LogFAQs > #979613941

The second trial day starts rather anticlimactically. Despite there being no poison found in Soseki's tea, and how quickly we dismantle Shamspeare's latest lie using the unstained cup, van Zieks immediately covers for Shamspeare and the jury promptly rules that Natsume is guilty again. Nahhh, I don't believe this one.

I'm thinking the writers may have put themselves into a corner with the nature of summation examinations, they're a fun mechanic but they require all the jurors to vote guilty beforehand, so we wind up with weird stuff like this. And I find it odd for van Zieks to bail out Shamspeare like that, he's usually interested in the truth even if it hurts his case. I do like how the jurors aren't even pretending to care about the case itself though, they're all arguing amongst themselves about gas prices. Quinby Altamont remains a fun character, the bee gimmick is forced and I don't buy her voting guilty but I like her violent hatred of Shamspeare, and her offering a job to Ryunosuke. Screw this gig, we're gonna live comfortably in the world of corporate law from now on!

Nobody is paying the slightest bit of attention to the court rules this examination, we're all talking whenever they want. Even van Zieks. Afterwards we get our chance to name Olive Green as the perpetrator, and van Zieks helpfully allows our request. Though really, we'd established no link at this point and her alibi seemed to be airtight so it's very generous that we're given this break anyway!

The rest of the trial is strong. Some of the case goes as we'd already guessed, but I like the twist that Olive sent the card to Shamspeare and that she put the poison in place back before she was stabbed. It's a pretty smart plan she had, too, ensuring that nobody would die if Shamspeare was innocent. Of course nobody considers the repercussions their actions have on poor innocent Natsume, as ever. Shamspeare has a fun breakdown, too, though it's somehow not as extravagant as I was hoping given... everything about him. Also, would that key really have still had skin prints of Selden on it? And why was Selden never given a first name, I wonder?

Between Olive Green and Raiten Menimemo, this game is much more successful at making sympathetic culprits than the first game was with Pavlova and Mrs Garrideb (and Roly). Both cases this time have involved people seeking revenge in a way that is arguably justified, so it's worth keeping an eye on that being an ongoing theme going forwards. This was a solid case through and through, I liked all the characters and the mystery itself was good, even if bits of the trial felt a little forced. I really like how they're playing with the series tropes by having two culprits here, one of them being the victim himself. Much better than our first sojourn into Briar Road!

Our brief epilogue shows Selden's loot- a giant bloodstained collar with the letter B engraved on it. I have to assume this B is for Baskervilles. Sholmes gets deadly serious again, and I note that Gregson seems to catch on to the hints he's throwing down. Finally, Ryunosuke teases the next case- we're finally heading to the Great Exhibition! Hype!