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This is maybe my favorite of the cartoon's four major story arcs; I go back and forth over whether I like this or the opening one more. W was always influenced more by the hard-boiled detective branch of mystery, but this one puts Shotaro and Philip squarely into an Agatha Christie novel: isolated mansion, eclectic guests, sudden murder. Give or take an alcohol monster this is pure Christie. It's really fun to see W slot into this kind of story, especially when Shotaro gets to show off some of his deductive skills. I love it when the writers treat Shotaro as a capable detective in his own right instead of letting Philip do all of the mystery solving.

I also like the Alcohol Dopant, both in concept and execution. This definitely feels like something we'd never have gotten on the live action show, the concept is maybe a bit too adult for a kid's action show/merch showcase. It's sloppy and chaotic, but being full of booze also makes it both more reckless and harder to fight. The whole look behind it is also just way outside of something we'd get in a latex suit.