Un-Go

Un-Go, the overshadowed anime from Fall 2011. Despite the critically acclaimed staff working on Un-Go, much of its hype disappeared for another series. With so many set backs could Un-Go prove everyone wrong and be a good series? Jump the break to solve the mystery!

What is it: Yuki Shinjuro is a detective whose purpose is not to make sure crimes go solved but rather uncover the truths that lay hidden. Along with his partner, Inga, the 'defeated' detective travel across a war ravaged Japan in the hopes of making sure that truths are not replaced by lies. Based on the works of Ango Sakaguchi, Studio Bones produced 11 episodes in 2011.

Why is it special: Un-Go despite losing much of its hype leading up to its airing, had everything in the making to create a stellar show. Not only was Bones, a studio known for making top notch anime, it was also the same team that worked on the acclaimed Fullmetal Alchemist show.

Plus One:
The mystery: At its core, Un-Go is a simple mystery show. Such a show is going to live and die by how it handles the turns and twists that mysteries need to have to make them interesting. With Un-Go the mysteries seem simple at first but as they progress they get more and more complex until not even the characters can really see what is going on.

The characters: While this may seem like a stale subject that I tend to overuse a lot for shows, Un-Go has a rather complex character dynamic. While there are only 7 characters that appear over and over, it feels like a large show. Each mystery brings about a new group that is connected to the new mystery.

Inga and Kazamori: Probably two of the most interesting characters of the season. Inga is interesting because s/he transforms into a busty woman who is actually the boss of Shinjuro. When Inga transforms she eats the soul of one person she asks a question to. Kazamori on the other hand is an artificial intelligence living in a human-like body. Almost the opposite of Inga, Kazamori is very analytical and not brash. Yet supposedly being two opposites, Kazamori and Inga act very similarly.

The setting: Japan has been torn due to a war and still suffers from constant terrorist attacks. Much of the population lives in the rubble. What could be a very interesting setting is largely shied away from keeping the mystery of what happened to Japan.

Minus One:
Short: At eleven episodes (plus one movie), Un-Go feels really short. Just as things really start going the show ends. Un-Go would have been better served if it had a 25 episode series, but perhaps this is a good thing because people will want to see more.

Plot: While the mysteries are interesting enough, much of the plot is left out until the final few episodes. It felt more like a mystery of the week show, with only reoccurring characters to keep continuity.

All for One:
While being out shadowed by Guilty Crown, there was plenty of people trying to advocate how much better Un-Go is. Un-Go is a mystery-of-the-week show but does so much more. There is much left untapped in the series that it deserves at least another season. The characters alone are more than enough to keep the series going if the mysteries are a bit repetitive. Un-Go is a show for those looking for a mystery show or for those that really want to get involved with the characters.