In a dystopian future, detective Shinjuurou Yuuki—known by some as the "Defeated Detective"—solves mysteries throughout Tokyo. Aided by his odd associate Inga, Shinjuurou's insight and ingenuity in cracking cases, particularly homicides, lead to numerous mysteries solved and culprits caught. However, his partner seems to have some other, more sinister intentions for the people they catch, and the truth of the assistant's identity and motivation is shrouded in secrecy.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Uriel1988
Comforting lies or a bitter truth. Which is better? The above dichotomy is perhaps one of the most enduring through all of fiction. Many stories that tackle it end up siding with the truth, only to end up cushioning the blow through all sorts of contrivances; making the bitterness of the truth not as bad as initially thought. Enter UN-GO: an 11-episode anime series by Studio BONES which tackles this theme by pouring it in the format of a buddy-detective show, following cynical detective Shinjuurou Yuuki and his quirky assistant Inga as they tackle cases in a Japan that's recovering in the aftermath of a devastatingwar. The end result is something that thematically feels less like the typical mystery anime and more like a sci-fi spin on the British crime-drama Foyle's War.
Let's get one thing clear: UN-GO isn't very good when taken as a pure detective story. Most of the cases involve genre staples such as blackmail or crimes of passion. Worse yet is that it seldom feels like the main characters are running an investigation. Whenever a crime occurs, the main duo briefly scans the scene and talks with (read: introduces) the people involved, this is followed by some brief speculating after which Shinjuurou will deduce the big picture, only to have Inga swoop in with a magical power that literally forces people to spill the beans. And seeing as the majority of the cases last only one episode, it all ends up feeling very rushed. By rights, UN-GO should be a complete disaster, yet it ends up worthwhile by being a show about detectives solving mysteries that isn't really about the mysteries.
This is where the contrast between sweet lies and bitter truth comes into play.
The story, as previously mentioned, takes place in a Japan that's licking its wounds in the aftermath of a war. The government has restricted people's freedoms and control the flow of information as much as possible. In-story avatar of these policies is Rinroku Kaishou, the chairman of the company that holds the monopoly on Tokyo's communication infrastructure. A charismatic, intelligent man who uses the system to his advantage. This in stark contrast to our hero Shinjuurou, a self-proclaimed seeker of truth whose insistence on uncovering shady practices earns him the hatred of officials and the people alike.
The contrast between these two is the thematic driving point of UN-GO as well as one of its greatest strengths. What seems like a derivative tale of the well-respected villain vs a misunderstood hero becomes a n of how people will shape events in ways that best suits them. Terrorism, blind patriotism and greed are among the themes that come by throughout the episodes, and the show consistently surprises in how it ties them into its truth-vs-lies dichotomy. Interesting to note is that the show doesn't really pick a side between Shinjuurou and Rinroku. While the former's desire to uncover the truth is presented as an admirable quality, his complete lack of tact and almost suffocating cynicism are presented not as harmless quirks but as defense mechanisms born out of desperation. Rinroku's shady practices are in no way glossed over, but the narrative also makes it clear that he views himself as a lesser evil rather than a greater good.
It's a shame then, that other characters don't fare as well. Recurring and one-shot characters alike usually fall into easily recognizable archetypes who play their roles as puppets of the plot competently. Standard detective fiction fare. A bigger shame is that the dynamic between Shinjuurou and Inga isn't fleshed out. It would've been interesting to see the more sinister undertones in their relationship elaborated upon, particularly the part where Inga feeds on truths as a substitute for souls. The dynamic as it is feels interesting if underdeveloped. Though it doesn't hurt the story proper in any significant manner.
The visuals are what you'd expect of a competently produced TV-anime. The animation is nothing remarkable across the board, though key scenes are brilliantly animated. The music is nothing memorable in and of itself but always does an excellent job enhancing the mood of scenes. On the voice-acting side of things some praise is in order for Aki Toyosaki, who showcases surprising range in her role as the quirky yet mysterious Inga. Director Seiji Mizishima (Fullmetal Alchemist '03, Dai-Guard) once again proves himself to be highly capable, turning several aspects – many of which vary in quality and aren't always compatible - into a compelling whole. And it would be no exaggeration to say that UN-GO might not have turned out so well had someone else been at the helm.
Ultimately, UN-GO is the best kind of bait-and-switch, providing the tale of a man seeking truth in a sea of deceit, under the guise of a detective story. Anyone intrigued by the premise and willing to be surprised would do well to give it a look.
Miharu-Kun
=updated after episode 11= If you were to ask me what I though about Un-Go after watching the first few episodes I probably would've said "boring, horrible character development, terrible pacing and lack of a plot. If you were to ask me now after seeing all the episodes I would say "brilliant, unique storytelling and interesting characters". Un-Go starts off from the generic 'future Japan' setting, using guess work you try to make sense of the plot and characters which is difficult and leaves you feeling like it's taking off from a prequel series. Though the backstory shines through little by little each episode and you canpiece it together (which fits into the detective mystery genre nicely).
