Summary
Warning: This may contain spoilers for Undead Murder Farce, Episode 7, “Free for All”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
The second arc ofUndead Murder Farcehas been an even bigger delight than the first, largely due to the colorful and storied cast of figures co-opted by the storytellers. While the show has been somewhat reserved with its action, “Free For All” truly lives up to its name, and it might just be the start of a much bloodier, action-focused stretch of the story.
Last week, after an embarrassing mix-up left Rindo separated from the others, Shinuchi and Shizuku ended up retrieving her, only forthe gang to come face-to-face with Lupinand Erik. After a brief battle that left Shinuchi defeated, the criminals disappeared and all parties convened at the Fogg Mansion to protect the diamond, where the two phantoms would strike.
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The Tale of the Pot Thief
Shinuchi and Rindo are quite the pair and though the former’s blunders can leave the latter annoyed, episodes like this go to show why they work well together. They are both fairly intelligent, but Shinuchi is a committed storyteller and performer who takes his reputation as an attraction and makes it a part of his personality. In doing so, his stage presence grants Rindo’s schemes the theatricality she cannot convey on account of her own missing body.
Back in the premiere, when Shinuchi said"You have the brains to find the enemy. I have the body to carry you to him," he truly meant that he wouldbeher body. There’s a sense that every slight movement of her cage on his part and every pose in which he places himself is all in service of his master’s “performance” as she unmasks the farces they encounter.
Shinuchi’s story about the “pot thief” this week is amusing, but it also makes for a brilliant twist that retroactively enhances previous scenes. At the start of Episode 6, Shinuchi was in the midst of a seemingly irrelevant story, putting on a voice, much to Rindo’s chagrin. When he begins telling the story of “the pot thief” in Episode 7, the few close-up shots of Rindo’s face suggest a similar annoyance when in reality, she’s nowhere near him.
She’s been inside the safe the entire night ever since they arrived back at the mansion, holding the small door closed with her teeth, while the diamond was elsewhere.Lupin might have found the diamond anyway, but it would be for nothing if Shinuchi could intercept Lupin and Erik when they reunited. Rindo turned herself into a living burglar alarm, further revealing that Shinuchi’s story was directly connected to their plan.
The audience’s only clue as to Rindo’s plan was “Ishikawa Goemon,” the legendary thief from Japan who was boiled alive for his crimes. Shinuchi’s story is a comedy about Goemon’s lackeys stealing pots across Japan after his death, and a vendor who decided to hide in a pot to surprise the thieves. This ingenious reveal is heightened thanks tohowShinuchi tells his story.
It’s highly reminiscent of Rakugo, a performing art in which an actor kneels before the audience and recites a story, acting out all the roles, changing their voice and body language, and only using a fan and a cloth as props. Shinuchi’s story certainly sees him moving around a lot more than a typical Rakugo performer, but when he closes it out with a bow to his bewildered audience of crooks, it’s all worth it.
The Party Crashers
The latter half of the episode attempted to ride the high left after the aforementioned twist, and while it doesn’t reach quite the same heights, it bodes well for what’s to come. The Professor and his coterie of deadly oddities attack the mansion and destroy the bridge crossing the moat. This crew on its own is as stacked a cast as the gathering of detectives, adventures, and thieveswho have taken center stage thus far.
Victor Frankenstein, Carmilla, Jack the Ripper, and Alistair Crowley make for quite the assembly of villains. As was the case at the start of this arc, the cast almost seems a tad bloated, but the execution behind them is clever, and upon their arrival, the story doesn’t suddenly forget characters like Sherlock and Watson.
In fact, Sherlock’s confrontation with Crowley was a highlight of the episode. With so many of Moriarty’s crew clearly being supernatural, it felt fitting that the one who fought Sherlock would have a trick being their “magic.” It turns out to be sleight of hand and a coat full of tricks, which the master detective is quick to deduce. Despite how stylized this show can be, moments like thesefeel like an authenticSherlock Holmesstory.
This episode concludes with many a cliffhanger and the promise of exquisite fights next week, the most exciting of which will be Shizuku facing off against Carmilla. Of the three protagonists, Shizuku has unfortunately been given the shortest end of the stick, so this fight could be great for her character.
Every week,Undead Murder Farcebecomes a stranger beastof a show, one which continues to succeed in spite of an excess of elements that would cause lesser productions to choke. With the season halfway done, there’s plenty left to digest, but even if the direction it’s heading turns out to be underwhelming, it’s hard to imagine this story getting any less interesting.
