Un-Go

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 on ... the 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.

2011 is definitely one of those detective anime years, and then... there's Un-Go.


Story - 6/10

Story? Plot? Do those exist in this series? So far, all I understand from watching 8 episodes is that Inga, one of the main characters, is some sort of boy/woman who feasts on souls by obtaining truth from others. Which is almost what they implied in the summary of the show. Other than that, the story has BARELY progressed at all since the beginning.

Art - 7/10

Mediocre good fine art. Nothing to comment on here, but the pointy chins did annoy me at first, but I got used to it.
...
Sound - 6/10

Nothing special, except for the opening and endings which are good.

Character - 6/10

To make more of an understanding, I'll list my thoughts on each character:

Shinjuurou Yuuji - The 'Defeated Detective', according to the other characters. To me, he's a statue. His character has not progressed or developed at ALL (same with the other characters, may I point out). His blunt and emotionless attitude can get on the nerves of some people at times.

Inga - To me, the best aspect of the show, and the only reason I'm continuing with it. Inga is nothing THAT special, don't take me like that, but the boy Inga character design is nice to the eyes, I'd give that. Same with the seiyuu, of course. Other than that... what is Inga? No development, yet again.

Rie - The detective's daughter. Her job? To annoy the main characters to no extent. She is an ok character, nothing new. Typical.

Kazamori - Surprisingly easier to deal with that most of the other characters. She's the typical 'loli' in anime. You just have to have one in a series.

Enjoyment - 6/10

When a new episode comes out, I watch it depending on my mood. Seriously. If I'm actually interested in an anime, I'd be looking forward to every week, waiting for it to be put up. Un-Go? Not really... Still, Inga's antics and Kazamori keep me going.

Overall - 6/10

Mediocre show. If you're going to watch it for the 'detective mystery' aspect (which actually happens to be one of my favorite genre), then don't. It won't meet up to your expectations on that field.

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 plotline ... threw 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.

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 Majin ... Tantei 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.