I first found this anime on a discount rack at a used video shop and was intrigued, as a Shirlock Holmes fan.

The four episodes I had in hand were fun and intriguing, but I didn't really want to review the series until I could get my hands on a better source.

A better source I've found! And it's YouTube! And having viewed even more episodes, I can finally, safely, give it an AWESOME.

Now, for the gripes. Shirlock Hound is NOT Shirlock Holmes. There's not a trace of cocaine, and there's an undercurrent of love interest between Holmes and Miss Hudson (Hudson has always been fond of Holmes, but Holmes has always been a disliker of women.)

Also, for those of you who can't enjoy Star Trek due to scientific inaccuracies, the sixshooter with 19 bullets may piss you off.

But the characterizations are great. The way Hound and Watson are written, the humorous way Lestrade is portrayed, and the masses of British Bobbies who pile on each other and bump into each other whithout apparent intelligence... while all written as a humorous action-adventure, all make for believable characters that actually seem to be believable versions of the book characters.

Heck, even 221B Baker Street looks like you would imagine it from the books, messy with notes stuck to couches with daggers and what not.

One of the biggest "mistakes" that make for good storytelling is that Moriarty is an obvious recurring villain, instead of someone who appears at the very end having "run everything behind the scenes" as in the book series.

But despite it's "faults" from a pedantic fan point of view it's a very enjoyable action-adventure animation that can be fully enjoyed, literally, by all ages. I sat down with my sister (who dislikes anime), my roommate (who loves anime), and my Mom, (who frankly doesn't even like most television shows), and everyone came away enjoying it.

For those of you turned off by the very thought of watching "anime," take a look at the series anyway. Because there's a big difference than the flashy candy-colored, big-haired, androgynous teenagered, male-compensation weaponed japanese animations and the older style of anime with detailed backdrops, decent storyline, well executed animation, and exciting action.

The visuals are nice, the graphics sharp, the animation well done, the story well made, and it's actually funny to boot. I'd highly recommend it. Especially since it's free on YouTube.

Give it a watch and I dare you to not enjoy it.