Alternative title(s): Undead Girl Murder Farce
Novel Adaptation by Lapin Track
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

A half-man, half-oni circus performer has an excruciatingly long conversation with a disembodied head in a birdcage before they eventually decide to hunt monsters together.

Aqua’s verdict: Far from a Farce

Undead Murder Farce sure reminded me of a lot of things. It reminded me that whenever a particular voice performance stands out to me, it’s always Tomoyo Kurosawa behind the mic. The direction choices reminded me that I’d rather watch a most conversationally driven show directed by Shinichi Omata of Kaguya-sama and Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu fame than one directed by, say, Akiyuki Shinbo. Some of the music reminded me of Tool — because, yes, I am one of those tools who listens to Tool; tomatoes are available at the front desk. Most of all though, Undead Murder Farce reminded me of shows like In/Spectre or the works of NisioIsin, shows that want to sound intellectual and cerebral by fully exhausting every possible tangent and phrasing every line of dialogue like a thesis statement, even though whether they actually are intellectual and cerebral is up for discussion.

What it didn’t remind me of, though, was a farce. There’s no chaotic slapstick or misunderstandings piling on top of one another here — in fact, if anything, the characters seem to understand each other a little bit too well, as if they’re speaking some kind of language only they comprehend. Undead Murder Farce is not quite as outrageous as its title would suggest. If anything, it’s for now failed to distinguish itself from many other Victorian supernatural mystery in any meaningful way. I wouldn’t say there isn’t potential, though. Omata is a talented director and the idea of a single strong whodunnit with a paranormal twist is not an unappealing one. Unfortunately, I didn’t really see this pilot playing these cards to much effect — and the only reason why I’m still interested is because I feel the show is still keeping them close to its chest. I couldn’t help but do some research, and it seems as if many of this series’ main draws haven’t even been alluded to yet. I’ll withhold judgement, but not forever. Next episode will be essential to determine how Undead Murder Farce will be reminded.

Artemis’ verdict: Ask Me Again Next Week

I… kinda didn’t mind this? I’m honestly a little torn, as while it’s clearly not your average shonen action-adventure series, Undead Murder Farce also gives off the impression that it’s milking that fact for all it’s worth, in so doing trying to seem a bit cooler and edgier than it really is. The premise is more alternative-historical fantasy than anything else, which does inherently appeal to the part of me that likes… well, historical/alternate-timeline historical and fantasy stories. On the other hand, a lot of what goes on plays out in somewhat cringe-worthy fashion, especially when it comes to the more, shall we say sexually charged aspects of the series. To be fair, Undead Murder Farce is also supposed to be a detective-style mystery, and those often do require a bit more setup and time to really settle into the narrative. So far, I’ve yet to actually see the mystery aspect come into its own, but the premiere did just enough for me to wait to see what episode 2 will be like.