The main issue i had with the early episodes of Un-Go was pacing. It felt as if they were cramming in two-parters into one episode which left a long path of plot holes along the way. At the end of the episode, you'd be thinking "what just happened" "is that the ending?" "Why don't I just drop this crap" but thankfully this issue is resolved later on.
I first thought the characters were really boring and bland, probably because the character development was nearly non-existent among the confusing plots and side characters in the first few episodes. Though you soon get attached to them, well most of them anyway.
The art style is interesting and the character designs aren't too bad, though I really hated the design for 'that woman' (call her this to avoid spoilers). She looked like some out of proportion alien thing.
I liked the OP and the ED wasn't that bad. The voice acting is average.
Overall, Un-Go has it's flaws through features the 'detective/mystery' genre at it's best. It starts off as a terrible anime, filled with poor character development, plot holes and pacing issues though finishes off with a nicely polished interesting series which leaves you wanting more.
Aria34
My expectations for this show was more-or-less like a Japanese equivalent to a BBC Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes special. And, in a way, it is, but it's so much more than a simple adaptation. While UN-GO is based upon the writing of Ango Sakaguchi (hence, the title) the mysteries are carried out in a very different setting than the original stories. However, it never feels strange or forced in it's new setting of post WWIII Tokyo. If you're expecting a supernatural horror anime, look elsewhere. The supernatural aspects of this show are kept to a bare minimum. In fact there are only two aspectsof this show which are supernatural, one being the nature of Inga, and the other is little more than a magic tool. Other than these two anomalies, Un-go has more in common with the Science Fiction genre. It has cool futuristic technology, hints of a dystopian future, and it even poses the question of how far can artificial intelligence evolve by itself and whether or not it is even right to treat them as machines at that point.
What amazed me about UN-GO was just how tight the story was. Sure, it masquerades as a Perry Mason-esque mystery-of-the-week show, but when you look back you see that every episode was necessary to get from each story to the other. You learn the essentials of understanding how the world that Shinjuurou and Inga live in works and its history from each episode while still remaining entertaining.
The relationship of our detective duo is straight-forward, especially if you've seen Majin Tantei, yet the nuances of their relationship are very subtle and they are great foils for each other. Shinjuurou is very serious, mature and he steadfastly holds onto his beliefs and his interpretation of justice, but he is also surprisingly compassionate and does show affection for Inga in spite of what he/she is. Inga on the other hand is childish in its boy form, but in its female form she is seductive and in some ways just as serious and mature as Shinjuurou. She shows a deep respect and admiration for him, but male and female Inga both don't mind messing with him. However both of Inga's forms are very savage and determined and they don't mind hurting Shinjuurou if he is getting in the way of a potential meal.
I can't say much about the sound design other than it's great, just great. The music is cool and some tracks are catchy and the voice actors deliver really great performances, namely Inga's voice actress, Toyosaki Aki. I have to admit I didn't expect much from her when I heard she was in K-On, but she played a very dynamic Inga. She was able to cycle from innocently childish to frightening and creepy. She also accomplished the hardest thing for a voice actor; she was able to give emotional depth subtly through her voice.
The animation is very smooth and rather colourful and stylish for a post-war setting, especially in the opening and ending sequences (which have awesome music by the way). My only complaint is that Shinjuurou's face in particular can look a little lazily drawn in places. I believe this is mainly due to one of the character designers', Pako's, distinctive style which is a little more suited to an otome game than it is an anime.
UN-GO is a modest little series. It does not strive to be ground-breaking but in its own little way it challenges your viewpoints on subjects like self-sacrifice and the psychological effects of war and terrorism. This is one of the only shows I have ever seen which was able to show diversity in ideologies. But, as I said, it does not strive to be a masterpiece and thus I feel reluctant to rate it as one. Everything is very low-key and not a lot of risks were taken other than the major change in setting. But, the fact still remains that UN-GO is a great show that feels bigger than it is, and for that I cannot recommend it enough.
But note that if you want to truly enjoy this show you must watch UN-GO episode:0 Inga-ron either before or immediately after watching the series. Every single question you could have about UN-GO at the end of the series is answered in Inga-ron. With UN-GO and Inga-ron together the series is this neat little package which has one of the most satisfying endings of any anime series.
mdz
Not your traditional mystery anime. [contains some generalized spoilers, suggestive humor and language] UN-GO is by no means a traditional “mystery anime”. If you view it only from that perspective, then UN-GO is relatively mediocre as a whole. What makes UN-GO a “good” anime is the hidden mystery behind all the concurrent “traditional” mysteries. Now, what exactly defines a “traditional mystery” and what sets UN-GO apart from being one? Well a traditional mystery is “best” mediocrely defined as going from the crime scene to interrogating the suspects, to finding the verdict by the end of the episode, this is best comparable to anime like Gosick. UN-GO onthe other hand incorporates a different element. It's the type of behind the scene mystery that's blatant after you learn about it, but rather difficult to discern when you're watching it initially; it's an enjoyable treat. But, it is arguable on whether or not it was actually done well.
