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Undead Murder Farce Episode 12: Favorites

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Undead Murder Farce Episode 12 – Quick Summary

In Undead Murder Farce episode 12, “Where the River’s Flow Changes,” Tsugaru managed to keep Aya’s head and cage safe as they plunged down the mountain. But there was a huge problem despite that success: Victor fell with them. More accurately, he pushed them, then went after the pair. Even if he survives the impact, Tsugaru will have to face Victor – who’s about twice as tall as our Oni-slayer. Does Tsugaru stand a chance? Or more accurately, does he have time – since the insurance agents are no doubt trying to follow?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from Undead Murder Farce Episode 12

Undead Murder Farce Episode 12: The sight of Aya's head freaked out Vera

Vera wasn’t quite ready for the reality that was Aya! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I had no idea what was going on when we first saw VeraVera was chilling on a branch, and she was surveying all of the bits of Shizuku’s clothing everywhere.

I was also surprised, or maybe I should say my surprise continued, when she saw Tsugaru emerge from the trees and did not show any shock at all. It looked like she was expecting him. In fact, she was expecting him. She was ready for him.

But she wasn’t totally ready. Ears pressed flat against her head, she wondered what she should do now that her plan worked. Tsugaru helped. He gave her a jovial greeting. She leapt from the branch, turned into her human form, and appraised the two.

“Blue hair,” she said, looking them up and down (03:49). “Bird cage… severed head… Whoa, it really is a severed head!”

It was funny to see that even a werewolf can be freaked out by Aya’s unique appearance.

Favorite Moment from Undead Murder Farce Episode 12

Undead Murder Farce Episode 12: Shizuku was clearly happy to see Aya

I’m glad Shizuku got to reunite with Aya. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: An Episode Heavy with Death and Despair

About the time Kyle Chaintail smashed the skulls of several female werewolves who were in human form, I realized that damn, there were a lot of brutal deaths in this episode. Like, a lot. A disturbing amount. And I don’t disturb easily.

I have a sense the deaths will make a point – I trust the writers that much. But we’ll see. It might diminish my enjoyment of the series just a bit if this stands without meaning anything else.

Or maybe that’s the point? All that killing is brutally disgusting? I’d like some more context if that’s the case. But again, the writers have earned my trust, so I’m anxious to see where they go with it.

Undead Murder Farce Episode 12: This image of Louise will haunt me

To my dying day, this image is going to haunt me. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

There was a scene in this episode that would have won if I had the category “Most Brutal Tragic Moment.” The shot of Louise’s father placing the girl on the ground with the intention of letting her die of exposure, the uncertain half-smile on her face… that’s going to haunt me. I debated naming it my favorite moment just in terms of emotional impact, but there’s only so far I can stretch the concept of “favorite.”

Besides, I don’t have the vocabulary to capture the sentiment I feel towards any parent who would do that. Let’s leave it at that.

Delivery: Amid the Darkness, a Warm Light

My favorite moment, as you might have guessed if you’ve read my previous reviews, belongs to Shizuku. I like strong female characters. I like combat maids. And I like her completely over-the-top snark when it comes to Tsugaru. Not that he deserves it. Overall, he’s a decent sort. He might not deserve it – but the dude can certainly take it. 

Remember how Vera had gone out to find Tsugaru and Aya? Well, she brought the two to prison where the werewolves held Shizuku captive. Kaya saw them coming down the stairs. Her exclamation of surprise, combined with Tsugaru’s heavy footfalls, brought Shizuku to the door.

Seeing Aya again put Shizuku in such a good mood that she said something pleasant to Tsugaru! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

An instant later, Shizuku threw herself against the bars and looked out in desperate hope.

“Aya-sama!” she said (04:42).

