In 19th-century France, the wife of vampire noble Jean Duchet Godard is murdered in her own home. With the local human authorities unwilling to properly investigate the case, Godard hires a pair of private detectives known to specialize in the supernatural: Tsugaru Shinuchi, a man with a mysterious birdcage; and his partner, Aya Rindou. This enigmatic duo has come from faraway Japan for one purpose—to track down the man who stole both Aya's body and Tsugaru's humanity.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Mcsuper
Undead Murder Farce screams exuberance and stylistic achievement from its very first moments, with no qualms about being absurd or perhaps even corny, and as mysteries go, that is the uniqueness that is to be desired. There’s so much media revolving around mystery, from your Agatha Christie novels, to your Conan Doyle stories, to the plentiful mystery anime and tv shows, so it’s difficult to create something memorable out of the vast sea of mystery media choice, and I’m happy to say that Undead Murder Farce stood out nicely, so come one, come all, into the pseudo-Meiji era, and enjoy the fun! The anime title surelytells you nothing, but believe me, this is one of the most unique takes on mysteries I’ve seen a while, combining a wide range of mysteries with compelling action and witty humour, and also adding some major figures in mystery media, like Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin, and many more. It kind of felt like the “Mystery Avengers” in a way, but with less action than your typical superhero flick, but much more focused on dialogue. To give a gist of the premise, it’s set in an alternate Meiji era, where an unlikely duo, an Oni Slayer, and a head in a cage suffered the similar fate of their humanity being stolen by the same person, and thus, they chase after this villain, encountering mysteries along the way, making a name for themselves.
Dialogue-heavy shows can be a slog, but this anime certainly manages to capture your attention without being boring, to the extent of each episode flying by in a matter of what you think were just a few minutes. The characters command each scene very well, and the voice actors are certainly to be praised, especially the two main characters in Tsugaru Shinuchi, and Aya Rindou, voiced by Taku Yashiro and Tomoyo Kurosawa, respectively. Tsugaru kept my attention because of his cheeky personality, often making fun of his partner Aya, as well as not taking things too seriously. His humour is witty, perhaps corny, but he definitely made me laugh quite a few times. Aya commanded each scene so well despite only being a head in a cage. Who needs a body after all? Her voice actor, Tomoyo Kurosawa, really nailed the role, as she had such a presence in each scene she was in, with her deduction skills and her tone of voice that captured every bit of my attention. The duo’s dynamic is in my opinion, the best part of the anime, as it brings forth such contagious eccentricity and energy that sucks you into the world around them.
Another main positive about this show was definitely the directing prowess of Shinichi Omata, who previously directed Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, coming into play once again. The whole show feels like a stage play, with the characters feeling like actors, the dialogue bouncing off each character with such ease, the general flow of the story just so fantastic. The art and animation itself isn’t particularly pretty, and I suspect the budget for this show wasn’t huge at all, but Omata’s directing really elevated the show’s quality to greater heights, as there’s just a distinct uniqueness about how the show looks. The camera work and the storyboarding really embodied a style that felt “extravagant”, suiting the show’s setting very well. Furthermore, it has a sense of rakugo in it, and you can tell that Omata’s previous directing endeavours helped shape the way this show was directed as well.
From the compelling mystery, humour, and incredible directing, this has been one of the hidden gems, and potentially the best of the Summer 2023 anime season, and one of the more unique anime of this year. Was I surprised at how good this anime turned out to be? To be honest, not really, and that’s a testament to how much faith I had in the director. Man, this show really flew by, didn’t it?
KANLen09
Undead (Girl) Murder Farce: the most underrated Summer show of the season that we, the audience, DON'T deserve. for a series where every episode feels like 5 minutes, that it is the literate definition of a binge-worthy show from start to finish. Clearly the definitive Dark Horse of the Summer season, novelist Yuugo Aosaki's Undead Girl Murder Farce may be a dramatic historical fantasy work for the ages, that if you bring to the typical anime director who is just content with the bare minimum, this show would not have worked out the way that it has been these past 3 months. But it really seemsthat with one sole person (which I'll get to later in the review), all the cards were clicking towards the right path, and soon, the light shines in the darkness, ever so subtly to deliver a work that has become one of my low-key favourite shows of the season that the anime community have gravely missed out on.
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle; Corrections and Editor Edgar W. Smith; Illustrators, The Hound of the Baskervilles
Historical shows exist for a reason, where the greatest minds of the past lies in fame and honour of their work and contributions for the masses. And if literacy has anything to do with it, fiction can bring about the best of friction and development for the future. It's with this exact same thinking that Yuugo Aosaki opted for the ever-so-cliché alternate timeline, where humans and supernatural beings (such as vampires and Oni) co-exist alongside each other. And one such figure is Tsugaru Shinuchi: an experimental half-human, half-demon young man who hails from Japan. True to his name, which means a light haven/port hitter, his demonic characteristics enable him to be highly skilled in combat, which is why people call him the "Oni Slayer" participating in caged circus acts fighting other demons. One day, he comes across an unassuming maid holding a bird cage, which holds the head of a girl who calls herself the immortal detective Aya Rindo with her loyal servant Shizuku Hasei. Coincidentally, Aya's story about herself, who has already been in this beheaded state from someone dismembering her body and leaving her head as is, and Tsugaru's story about being injected with oni blood which gives him his signature combat skills, both came from the same man who had done these services to them. So, together with the girl akin to a night/evening crow doing a ring/loop around a hall and her maid who clearly exhibits a quiet expression but is well-endowed to serve a well/pit's worth of a feast, and also carrying her signature Spenser 1865 Carbine-inspired bayoneted rifle she calls "Tachikage", the trio acts as a detective group to take on Europe's supernatural mysteries, with Tsugaru being given yet another persona moniker: The Cage User.
