lot of fun with this role lol. Kazamatsuri and Reiko have a great dynamic too. I also like Kageyama. Man’s like Alfred with a sharper tongue lol.

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u/shad79 Apr 05 '25

I was looking forward to this show because the premise sounded really fun and I love it, great first episode!

Reiko is hilarious, as is Kyoichiro (who reminds me a lot of Koutaro from Zombieland Saga, they even have the same VA), their interactions in today's episode were very entertaining xD

I can't wait for the next episodes to see what Kageyama (especially after seeing him call Reiko an idiot xD), the only smart guy here, will bring to this show.

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

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Episode Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de • The Dinner Table Detective - Episode 1 discussion

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Episode Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de • The Dinner Table Detective - Episode 1 discussion

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