Unfortunately, UN-GO does suffers from mediocre characters. The entire cast is relatively linear, there's little to no character development. But, strangely enough, the characters aren't generic, they all surprisingly have something that sets them apart from any given cliché archetype. That could be positive or negative depending on how you view it, but you do have to inevitably assume their pasts (although episode zero should answer some questions). But, one character does stand out from the rest, possibly the worst character this season. It's the transvestite heroine addict that stays in the back until she needs her fix at the end of every case, whether he's needed or not. Now, what exactly does he do? Well, she's basically a cheat code. He possesses the ability to make her “victim” answer truthfully once to any of her questions (she does this by essentially sexually harassing his victim and giving them whiplash or something similar). Now, his ability wouldn't be so irritating if the show used his ability logically. Unfortunately, the main character decides to ask some of the most redundant questions using her, it often does aid the case, but there's probably a list of so many other better questions you could have asked (It's like asking do you own this knife rather than do you know who killed the dude in the corner).
That being said, UN-GO would definitely be better if it was longer than eleven episodes. There's just too much content to cram into such a short frame of time. Watching this weekly often leads the viewer confused on the previous events. Many of the mysteries take up two episodes, it's a pain to recollect after a week. The maximum experience would probably be catalyzed by watching it after airs, in one or two sittings at the most.
Objective Score: 6/10. You'll probably enjoy UN-GO more if you analyze it. On the surface, it's mediocre. The mysteries aren't that good, and the characters are mediocre. But what it does offer is an atmosphere that's relatively rare in anime. The setting of UN-GO and the behind the scenes occurring ultimately adds to the overall “mystery” of the anime.
Subjective Score: 4/10: It's pretty bad if you watch it expecting for the obvious mystery. It's riddled with lapses of logic, and the storyline is sporadic. It wasn't really meant to be adapted in eleven episodes, it's way too short. But UN-GO does offer one of the best ED transitions since The Tatami Galaxy.
Tiri
Story: 7 The thing I love most about mystery shows is the part where they take all the clues and information and sum it all up in a genius scene. UN-GO was able to take the most confusing scenarios and still explain them, leaving you with no questions left to ask. And it still managed to remain almost completely unpredictable. The episodes were well paced. Although during the beginning of the anime mysteries really only lasted one episode each, they eventually started taking longer and longer to solve. By the third episode of the show the cases got so hard to decipher I couldn't stop watchingand actually finished the whole anime in one sitting. I do wish it had been a little longer.
I wanted to give UN-GO's story a 9, but there was one thing holding it back. It tended to be a little repetitive. Each time something happened, it was generally the same thing. The case would be presented to both Mr Kaishou and Shinjuurou, Kaishou would make his presumption, then Shinjuurou would prove him wrong with a little help from Inga, and it would all get covered up by the government. While repetitive cases are to be expected in a tv show revolving around a detective, I was still a little disappointed that UN-GO followed the same suit.
Art: 7
It's definitely a show with pretty art. To me that's a generally a big deal, because if you're like me at all the art can literally make or break a show, regardless of how great anything else in the anime is. But there isn't much to say here, this time. The art was really clean and well drawn. The backgrounds were nice. And I really loved the way hair and eyes were drawn in this style.
Sound: 8
Although I've said before that I don't normally pay attention to this category quite as much as the others, I was very impressed with UN-GO's soundtrack. The music was great, including all the background themes, and the ending song was super catchy.
As for the dialogue, while I can't speak for the original Japanese, I do think they did a fantastic job with the dub. Far too many anime really flop when they make an English version, but the lines in UN-GO were excellently translated in a way that sounded natural but still got the original point across.
Character: 6/8?
I was so conflicted with this category's rating. On one side, the characters were so likable. And they had great designs. All of them looked nice, even the more regular looking characters weren't too boring. There weren't really any over the top designs, either, with the exception of Inga's female self. And even then, her flashy design worked perfectly with her personality, and it wasn't like you had to look at her like that all the time.
But on the other hand, there was very little character development. Especially Shinjuurou, who stays pretty much the same through-out the whole anime, including the extended 0th episode. I found it hard to keep liking him when he just kept acting so calm and reserved throughout each investigation, until the very end.
Enjoyment: 7
Still, regardless of little growth, I really enjoyed this series as a whole. It kept me eager for the next episode the entire time. Definitely worth the time for fan art! I recommend it for sure.
I probably will not re-watch it.
Inushinde
Ambition and personality can often build up the most impressive narratives, but they can’t sustain them for long without help. That… actually sums up my feelings on UN-GO pretty nicely. But this wouldn’t be much of a post if I just left it at that without giving my reasoning, so here’re the rest of my thoughts on UN-GO. From the start, UN-GO was a series laden with problems. It had that curious noitaminA problem of trying to fit a tome’s worth of content (We’re talking around the length of The Stand) into a single cour, doing an admirable job at developing things until one final plotlinethrew all that careful planning out the window in order to wrap the series up in a characteristically unsatisfying way. While the last arc was wonderfully written and a far cry from wasp cyclones, I hardly felt attached to any of the events, something that points toward a decided failure.
