Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon

Story:
Mystery is the whole point of this show. Who killed who and why is the question asked every episode.
As a huge fan of mysteries, I recommend this show to anyone who likes shows that have you thinking while being on the edge of your seat waiting for the murderer to strike again. You really get pulled into the stories, you get a feeling of pressure and of being uneasy as if you really were in the story. You want the killer to be caught and for everything to work out. Something very interesting about the show is the mixture of villains. Some times ... the murderer is a completely evil person, but often times you feel sympathy towards them, you wish that they could have found another way. It gives you a strange feeling of realism.
A 10 on story from me.

Art:
The art is nothing special. I would maybe compare it to Rurouni Kenshin, or something else of that general time. The colors of clothes, people, and objects are usually very bright, but the backgrounds are generally dark. Giving it a unique look which works well for the type of show.
A 7 on art.

Sound/music:
The sound effects are good, if only because they are put to better use in this show then in most others. The music is nothing unusual. It serves it's purpose, it sets the mood. But there s nothing spectacular about it. I will say I very much like the intro song, but other then that, nothing out of the common way.
An 8 on sound/music.

Character:
The characters, other then the core two, change every episode.
There are a couple who appear in more then one to several cases, but mostly, it's a new cast each case. I liked most of the characters, but few of them were particularly interesting. It had, at least in my opinion, very likable leads, which is a plus. Sakon and Ukon are both very fun in their own ways, and Kaoruko is always fun to have around.
A 9 on character.

Enjoyment:
I loved this show to death. It has become an all time favorite.
As a great lover of who-done-it's, I fell in love hard and fast.
The show and its characters were all very western in the way they worked. The plots were fun, and while confusing were not overly so.
As I said before, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves mystery.
a 10 on enjoyment.

Overall: Very good. A fun ride that doesn't leave you bored or lost.
10 overall!

Story: One has to be clear about this, a lot of the arcs run into the cliques of the murder mystery genera. Also, there are some that have very big simularities to cases in other Anime/Manga, but this is not do to complete coping, but due to the cliques that run through them.

That being said, what makes this story is the mystery solving pair, a boy and his puppet, and how they interact with the characters. As it progresses, one gets to not only get a really good mystery to try to solve, but a better understanding of who Ukon and Sakon are.

Art:The art ... work is very detailed. For those wondering why Ukon looks so much like the Rurouni, it is because the two artists worked together when starting out. I can actually find quite a few simularities in their work due to this, yet their art has their own flavor to it.

Sound: The opening theme is so haunting, perhaps even gothic, as in the sence of a literary term. It is the same with the ending music. It is something that sticks in ones head and one gets out.

Character: Is Ukon possesed, or does Sakon have a major split personality disorder? That is a good question as the story progresses, one has to wonder that, as Sakon is rather attached to the puppet and is really only know being able to make friends with people, something he couldn't do when he was younger. Sakon is also very smart too, which sets him apart.

Enjoment: It is one of my favorites, I fell in love with the characters and loved the fact they were so unique.

Overall: I highly recomend this Anime to any one who is into this kind of stuff. It is worth at least watching once, to form ones own opinion of it.

I will keep it as short as possible. If you are looking for a short version, read the last paragraph.

Looking at the cover image and reading the short resume, I was given the impression that the series would be somewhat different than what it really is. Sakon on the cover image, and even Ukon with a bit of a dumb expression both look mysterious in a way like they have their own shocking secrets and the series would be more like xxxHolic where there's one big overarching story arc and mini arcs in between that will feel like some intense, thrilling mystery, but instead it ... felt like I was watching a slightly better version of Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, which I gave up on after 40 episodes due to sheer boredom.

I will do a lot of comparison between both series, because at this point, these two are the only ones of this "genre" that I've seen and I don't have a larger base for comparison.

Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon is actually better, at least in creating a somewhat solid and consistent character for Sakon and Ukon (in a way). Another good thing about the characters is they are more human and there is something like an aftermath after the case is solved, both of which are missing in Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, where a case ends and "everyone lived happily ever after" and then we switch to the next case. Characters here have feelings, they feel flawed, like real human beings who have hopes, dreams, fears, imperfections. In Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, they feel more plain than NPCs in an MMORPG that aren't even quest-related - they only serve to drive the plot of the arc.

The cases seem more interesting (at least to me) compared to Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, where every case feels more boring and predictable than the last and at some point it feels like there are a handful of "case templates" and the author was shuffling them and picking at random, which made the series feel old and boring in the first 10 episodes. In comparsion, Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon has cases that are related to the protagonist in a deeper and more significant way and it makes you care what will happen.

The relationship between Sakon and Ukon is also explored, although as I stated in the first paragraph, I had completely different expectations for this series and the relationship between the characters. My expectations were that it would not be 100% attached in reality, but I was wrong.

Overall, for me it's not as bad and boring as Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, especially the last arc is very important to understanding the whole situation better and I don't regret watching it, but I must admit around halfway through, I started watching it at x1.25 speed, because I wanted to get it over with. If you like murder mysteries, you will probably enjoy this a lot, if you are like me and just like mysteries in general, which are real headscratchers and not necessarily murders and there is a lot of intrigue and tension involved, you will be disappointed, because cases span 3 episodes each and none of them are something extraordinary.