Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo - Akechi Keishi no Karei Naru Suiri Sono 2 (Ep 83)

This episode was shown on 15 March 1999 and features Akechi Kengo, the "arch-rival" of Kindaichi as they can't stand the sight of each other mainly due to the fact that they have different viewpoints when it comes to investigation work. I guess this can't be helped because Kindaichi embarrassed Akechi when they first met by overthrowing the latter's deductions so they already got off on a bad note. Anyway, despite the bickering, it's also clear that they appreciate each other's strengths to a certain extent although I think Kindaichi still doesn't think much of Akechi and tries to hide whatever little respect he may have. Akechi, on the other hand, doesn't really like the idea of getting an outsider to help with the police's work and would always use his authority as Kenmochi's superior to remind him of this. Coupled with the fact that Kindaichi always tries to take Kenmochi's side, it's even harder for them to mend their ties. Frankly speaking, the first time when Akechi appeared, I thought he was an arrogant guy. As of now, I find him acceptable but not to the extent of liking this character though.

For a change, we see Akechi taking centrestage as he happens to bump into Miyuki who's waiting for Kindaichi. Due to the fact that it is raining and they are taking cover at a building, Akechi relates a case he solved in the past which happened on a trekking trip on the mountains. As the story was relatively straightforward and there was one victim in the cottage, that's why the resolution could be completed within one episode. However, as I'm not too familiar with card games like what they were playing in this story, I took longer than usual to understand the deductions which Akechi made based on the cards each player held.

Given that this is a filler episode, do not expect the same level of complexity for the usual cases which take at least 3 episodes to be resolved. Nevertheless, this is still pretty enjoyable especially for Akechi fans who don't get to see him enjoying a lot of airtime most of the time.