Undead Girl Murder Farce – What a Title

• Titles: Undead Murder Farce
• Genre: I don’t man… fantasy?
• Episodes: 13
• Studio:  Lapin Track

It’s a bad time to be an Oni. The era of legends is drawing to a close in Japan and anything even close to a Yokai is being hunted left and right. Oni are on top of the list. They are glass canons after all. Vulnerable to most attacks (although sturdier than humans but who isn’t) but powerful beyond comprehension. If you want something killed, bets are an Oni can do it. And you can’t leave such dangerous creatures roaming around. Not even half-oni. Unless killing the unkillable is something you actually want. And after 926 years, that might be exactly what Aya Rindou is looking for. And yet, in a world full of inexplicable creatures, somehow she finds herself as the greatest paranormal detective the world has known. How did we get here?

It’s tough to summarize Undead Girl Murder Farce. Just like the title, the show itself has a whole lot of stuff going on and they wouldn’t seem related at first glance. Maybe not even at second or third. But damn it, it just kind of works for reasons that I’m not sure I can explain. Magic?

Production

I will say I was just a tad underwhelmed by the production of Undead Girl Murder Farce Don’t get me wrong the character designs are great. Especially the main cast. A fun fandango of freaks that is just a delight to behold. But the backgrounds are considerably less impressive, and the colours made no impression on me. The animation although not bad, also failed to be as grandiose as the opportunities offered…

As I write this I keep seeing some truly impressive battle scenes replay in my head. Maybe I’m wrong. Ok, here’s the deal. The character designs and voice acting are top-notch. It makes for a really delightful cast. And the rest is just good. So the contrast between the two left me wanting for more in certain areas.

There is some interesting editing though. And I haven’t seen interesting editing in a long time, so I think it’s important to give credit where credit is due here! I eventually stopped writing down every instance of interesting camera angles or perspectives, sudden art changes, or cutouts. They are used liberally and add a lot of flare. You know what, I was not underwhelmed. I was whelmed, and the production is good. I just think resources might have been limited.

Story & Characters

Wow, I couldn’t help but talk about the characters in the production section. So, I guess it will come as no surprise that in my opinion, the real strength of the show is the cast. They are all goofy in their own way but how they interact with each other is where the real fun is. Even the side characters, of which there are a ton, all have distinctive personalities that bring something to the table.

The plot of Undead Girl Murder Farce is a rollercoaster. That summary up there is really just the introduction to the first episode. It goes from fantasy action, to caper adventure, to murder mystery to grand conspiracy and you’ll just have to watch it for yourself to see how it gets there. It’s also the second anime in a very short time to feature Sherlock Holmes AND Moriarty as canon characters. I guess have a type! Finneas Fog is there also. Yup, you read that right – and Laister Crowley and werewolves because obviously! Anyway, my point is that Undead Girl Murder Farce had a doozy of a plot but even with all that, it’s a character show.

You are not likely to enjoy the series much if you don’t like the characters, but why would you not like the characters? There’s something for everyone. And that’s because there are subtle subversions and plenty of added flavour to each of them. I’m only going to talk about the main trio though but once again, the supporting cast is great as well.

Aya, the titular undead girl, is one of those pompous self-important types but she’s also always right so it’s tough to blame her. When we meet her, she is thinking of killing herself not because of any grand malaise or existential dread but simply because life seems mildly inconvenient at the moment and kind of boring. The second that an alternative is offered, she changes her mind. Beauty is capricious after all. Her maid Shizuku seems like the ideal proper servant but she can be headstrong, violent, and meek all at the same time. And if you think that sounds adorable, you are correct. Finally, we have our Oni, Tsugaru. He is brash, a little crass, and slowly going mad. He also recites Rakugo every chance he gets, is pretty much always in a good mood, and happily plays the fool so well that at times you’re not sure he’s playing.

They are archetypes but mixed up. With tropes and features that normally don’t belong together. The strong man is the comic relief, and he gets along very well with the efficient genius leader. The humble servant is disobedient but eternally loyal. And just like the plot, somehow this jumble comes together to form a delicious stew. It’s not always clean. Sometimes you see the strain that all these spare parts are putting on the narrative, but it is always fun.

At the end of the day, what more do you want from a show?

You might like this anime if:

You don’t take yourself too seriously. Honestly, if you’re willing to give in to some nonsense, there is a lot to like here

My favourite character:

Aya. It’s rare for me to like a main character best but whenever she was not onscreen I missed her.

Suggested drink:

Invitation to a Beheading (Now that’s a cocktail name!)

• Every time anyone says “oui” – oh la la
• Every time anyone makes a pun about Aya – raise your glass
• Every time Tsugaru does a senrei bow – take a sip
• Every time Shizuku bickers with Tsugaru – take a sip
• Every time a new figure from literature is introduced – clap politely
• Every time Annie shows up – is she an orphan?
• Every time Tsugaru fights – cheer him on
• Every time anyone says “werewolf” – take a sip
• Every time Tsugaru recites rakugo – clap enthusiastically
• Every time Aya explains it all – pay attention

I save all my screencaps on my Pinterest and you can find more there if you are interested. But I still like to show you a few in the post. If you’re like me, screencaps are something that really helps you decide to watch an anime or not.