“Every mystery novel I ever read, the great detective was such an arrogant fuck you could replace 70% of his dialogue with 'Are you stupid?' and the conversation would still make sense.”
― NisiOisiN, Zaregoto, Book 1: The Kubikiri Cycle
The undead (or undying, rather) favour of the man who always gets ridiculed by the maid who treats him with disdain, his spiteful yet arrogant, cunning personality — that's what I love about Tsugaru's character. Despite calling Aya his master and always engaging in lighthearted conversation with the beheaded girl, what sets Tsugaru apart is his, get this, jibe for all things Rakugo. Basically, in every scenario that opens up to his offences, he's able to concoct a fictional story thanks to what Aya has already set up for him, and being the unapologetic prick that Tsugaru is, he gets his job done efficiently and effectively. Other than the fact that he always has to French kiss with Aya to swallow her "immortal" saliva to stop his demonic growth, the Oni Slayer himself is both interesting and entertaining to watch from a spectator's POV. And despite all of the classic European stories featured like the detective mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and his greatest rival of James "M" Moriarty, to the supernatural werewolves, the girl in the bird cage, Aya, easily holds a candle over the rest as the unknown player in a dogfight showdown of good and evil, as well as Shizuku with her trusty Tachikage bayonet rifle that displays both skill and finesse for someone who always shows facial expressionlessness. There is simply no character cast here (save for the usual evildoers and "Justice League" wannabes) that feels wasted, and as William Shakespeare's poem goes: "All the world’s a stage; the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances."
“There are, fortunately, very few people who can say that they have actually attended a murder.”
― Margery Allingham, Death of a Ghost
The only saving grace that Undead Girl Murder Farce very much needed was a director who is skilled at his/her craft, someone who can manage the staff team well and create a well-rounded and cohesive work that leaves you wanting for more. And I have to say that they really got the man for the job: director Shinichi Omata or going by his famous penname of Mamoru Hatakeyama. The director who brought us works like Winter 2012's Sankarea (which serves as his directorial debut under studio Shaft), Winter 2016's Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Winter 2018's Grancrest Senki a.k.a. Record of Grancrest War, and the more recent Kaguya-sama: Love is War series, so you know that he has quality riding on his back and demands nothing but the best. And you know what? Calling Undead Girl Murder Farce one of the best shows of the season that's sadly underrated, no 20/20 hindsight is needed to call this a near masterpiece work that Mamoru Hatakeyama has ever done. The way that he adapts and directs anime series is simply unparalleled, and you need to just look at either Rakugo Shinju or Kaguya-sama to know that he's got the talent backing his incredible reputation, along with his staff team serving so fervently under the small studio that is Lapin Track.
That said, this is the studio's first full-fledged, independent, full/complete TV series production in almost a decade, if you don't count the god-awful 2-minute short of Winter 2022's Atasha Kawashiri Kodama da yo a.k.a I'm Kodama Kawashiri. Apart from producing shows that were co-animated alongside more prominent studios (e.g. Spring 2019's Sarazanmai and the Tama and Friends series' spin-off of Winter 2022's Uchi Tama?! Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka? a.k.a Uchitama?! Have you seen my Tama?, both shows with MAPPA), Lapin Track most likely raked in experience from the production collaborations, then used that experience to showcase one of the best Sakuga-worthy productions of this season with dark art styles, and sleek animation to boot. I can't help but be floored by the visuals, which flow with seamless audacity at the chock full of crisp animation that's a delight to watch and never took my eyes off the action, not even once.
“There's only one truth” ― Gosho Aoyama, Detective Conan
And that one truth, lies in the music, which all for intents and purposes, suit the anime to a T, it's perfection across the board. With that said, I'd now like to coin the term: "K-Pop strikes again on J-Pop!" If you do not know or have been living under a rock, K-Pop boy/girl groups have been slowly integrating themselves into the world of AniManga, and not just adaptations of Webtoons in general for years now (I still remember the first time hearing a K-Pop "Japanese-ified" Anisong through Black Clover with Tomorrow X Together back in 2020). The OP sung by girl group CLASS:y (suggested through a Korean reality show, and inspired by its members' "classy" charms that references "class" and "highest grade"), I've gotta say that I have never vibed THIS much with a K-Pop Anisong to indefinitely confirm that "Crack-Crack-Crackle" is a catchy, upbeat, banger song of (literally) class and the highest of grades, that I can listen to over and over again. In my opinion, it's undoubtedly my OP song of the season. Anna's "reversal" for the ED is also a cool song with some great storyboarding with its muted, dark tones and scaling that works seamlessly and linear to its themes. Overall, I really can't find any faults on the music aspect.
“Only once in a generation does anything as fresh as a vomiting detective come along.”
― Dean Koontz, Odd Thomas
And the quote is true: only once (in a blue moon) that there're works that does anything as fresh as a beheaded girl conducting detective stuff with a monster of a human who is flawless with his stints, only in Yuugo Aosaki's Undead Girl Murder Farce will you have an experience that can only be felt as if you're watching either Rakugo Shinju or Kaguya-sama all over again.
