Mewwy

Hello everyone! This is Stef! Despite the chaos, we were able to finish the fan translation of chapter 92! We hope you enjoy, because the process this time took 10 years off of our lives. For context, check a previous Tumblr post we made. As always, remember to intentionally exude calmness!

https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/yuukoku_no_moriarty/nbt/br_chapter-372959/pg-1/

As much as I love Moriarty the Patriot, I admit that I have a lot of problem with its writing. I already talked about why William's plan in Part 1 made no sense whatsoever, now I want to mention something else what really bothers me. The writing of certain female characters.

Namely, two characters from the Conan Doyle canon - Irene Adler and Milverton's maid, Agatha.

(As for Irene, I will only talk about the character arc before becoming James Bond. And since that, I will use "she/her" pronouns for her since she used those that time, too.)

Irene Adler is the most famous female character of the Conan Doyle canon. "The Woman", one of the few people who were able to outsmart Holmes. She is a feminist icon of the Victorian era literature, a badass who didn't just outsmarted the man regarded as the smartest of his era, but she was also able to handle it on her own, without further help. And I could only wish if we could see her like that in Yuumori, too, especially that Yuumori is an adaptation written in the modern ages. But Conan Doyle somehow managed to make her feel much, much modern and feminist than Yuumori did.

In Yuumori, Irene didn't only fail to outsmart Sherlock in the long term, but she even need his help and the Moriarties as well, to get away safely. She didn't come across and she was not presented as "The Woman" who defeated Sherlock and he needed a bunch of men's help to save herself. She basically became a damsel in distress in her own arc. Everything what the original Irene Adler was not.

But even she was done better than Agatha.

As much as I like Agatha, it boils my blood when I see how Sherlock and John treated her. For the record, yes, Holmes used her to get information out of her regarding Milverton in the Conan Doyle canon as well - but she was not presented the way she was in Yuumori. There, she is talked as a woman who goes through men quickly, who has muscle fetish, who almost faints seeing John's wet abs under his shirt, who falls for a man in a moment. In the Conan Doyle canon, Holmes needed several dates to make her trust him (and she was not a man-eater either, the only thing which is mentioned that there is another man aside of Holmes who is interested in her) - in Yuumori, she gives away everything for the sight of a few wet abs. (Uh. That hurts even written down.)

On several occasions we are shown that William James Moriarty possesses a birth name that we do not know. The first one is in chapter 33, when Charles Augustus Milverton investigates the professor’s past and discovers the record of a trial he participated in when he was little. Milverton complains that the name of the plaintiff, the child (that is, our William) is illegible (how convenient.)

The second time this is indicated to us is in chapter 53. Following William’s instructions, Sherlock Holmes runs to an abandoned house where he finds the evidence of the plans that the Lord of Crime has been carrying out. Among the documents are the birth certificates of the siblings. “So this is Liam’s real name…”

In addition, the theme is also joked in two omakes. In the one of chapter 33, (related to the scene ut supra diximus) Milverton is amazed about th fact that the water has only erased William’s name from all the documents. In chapter 34, Bond asks William for his real name; he firmly replies that it is a secret.

 (Sorry, I didn’t find the text in english.)

We still have no clue of which one this name may be. I, a person who believes a lot in the symbolism of the names, have three in mind: Joshua, Michael and Adam. I will begin to explain them in order from least to greatest personal taste.

Joshua

The original name of Jesus Christ in Biblical Hebrew was יְהוֹשֻׁעַ yehoshua. The english variant of this name is Joshua. 

Perhaps this comparison is the most obvious of the three. William’s goal is to sacrifice himself for the world to make it pure. He alone bears the sins of all mankind. He is a martyr, that if we do a bit of etymology, we remember that it comes from the Greek «μάρτυς, -υρος», «witness», in the sense that he gives testimony of his faith even when he is going to be sacrificed. The main martyr in history is the figure of Jesus, with whom the manga itself has made the comparison twice.

Indeed, Sebastian Moran says that “he’s starting to look like the guy who carried a cross while climbing the hill of Golgotha, bearing all of our sins and ultimately dying alone.” 

