The Anti-Sherlock
You know what? I have tried writing this post three times, and its always gotten messed up somehow. So just assume that the other essays were better, and bear with me while I try to spit this out one. last. time.
The anime series Ungo was a 12 episode series that aired last fall. It was a solid series with both flaws and positives. However, it really shines in comparison to another show, namely the BBC series Sherlock. I like both. I've watched both.
But man is it refreshing to have a detective show not based on Sherlock Holmes. In fact, its based on a completely different paradigm when it comes to the genera, and it really pays off.
You see, the vast majority of "detective shows", in both the West and the East, are based off of the Sherlock Holmes example. A team of very talented people is called in to investigate and unusual crime. They (or he, if its Sherlock) solve it with relatively little hassle with "clues" and go on their merry way, status quo unchanged.
So its obvious why this format works so well in Television. Its episodic and highlights immediate "good guys" who are better than the "bad guys". Often times the show devolves into drama as the crimes are replaced by a focus on the characters and their lives. It works well.
However, seeing a series diverge from this is nice. Ungo does this well. First, it isn't based on Sherlock Holmes. In fact, it isn't even based on a western work. This by itself is novel, as with Sir Arthur Cohan Doyle and Agatha Christi the western mystery genera was essentially set. But instead, Ungo is based on series called "Sengoku Era Detective Stories". By itself, this immediately casts Ungo in Japan, both culturally and thematically. Unlike detective shows like Gosick and Datalion that take place in Victorian England, Ungo is very Japanese. A globalized Japanese, perhaps, but Japanese none the less.
I wish this happened more often. Think of what would have happened had Dracula been canonized as the "only" way to tell a vampire story. Ignoring all of the twists, subversions, and fiddling done in the West, what would have happened to the Eastern understanding of vampires? Or of Zombies? The servant-type walking dead and the female vampire would have never continued into the modern day, and series like Shaman King and Vampire Princess Miyu would have never existed. How many detective stories have we not heard thanks to such genera constraints?
Anyways. Ungo has its faults but lack of creativity is not one of them. Like Sherlock, the series is set in the modern day. Specifically, in a near-future modern day wherein Japan has just finished a devastating guerrilla war. Infrastructure remains, but most of Tokyo is in ruins. Shinjuuro Yuuki is essentially a supervisor for one refugee building and, due to his contract with a truth-eating demon, is dragged into various high-profile crime scenes.
He is dubbed "The Defeated Detective" by the news media who only hears the sanitized version of the verdict. Opposing him is a thinktank leader named Kashiro who 'cleans up' after politically charged crimes.
Neither of these men are saints, and that is one thing that I really like about this series. Sherlock might declare that "you shouldn't make people into heroes, John"...but Ungo proves this over and over again. Shinjuuro is a flawed individual, brought down both by his failings as a person and by his ideals. His pursuit of the truth can hurt people, just as much as his mistakes do, and this is highlighted throughout the entire series. There are very real consequences for his accusations, and even when the murderer isn't brought to justice there are families left devastated and homes broken. The political maneuvering is not always viewed as 'wrong'...or at least its understandable - in the first episode a murder goes unpunished so the victim can remain a hero. Shinjuuro doesn't approve, but its easy to see both his and Kashiro's logic.
Also, unlike Sherlock Holmes and his various clones, Shinjuuro is much more of an everyman. He has experience and they color his views, he gets angry and frustrated, and in many respects he's a victim of the circumstances. Unlike most detective shows, he isn't doing this job because its "fun", or for his own personal gain. Simply put, if he doesn't, his subordinate will eat him...and he likes to throw sand in the political engine.
So when I say that Ungo is an Anti-Sherlock, I do mean it. The series is set on a different paradigm, with a hero that is shown to be unsympathetic and human...essential traits for an anti-hero, and it accomplishes its goals in different ways. Sherlock has the luxury of time and fans who will wait two years for the next episode. Ungo had no such luxury, and it shows in both pacing and the sparsity of non-plot-essential scenes. All of the characterization of Ungo is learned through showing the characters solving cases. This makes the viewer work much harder at understanding the characters and their motivations, but at the same time focuses the story more on the crimes and the politics - and I think this works in its favor, especially given the anti-nationalism stance that grows in importance throughout the series. (The final villain is...interesting in that respect.)
I can see how the supernatural elements might throw some viewers off, but the idea is used well. Inga, the demon sidekick, has the power to make one person answer one question truthfully. Most of the drama, and Shinjuuro's brilliance, shows in how he figures a case out to the point of needing only one damning answer...or misjudges the situation and casts the blame on the wrong party.