To the undead girl using murder as a farce, you're NOT a farce. You're a force to be reckoned with, because you're worth more than the attention we give to you, and more people SHOULD watch your show because you're absolutely worth the time. Major, massive props to director Shinichi Omata and his staff team for achieving the near impossible with Undead Murder Farce, it's an addictive cynical, yet entertaining show where the murder mysteries of questions and answers keep you glued to the small screen for what's to come, even when you least expected it.
Bravo, excellente. Wow, wow, WOW. My unexpected Dark Horse of the season turned AOTS.
Jozuwa-_-
"Undead Girl ANIME Farce" POSITIVES: - Character-filled - Art Quality - Voice acting - Bop OP, good ED - MCs chemistry NEGATIVES:- Clickbaits
- Unnecessarily stretching out cases for too many episodes.
- Rushed climax/finale
- Threading two rivers at the same time while clearly favoring the other.
I'm not even gonna talk about its story-- it's interesting to me, personally. Instead, I'd rather judge how it performed as a show, and how it ruined the story-telling of this Anime. And just like the finale of the show, I'm gonna rush through my rant as well.
The first episode had a Dark Fantasy-Action vibe which had the then yet to be acquianted MCs battling each other in a somewhat testing of strength, which concluded in a partnership to achieve opposite goals relating to a common enemy.
It then immediately took a sudden 45-degree turn and became a full-on dialogue-heavy Detective/Mystery the very next episode. It would have been just fine as it acted as the introduction to the protags' now-established investigative team... except it took 3 episodes to conclude and felt like an unnecessarily stretched-out filler arc.
It was then followed up by an arc filled with new characters (I'd refrain from describing them to avoid spoilers) who were the ones that took the center stage in dealing with the case at hand as the MCs get relegated to the sidelines, showing up once in a while on-screen, with smug reactions on their faces implying they are picking the case apart one by one while they were off-screen.
What came next was the climactic first interaction with the villains of the story. This set the tone for what's to come as the show nears the finale... except it didn't come.
What followed is another helluva stretched-out dialogue-heavy case where they teased the presence of the villains just being around, and the presumed chaos that might ensue at any moment...
... which was paid off by a less than 5-minute still image battle slide show, followed by a barrage of words to close the final case and end the series, which took about 15 minutes... but felt like forever.
ART? Good. Sound? Good. VAs? Good. Characters? Fun...
... "Crack-Crack-Crackle" OP by CLASS:y?..... GOOOOOOOOD xD
OVERALL:
I feel so betrayed by this Anime. Even after watching its clickbait-y 1st episode, and reading the complaints of people towards it, I still stuck by it as I found the execution of the Detective/Mystery path it took quite entertaining and fun anyway-- and I did enjoy it. But it's a shame that it had to lie once again, for the finale no less. Not to mention, having to rush that said finale after over-extending most of its chapters. All I could've asked for from this Anime was for it to just be a clear Detective/Mystery Anime instead of trying to be a pretentious Dark Fantasy/Action. It did have a quite interesting arc which had an abundant amount of characters involved. But that was the middle part and barely involved the MCs. What should've been prioritized were the most important parts of a story-- the beginning and the conclusion.
And for that, I can't recommend this to anyone who's looking for an Anime with a good story. Not to say it didn't have one-- it does. It just failed to tell that "good story" properly.
Watch it for aesthetics? Yeah. Sure. Do you. Want me to give at least one good reason to watch this Anime? I can give you one. Here it is...
JIRI-JIRI TOOOOOOO!!! MOTO-MERU GIMME MOOOOOOORE!!! xD xD xD
Imquotable
Undead Girl Murder Farce is an anime that plunges its viewers into a world of mystery, and supernatural suspense. This series, while not for the faint of heart, offers a captivating experience. The first episode, directed by Mamoru Hatakeyama, delivers a visually striking experience with its dark and mysterious art style. Hatakeyama's deliberate pacing and clever shot composition build tension effectively, seamlessly blending the mundane with supernatural elements. I really loved the cinematic way he approached some scenes and made unusual decisions in how to frame them, it reminded me of the Monogatari Series. The dialogue is concise yet engaging, revealing key plot points without sacrificingmystery. The sound design enhances the foreboding atmosphere, making the episode a promising start to an intriguing and chilling series. It is safe to say that the first episode is one of the best first episodes in all of Anime. Alas, you'd notice the difference in some episodes where the storyboard was not done by Mamaoru, EPs 3,4, 8,9 and 10. Nevertheless, these episodes were still very enjoyable.
Undead Girl Murder Farce two leads have a very good chemistry, and that’s every part thanks to the dialogues and voice acting, Besides, The show introduces a captivating array of characters, featuring unexpected encounters with legendary figures such as Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin, (voiced by Miyano which is a blast), and Moriarty. These iconic characters from literature inject a thrilling dimension into the series, seamlessly blending the supernatural with classic detective elements.
The soundtrack deserves special mention, as it effectively enhances the suspense and tension throughout the series. The haunting melodies and atmospheric soundscapes contribute to the immersive nature of the anime, effectively pulling the audience deeper into the mysterious world it creates.
Although I do not watch this type of shows for the action, and it is my first time watching a Lapin Track's work so I did not know what to expect, however, the animation sequences during intense action scenes are fluid and well-executed, enhancing the overall viewing experience.
Overall, it is a must see, especially if you are in to this type of anime, because sadly, we rarely get these nowadays, let alone a good one.
dadnaya
Undead Girl Murder Farce was probably the talk of the season in many circles. From Reddit to various YouTubers, this anime showed a lot of promise to a lot of people, but unfortunately, it never delivered on its promise. At the end of the day, I feel like it was still kind of entertaining. The fights were somewhat cool, the character cast was interesting, and the mystery parts in the show were also pretty interesting. But unfortunately all of it fell apart when there was no proper "glue" to stick them together into a coherent, interesting storyline and there are a few key problems in theanime.