We also have an illustration (chapter 61) of William with the crown of thorns, a characteristic sign of Jesus, since they forced him to put it on his head while carrying the cross. The objective was to make fun of him: it was a deserved crown for “the king of the Jews”.

In any case, these two references with Moran present make me think that this comparison refers more to Moran’s perception of William than how William sees himself.

Michael

In Hebrew: מיכאל mica.el, (literally: Who is like Him?) being its English version, Michael (pronounced /‘maɪ.kl/). It is in reference to the archangel Michael, commander of God’s troops in the jewish-christian religion and in charge of expelling the angels (future demons, including Lucifer) who rebelled in heaven. Of course, Lucifer would also suit him (light bearer, misunderstood angel…) but I find it a bit too dramatic.

The fall of the rebel angels by Luca Giordano (c.1666)

To support this theory, according to Christopher Roden, a Holmesian expert, a fellow student at Arthur Conan Doyle’s school may have served as the inspiration for Moriarty’s last name. This young man was called Michael Moriarty, and in his first year of school he won a math contest by presenting a paper on the binomial theorem. Let us remember that the three Moriartys obtained a prestigious degree (The King’s Scholar) in the school where they studied, and that the thesis that gave William his doctorate was precisely about the binomial theorem.

Adam

In reference to the first man, lider of mankind, and the first sinner. From the Hebrew "adamá” (אדמה) which means red clay. It can also mean blood, very appropriate for William, who seems to be obsessed with this concept: he sees his hands constantly stained with scarlet due to the guiltiness of his sins.

(Let me catch my breath. This scenes break my heart.)

Curiously, on the back cover of volume 9 of the Spanish version we can see that it says “The Past of the Lord of Crime is like the forbidden fruit …”

On the other hand we have the identification of Milverton with the serpent of Eden, the evil that incites to sin. This being the case, William could be Adam, who is forced to start the Final Problem earlier than expected because Milverton had agreed to reveal the identity of the Lord of Crime if he dies. Miverton, (the serpent), forces William (Adam) to sin and flee from “paradise” (tranquility and purity).

And you will say, is Sherlock Eve then, Adam’s partner? Well, although it may be funny in the first instance, if we think about it Milverton also “incites” Sherlock to sin: he forces him to kill him, sharing William and Sherlock the same crime since that night, becoming partners…in crime. (Thanks to Kiba –Laura- for this idea.)

What’s more, the real person the original Moriarty is based on was a criminal named Adam Worth. You could say that since he was the real person, Adam is Moriarty’s real name.

The small drawback that I see with this name is that there is already a character in the play called like that (Adam Whiteley), but since we also have coincidences like Bill (the math student) and Billy (Billy the Kid, who rescues Sherlock and William) maybe they could just let it go. 

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For me, a name has a lot of power. At the end of the day, it is how we refer to a person, it is a way to identify them immediately. That is why I have tried to argue these names that in my opinion are very appropriate for the character of William James Moriarty. However, just as a name is important, so is not having it. We have already seen in yuumori that there is a lot of emphasis on William’s hidden name. Even in the songs for the anime adaptation “名 前 な き 生 贄” (Nameless Sacrifice) in Dying Wish. Not knowing William’s name is one of the crucial elements in the story. William acts from anonymity: he wants society to hate the ”evil Professor Moriarty", while his true self (his real name) remains hidden in the shadows. The issue of the no name can already be seen in another manga work, Monster, where this fact is also given great relevance.

In conclusion, although I would like to know which the real name of William James Moriarty is, I think that part of the magic (and meaning of his character) is in not knowing it. The decision is for the authors to make. For now, I’d be happy if everyone called William however they wanted. He is still a version of the charismatic Professor Moriarty, and that name doesn’t leave anyone indifferent.

No concept of personal space

Let me first make it clear that his allies joined him fully aware of what they were getting into. They were not deceived; they made a conscious decision to fight for the revolution. In fact, it was stated multiple times that everyone was prepared to sacrifice their lives for his plans if necessary, though he never once thought of that outcome. William took all the burdens upon himself, telling them to keep living. If he truly saw them as chess pieces, they would be dead right now.

