So, a couple of people - including @belliesandburps - asked me how I would cast an “anthro-ified” take on Moriarty the Patriot. We’ve all seen movies and books where anthropomorphic animals take on the roles typically personified by humans; Disney’s Robin Hood is probably the most famous example, where Robin is a fox, Prince John is a lion, the Sheriff is a wolf, and so on. A couple people wondered what I would do if I created some sort of similar universe, and turned all the characters from Moriarty the Patriot into animal figures.
So, here are the animals I would use for these anthros…
For William and Louis, I would choose Abyssinian cats. For all the visual symbolism of spiders, I always felt there was something distinctly cat-like about the Moriarty brothers in the series, especially with sweet William. Something about the way the good Professor moves and talks and just looks, overall, feels very feline in nature. There are no blonde cats, as far as I’m aware, but Abyssinians are known for their sleek, lithe frameworks and short, tawny coats, which - under the right light - can actually look very close to the golden hair we know both brothers for. Similarly, I would make Albert a Havana brown: similar body structure, but now with a rich brown coat that would match his own hair in the series.
For Sherlock Holmes and his brother, Mycroft, I would choose Black Labrador Retrievers. Black Labs are typically used and bred as hunting dogs, which obviously fits Sherlock, in particular, to a tea. Between the two, I would say Holmes would have a slightly shaggier coat than Mycroft, who would be more sleek and svelte, to match the differences in their characters. Making Holmes a big black dog also fits his color scheme in the show, and makes for a great contrast to Moriarty the Mystery Cat.
Dr. Watson I see as a rabbit. I’m not exactly sure why, but I guess there’s just something sort of rabbity about John, so to speak. And again, it makes for a great contrast when you pair him up with Holmes the Labrador. Similarly, I can see Miss Hudson as an anthropomorphic rodent: a mouse. This is because she sort of reminds me of Mallymkun, the Dormouse from the Tim Burton Alice movies, in terms of her getup…and also because I just think the idea of a cute mouse in pink yammering at and beating up Sherlock is just kind of hilarious, to be honest. Plus, there’s just something sort of “busybodying” about a mouse that I think would fit Miss Hudson in some odd way.
At Scotland Yard, I can see Inspector Lestrade as a bloodhound, with Gregson as a boxer, and Patterson as an English pointer. Arterton, the corrupt Chief Inspector during the Ripper case, I can see as a big, blustery bulldog. Adam Whiteley, the tragic MP, I can see as a white lion: lions, of course, are iconic in England, and are typically seen as regal, majestic creatures - Kings of Beasts. Making him a white lion shows how rare he is and helps to further that “white knight” image that inevitably ends up tarnished.
On that note, Charles Augustus Milverton is the only reptile of the group. He is undoubtedly a snake, and that’s not a far leap to make: in both the original Conan Doyle books and the series itself, serpent imagery is used with him a lot: he has snake eyes, elongated fangs, greenish hair, etc. It fits the cold-blooded, slippery cad to a tea. If I had to choose a specific species, I would say a Green Tree Python. His three henchmen would all be primates: Gosling would be a big, gruff gorilla, Harry a demented little spider monkey, and Ruskin a medium-sized chimpanzee.
Irene Adler/James Bonde would be a Golden Labrador Retriever. I like the idea of Irene being the same species as Sherlock, and again, the hunting dog aspect would be useful once they become Mr. Bonde. Von Herder, a.k.a. Q, I can see as a bat of some sort (partially because the whole “blind as a bat” joke writes itself). Miss Moneypenny doesn’t appear in the anime, but she is in the manga quite a bit; since she has to disguise herself at one point as James Bonde (and does a bang up job at it), I suppose, by default, that means she would have to be a Golden Labrador Retriever as well, perhaps with paler fur and a smaller build.
Sebastian Moran is a grizzled gray wolf, and Jack the Ripper would undoubtedly be a sly ol’ silver fox. It took me a while to figure out, but I decided Fred Porlock would be a lovely little ferret. First of all, there’s alliteration there with Fred the Ferret, and that’s always cool, but I think making him a warm-blooded creature with certain serpentine elements would be fitting, given his skills and personality.
Something I love about this, that I didn’t realize till I finished, is that ALL of Moriarty’s team are made up of predatory species: cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, ferrets, and if one makes Von Herder’s bat a vampire bat or a bug-eater, he’d fit there, too. In contrast, the specific trio of Holmes, Watson, and Miss Hudson on Baker Street consists of only one predatory species, with the other two being typically herbivorous. In fact, when it comes to prey species, mice and rabbits are about as low as it gets on the food chain. There’s something about that dichotomy and the way it can reflect the two sides of the conflict that I rather like. I didn’t intend it that way, but I think it’s good to have it. And again, making all of these characters, with all their shades of gray, into mammalian species makes for a great contrast to the reptilian Milverton.
There are, of course, lots of characters not covered here, mostly in the form of oneshot villains and a couple of minor supporting roles. But I think this covers most of the major players in the cast seen in the anime (and Moneypenny, poor dear), so let me know what you all think! :)
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