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 watching and 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.