Even though the length is its biggest handicap, it could have easily been worked around if the characters had personalities and conflicts to make the show interesting. Usagi Drop’s a perfect example of a show that did wonderful things with its restraints, even if it was adapted from, rather than based off of a previously established story. So while it could have been much longer and allowed us to immerse ourselves in the vaguely dystopic world of post-terrorist attack Japan, it had bigger issues with giving the audience a reason to form an attachment to the characters and conflicts presented.
Much like the rest of the world around him, we’re left watching from a distance as Shinjuurou reasons and deducts his way through the cases presented, and our attachment to him doesn’t grow any closer. Despite presenting various interesting cases (Including one involving previously illegalized androids and a murder case vaguely reminiscent of I, Robot), there’s hardly anything left to the imagination as the events are regaled with the help of Shinjuurou’s ever-present explanations. It’s not a hallmark of a great mystery series when everything is explained to you right away, leaving nothing to think about.
This issue persists for the entire series, but lets up just enough to let the second half, which could have been directed by the late great Satoshi Kon with how much it integrated the supernatural and the psychological into one strange amalgamation over the course of two arcs. It’s this second half that convinced me UN-GO had something up its sleeve, but just as I was getting engrossed it pulled me right out of the action in time to close up shop. And thus I came out of it unsatisfied and slightly bitter, wondering just what the hell happened.
Aside from the last two mysteries, nothing is really strong enough on its own, each disparate element clashing with another as I’m left with question after question regarding some issue that should have been resolved or at least brought up several episodes earlier. However, if there’s one area where UN-GO shines above its competition, it’s in setting the mood. Despite each case not being amazing on its own, it all adds up to a surprisingly fleshed out setting, painting the world of post-terrorist attack Japan as one that’s still recovering.
From the android boom several years earlier to a mysteriously banned wartime song, the elements that lead up to each of the show’s mysteries prove much more fascinating than the mysteries themselves. This mood is helped by stylized animation and a soundtrack that fits like a glove, making it by far one of the most fully realized settings that’s ever come about in an eleven episode series.
However, there were still several questions that I felt would be answered, but were instead only given knowing nods toward and never brought up again. What is Inga’s significance, aside from being a Get Out of Jail Free Card for Shinjuurou? Why the sudden bent toward the supernatural when the science fiction setting was being so deftly established? Why everything else?
My experience with UN-GO wasn’t always the best. There were some weeks, especially early on when the series was just finding its niche, where I wanted to drop it. Hell, I often scheduled it just after each weekly episode of Penguindrum so I’d be able to ride that high long enough to get through the drudgery of science fiction mysteries.
In the end, UN-GO was the best kind of failure. It tried to be something fresh and different and it very nearly succeeded at what it set out to do, even if none of the elements came together into anything spectacular. If it ran at around twice the length, it would have easily been one of the best shows of the year. Sadly, it was a high concept that was let down by too little room to work its magic in, and that’s how I’ll remember it: Not going out with a blaze of glory, but with a squelch that attempted class. I enjoyed it well enough, but it had way too many flaws for its own good.
Extrapain
SPOILER FREE Genre Mystery: I have a bad habit of rating highly, but I can't give this anime an 8. I pride myself on being able to duduce a srory and figure out what will happen, but I simply couldn't. Unlike anime like Gurren Lagonn it has a fitting satisfing unexpected ending that tyed up the story, and left no plot holes. I genuinly enjoyed this series and would bet all my credibility that you will too. Characters : 7, The characters fit the series well, but were by no means as good as Onepiece or Bakuman. Keep in mind however this is a story driven series. Plot:10, The plot was well explained, unpredictable, as well as not slow. A very episodic series, keeps you very engaged.
Music: 8, fitting, I enjoyed the opening and ending. completed the mood well.
Animation: 10, beautiful
Overall: 9, No complaints, all loose ends tyed, would recommend to friends, and very enjoyable.
EmpireAnt
"I want to love people. I want to know their beauty. And because of that, I expose souls." First thing is first, if you are considering watching this, watch episode 0 first, Un-Go: Inga-ron Un-Go is very unique in one sense. While it does fall into your sort of basic mystery show mold, that is not really what the show is about. Sure, the main character is a detective, but he is not doing this because he enjoys solving mysteries or anything, it is deeper. He is trying to get a glimpse into the souls of humans. Story -8-: As stated above, this certainly falls into amystery show mold, but as also stated that really is not the point of the show. The mystery really are not the cases themselves, but the people involved in the cases. With that said, if you want a really good detective show, you may be disappointed with this one. The story for the most part follows your usual episodic story where it is 1 case per episode, and the cases really do not have much to do with each other (this changes towards the end when it gets to the "big" mystery). I am really hesitant to say too much about the story because I fear this will just turn into a long analysis of the movie.
Sound/Art -9/8- Can we just take a minute here to appreciate how beautiful the ED for this show is? Anyway I loved the soundtrack to this show, I might honestly say this is my favorite OST that was not produced by Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Macross, GiTS Stand Alone). While most of the songs themselves are kind of basic, there are a few that stick out. Not only this, but they just go perfect with the show and fit seamlessly. Definitely take the time to listen to Fantasy and Light off the soundtrack even if you are not planning to watch the show.
