https://anilist.co/anime/10798/UNGO/ At first the odd title really grabbed my interest when I was going through the studios catalog. UnGo. The title has two meanings. 1. The anime is a reimagination of the Japanese novel Meiji Kaika ANGO Torimonocho written by Sakaguchi ANGO. Yeah UNGO looks cooler. 2. The word/title also means Code to a secret which is a pretty reasonable title for a detective show except Hes a 10 but hes also a buxom babe UNGO doesnt work well as an engaging detective series. When you are doing mystery show in an episodic format its hard not to notice its formula and the formula in this show is one character Inga whos both the main attraction and a drawback to the series. Ingas identity is unknown for most of the show Inga appears as an annoying Shouta who can transform into a beautiful woman and many other forms apparently and can make any human confess their truth. In return Inga can feed on their souls but only once a person. Since the anime follows an episodic structure this ability feels like a cheat because no matter the amount of investigation that goes on the overall mystery collapses when Inga does the questioning. But whats reassuring is the show being aware of this. It never pretends to make a mystery any more complicated or simple than it already is. Which really begs the question Whats the point of a mystery that is obvious? Many mysteries work on the good old question of Whodunit?. Introduce many characters throw them into a crimepossible setting give a reason for every character to commit a crime even to the protagonist if you will and bring the detective at the end to close the case or to speak in a broader sense the Pursuit of Truth is what drives a mystery. The same is true in UNGO but the truth here is less about being engaging and more about taking a look into the adverse effects of an international phenomenon. The War and its stories In UNGO you tag along with this detective named Yuuki Shinjirou the Defeated Detective whose pursuit of Truth is not just simply a who how or why. Our protagonist believes that the hidden truth is what characterizes a person which goes against the ideals of the antagonist Kaisho Rinroku who believes that some truths are worth hiding in order to make a better world. This truth is always tied to the war and how war tore the lives of people. Ango Sakaguchis novel the anime is based on was released way back in 1945s just after Japans loss in WW2 and provided a fictional world to show how Military can change its society if it ever to take control over its people. Many of us cant even comprehend the horrors of war and how much war influenced todays society and peoples lives. We look at those Ukraine war footage videos might hear some speeches or watch war dramas but the most we can do is empathize with them. Shows like UNGO will shed light on the topics of war to people that really dont know the cruelties of war and how war will shape and shaped a society. TL DR Its less about the mystery and more about the commentary on militarism in a wartorn society. OP ED I want to make a separate section for this as I really liked the songs so much. The ending actually hints at a certain event in the second half and its also the only few cases in the Anime that has some wonderful animation sequences. The series mostly have still frames with animation no more than lip flaps which were well balanced with some good direction so it wont be that much of a bother. The OST is pretty standard it reminds me of some outdated mystery movies with the main detective always pointing at things while a supercool OST playing in the background to make a supercool scene. Not bad though. Watch Order Theres a 48minute prequel titled UNGO: Ingaron which I recommend watching between episodes 6 7 rather than just watching this before the show itself. Ingaron focuses on Shinjirous past and a certain being called Bettenou which is a major plot point in the later half. Conclusion If the description... A mystery drama with supernatural demons set in a futuristic Japan where the internet and the media are monopolized by its Militaristic Government? ... sounds good enough then watch it anyway. The concept of truth and souls is something akin to Ghost in the Shell though UNGO is not as cyberpunkIsh as GITS and differs in its subgenres. The supernatural detective mystery is something akin to Bungou Stray Dogs though UNGO is not as comedic and doesnt have as many characters as in BSD. Its a waste of time to get into a show without knowing anything about it. Of course you can check out UNGO even if you dont like the Anime I mentioned. UnGo is not perfect but is still definitely a bit underappreciated. 612https://i.ur.com/FDMuKox.jpeg 60https://i.ur.com/kCvaHoy.jpeg 31https://i.ur.com/gDZKkoX.jpeg