Two words. That’s all Makoto Koichi had to work with. But she packed so much longing and relief in her tone that I had to pause for a moment in appreciation. I live for authentic experiences in fiction. Strong, well-earned emotion is part of that. In that one instant, there was a world of longing and a dawning of relief present. I could just see how much Shizuku loves Aya. In the world the three of them inhabit, such a thing has to be the bedrock of Shizuku’s life. I get the sense that Aya returns her affection, too. I’m glad they have each other (and, yeah, Tsugaru, too, however much Shizuku grouses about it), because let’s face it: it’s a tough world out there!

What did you think of Aya seemingly solving the case? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

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8 thoughts on “Undead Murder Farce Episode 12: Favorites

  1. That got really dark, really fast. I’m not sure why Victor helped them. I thought they’d be complete enemies. Maybe Victor isn’t as evil as the rest. He was looking at butterflies and went to sleep.. Frankenstein’s monster was never pure evil. He was just terribly out of place, a tragic villain.

    Carnilla was up to her old tricks. She hasn’t changed.

    1. That’s a good point about Victor. I need to read the original Mary Shelly version. In the works I’ve read or seen, I saw what you mentioned — and out of place, tragic villain.

      And Carnilla… she’s a dangerous one. I wonder if, in this world, killing her would release the vampires under her control? Or would they just become independent vampires?

  2. Oo, looks like the case is almost wrapped up! An underground passage way, why didn’t I think of that before. It works perfectly to cause trouble in both villages and keep the killing locations secret. Yay, Shizuku is finally reunited with Aya. I have a feeling that Shizuku was a whole lot more worried about Aya than Aya was worried about Shizuku. I don’t think it’s because Aya doesn’t care about Shizuku, more like Aya knows that her maid can handle herself in even dangerous situations. Yet another hint that Shizuku is probably not an average human. Tsugaru has at last come close to almost getting a compliment from Shizuku, I think he’s growing on her. Just a bit.

    1. “Yay, Shizuku is finally reunited with Aya. ”

      Wasn’t that a great scene?

      “more like Aya knows that her maid can handle herself in even dangerous situations. ”

      I got that sense, too.

      “Just a bit.”

      I would say it’s better than a poke in the eye, but, well, Shizuku gave him one of those. Still, it was also awesome to see her speak pleasantly to him, even if it was only for a moment!

  3. I had many “A-HA!” moments watching this episode. 🙂

    There’s another version of Sherlock Holmes which taught me, “There is nothing more elusive than an obvious fact.”

    How did no one in the werewolf village hear the gun shots that killed their girls? Because the shots were fired in an underground location. Like… DUH! It’s so freaking simple! And it solves the question of how one person could infiltrate and terrorize both villages simultaneously: with a shortcut. Mind you, that would still be a monumental task – when did this girl sleep? – but with one discovery, it becomes entirely possible.

    And within that underground passage, someone was kept for five hundred and fifty days. A year and a half. Lining up exactly with my previous theory of Butte/Nora switching places with Louise. But she didn’t just kill Louise and call it a day, she imprisoned her, keeping her locked alone in the dark, unable to escape simply because she couldn’t walk. Right up until the time came to fake her own death, putting Louise in her place. Which, it turns out, is what Louise did to her. And right after she saved Louise’s life, to boot.

    Louise’s parents are vile, pathetic excuses for humans, far worse than any of the monsters they fear. I mean, one can take a look at how things have gone since, after Louise had proven to be of use to the village. There was no particular strain on the village to take care of her at all. She wasn’t a burden to *the village* at all! She was a burden only to her parents. And for this, they abandoned her to die slowly and painfully. And they actually have the gall to blame the werewolves for it?! Oh, to Hell with them!

    I can’t believe I didn’t realize, when we heard Louise’s story about being alone in a field, not in her wheelchair, that someone else had to have put her there and left her. I had some uncharitable thoughts as to Louise’s character about what she did to Butte, and turning on the one who saved her can’t just be forgiven, but seeing that she was trying to keep her parents from murdering her via abandonment, and she wasn’t even a full handful of years old at the time… well, what options did she have?

    And when the village turned on them, Rosa took her daughter and ran for the secret passage. They got very close, and this explains how Butte managed to substitute some other creature for herself, as the passage was right under the building that burned around them.