When it comes to the animation is not really anything too special, but it is still beautiful. Some of the scenes with Inga just left a very pleasant taste in my mouth. I do not have much to say, but it is colorful when it needs to be, dark when it needs to be, and it is just overall good.
Character -7-: First off, I want to state while a 7 is not bad I did lower the score because I feel as a standalone series the character development is not too great for your 2 MCs. IF the OVA (Movie) was technically in the same series it would have been a 9. I am not going to write any specifics about the characters because their development and what you learn about them is part of the mystery to the show.
Overall I loved this series. If I was rating it purely on enjoyment it would be a 10. It is no where near to being the best anime I have seen, but it makes top 5 in ones I have loved. There is just something about this show that pulled me in and left me wanting for more.
Kuro4735
After the initial few episodes to this Noitamina series, Un-Go was quite the disappointment; the mysteries outright sucked, the characters weren’t fleshed out very well, and the pacing was awful. It was a terrible way to start off a series, but I never thought I would end up saying the exact opposite in the weeks afterwards. Un-go manages to impress well after it’s initial few episodes, where it takes on a brilliant narrative that is much more deeply focused upon it’s characters and ruinous setting, rather than the mysteries themselves. In other words, on the surface Un-go appears to be a mediocre series with bad mysteries,but as you explore the characters and setting, the story takes on a intrigue heavy atmosphere that integrates the war-torn setting almost perfectly. The setting itself is post-apocalyptic, and the story does an excellent job with taking advantage of the setting’s unique traits.
It’s amazing just how well the story integrates it’s main cast and setting, where the story explores in depth just how much the setting has come to haunt the very fabric of society in Un-go, everything from pop idols to politics. The character dynamics are superb as well, with the characterizations of Yuuki Shinjurou and Kaishou Rinroku being handled quite gracefully. The dialogue between the two was at many times sharp and witty, and contributed a lot to providing deeper insights into the main cast (as well as their traumas). Admittingly, Un-go still wasn’t exactly the best with it’s mysteries, but that improved significantly as the series went on.
The production values, unfortunately, are nothing to really rave about, but I do feel the character designs worked quite well with the overall intrigue-heavy atmosphere. I would like to note that the ending theme song was excellent, and was a very good way to transition into the credits. Oh yea, and the soundtrack for this series was also quite good. There are more than a few memorable tracks throughout this series, and did well in adding to the atmosphere of this show.
All that being said, I do believe Un-go suffered because it was set to be only 11 episodes. The short length ended up making certain aspects to the show feel very rushed, with the ideas that the story was trying to convey getting lost sometimes. But when Un-go nailed an arc, it was honestly brilliant. It was witty, clever, mature, and smart about how it went about it’s story and cast. And of course, the stories were genuinely deep and thought provoking.
Animation/Art: 8.0/10
Music: 8.5/10
Setting: 9.0/10
Characters: 9.0/10
Story: 8.5/10
Overall Enjoyment: 8.6/10 (rounded up to a 9 on MAL)
Randomman
This show is pretty great. UN-GO is a detective show, something I haven't seen a whole lot of recently (then again, I don't watch everything that comes out, so what do I know). The art and animation are pretty consistently good. The only art issue I would have with this show was the main character's design, but I've seen a lot worse (C control anyone?). This show does also use CGI for vehicles, but most of the time it's not noticeable. The place where this show really shines (shines brighter?) is the story. One of the things that really sticks out to me is how connected this showis. Very little that is introduced is without purpose. Miss a couple episodes and you'll likely end up confused. Not only that, but elements introduced ultimately become an important part of the conclusion. There's generally a sense that the series is going somewhere, and it doesn't disappoint in this regard.
One of the things that appealed to me was it's cyberpunk tendencies. While a few of the show's core elements are supernatural, there's also a lot of really cool sci-fi concepts involved, and it all works together.
I highly recommend checking this one out.
R_2_R
At first, the odd title really grabbed my interest when I was going through the studio's catalog. "Un-Go". The title has two meanings. 1. The anime is a re-imagination of the Japanese novel, Meiji Kaika "ANGO" Torimonocho written by Sakaguchi "ANGO". Yeah, UN-GO looks cooler. 2. The word/title アンゴ also means "Code to a secret", which is a pretty reasonable title for a detective show except; "He's a 10 but he's also a buxom babe" UN-GO doesn't work well as an engaging detective series. When you are doing mystery show in an episodic format, it's hard not to notice its formula, and the formula in this show is one character,"Inga" who's both the main attraction and a drawback to the series. Inga's identity is unknown; for most of the show, 'Inga' appears as an annoying Shouta who can transform into a beautiful woman (and many other forms, apparently) and can make any human confess their truth. In return, Inga can feed on their souls but only once a person. Since the anime follows an episodic structure, this ability feels like a cheat because no matter the amount of investigation that goes on, the overall mystery collapses when Inga does the questioning. But what's reassuring is the show being aware of this. It never pretends to make a mystery any more complicated (or simple) than it already is.
