It sells you a sparkly magical-detective show for about eight minutes, then takes the powers away and spends the rest of the season laughing at what's left. Sheryl, Nero, Elly and Cordelia lose their Toys in that stormy fight with the Gentleman Thief Empire and never get bailed out by a training montage. They get kicked out of the good dorms, camp in a shed, eat weeds, and fail so thoroughly that Kokoro Akechi cracks their cases in seconds just to remind them they're useless. Arsene chews the scenery like she's in a completely different, much cooler anime, and Henriette keeps covering for four girls who absolutely do not deserve it. That's the trick: it's a gag show about has-beens who peaked in middle school. And you still want them to win, which is exactly how it gets you.

Four talented detectives at Holmes Academy in Yokohama ride high on their reputation. Sheryl, Nero, Elly, and Cordelia, collectively known as Milky Holmes, have become celebrities among students and civilians alike, solving cases with the help of their supernatural abilities called Toys. Then everything falls apart in a single night. During a clash with the Gentlemen Thief Empire, their Toys vanish without warning. Deemed no longer fit to work as detectives, the girls lose their privileged status and are moved into a shabby attic, with expulsion looming unless they get their powers back within three months. What follows mixes mystery and comedy as Milky Holmes sets out to recover their abilities while trying to keep solving cases without them.