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Rurouni Kenshin
PAX 2012: Day 1 Gallery
In case you didn't know, Japanator is at PAX 2012! We're here to take kewl pix and score hott gamer chicks who love games almost as much as your personality. We don't have much to report now (check out our brother... more
Here's an unorthodox detective show: it's set in an alternate future of Japan where the events after World War II was slightly different than what actually happened. The main detective combo acts a bit like a manzai act with a twist. Unlike just about every other detective show this year, however, there isn't some gothic lolita playing puppet master behind the scene.
Is noitaminA's latest offering worth your time? Click on and find out!
Un-Go is based on a book written by Showa-era author Ango Sakaguchi, originally about a Meiji-era detective. That's where the title of the show comes from, and it partly explains why Un-Go takes place in such a off-kilter setting, with Japan not quite reconstructed like how it is today. The anime takes place in a modernized society for the most part, but it will be interesting to see if the rest of the series keep close to what we know as present-day, or something entirely from left field.
With that said, the first episode is told more from the perspective of the daughter (Rio) of a detective (Rinroku) who operates behind the scene, solving mysteries but saving the face of the government. The "main" detective pair, however, is another more capable detective who goes by the name of the "Defeated Detective" and his otherworldly partner, a transforming girl/loli who can make people tell the truth to one single question.
In a way, Un-Go is refreshing because it is finally a detective story that appeals mainly through the mystery and intrigue, rather than character development. The first episode is a solid push putting the mystery in the center of the show, while introducing the characters. Not only just a feast on style, we are treated to the almost-familiar setting and the political atmosphere of the day. I have to admit that it's nice to see actual grown men and women solving a murder instead of a little kid (sorry Conan/Dalian/Victorique/etc), even if in substance it's more or less the same kind of thing.
The down side to this fairly solid pilot would be how the show manage to telegraph the killer at around half way through. I guess it's with faint praise that I say the show is solid in that it was able to do it, but that also takes most of the surprise from one of those big reveals at the end. The other problem, as I see it, is how there seem to be two philosophically conflicting detectives doing all the work. On one hand you have our main character pair getting to the ugly truth, while the more manipulative and detective will try to resolve the problem in a way that covers up part of the truth in exchange for social harmony or mutual benefit of the involved parties. That may not be a problem, but I think the series is coming in a little strong with such a grand and deep theme. It's way too early to show your hand.
Un-Go is definitely a more interesting take on the detective genre, a return to mystery with a more sophisticated setting beyond merely being fantastic. Well, arguably it is not so fantastic as it is rotten, but it is within that space that Un-Go develops its story. Thankfully there's enough antics between Inga, Rio and Izumi to keep the dialog from being too much of a drag. Hopefully the overall plot will go somewhere!
[Catch Un-Go on Crunchyroll!]
In case you didn't know, Japanator is at PAX 2012! We're here to take kewl pix and score hott gamer chicks who love games almost as much as your personality. We don't have much to report now (check out our brother... more
Well, here we are! Today is the 31st of August, the day that Tales of Graces f hits stores across Europe, and we're about to give one of you a fantastic poster signed by none other than Hideo Baba himself. I gathered the Japa... more
Hey, welcome to Annotated Anime, the weekly anime recap augmented by the power of SUBTITLES. Yes, our newest site feature allows us to place slightly smaller text below the headline, for an extra dose of snark, info, humor, p... more
[This contest has ended! Thanks for entering, and we'll reveal our winner shortly!] On August 31st, the much anticipated Tales of Graces f will finally be available in Europe. I'm sure the RPG fans amongst us are waiting pati... more
Not to sound mean or anything, but Kamen Rider Fourze is going through its Final Impression as we speak, so we have to set up some ground rules for today. As I wait for Kamen Rider Wizard to air, I am going to have to put up the "spies only" sign. Let's toss up some shades and drive into the latest mission of Go-Busters. more