Which really begs the question, "What's the point of a mystery that is obvious?" Many mysteries work on the good old question of "Whodunit?". Introduce many characters, throw them into a crime-possible setting, give a reason for every character to commit a crime (even to the protagonist if you will), and bring the detective at the end to close the case; or to speak in a broader sense, "the Pursuit of Truth" is what drives a mystery. The same is true in UN-GO, but the truth here is less about being engaging and more about taking a look into the adverse effects of an international phenomenon.
"The War and its stories"
In UN-GO, you tag along with this detective named "Yuuki Shinjirou", the 'Defeated Detective', whose pursuit of Truth is not just simply a who how, or why. Our protagonist believes that the hidden truth is what characterizes a person, which goes against the ideals of the antagonist, "Kaisho Rinroku", who believes that some truths are worth hiding in order to make a better world. This truth is always tied to the war and how war tore the lives of people. Ango Sakaguchi's novel the anime is based on was released way back in 1945s, just after Japan's loss in WW2, and provided a fictional world to show how Military can change its society if it ever to take control over its people. Many of us can't even comprehend the horrors of war and how much war influenced today's society and people's lives. We look at those Ukraine war footage videos, might hear some speeches, or watch war dramas but the most we can do is empathize with them. Shows like UN-GO will shed light on the topics of war to people that really don't know the cruelties of war and how war will shape and shaped a society.
TL; DR - It's less about the mystery and more about the commentary on militarism in a war-torn society.
"OP & ED"
I want to make a separate section for this as I really liked the songs so much. The ending actually hints at a certain event in the second half and it's also the only few cases in the Anime that has some wonderful animation sequences. The series mostly have still frames with animation no more than lip flaps, which were well balanced with some good direction, so it won't be that much of a bother. The OST is pretty standard, it reminds me of some outdated mystery movies with the main detective always pointing at things while a supercool OST playing in the background to make a supercool scene. Not bad though.
"Watch Order"
There's a 48-minute prequel titled "UN-GO: Inga-ron" which I recommend watching between episodes 6 & 7, rather than just watching this before the show itself. Inga-ron focuses on Shinjirou's past, and a certain being called Bettenou, which is a major plot point in the later half.
"Conclusion"
If the description...
A mystery drama with supernatural demons set in a futuristic Japan where the internet and the media are monopolized by its Militaristic Government?
... sounds good enough then watch it anyway.
The concept of truth and souls is something akin to "Ghost in the Shell", though UN-GO is not as cyberpunk-Ish as GITS and differs in its subgenres.
The supernatural detective mystery is something akin to "Bungou Stray Dogs", though UN-GO is not as comedic and doesn't have as many characters as in BSD.
It's a waste of time to get into a show without knowing anything about it. Of course, you can check out UN-GO even if you don't like the Anime I mentioned.
Un-Go is not perfect but is still definitely a bit underappreciated.
windsweapt
Un-Go can particularity be characterized as one of by biggest disappointments right along with Toradora!, Shinrei Tantei Yakumo and Eden of the East movies. The story of this anime is solid (at least in the beginning) and the futurism appeals to me. The protagonist knack for solving mysteries and the unfairness of others stealing his credit was all very interesting. However the pacing, of the reveal and generally of the anime, killed it. By the end the story just didn't make sense and it felt like there was no real progress made from the promising beginning. I expected Un-Go to be a mix between MajinTantei and Eden of the East, however it ended up being Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, a promising story and characters without following through. Truly a wasted potential.
However, as in any disappointing anime, perhaps it was the subjective feeling of expecting too much that really got to me. The art was good and the sound even better, Blue Light Yokohama stuck in my head for the whole month! Still, as I stated, and will again, no art or sound can compensate for lacking in story and characters. I was truly disappointed.
DARKNESSxEAGLE
While some people say it's very thin in terms of giving you a backstory but I feel that it's part of the show, that you get given glimpses of the past (similar to some of the side characters). It's true though that the first few episodes are really just down to guesswork, but as the show progresses the puzzles and clues start to up their game. The soundtrack is very nice along with the art, the ending credits feature a song from the re-formation of the band Supercar, the song being incredibly fitting towards the rest of the show. It must be said, however, that thisanime's biggest flaw is that it feels incomplete; the plot of the past is missing, even after finishing the show. Again though, this is more of a 'human' issue than a 'critic' issue in that the problem is how short it is, thus leaving you with a desire for more.
NavyCherub
I suppose I should begin this post by saying something to prevent misunderstandings from anyone who may decide to watch UN-GO. Despite its appearance and the main character's profession, UN-GO is not a mystery anime, or at least not in the traditional sense. The mysteries presented in the show serve not to make the viewer surprised or intrigued at the hints and such leading to the capture of the true culprit. Instead, they provide a means for the show to introduce and unravel various aspects of Japan's state as it has become in the future that UN-GO presents. The formula is about the same for eachcase. The important players in each plot the protagonist, Shinjuurou, encounters are introduced as they appear on the surface - a sort of civilian's perspective of the situation. As the case rolls on, the truths that surround it are revealed, at first by Shinjuurou's analysis, sometimes by Rinroku's intervention, and almost always a single truth given by Inga's power. This simple series of events allows the show to move very quickly through the content it wants to cover so that the political intrigue can be fleshed out well.