Firstly, the main plot and the premise of the show almost never actually progresses. The place we started in episode 2 is almost the same as we were at the end of episode 13. The anime consists of 3 arcs, but at the end of the day none of them contributed much, if at all, to the grand plot. Which leads me to my second point.
Another main problem is that the anime arcs were too different from each other and did not really know what they wanted to do. The anime tried to mix a detective mystery with an action show, which led to a tonal whiplash and in the end it just was not very good. The first arc for example was almost exclusively a mystery-detective style with no action, but then the second one did not have much of a mystery and was full of fights, and the third arc mixes both.
The character cast was colorful and we had a lot of interesting different characters which was nice, but at the same time most of them were not really that memorable as they did not have enough screen time or story rather than just being tagged from the "villain group" or any other group. Many were also chained to their respective arc and did not play a bigger role in the anime as a whole.
Finally, I do want to commend some parts of the OST and the cool OP song, and commend a few cool fighting scenes we had.
In short, it was an entertaining watch for its mystery aspect and some fights separately, but when combined together it all fell apart and led to a very mediocre product.
6/10
Lord_Hjorth
Are you tired of watching the same Isekai trash with the same plot progression and themes, well look no further. Undead Girl Murder Face is a breath of fresh air regarding story telling, characters and unique fighting scenes with lots of creativity. If you are looking for an detective show or just love well made shows with funny characters than I highly recommend this anime. 8/10 is my objective scoring of this anime you can see my reasons why underneath. Summary (episode 1 spoilers): Undead Girl Murder Face is a anime where we follow Tsugaru Shunichi a Half Oni traveling together with Aya Rindo and her devotedattendant Shizuku Hasei. This trio travels around as detectives hoping to find clues about Aya Rindo's missing body. Aya Rindo is a immortal being and is being carried as a head in a cage, thus they got the name Cage User. Aya Rindo and Tsugaru Shunichi both have the mysterious "M" character as their goal, as he got Aya Rindos body and was the one making Tsugaru Shunichi an half oni. They meet various monsters and characters in cases they have to solve in pursuit of getting closer to their goal of getting Aya Rindos body. The rest you will have to watch yourself.
Characters 9/10: The characters are one of the main selling points of this anime, the banter between Tsugaru Shunichi and Aya Rindo is so entertaining that minutes go by without you noticing. Side characters are made with a take on the western fantasy classics, though they still feel unique and interesting. Overall are the characters designs cool and unique looking, and the conversation between main and side characters are quite enjoyable to watch. This is not an anime with hundreds of backstory's and complicated motives, so its not like the actual characters are that deep, but they are interesting and unique.
Animation & graphics (7/10): The anime is on the darker side overall and you could argue that the color palate used is a bit too dark. The graphics are pleasant to look at, all though it is not at the highest level. Animation is again also on the lower side of animes, but they do gear it up a notch in fighting scenes. Creativity is a huge benefactor which helps in this category, and Undead Girl Murder Farce are great at changing styles and being creative visually. Although they don't have the greatest animation technically won't you get bored of the fight scenes. The fight scenes are way more creative both in choreography and visuals, so they are fresh and entertaining to watch. There is not the classic spam one button move or stalemates of blurred punches, which is a huge plus.
Sound (6/10): I am no sound expert, but as a viewer it was alright. Nothing to really boast about or take huge note off, but nothing completely bad as well. If you were looking for crazy music or sound work then this is not what you are looking for, but it does have its charms at certain points.
Plot(8.5/10):This is the reason you would want to watch this over some Isekai trash. The plot is very fun and different than your usual animes. It does not go completely linear in terms of "power progression", but does have a progression that goes like --> Find case, try to solve case, interruption in the case, solve the case --> next case. They do this while trying to get closer to the overall "case/goal" of finding Aya Rindos body. The cases are well thought out and unless you are super critically of how an detective case should go, feels natural and enjoyable to watch. The plot although has a lot of talking is interesting enough that it flies by fast.
Overall am i scoring this anime objectively at 8/10.
10/10 is my personal enjoyment of the show while watching ;)
AnimeEnjoyer420
Murder mysteries and detective fiction are notoriously among the most difficult stories to write. It requires walking a tightrope, giving enough detail that a sufficiently clever audience member could solve the mystery, but not so much that the answers are obvious to all. Undead Murder Farce walks this tightrope expertly, parceling out little bits of information, never quite showing its hand about what details will ultimately be important to solving the cases. Each one is complex and convoluted, with 4 episodes devoted to each case (the leftover episode in the count is episode 1, which introduces our main detective trio), but all 3 can besolved before the final reveal by a person that is paying close attention and making a few deductive leaps.
This all might imply a series that is very stuffy or literary, but nothing could be further from the truth. Quite the opposite in fact. Like it's name, Undead Murder Farce is pulpy and bombastic. Action scenes are wildly over the top and surprisingly gruesome. The large cast of historical figures and public domain fiction characters lends itself to some truly insane moments, like Arsene Lupin teaming up with the Phantom of the Opera to steal a diamond while Sherlock Holmes tries to stop them, only for all of them to be attacked by Frankenstein and Jack the Ripper. And yes, I swear that last sentence is not made up.
