Warning: This may contain minor spoilers for Undead Murder Farce, Episode 2, "Vampire", and Episode 3, "The Immortal and the Oni," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
While the three-episode test is still often held as the standard for getting invested in an anime, a solid premiere can go a long way toward grabbing a viewer for the long haul. It's awfully impressive how Undead Murder Farce's second episode is almost as fitting an intro to the story as its first, displaying masterful exposition, set-up, and an addictive mystery.
This series, from director Shinichi Omata, follows Aya Rindo, an immortal detective in search of her missing body, aided by the half-oni Shinuchi and the deadly albeit taciturn maid Shizuku. In our review of the premiere, we praised the visual storytelling and character writing, calling the series' start "sophisticated" and "dripping with style."
An Ingenious Time Skip
Murder Farce's season premiere was focused on joining together the main trio, exploring their contrasting personalities, and offering a taste of their inner complexities through banter. In the end, they agreed to a partnership and began an adventure to seek a common foe, but the second episode, simply titled "Vampire," fast-forwards some time into this adventure. And delightfully, this yields phenomenal results.
The first major arc of this season follows a family of vampires who live alongside humanity as allies, though are nonetheless treated as outcasts on account of their nature. When the father, Lord Godard, discovers his wife murdered, the already strained peace is tested further and the press swarm the family for comment. However, Lord Goddard has already hired help - a certain famous detective known as the "Cage User."
This new storyline commences with a cold open methodically weaving the story of this family, the conditions they live in, why they live in them, and the threats that continue to present themselves. The audience is meant to follow this family as they discover their own mother dead as the first clues present themselves one after the other. It's a patient, delicate, and classically gripping intro.
Furthermore, by advancing forward in time, the story fills in the audience as to what the main trio has been up to since the first episode. It informs their exploits of past mysteries, and by extension, it reveals the wide range of fictional creatures that exist in this fittingly farcical modern fantasy, from merfolk to golems. And of course, there are vampires as well.
By the time the main trio takes the stage, they're just as alluring of leads as in the premiere, but the exposition has given them a newfound mystique. Their exploits may be known far and wide, but the family is still taken aback by the reveal of Rindo's disembodied state. The directing does an excellent job following their perspectives as they ponder where her voice is coming from. The audience might already know, but watching others uncover the truth is no less entertaining.
Dramatic irony at its finest. Added to that, none of the chemistry from Episode 1 has lost its charm. Appropriately, the characters banter as if they've been together a long time, and they've settled into these recognizable patterns that discern much about their relationships. Shinuchi and Shizuku are still at odds, but with Rindo, the two share a similar sense of humor that speaks to the playfulness of their relationship.
A Captivating Mystery
With any mystery show, details matter - small details especially - and it speaks to the quality of Omata's directing that each little detail feels important. It invites one to play along, whether it's to piece together clues or just to observe how each action informs the characters and their personalities. Another benefit of the time skip is seeing just how the characters have learned to go about their work, almost on instinct.
During Episode 3, "The Immortal and the Oni," Rindo questions the family at the dining room table, assessing everyone's whereabouts during the time of the murder. Without a body of her own, Rindo requires Shinuchi to turn her cage to look the suspects in the eye. It's a small detail that could easily look funny depending on the framing, but it comes off as imposing and cool. Shinuchi has worked with this woman long enough to know how best to move her.
The tension between the main trio, the family, and the few human servants rises as suspicion turns to those within the household, rather than some outside party. To Goddard, the suggestion that one of his own family is the murderer seems preposterous, but it's increasingly unlikely that any outsider was responsible. Clues begin to mount quickly, but the presentation never overwhelms.
When the end credits hit at the end of Episode 2, it came as a shock that it was over so quickly. The pacing has a rare mesmeric quality that can pull one in and make them forget about time, and it makes the wait for a new episode all the sweeter. Enthusiasts of the mystery genre might find it typical but between the modern fantasy trappings and eye-catching direction, it's hard not to enjoy such a competently produced story.
Episode 3 ends with the promise that the "farce" is coming to an end, which implies that the upcoming fourth episode will reveal the answer to the mystery, and the hype is warranted. Undead Murder Farce might not top many people's "must-watch" lists this season, but given how unexpectedly fun it has been, it arguably should be. Hopefully, the coming episodes won't tarnish such promising momentum.