Undead Murder Farce isn’t a great title, a fact that probably escaped the Japanese creators of the anime, who were not proficient in English. Still, it’s the title we’re stuck with, so we might as well take a look at what it might mean. “Undead” refers to the fact that the main character, Aya Rindo, is immortal. The Japanese version of the title is actually Undead Girl Murder Farce, so I believe it can be understood to mean, “Immortal Girl and Murder Farce.” Now, what the hell is a murder farce?

There are actually several definitions of the word “farce.” Colloquially, a farce refers to an absurd event or a ridiculous happening. It’s often used to imply mockery of something that was originally meant to be serious. The other main definition – the oldest one – is a type of comedy work where the events are extremely unlikely and silly. A “Murder Farce” is therefore something that should be a serious murder case, but turns out to have absurd twists and ridiculous complications.

The above description actually fits this anime quite well. The protagonists solve murder mysteries that always turn out to have an unexpected twist. The entire concept is also rather ridiculous in nature. I mean, a disembodied head is employing an ogre/demon to help look for her body. If you think that premise sounds remotely interesting, continue on to read my series review of Undead Murder Farce.

Spoilers Note: The first episode is summarized in the story section, but no specific spoilers regarding the mysteries or their solutions are given. There’s general information about some of the characters, including the fact Sherlock Holmes appears. Other than that, there are no major spoilers.

Article Contents:

1. Story
2. Visuals
3. Audio
4. Characters
5. Personal Enjoyment
6. Overall Score

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Story

Score: 7/10

The setting is a world much like our own in the late 1800s. The difference is that this world is home to creatures like vampires, goblins, and werewolves. However, Humans reign supreme, hunting down other species until they went extinct or into hiding. After being a victim of illegal experimentation, human Tsugaru Shunichi was infused with the biology of an Oni – an ogre-like demon from Japan. He would have a limited lifespan with his rationality in tact before losing his mind and becoming a violent monster.

Tsugaru’s fate is altered when he meets Aya Rindo: a disembodied head of a girl. Aya’s maid, Shizuku, carries her around in a bird cage. As the only known being who is completely immortal, Aya was targeted by a mysterious antagonist who cut off her head and stole her body. In return for helping get her body back, Aya is willing to use her saliva to prolong Tsugaru’s lifespan. It will also prevent his descent into madness. Tsugaru agrees, and the two become a team.

This story concept is unusual and entertaining if not exactly thrilling. Aya and Tsugaru travel around Europe, gathering clues that will lead them to the thief who took Aya’s body. Along the way, they work together as detectives and help solve a few mysteries in exchange for information. The mysteries are generally fun and fascinating. I didn’t find them too easy to predict, and there were often interesting backstories involved.

Another neat thing about Undead Murder Farce is that it incorporates several famous, public-domain characters from the late 1800s. This includes Sherlock Holmes and the Phantom of the Opera. But despite these strengths of the story category, I ultimately felt bored or underwhelmed at several points. The plot wanders without much structure. The meandering subplots are irritating to some audiences. Moreover, the ending feels rather anticlimactic with regards to the overarching plot.

In addition to an unfocused plot with a “meh” ending, there were a few other issues. Namely, there was a lack of consistent or in-depth information about the world and its creatures. The information provided was barely adequate, and I wanted to learn so much more. On a separate note, the show fails to explore any profound story themes. It is rather shallow. For these reasons, the best score I can give for story is 7/10.

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Visuals

Score: 8/10

Undead Murder Farce is a nice-looking anime. The art style is modern and neat, with a few unique and interesting character designs. Aya and Tsugaru in particular look memorable and original. For these protagonists as well as the more generic supporting characters, a lot of time clearly went into giving them effective face expressions. The emotions shown in their faces are eye-catching and entertaining. Tsugaru’s goofy expressions, for instance, never fail to amuse. For another example, Aya occasionally shows this sly, sensual smile that I love seeing.

Though the color pallet is very nice, the brightness often seems muted in this anime, like there is constant cloud-cover above. I think the anime would have looked slightly better if it seemed less murky. That being said, I love the colors used, especially the greens, deep blues, and golds. The action scenes are nothing fancy – lots of still-frames and lack of complex choreography. It’s pretty standard for a non-shounen anime with a limited budget. I still think it looks great overall.

Visually, my favorite section of the series was the last arc, wherein Aya and Tsugaru went to a tiny mountain town in Germany. This part of the show was extra enjoyable due to the pretty scenery, the painter and her portrait of the missing girl, and the animations for the werewolves. I love wolves and werewolves, so it’s great to see them in anime as long as they look good.