However, the truly show-stealing part of this series is its main duo - Aya Rindo, an immortal disembodied head that solves crimes and her bodyman Tsugaru, an "onigoroshi" (roughly, "ogre killer") that Aya finds at the circus, battling other monsters and freaks for cheering crowds. The rapport between the two is the secret sauce that elevates this series from good to great. Aya is highly formal but also playful, peppering her speech with puns and playful jabs, while Tsugaru is a complete ham, never serious and always highly theatrical in everything he does. Their banter is delightful and Tomoyo Kurosawa's voice work playing Aya is tremendous.
One more piece that helps to elevate this series is the unique visual identity it has, courtesy of director Mamoru Hatakeyama, best known as the director of Kaguya-sama: Love is War. While it can sometimes border on excessive (the paneling used in the last 2 episodes is probably the least necessary of his many flourishes), the creative presentation gives it so much personality, and serves a dual purpose of effectively hiding the economical storyboarding, giving it the feel of a show that has a much larger budget than it actually does.
There are a few minor quibbles you can make with the series. The Royce agents that periodically show up are truthfully a little bit unnecessary, and the action-heavy final arc combined with an exhausted and overworked animation team leads to some intrusively janky animation in the last few episodes that is thankfully the exception rather than the rule. Even acknowledging those flaws, I still highly recommend this series whether you're a fan of mysteries or just silly, violent excess. There's something for everyone here.
SenApai07
Funny enough, I initially wanted to watch this because of a cool edit I saw on Instagram, the actual anime's a whole different story though. The animation was well done for the most part but could get questionable at times. —The fights were like this too, the choreography was just inconsistent, and characters felt like they were brake-dancing half the time. I did enjoy seeing Aya solve mysteries tho. But after deep inspection, I found that her skills were only as amazing as the plot wanted them to be. This is evident in how she brings up stuff that we "the audience" weren't shown. Nonetheless,it was fun to watch. I don't know if I'll tune in for season 2 though. 6/10
whiteflame55
I love a good murder mystery, particularly those with a twist, and this one has a good one: the world is one tainted by the persecution of monsters, and how they respond to it helps shape both the larger narrative and the individual mysteries. In that sense, this is a blast to watch. I found myself engrossed, particularly in the first of the mysteries that takes place in a vampire household shaped by compromise with the human world that spurned them. Things get more complicated beyond that and so does the messaging, making it more difficult to fully appreciate subsequent arcs. The following one, in particular,isn’t so much a mystery as a gathering of both all-time great detectives and criminals as well as a who’s who of monstrous villains and antiheroes. It’s a nice idea in concept, and I know it’s important to the central plot, but I found it overwhelmed elements of the plot that I previously enjoyed. We get a lot of great character moments and some solid fights, but with all the various parties involved (I count 5 different groups - the owners of the diamond, Aya’s group, Sherlock and Holmes, The Banquet and the group in white), it rarely feels like it allows moments to breathe. Doesn’t help that most of the antagonists are either cryptic or one-note. That’s likely to change in the future, but it hasn’t happened yet.
For that matter, with so many big names in the mix, it makes it feel like the series has to lean on them instead of its central cast. I don’t think we needed Sherlock this early, and I groaned when it became obvious Moriarty was behind basically everything. I wanted this show to have its own identity, but maybe that was expecting too much.
The final arc is a combination of the good ideas from the first and the overcomplication of the second, though I still thought it was well done, bringing back more of the deduction that I enjoyed.
The fights are well choreographed and interesting, even if they still largely feel one-sided or overly chaotic. I like how the characters are meshing as well. Groups don’t feel like full antagonists or allies throughout, there’s a lot of movement where it suits them. The note it leaves us on will likely yield a fast-moving start to the next season, and if it can narrow its focus a bit and rely more on its MCs, I think that will suit me just fine. I’ll like it regardless, though, I’m sure, but I think there’s room to improve.
Marinate1016
Undead girl murder farce took me by total surprise this season. I was initially intrigued by the key visuals and character designs, but after watching the first episode I was instantly in love with this story and the characters. If you’re a fan of mystery, urban fantasy and interesting characters with a lot of deadpan humour, this is the one for you. What makes Undead Girl stand out to me is just how unique the story feels. It’s a globe trotting mystery-solving story combined with mystical elements. I’m not quite sure how to fully describe it, but it’s got a cool mix of fanatical elementsand a realistic world. That’s to say that our journey takes the characters to real locations such as the French and German countrysides, London, etc., but sees them interact with the magical underbelly of these areas. So whether it’s solving vampire murders, hunting werewolves or stopping Lupin from pulling off a heist, the cast find themselves in some fun situations. I guess you can think of it as another iteration of an anime inspired Sherlock Holmes story with surprisingly good action scenes, subtle but effective comedy and enigmatic characters. What starts as fetch quest to retrieve the body of a talking head becomes much more as we confront an entire villainous criminal network.
Another way I view the show is as a much more engaging and for lack of a better word, fun, version of Kyokou Suiri. Whereas that show suffered at time from pacing and exhaustive dialogue issues in its cases, I feel like all the cases are very engaging and keep you on the edge of your seat in this one. It’s almost like playing an interactive mystery solving game where we, the audience, are encouraged to theorise and put the pieces of the puzzle together. The two main cases in this season were very well done and actually threw me for a loop at the end. I was entirely convinced they’d end one way and they ended up going in the opposite direction.