    To prove all of this, they needed only to dig up “Nora’s” grave and find it empty, I’m pretty sure.

    Though exactly how Butte managed to clear away everything, including the bedding and Alma’s corpse – called it, she was no wolf, and she was murdered… which is very sad, since she saw a golden wolf so many times in the mornings but did not set the village on it – right behind Aya and Tsugaru’s exploration of the passage… well, that was freaky. But she certainly made it so the human villagers wouldn’t see proof of her crimes on their way to enact wanton slaughter on a people who apparently never actually hurt them.

    Interesting how Aya and Tsugaru seem to have some previous relationship with Victor. Such that Victor takes it upon himself to separate them from the Royce people, and they freely exchange information and favors. I know the Banquet are villains and I look forward to seeing Carmilla, Jack, and Moriarty done in, but Victor may be with them simply because he has nowhere else to go.

    Speaking of, knowing that Aleister Crowley survives for at least a little longer in history, I’m guessing that murderous little Rapidshot won’t be surviving for long, and I would not mind if Victor won against Chainmail as well. Alas, those particular scales need to be balanced against the very real possibility of Jack and Moriarty adding werewolf to Jack’s makeup, which can only be terrible for the entire world at large, so, which evil ought to be winning the day, here? For sure, though, Carmilla’s got to go down. Which may be more difficult than before, with a handful of werewolf thralls that she’s bitten, including one that Shizuku actively doesn’t want to hurt.

    AND they need to hurry up and prove the truth to both the human and werewolf villagers. The humans have already slaughtered men, women, the elderly, and children, but something tells me they didn’t bring their own women and children into the fray, which now leaves them vulnerable to retaliation by the granny and those with her. Wanton slaughter and both sides, and Butte’s vengeance, carried out in the name of her mother, is complete.

    Final note: …this might be nothing, but does anyone else think that Vera and the reporter Annie look very similar to each other?

    1. “Louise’s parents are vile, pathetic excuses for humans, far worse than any of the monsters they fear.”

      Seconded. No way I could even comment on it, beyond a brief allusion. Otherwise, well, my language would have degraded!

      “well, what options did she have?”

      Evil begets evil, as they say. One of the insights I gained by studying theology is about the nature of evil. It’s probably more accurate to say an aspect of the nature of evil. I’ve heard people ask where evil comes from, as if it’s a thing or a state. Evil isn’t a thing; it’s the decay or corruption of a thing. “Evil begets evil” might as well be “rot spreads as rot.” The wounded and damaged parents tried to murder their own daughter. The daughter, her spirit not in the least bit supported by her parents, fell into a corrupted state, so now she’s capable of murder, too.

      Not terribly profound, but I still found it to be a useful tool to think about the problem.

      “Interesting how Aya and Tsugaru seem to have some previous relationship with Victor. ”

      I got that feeling, too. It’s like they were almost friendly. More than simple civility. Not sure if that’s going anywhere or not.

      ” need to be balanced against the very real possibility of Jack and Moriarty adding werewolf to Jack’s makeup,”

      That would be a problem. At some point, I’m wondering if the existing monster-ness would reject the new. But I don’t know the show’s rules for such things. So far, the effects seem to be cumulative.

      “this might be nothing, but does anyone else think that Vera and the reporter Annie look very similar to each other?”

      Now that you mention it… I’m not sure if it’s related to the narrative or not. But the resemblance is interesting, and Annie always seemed very comfortable with Aya!

      1. I *really* like that comparison of evil with rot. It works very well.

        One would think, in most cases, that eventually Jack’s body just wouldn’t be able to hold itself together. But they had that problem initially, and solved it by adding Aya’s DNA into the mix. Aya keeps Tsugaru’s condition stabilized with nothing more than regular kissing sessions, and we can assume Moriarty has been much more thorough with all of Aya’s flesh to work with. They added vampire with no ill effects whatsoever. So while it is theoretically possible, and would be perfectly poetic, I’m not about to bet on it.

Please let me know what you think!

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