The Tokugawa period is always an entertaining setting, but I felt like this plot reached an uninteresting conclusion. There were so many elements that could have been more fully explored,

Spoiler

like if Asako was actually the leader of the smugglers, or if she had been associated with the murders. Or really, if she had been given a more exciting role at all. Takemoto being the murderer (and mad as well) just fell completely flat for me.

I still find the series to be engaging and well-suited for the younger side of the YA spectrum. It's also good to see that the authors did their research on Japan, and don't treat it as a mystical exotic space for escapism as so many other western adaptations do.