The story is complimented well by the environments, which are consistently interesting and detailed. The viewer is treated to a fairly thorough post-war Japan, and that setting with all of its implications are never forgotten when presenting the world. Not much obvious attention is given to the physical setting by the characters, but their adaptation to it to the point where it is (almost) the norm in their daily lives is made clear during many scenes. In particular, it is interesting to compare the differences in lifestyle between a well-off character such as Kaishou Rie to the practically homeless protagonists, Shinjuurou and Inga.
On the topic of comparing characters, the clear contrast in both ambition and execution between Kaishou Rinroku and Shinjuurou is one of the strongest, most interesting components of UN-GO. To an outsider, it seems like they have the same goal - to find the truth behind mysetious circumstances. However, Rinroku aims to create convenient truths to move forward, whereas Shinjuurou wants the unadulterated facts. To the public, Rinroku is the genius, and Shinjuurou is the "Defeated Detective." This reflects well the way Japan's society works in UN-GO, which makes Rinroku a perfect character for this show's purposes.
It also speaks well for the show, then, that despite how black and white UN-GO could have presented these contrasting characters, it is not actually all that easy. Shinjuurou is not the hero one might think he could be from his love of the truth. He is actually quite selfish, not usually wanting to change much with his knowledge, only wanting to acquire it. Rinroku, then, is not the scheming, evil government official. He is simply a man who isn't afraid to manipulate people or facts to advance toward a greater goal.
UN-GO's worth is more than the sum of its parts. It never excels at any one aspect at any given section of the story it tells, but luckily it is carefully constructed to create a compelling whole.
SAM10795
This series is good for a change. It's short and it doesn't really have a complex plot as such. It is basically the 'Defeated' detective Yuuki Shinjurou and his assistant/boss Inga solving mysteries. The first few episodes are quite boring from the mystery point of view and are more into introducing the characters. In these few episodes, the culprit seems quite obvious and the only reason to watch them is to be able to understand the final few episodes. Episode 7 onwards(if I remember correctly), the main plot involving the Bettenou is revealed. These last 5 episodes were the reason why I liked UN-GO as a mystery genre animebecause these were the ones where the culprit wasn't so obvious and with his assistant/boss not by his side anymore, Yuuki Shinjurou was completely dependant on his own skill to figure out everything.
Overall, this anime could have been a lot better if it had a better plot and not-so-obvious culprits. (However, it might be that I was able to figure out who the culprit was, after having read so many mystery novels XD)
But jokes apart, it was not as good as the other mystery genre animes I have watched so far. I would recommend you to watch this before starting any mystery series because this one doesn't have a very complex story line like the other mystery genre animes out there.
d3ullist
un-go is not your standard detective anime. it has a realy good story. the fact they can fool you to think you know the truth, and then expose another truth beyond the truth is realy amazing. i realy liked the sound tracks realy calming and mysterious wich fitted perfectly to the characters aswel giveing them a great "boost" in personalty overal i enjoyed it and would watch it again if you like a good plot unraffeling detective story whit a bit of paranormal assistence i would realy reccomend this for youGreetz, d3ullist
ReJaKted
“Tell me. Why do you search for the truth?” “For souls!” The above question is asked by the ‘Great Detective’, Kaishou Rinroku. He gets the lively reply from the assistant of the ‘Defeated Detective’, Inga. That pretty much sums up the plot of Un-Go – an anime based on Sakaguchi Ango’s novel “Meiji Kaika Ango Torimonocho” (which I have not read) made by the studio Bones in 2011. Before I get to the actual review, I must first talk about how I found Un-Go in the first place. I was searching for a random anime to download from a rather long list. As I quickly scrolled down skimming throughthe various names, Un-Go caught my eye with it’s bizarre name. Without even taking a look at the synopsis, I downloaded and watched it in one go.
Now when I say that I binged it in a single night, I don’t mean that Un-Go is utterly fantastic or anything like that. It’s an above average show. When I saw the name of the studio (Bones – as stated above), I thought to myself that I was in for a treat. I was supposed to get a creamy chocolate sponge cake but, unfortunately, all I got was the cream instead. So sad.
I immensely enjoy the mystery genre. I’m not a huge fan or anything of the sort. What I mean is that detective stories always fascinate me. Un-Go’s approach to the genre is somewhat… fresh, I have to say. It’s quite different from most offerings. So, I had fun watching it. But, being different doesn’t necessarily mean that Un-Go is really good. It’s kind of a mess.
Let me explain. The world-building is atrocious. I know. I know! World-building doesn’t really have much significance in the mystery genre as you’re supposed to keep at least some things in the dark at the end of the story. The problem with Un-Go is that a huge war of some kind has occurred and concluded. OK. That means things are bad and we have a lot of people committing crimes. Motivation for criminal activities. Nice. But, Un-Go does not tell you why the war has exactly happened, when has it ended, whose victory was it (Japan’s loss is subtly hinted at), and who was it fought against. No clue whatsoever. For a show in which ALL of the cases have a connection the war, the answers to these questions are very important! People won’t enjoy the story if they’re too busy worrying about the Goddamned war. The way I see it, it’s just lazy writing. And that is very bad.
