กาลครั้งหนึ่ง นานมาแล้ว เกิดอาชญากรรม

Okay, here's the English translation of your "Once Upon a Crime" ("Akazukin, Tabi no Tochu de Shitai to Deau") review, tailored to capture the original tone: More like "Little Red Riding Hood, Consulting Detective: The Royal Barber Shop Murder Case" (just kidding!). This is a bizarre European fairytale mashup, a thoroughly dark and subversive adaptation of the original Cinderella story. The costumes, makeup and overall attractiveness (of the actors) are the only remotely watchable elements. The mystery's reasoning relies entirely on smoke and mirrors, essentially information obfuscation, and the "aha!" moment is weakened as it’s telegraphed early when the pair decide to ditch the body to attend the ball. Kiritani Mirei as the occasional pretty-face sidekick can be eye-catching, but does Iwata Takanori *really* want to avoid some acting classes?

The stepmother and sister both believe that "breasts" are the key to attracting men. Regardless of their motives, this characterization overly objectifies women and reeks of the male gaze, which is frankly laughable.

Neither a fairytale nor a mystery, just deeply disappointing. PS: East Asian girls in Western courtly attire really do look like Lolitas having a tea party 😂

Gou-chan's portrayal of the prince carries a palpable sense of unspoken torment. For a moment, I genuinely thought he was about to drop a truth bomb at the ball, confessing, "Actually, I don't like women at all."