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Audio

Score: 8/10

The audio category is excellent. Opening song “Crack-Crack-Crackle” by Class:y is memorable, catchy, and unusual. I love the upbeat tempo and the various female vocalists. There’s some “Engrish” thrown into the lyrics, but I found it enjoyable. The ending song is “Reversal” by Anna. It’s strikingly beautiful, calming, and thought-provoking. I recommend looking up the full music video because it has a really neat, melancholy atmosphere. As for the opening, the link is below.

I always like to comment on the Japanese voice-acting in anime. The voice cast for Undead Murder Farce did a fine job – especially the three main protagonists. Tomoyo Kurasawa (voice of Aya) is a popular seiyuu best known for her role as Kumiko in Hibike! Euphonium. I don’t recognize the voice of Taku Yashiro (Tsugaru) voice, but I loved the way he spoke. I have my eye on Makoto Koichi (Shizuku) since she recently played Nurugai in Hell’s Paradise. She’s had relatively few roles in anime, but I think she’s got real talent.

On a final note, veteran voice actor Tomokazu Sugita appeared in the minor role of Aleister Crowley. His roles are numerous, but the longest-running example would be Gintoki from Gintama. It’s always a treat to hear his voice.

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Characters

Score: 8/10

This category was quite strong overall due to Shizuku’s endearing character, the engaging supporting cast during different story arcs, and the fantastic dynamic between Aya and Tsugaru. Before I elaborate on those points, however, I want to point out the weaknesses of the character category in this anime.

The main issue was that the villains were underwhelming and boring. Some had interesting starting concepts, but absolutely no further development. Another smaller issue concerns the supporting character of Annie Kerber. The show made it seem like she would be an important cast member, but she was useless and irrelevant for most of the story. Of course, her design is adorable, but at the end of the day, don’t know why she’s even a character in this series.

Going back to the positives, I enjoyed this show’s versions of Arsene Lupin and Sherlock Holmes. They were rather classic renditions that didn’t try to be crazily original. Holmes was cool-headed, intelligent, and confident, with a strong desire to uncover truth. Lupin was flamboyant, arrogant, and charismatic. I also liked a few of the original characters, such as the Goddard family of vampires, Alma the painter, and all of the werewolf girls.

As I mentioned earlier, Shizuku was a delightful character. I love her dedication to Aya. There is definitely a romantic element between these two, and I’m wildly gay for this ship. The dynamic between Aya and Tsugaru was also amazing. They have a certain love-hate chemistry. They rely on each other’s strengths and respect each other, but they are constantly arguing and/or bantering. Tsugaru is a goofball, which is especially humorous in contrast to Aya’s serious and sardonic personality.

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Personal Enjoyment

Score: 7/10

NotesI enjoyed all of the positive elements I mentioned so far, including the songs, funny character interactions, and creative character designs. In addition, the general atmosphere of the anime is something I greatly appreciated. It’s a pleasant mix of funny, fanciful, and genuinely intriguing. I must also say – without giving any spoilers – that I loved the mystery arc with the werewolves and its fascinating conclusion.

There were, of course, a few elements that I didn’t enjoy or had mixed feelings about. I occasionally got bored with the plot, and none of the villains seemed appealing or well developed. There’s also the topic of Shizuku’s sexuality. I like that she’s in love with Aya, but I wish media wouldn’t always be so exploitative of lesbian characters. Although Shizuku’s interactions with Carmilla were indeed hot, they were obviously just cases of fetish pandering. Moreover, they were not consensual encounters.

Just to end on a positive note, I believe Undead Murder Farce did well to include so many characters from historical fiction as well as classic types of creatures from folklore. If you like series that incorporate mythical creatures, this anime is a good start. The creatures and lore are pretty basic, but that also makes them classic. Depending on the creature, some are also surprisingly attractive. 😉

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Overall Score

Score: 7.6 / 10.0

For a series that wasn’t popular when it aired, Undead Murder Farce has been fairly well-received by those that actually heard about it and gave it a try. It’s not an outstanding anime, but it’s solidly enjoyable. My score reflects that, with 7 being “Good” and 8 being “Excellent.” If there’s a second season in the future, I’ll definitely be watching.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen this anime or if you plan to watch it at some point. If you’ve seen it, what did you think? Discussion is always appreciated.

~Thanks for reading~

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