Anyways, the show is basically about Yuuki in denial as to why he wants to reveal the truth (solve cases) and his goal of revealing the supposed crimes of Kaishou, his rival. All the different cases involve these two guys.
To the cases themselves!
I won’t go into details about the cases because, uh, well that would defeat the purpose of watching the show. What I will say is that the pace at which the cases are solved at are really fast. I don’t have a problem with that. I’m used to quick dialogue and bad directing (1.5x playback speed!) But, others might. People like to take jabs at solving the cases themselves in detective stories. It’s part of the fun. If you have jumping scenes and dialogue with a lot of technical followed the problems brought forward with the non-presentation of information about the war in the show: people can’t do that!
Another problem is that when the cases get solved by Yuuki, the truth is all hushed up by Kaishou. Wow. After the first few cases, you begin wondering why Yuuki even bothers at all. You don’t get an answer. The show has an open ending. Nice~ Things are silenced for the greater good. I get that. Surely, Yuuki does to. But, seeing as Yuuki has seen some shit and has a somewhat cynical outlook he should at least try for no cover-ups. He doesn’t though and that, my friend, is bad characterization.
Speaking of which, most of the recurring characters in Un-Go are pretty one-dimensional. Well, they seem like that to me. Except for Yuuki and Kaishou, everyone else seem like beautifully crafted cardboard cutouts. Won’t talk about Kaishou much because that would spoil the anime. Can’t talk about Yuuki more than what I’ve already said because, even by the end, we still don’t know his past nor how he and Inga, his assistant, gain fame as detectives.
Speaking of Inga, Un-Go has supernatural elements in it. Inga is a… monster(?) of some sort. I say ‘some sort’ it’s never revealed what she actually is. How she meets Yuuki is literally the last few lines of the show. Jesus. Another thing kept in the dark. At one point, I began to think everything and everyone except for Yuuki and Kaishou was a fucking plot advancing tool.
Another thing that irks me that Yuuki isn’t all that great a detective anyway. In fact, the way he solves crimes, it might even be considered entrapment. Inga can make people answer one question. It’s a power of hers. And so, when she asks a question, people confess. Good Lord!
Animation is crisp, clean, and colorful. Just how I like it. The character designs are rather different than what you usually see and that’s a good thing too. Though, sometimes, I think everybody looks a bit too tall???
Nothing to say about the voice acting.
The music is also nothing special. The Opening was headache inducing. The background music wasn’t anything I’d praise. Well, I guess that guitar track was pretty good. The Ending… Wow. The Ending song was marvelous and the visuals were spectacular. Already listening to the full version as I write this.
Overall, I give Un-Go a 7/10. It’s a decent show. It deserves a 5, actually. But, it tried to do something new-ish (at the time) so I’m not going to shame it for that.
Recommended for mystery and detective fans only.
Rei-ncarnate
I just finished watching the English dub of this about 5 or 10 minutes ago, during the time I'm typing this, and I believe this may be the best anime I have watched so far this summer. Well, I've only watched Shinsekai Yori (which is another great anime I would highly recommend to anyone who liked more, if I daresay, adventurous anime series) so far this summer so I probably shouldn't say that. The reason I say it's such a great anime is because the main character isn't completely steriotypical and the other characters introduced have very interesting personality traits. It also has a smallamount of humour, in my eyes, that, if you're a fan of Inga, you should be able to get some laughs out of.
The second second reason I find this as such a great anime is because of the way they dealt with the concept of the "truth." Most animes I've heard of dealing with the "truth" don't exactly show both sides, but UN-GO does. By that I mean, some show both sides but are definite about the truth and how the truth is always what the main character thinks. In UN-GO it just straight out says something along the lines of "different people have different truths and those truths aren't always correct."
(I'm sorry if I sounded crazy with the way I explained things but it's really early in the morning and I haven't slept since yesterday. Thank you for reading this and, once again, my apologies for probably sounding dumb or stupid)
Aestris
Sometimes a good character in anime is one who develops from humble origins into the defining aspects of a protagonist. Other times their development is never enduring any drastic changes. The latter is true for UN-GO, a simple yet enjoyable supernatural mystery that takes place in a futuristic dystopian Tokyo. UN-GO doesn't take many risks, leaving it somewhat generic but certainly not unwatchable. The things that I found enjoyable were the characters and the story. Yuuki Shinjuurou is a solid protagonist, with the right foundations that makes a good character. He's both astute and deeply flawed, and can acknowledge that. His supporting cast compliments the storywell, albeit at times his sidekick Inga's supernatural affinity feels out of place. The story remains mostly consistent, and doesn't leave anything too wide open at the end.
UN-GO doesn't do everything well, however. The story abruptly gets weird with larger-than-life characters that assumes control of the story. The animation and music are also pretty forgettable, but not particularly terrible. My only major complaint is that it felt too short.
All in all, UN-GO is a good anime and is worth taking a look at, especially if you like mysteries or shows with witty characters. It doesn't set the tone or redefine what makes a great mystery, but it's certainly enjoyable. And at the end when Shinjuurou was given the opportunity to forgo his life as a lone wolf, he decided to move on and stay true to his character.