Their relationship was mutually beneficial. As you know, he gave each ally hope and purpose in their darkest times. Just like they used his wisdom and power to solve their problems, he relied on their support to drive the revolution. Remember, Williams' entire life was devoted solely to revolution. You can’t make a revolution wearing white gloves. :)

Some important scenes I think you should read.

but then it feels kinda contradictory when you still feel a fluctuating sexual attraction like a lot so its really confusing at times lol

(side note moderator(?) just wanna say ty for having this blog, its so interesting reading all these interesting aro experiences)

“Hell is empty. All the Devils are here.” (The Tempest, William Shakespeare)

William James Moriarty is a gray character. The more we know him (this post refers to the animation, but the manga does a better work with this) the more we see how that gray turns into…  a more intense gray. He is not the pure Good, (certainly not), but the gruesome evil either: William is convinced that justice is more effective if it is applied drastically. He considers himself the necessary evil to make the world a better place.

However, when one hears the imposing name Moriarty, the classic and evil arch enemy of the great consulting detective Sherlock Holmes comes to mind. Both are characters of Arthur Conan Doyle, who admitted to creating the detective’s nemesis with the intention of ending his story. Moriarty the Patriot tells the story from the point of view of Moriarty himself.

The first time we see Moriarty his hand appears writing mathematical formulas on a blackboard. This serves to introduce the viewer to the character, both for those who did not know him before and for those who did. Sherlock Holmes’ enemy is a criminal genius, but his main job is teaching mathematics at the university. Outside of the public sphere, Professor James Moriarty is a powerful man who controls a large crime net that has nothing to do with education.

The violins’ melody start (which importance in this story is huge) and chaos begins to burn around the professor. It is the presentation of the Lord of Crime from a perspective in which we see him from behind, a metaphor for the anonymity in which he takes refuge. He will manipulate all the strings from the shadows to achieve his revolution.

Once the introduction is over, in the first scene we are shown the two brothers talking about some crimes that are happening in the city: children who are kidnapped and brutally murdered. Although we can see Louis’s face, William’s face remains grim as he relates to his beloved brother what he has read in the newspaper.

This was probably the first conversation they had on that day. This is obvious, since William is in his dressing gown, having breakfast. This first greeting of the day between the brothers consisted of lamenting the injustices that infants were suffering, instead of talking about other more joyful topics.

Louis says with contempt that these acts are inhuman, showing us his opinion on the events, to which William answers….

…with a smile.

“It is human to think that this could not be the work of man.” Now look at all the previous pictures: in none of them does William’s full face appear. It is here, with that shining smile illuminated by the morning sun, when the viewer discovers what the face of this Professor Moriarty is like.

As I said at the beginning, William James Moriarty is a gray character, who becomes increasingly gray. However, with this radiant scene, the intention of the authors is to make us understand that the titanic undertaking of this character starts from a completely well-intentioned base. He does not hide impure desires: there is no sadism, there are no delusions of grandeur, there is no cruelty. He wants to make a better world by fulfilling the role of necessary evil, but without feeling at all proud of his role in this play.

In addition, in episode 23 we can see a scene that reminds us of that smile, thus creating a magnificent parallel between both episodes. It is a completely sincere smile, illuminated, instead of by the light of the sun (day, beginning), by the light of the moon (night, end). Even in the midst of executing the Final Problem, William finds the strength to open up to his partner and friend Fred Porlock, while he says the sententious phrase “I already want to die.”

Therefore, William James Moriarty will never sin of the so-called savior or God complex, nor of narcissism, as we can see in other Byronic heroes. He, from his unwavering willpower, is willing to sacrifice himself for humanity, in pursuit of a future where, once the demons are eradicated, people will unite and live happier than ever without the ties of social classes. From his point of view, he is the bearer of light that dispels the darkness rooted in the earth, although he himself has to become the greatest of demons to do so.

“I’m the demon? Well, if I can purge all the demons then it’s not so bad.” (William James Moriarty, chapter 11)