With the night of the heist quickly approaching, Lupin doesn’t seem to be hiding as he sends a message to Holmes and Rindo both.
Highlights
- Undead Murder Farce’s second arc pays homage to classic tales of gentlemen detectives, where the leading lady, Aya Rindo, outmatches iconic characters like Arsene Lupin and Sherlock Holmes.
- Episode 6 showcases clever framing and comedic mix-ups, as well as Lupin’s smart mind games and dashing escape. The vocal deliveries and brief action scene add humor and emotional depth to the story.
- The show intentionally sidelines the main trio to highlight the iconic detective characters. Rindo’s ability to think steps ahead suggests she will outsmart them all, with hints pointing to a key clue involving the legendary thief Ishikawa Goemon.
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Warning: This may contain spoilers for Undead Murder Farce, Episode 6, “The Phantom Thief and the Detective”, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Imagine Arsene Lupin, The Phantom of the Opera, Phileas Fogg, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and others, all in one story together, yet somehow none are the main characters. Undead Murder Farce‘s second arc has been a love letter to classic tales of gentlemen detectives, adventurers, and thieves alike, but the leading lady might just outmatch them all.
Last week, Arsene Lupin struck a deal with the Phantom of the Opera to work together on a daring heist that places Phileas Fogg’s mansion on high alert, with great minds enlisted to catch the thief. With a seemingly impenetrable vault, an army of police, and some of the greatest detectives alive, Lupin’s next move is a mystery, but Aya Rindo seems to have an idea of how it will all play out.
Masks and Mix-ups
Murder Farce‘s latest episode chronicles the day leading up to the heist, between surprise confrontations, the planting of several seeds, and one unfortunate mix-up. Shinuchi mistakes Rindo’s birdcage for another and after seemingly hours of not noticing, he and Shizuku frantically search the city for her.
The exact moment the two cages swap isn’t, but once Shinuchi realizes his error, the audience can easily put the pieces together thanks to the clever framing of the opening scene. What follows is a comedy of errors, going from a simple search to a frantic chase through London after a familiar pair who abscond with Rindo’s head.
Meanwhile, Arsene Lupin pays Sherlock Holmes a visit. Last week was a who’s who of literary icons, but Episode 6 elevates these greats above simple fan service, as their portrayals don’t feel like some shallow caricatures. Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft, makes an unexpected appearance and immediately deduces that Sherlock is none other than Arsene in a mask.
When the real Sherlock arrives, it appears as if the phantom thief only came to gloat, but in reality, he’s carefully planting seeds in the detective’s mind to throw him off. It’s quick, smart, and begins the episode on a high. Lupin makes a dashing escape, then offers to help Shizuku find her birdcage like a gentleman, not knowing who she is in league with.
As the search turns into a car chase, the humor shines through the vocal deliveries. Considering Rindo’s typically calm demeanor, her irritated scream as the car she’s in passes Shinuchi is hilarious and sells the urgency of the rather brief action scene. It’s also nice to see a more emotional side to Shizuku, whose cold exterior cracks ever so slightly out of concern for Rindo.
What Lupin arguably lacks in discretion, he makes up for in the mind games he plays with others. He set out to send a message to one great detective that evening and ended up sending a message to two of them. Lupin’s weird magic marbles give him the edge needed to beat Shinuchi of all people, and he warns Rindo to drop the case. It’s not the best fight compared to some of the others previously, but it gets the message across.
The Coming Farce
In last week’s review, there was some concern that putting so many of these famous characters in the story might bury the main trio. However, it’s starting to become clear that side-lining the main characters might be somewhat intentional. After all, Sherlock Holmes is the most iconic detective in all fiction.
This show takes the time to treat his portrayal with the respect it deserves and to rope in several of the characters associated with his stories to make him feel more grounded in the world. It’s an impressive feat considering the larger supernatural world encompassing Holmes – elements that would normally be absent or at least disproved within Sherlock Holmes stories.
Ever since the end of Episode 5, there’s been a suggestion that Rindo already has thought several steps ahead of everyone else. It echoes the end of Episode 2 when she neglected to reveal the last two problems with the crime scene, so it could be revealed later. Perhaps Holmes and the rest of these legendary characters need to take the spotlight now so that Aya Rindo can outsmart all of them.
While most of the characters, Holmes included, are inside the vault where the diamond is held, Rindo and the others are stationed in a tower. Clearly, the real key to unmasking this farce is elsewhere. The only clue that the audience has been given by the immortal detective herself is “Ishikawa Goemon,” the legendary Japanese thief who was boiled alive as punishment for his crimes. Perhaps Lupin’s plot to fill the chamber with water is part of Rindo’s prediction.
When watching Undead Murder Farce, writer Yuugo Aosaki’s love for the classics comes through effortlessly in this adaptation thanks not only to the directing but the script. Series writer Noboru Takagi juggles these myriad characters with intrigue, capturing their appeal while paving a path for new characters to steal the audience’s heart.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
