REVIEW: ‘Undead Murder Farce’ Episode 2 — “Vampire”

Undead Murder Farce’s premiere episode was easily my biggest surprise for the Summer Anime season, and that continues with Episode 2. Now in Europe, the series feels like something completely new. Animated by Lapin Track, directed by Mamoru Hatakeyama, and based on the novel series by Yugo Aosaki, Undead Murder Farce is all in on a murder mystery with loads of vampire lore to embrace.

The episode opens on a haunted mansion, with a father and son hunting in the forest. After killing a deer, the audience learns that they’re two members of a vampire family. But more importantly, through their conversation, the audience learns that in this series Count Dracula was real, he is dead, and now life for vampires in Europe has been ever changed for the worse. But when they return home, they realize that the matriarch of the Godard family has been murdered. While her murder is terrible for the family from a relationship sense, her death also signifies the rising tensions between vampires and humans, making a strained allyship take shape. Who do they call to solve the murder mystery? Our served head in her gilded cage, a half-oni oni slayer, and a maid with a gun. 

As a trio, Aya, Tsugaru, and Shizuku are a sight to behold, and now they’ve become known as the Cage User and party whilst solving monster mysteries across Europe. Far from Japan and who they used to be, the trio are now detectives specializing in dealing with monsters with Aya being the intelligent detective and Tsugaru being her body.

One of the issues that may leave some viewers frustrated is how much exposition is in Undead Murder Farce Episode 2. Edging on a lore dump, Aya details the circumstances in which vampires die, their weaknesses, and their relationships with humans. In doing so, she explains her own investigative process as she grills the patriarch on his knowledge and why a silver stake, the only thing that can kill a vampire was kept in the house. Of course, Aya alludes to the reality that the killer is very close to home while Tsugaru offers comedic relief for the heavier moments of the episode.

That said, the chemistry between Aya and Tsugaru is what makes Undead Murder Farce Episode 2 excellent despite the lack of action and a heavy focus on worldbuilding. The two of them offer a dynamic that works perfectly. Aya’s stoic analysis and Tsugaru’s himbo joy in any moment play well off of each other. He’s her manservant in one way and her partner in another, which leaves the audience intrigued to see where they go. On one hand, I want to see if my ship will sail and on the other, I just want to see them solving the mystery. Crafting effective romantic tension and flirting while also creating a working relationship is an element in a series that is stellar when done well, and that’s the case here.

Ultimately, the last episode of the series felt like a prologue and Undead Murder Farce Episode 2 feels like a pure setup for the rest of the season, laying out the problems with the murder that Aya and Tsugaru will have to solve in order to find the true killer. To keep audiences engaged, I hope Episode 3 comes with some moments that hasten the pace.

Undead Murder Farce is streaming on Crunchyroll with new episodes every Wednesday in July.