So, flaws and all, I would highly recommend the show Ungo to anyone who enjoys both tradition detective stories, and those who might like a bit of a twist.
-K
The anime series Ungo was a 12 episode series that aired last fall. It was a solid series with both flaws and positives. However, it really shines in comparison to another show, namely the BBC series Sherlock. I like both. I've watched both.
But man is it refreshing to have a detective show not based on Sherlock Holmes. In fact, its based on a completely different paradigm when it comes to the genera, and it really pays off.
You see, the vast majority of "detective shows", in both the West and the East, are based off of the Sherlock Holmes example. A team of very talented people is called in to investigate and unusual crime. They (or he, if its Sherlock) solve it with relatively little hassle with "clues" and go on their merry way, status quo unchanged.
So its obvious why this format works so well in Television. Its episodic and highlights immediate "good guys" who are better than the "bad guys". Often times the show devolves into drama as the crimes are replaced by a focus on the characters and their lives. It works well.
However, seeing a series diverge from this is nice. Ungo does this well. First, it isn't based on Sherlock Holmes. In fact, it isn't even based on a western work. This by itself is novel, as with Sir Arthur Cohan Doyle and Agatha Christi the western mystery genera was essentially set. But instead, Ungo is based on series called "Sengoku Era Detective Stories". By itself, this immediately casts Ungo in Japan, both culturally and thematically. Unlike detective shows like Gosick and Datalion that take place in Victorian England, Ungo is very Japanese. A globalized Japanese, perhaps, but Japanese none the less.
I wish this happened more often. Think of what would have happened had Dracula been canonized as the "only" way to tell a vampire story. Ignoring all of the twists, subversions, and fiddling done in the West, what would have happened to the Eastern understanding of vampires? Or of Zombies? The servant-type walking dead and the female vampire would have never continued into the modern day, and series like Shaman King and Vampire Princess Miyu would have never existed. How many detective stories have we not heard thanks to such genera constraints?
Anyways. Ungo has its faults but lack of creativity is not one of them. Like Sherlock, the series is set in the modern day. Specifically, in a near-future modern day wherein Japan has just finished a devastating guerrilla war. Infrastructure remains, but most of Tokyo is in ruins. Shinjuuro Yuuki is essentially a supervisor for one refugee building and, due to his contract with a truth-eating demon, is dragged into various high-profile crime scenes.
He is dubbed "The Defeated Detective" by the news media who only hears the sanitized version of the verdict. Opposing him is a thinktank leader named Kashiro who 'cleans up' after politically charged crimes.
Neither of these men are saints, and that is one thing that I really like about this series. Sherlock might declare that "you shouldn't make people into heroes, John"...but Ungo proves this over and over again. Shinjuuro is a flawed individual, brought down both by his failings as a person and by his ideals. His pursuit of the truth can hurt people, just as much as his mistakes do, and this is highlighted throughout the entire series. There are very real consequences for his accusations, and even when the murderer isn't brought to justice there are families left devastated and homes broken. The political maneuvering is not always viewed as 'wrong'...or at least its understandable - in the first episode a murder goes unpunished so the victim can remain a hero. Shinjuuro doesn't approve, but its easy to see both his and Kashiro's logic.
Also, unlike Sherlock Holmes and his various clones, Shinjuuro is much more of an everyman. He has experience and they color his views, he gets angry and frustrated, and in many respects he's a victim of the circumstances. Unlike most detective shows, he isn't doing this job because its "fun", or for his own personal gain. Simply put, if he doesn't, his subordinate will eat him...and he likes to throw sand in the political engine.
So when I say that Ungo is an Anti-Sherlock, I do mean it. The series is set on a different paradigm, with a hero that is shown to be unsympathetic and human...essential traits for an anti-hero, and it accomplishes its goals in different ways. Sherlock has the luxury of time and fans who will wait two years for the next episode. Ungo had no such luxury, and it shows in both pacing and the sparsity of non-plot-essential scenes. All of the characterization of Ungo is learned through showing the characters solving cases. This makes the viewer work much harder at understanding the characters and their motivations, but at the same time focuses the story more on the crimes and the politics - and I think this works in its favor, especially given the anti-nationalism stance that grows in importance throughout the series. (The final villain is...interesting in that respect.)
I can see how the supernatural elements might throw some viewers off, but the idea is used well. Inga, the demon sidekick, has the power to make one person answer one question truthfully. Most of the drama, and Shinjuuro's brilliance, shows in how he figures a case out to the point of needing only one damning answer...or misjudges the situation and casts the blame on the wrong party.
So, flaws and all, I would highly recommend the show Ungo to anyone who enjoys both tradition detective stories, and those who might like a bit of a twist.
-K