I believe a big reason for the quality of the story is that it’s based on an actual novel instead of a light novel. From anecdotal experience, it seems pure novels tend to have better characterisation and world building since they’re not just selling to teenagers. The author has a talent for subverting expectations and I appreciate that in an era of predictable stories.
Even if you’re not a big mystery fan, I believe you’ll find the enigmatic characters to be really enjoyable. If you’ve seen the Monogatari series where characters’ dialogue and banter flows so well with one another, doesn’t feel forced or cringe, that’s basically this show too. The 3 leads have such a cool dynamic and really go on to create an almost familial bond by the end. Tsuguru and Aya’s witty jokes and deadpan sense of humour in particular were a blast for me. When characters end up being funny without even trying to be funny, that’s when you got something special. I think the seiyuu casting choices were perfect for all 3 as they created a very nice synergy between the leads.
Really the only complaint I have with the show is that 13 episodes just aren’t enough for this. There’s so many interesting things that were set up and we didn’t even get a chance to start the main big quest because of all the other subplots. That’s not a knock on the story though, I just want more of this world and these characters. It took me back to my childhood when anime just hit so differently. It really has a unique vibe to it and I haven’t seen many others like it. For sure one of the best new shows of 2023.
Undead Girl Murder Farce gets 9 out of 10.
SirUnknown2
The initial mystery was very good. Although detective story connoisseurs will see the solution coming from a mile away, the step by step logical deduction with no leaps in logic make for a very interesting watch. The banter between the two main leads is also very enjoyable. However, by the 5th episode the show starts introducing too many unnecessary plot points involving various fictional and real characters from European history, and making them important to the plot. This detracts from the main drive of the show, which is simply watching a fully sentient girl's head in a birdcage solve interesting mysteries. The introduction of theseflamboyant characters with unnecessary gimmicks seems more like cameos that were given way too much weight. The final mystery is again interesting, if a little too easy, but it is ruined by the introduction of yet more unnecessary gimmicky characters who contribute nothing to the mystery at hand, and instead make everything too chaotic and difficult to follow.
In short, this show has a really interesting premise and a great way of setting up and presenting the mysteries, but is ruined by its attempt to include cameo after cameo in its short runtime. A stronger focus at the mystery at hand would've brought this show to new heights.
AiraKT
Undead Girl Murder Farce is a great comedy mystery mix. Its core is solving various monster related mysteries, and it does that very well. The mysteries are intriguing, and presented in a way that the viewer can guess along and actually reach the right conclusion. But its true strength are its characters and its humor. Especially the main cast is so weird and aloof that just watching them banter while traveling is truly entertaining. Tsuguru is really not what you'd expect of a main character, watching him fool around in very serious situations and play dumb, while his quiet intelligence continues to shine through, is veryrefreshing. Aya is as dignified as you could expect from a head in a cage, but has a happy disposition that seems absolutely displaced in some situations, which makes it super funny. Shizuku mostly shines through her relationship with Tsuguru, which might be your typical "I don't like you but we work for the same person" dynamic, but isn't less entertaining for that.
The vast array of weird and interesting side characters, who usually react with subtle "what the heck" attitudes towards the main trio, keeps everything fresh and enjoyable too.
The art is super pretty, although the animation isn't outstanding, and the music is fitting and supports the show without being great.
Tl;dr: Entertaining characters that are enjoyable to follow.
Avroraa
With the new year almost here, I gotta share my thoughts on this anime, "Undead Girl Murder Farce." It's hands down my favorite for the year. The animation is on point, giving off those awesome GoSick vibes. And can we talk about the opening theme? It's a total banger. Now, our main character? Selfish as heck, doesn't give a damn about anything. But, here's the twist—he's goofy and loves talking to himself, even when things get serious. Plus, he's got this thing for doing his own Rakugo. It's a wild combo, but it works. Seriously, I'd recommend checking this one out!
umarudesuwa
THIS… This is it. An intriguing story with a good amount of action, as well as an emphasis on something I’ve missed for a long time. FUN. This show was entertaining, funny and a huge breath of fresh air. Over about the last year and a half, I have been struggling with seasonal anime. It has become beyond stale. Fresh ideas are few and far in between and all the pure boat loads of feces you have to navigate through in order to find something half way decent, or dare I say it even good, is baffling. And giving that I’ve somehow never written apositive review, it seemed that there was no better place to start with than Undead murder farce. This one will be pretty light on spoilers I imagine, since most of it will evolve around what the show does rather than what happens in it, so lets bust open this farce of a review.
First thing I want to talk about is the dialog in this show. ITS SO GOOD. It’s so rare to have an anime in which two characters talk with one another and it actually feel like it’s two humans having a conversation. Seriously, when does anime ever have human dialog these days? It’s always riddled with over the top reactions, to a point where it just spoils the tone of whatever is being said.
In this show however, the characters can talk normally with one another. The can make funny quips and jokes, that doesn’t evolve around someone calling someone else a baka. And even though the dialog is quite grounded, it still allows all these rather bombastic characters, to be just that. There is the occasional over the top reaction, but it’s always warranted and feels like an appropriate reaction from that character in the given situation. I really can’t put into words how fluid I find the dialog in this show, it’s brilliant, which bring us to the next point; our protagonist.
The story evolves around Tsugaru Shinuchi, a circus performer, who is half oni, and packs quite the punch. However his abilities are used to be the curtain jerker of the local circus, in which he is the renowned oni slayer. He teams up with, immortal head and expert detective, Aya Rindou along with her maid and head carrier Shizuku. The half oni in Tsugaru will eventually lead to his end, however when provided with the immortals fluids, he can prolong his demise, which gives him a good reason for wanting to team up with her.
The banter Tsugaru and Aya have is hilarious. They joke around with each other and they actually find each others jokes funny and acknowledges when the other makes a good one. Normally in anime, one character makes a joke, laugh to themselves and then the other lead rolls their eyes and its just lifeless. Here the characters even give each other some of those “okay that’s funny but now is not the time, so shut up” moments. Its like witnessing two of your mates having a blast. I could really get used to having main characters that have likable qualities, so that you want to root for them and see them succeed, but that wont be a reoccurring phenomenon, so I’ll just enjoy this while I have it.
Tsugaru and Shizuku have a brother and sister like relationship with one another, in the sense that Shizuku acts like she wants to end Tsugaru for getting closer with her master, but beneath it all she does find him quite charming and warms up to him. There is a reoccurring gag, where she keeps hitting him, but it’s very lighthearted and not too intrusive to the mood, plus he can take it, being half oni and all ^^.
Now the trio embark on a journey to find the rest of Aya’s body along with the man who stole it, which happens to be the same gentleman who made Tsugaru into what he is. Along the way, they help out with murder cases all around a 19th centuries Europe, usually with monsters involved, which drives them closer to their target as he also seems to have a passion for monsters and misfits.
Aya being a few hundred years old, have acquired a particular set of skills over her long life and career (see what I did there), so it’s makes sense that she can do these enormously elaborate deductions, which eventually leads them to who did the murder. And the deductions, doesn’t get to a ridiculous level. The majority of them evolves around details, that you just didn’t pick up on. Most of the time, the culprit will then attempt to escape either around our heroes or through them, which brings us neatly along to the action in the show.
The action is really quite fun and dynamic in this show. There is a good feel to the fights. There is weight behind people getting hit and the directing and camera angles excelently conveys the progression of the fight: who is hitting who and what is the consequences of that character being hit.
Another aspect of the action I heavily appreciated, was how they used it in the show. By that I mean, that the show always puts a reason behind the fighting and takes time to setup why two characters would clash. A lot of action shows, Jujutsu Kaisen is a fine example, usually like to have the fight happen first and then explain the context of the confrontation afterwards, sometimes with a flashback, sometimes with an exposition dump, which most of the time feels like an attempt to artificially make the fight feel deeper than it actually was. Like, just tell us why they are fighting first, so we can care about it, you know, while they are fighting. Murder farce does this extremely well.
The pacing of the show was also grand. The 20 minutes just flew by. Most scenes feel very appropriately proportioned. Non of them feel rushed or like they were dragged out to fill the run time (looking at you demon slayer). It’s honestly just feels very tightly and efficiently written.
I had a blast with this show, and I highly recommend giving it a chance. I’ll give it solid 8.5 out of 10 and after writing this review, I feel fired up, so imma bump it up to 9. and now it is time to end this farce of a review.
PixelB
Undead Girl Murder Farce is like Gosick if Gosick wasn't so boring, featured a boring JP male protagonist, shitty romance, and episodic mysteries that weren't ever that thrilling. It's always quite cringe to see a gothic lolita hanging around an adolescent high school JP boy who randomly catches her fancy, solving random crimes like it isn't the more bizarre and BS thing in the world, so Undead Girl Murder Farce gives the theme a go and makeover was a good surprise. Of course, instead of a gothic lolita, you have a severed head. There's actually a reason for her bitter personality. It happens when you spendmillennia alive and you're stuck as a severed head and wisened up after witnessing so much. So Aya's personality is less of a weird fetishizing of a loli, but more of a realistic setting.
Instead of a boring JP protagonist, you have a guy who's flippant, facetious and takes life lightly as much as his morals. He's quite humorous and makes a good detective duo with Aya. Aya reins Tsugaru in and gives him purpose, while Tsugaru helps Aya find life a bit more interesting, acting as a detective for his sake as well as hers. Shizuku's kind of there as a tsukommi almost, and just a balancing third agent.
And of course, to top everything off, you have a supernatural plot and setting: the world revolves around the mythical. Vampires, werewolves, Oni, and other fantasy creatures roam the world and it definitely suits the setting of a random detective duo of a random guy and a severed head solving mysteries.
Finally, you have the actual story. This show is not episodic at all despite revolving around different mysteries. In fact, each case links up to the next plot point, and there are always interactions with characters and organizations that end up impacting the next case or plot point. The fact that there's an underlying --and quite obvious--plot of trying to recover Aya's body and the interactions with people involved in doing so is rewarding. It makes each case much more fulfilling as you know that you're getting closer to the final destination as you discover more characters.
This is also the story's downfall. I'll give the show some slack since this show covers like what, 5-6 volumes in one season? That's just impossible. Covering 4 volumes in a single season is stretching it tight, so 5 to 6 means a lot of compression is involved. I'm sure the anime cut a lot out to slap in so much content. However, this does mean that the experience is much less enjoyable. The insurance company just makes me cringe. The naming, like Fatima Double Darts and Alice Rapidshot definitely reeks of a random Japanese author thinking of the most Westernized name ever and slapping it on a Western character. Plus, the fact that Alice Rapidshot is quick to anger, polemic, wears cowboy hats, is blond, uses guns, and is aggressive, but probably not that bad of a person shows how tropey these insurance company characters are. The same goes for "The Banquet." Holy shit, talk about a cringe name for a western sounding "evil organization."
The compression of 5 or 6 volumes definitely does not do these organizations justice, and even beneath their shitty naming conventions aside, I think there's a lot of merit that comes along with these characters. While Aya and her detective group are technically at odds with both organizations, it's also not entirely true. Alliances form, dialogue happens, and overall, there ends up being a lot of interaction on every side, and not necessarily an entirely spiteful "us vs them" sort of story where it's just the good side vs bad side. In that way, the show is better than most shounen battle shows. In another way, it feels a bit shallow since there's a lack of characterization and worldbuilding. Still, that being said, the anime cuts so much dialogue and interaction between these characters that some of the show remains fragmented, such as how Carmilla and Shizuku's second meeting ended was just straight-up strange.
Still, just the fact that our detective isn't merely full of goodness and on the side of justice, the insurance company and "the banquet" are not full of "the bad guys," and a good mystery case for each arc makes me enjoy the show. The last arc, especially, brings each character's morality to question, and it definitely fleshes them out as good characters. I will be reading the novel.
inkreydible
I don't write reviews, but I ended up writing this summary/review for a friend so I thought I might post it: Undead Murder Farce: its straight up a detective show, but one of the best ones I've seen, in any genre - extremely underrated and slept upon in the Summer 2023 season the two main characters are original and so are most BUT he takes huge inspiration from classic western fiction literature and makes use of a ton of iconic characters like [mild spoiler] sherlock holmes & moriarty + related, frankenstein, arsene lupin, passepartout (from Around the World in Eighty Days), etc. [end spoiler] and involves themeach in a way that's actually really well written and feels natural - basically placing the setting in a fictional world that contains almost all iconic fantasy characters (including subtle references to Japanese ones as well as history and folklore which is crazy)
and then all of that is wrapped up in an actually really good overarching story as well as with each case/mystery, lot of character development and proper mystery-solving (it almost feels like ace attorney by the end and that's really good), add great voice acting, 7-8/10 animation that now and then goes to a 10/10, really fun and well written characters, and a plot that actually ramps up and provides a proper peak finale
they really went out that last episode, literally the animation and direction/writing went 2 notches up that ep was legit a 10/10. my overall rating is 8.5, rounded up to a 9
again, really slept upon this season, if you like detective/mystery shows or even ace attorney def watch!
SanaeK10
I literally picked this show up on a whim based on its stupid title and I must say I need to do this more often. Undead Girl is an unusual combination of supernatural action with the detective genre, with a little rakugo thrown in for good measure. For a detective show it's written surprisingly sharply considering what constitutes a detective show nowadays (cough new Higurashi cough), and its mysteries can be solved with nothing more than the show's clues by the time Aya says she got the culprit. Although, being only 13 episodes long, the show can feel rather lacking, and by the end ofepisode 13 you're left wanting for more. Also, while I do appreciate some action as a change of pace, towards the later half of the show they feel more like distractions than anything, especially with Royce just jobbing here and there and not adding anything meaningful to the overall narrative.
The animation is fine, generally fluid well animated action although there are some strange instances where some green screen-like aliasing appears around the characters at times. I appreciate the director playing around with the shots during the more quiet moments, although several of them can feel very amateurish in a "My First Video Editor" sorta way.
Overall Undead Murder Face is a surprisingly compelling solvable mystery with likeable characters and mostly decent animation. Its short length is definitely to its detriment, and with how unpopular the show is, it's a shame it will forever fall to the wayside.
6/10
Hahabi
i absolutely loved this anime, i'm so tired of seeing the same tired plot over and over and over again in anime and when i found this one, i was so happy because it's genuinely so good. there's a lot to be desired plot-wise, don't get me wrong, but it's still so good. the characters are likable, the plot is decent enough and i love the aesthetics. it could do with a little more world building but other than that, i thoroughly enjoyed it. it had an old-time anime feel to it like blood + mixed with the new age stuff.
melangemen
The case of Undead Girl Murder Farce is a simple one. It was supposed to be a detective show, but it insists on focusing on action scenes. It might be for the better as action scenes deliver great amount of fun. Sadly, the same cannot be stated about detective part. Show about detectives are awesome, but it preparing the cases for the viewer to solve and enjoy is an extremely hard task and not every show delivers on that. In UGMF the cases are interesting but their presentation is lacking. The best case is the first one in vampire manor. Why? Because it creates tension, leaves theidentity of the murderer as a real mystery, let's the viewer learn the clues that make sense, while putting in the plain sight some red herrings. And then it decides that it will be enough of being real detective for the rest of the series. None of the cases later are real mysteries, as people act very obvious, red herring does not look believable, and main characters picking relevant evidence becomes just a make-believe game. The biggest crime in all of that is yet to be unveiled. UGMF deprives you of probably the most important parts of visual storytelling in detective stories: reactions of the questioned people and an insight to the thoughts of the main characters.
But the action scenes are cool. It just would be nice if they would fit with the story. Unfortunately, the viewer is often presented with sequences that make no sense story wise and within the set rules of the world, but are at least bringing back the fun and excitement with fighting scenes.
Lastly, the show clearly have some pacing issues, as through out the season it reaches climax few episodes before the end of the season and then the hype is slowly dying. After closing vampire manor arc, UGMF gives the viewers perspective of main characters entwining with bigger stories in big world. It throws great new characters (and not just small fish - REALLY big names - massive expectations) but then for last few episodes UGMF offers you a small town mystery.
Overall, I rate it 7/10 for the great first case and amazing promise of the second arc. Sadly, the show just crumbles the further it goes, while forgetting what it should focus on.
