Undead Girl Murder Farce

Undead Girl Murder Farce

Industry	Entertainment (novel, manga, anime)
Founded	December 17, 2015 (2015-12-17)
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Novels, manga, anime television series

is a Japanese novel series authored by Yugo Aosaki, initially released in December 2015, with a total of four volumes available by 2023. The narrative was later adapted into a manga, illustrated by Haruka Tomoyama, which began its serialization in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine in June 2016. Subsequently, the manga transitioned to Nemesis in 2017 and then to the digital platform Comic Days in 2018. The manga collection includes three physical and five digital tankōbon volumes.

The story was also adapted into an anime television series produced by Lapin Track, which aired on Fuji TV's +Ultra block from July through September 2023, consisting of 13 episodes. Aimed at the shōnen audience, the anime is licensed internationally by Crunchyroll and is distributed in South and Southeast Asia through Medialink.

Plot

Set during an alternate version of the late 19th-century Belle Époque era where supernatural entities such as vampires and oni live alongside humans, the plot centers on Tsugaru Shinuchi, a half-oni known as the Oni Slayer. He takes on a mission from Aya Rindo, an immortal woman who exists solely as a disembodied talking head, accompanied by her attendant Shizuku Hasei. While Tsugaru aims to prolong his life, Aya longs for death. Their investigation leads them to a wealthy foreigner marked by an "M" engraved on his cane. They depart Japan for Europe to pursue him, unraveling supernatural enigmas throughout their journey. Tsugaru assumes the alias "The Cage User," inspired by the birdcage that carries Aya’s head.

The Cage User

A young yōkai woman from the Heian period who was decapitated by an unidentified half-oni originating from Britain. As an immortal Fushi, she cannot die but is unable to regenerate without her body. She enlists Tsugaru’s assistance to reclaim her body and seek vengeance.

A former member of an oni extermination unit active during the Meiji Restoration who was injected with oni blood by the man responsible for beheading Aya. Now a half-oni himself with the ability to destroy supernatural creatures using his bare hands, he battles demons in cage matches under the title Oni Slayer but fears being overtaken by his oni nature.

A strict maid serving Aya, equipped with a rifle that fires silver bullets and features an attached bayonet.

Parisians

A young journalist from Paris who follows The Cage User’s supernatural investigations across Europe.

A refined Parisian thief and expert in disguise known for leaving calling cards to taunt his victims before stealing their valuables.

A mysterious Persian orphan residing beneath a Parisian theater, recruited by Lupin for a heist in London.

A determined Paris police inspector who relentlessly pursues Lupin but has limited success.

221B Baker Street

A renowned private detective consulting for Scotland Yard in London, celebrated for his deductive skills and mastery of baritsu self-defense techniques. Aya regards him as peculiar.

Sherlock Holmes’ trusted physician and companion.

The Banquet

Sherlock Holmes’ adversary and brilliant professor leading a criminal organization conducting experiments aligned with his objectives. He is the individual marked with an "M" on his cane and responsible for Aya’s and Tsugaru’s afflictions.

An English magician and cult leader allied with The Professor.

A lethal vampire skilled in swordsmanship serving under The Professor’s command.

A massive undead creature employed by The Professor.

The notorious English serial killer transformed into a half-oni through The Professor’s experiments; he caused Aya’s decapitation.

Lloyd's

Lloyd's Insurance Agent #5, a swordsman with the strength to split stone pillars, who prefers to stay clean.

Lloyd's Insurance Agent #7, armed with semi-automatic crossbows that shoot specialized bolts able to pierce dense materials or bounce off surfaces.

Insurance Agent #3, a fiery-tempered cowgirl who wields revolvers loaded with silver bullets.

Insurance Agent #4, a large man bearing a delicate facial appearance who fights with heavy metal chains.

Others

A wealthy gentleman from London possessing a mansion filled with treasures collected during his circumnavigation in 80 days.

Fogg’s loyal French butler and trusted companion.

The Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard who frequently seeks Sherlock Holmes' expertise on difficult investigations.

Novel

Authored by Yugo Aosaki, Undead Girl Murder Farce was initially released by Kodansha on December 17, 2015, under the Kodansha Taiga label. As of July 2023, four volumes have been published.

Manga

The manga adaptation, illustrated by Haruka Tomoyama, began serialization in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine on June 25, 2016. It later transferred to Kodansha's Nemesis magazine on June 9, 2017. Following the discontinuation of Nemesis, the series continued on the Comic Days digital platform. By June 2018, three collected tankōbon volumes were available in print.

In May 2021, Kodansha USA acquired the rights for English digital release of the manga.

Anime

An animated television series adaptation was announced during the "Fuji TV Anime Lineup Presentation 2023" held on March 22, 2023. Produced by Lapin Track and directed by Mamoru Hatakeyama, the series featured Noboru Takagi as lead scriptwriter; Noriko Ito served as character designer and chief animation director alongside Naho Kazono; Yuma Yamaguchi composed the music. The show aired from July 6 to September 28, 2023, on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block. The opening theme is "Crack-Crack-Crackle" performed by CLASS:y, while the ending theme "Reversal" is sung by Anna. Crunchyroll streamed it internationally, and Medialink licensed it for Asia-Pacific distribution via Ani-One Asia’s YouTube channel. Notably, in this adaptation, security agents are affiliated with Royce rather than Lloyd’s organization.

Episodes

{{Episode list

  EpisodeNumber       - 11   
  Title               - Where the Wolves Dwell   
  TranslitTitle       - Okami no Sumika   
  NativeTitle         - 狼の棲家   
  NativeTitleLangCode - ja   
  DirectedBy          - Tomoko Hiramuka   
  WrittenBy           - Noboru Takagi   
  Aux2                - Yui Miura   
  OriginalAirDate     -    
  ShortSummary        - After revealing Alma as a werewolf, Aya follows diamond clues to discover the Forest of Fangs accompanied by Royce agents. Shizuku awakens in Wolphinhel village amid murders of werewolf girls blamed on rain-dampened noises; she faces trial interrupted by Nora’s death from a gunshot indicating foul play. Moriarty’s creature Victor assaults the Cage User group en route.   
  LineColor           - 2E4A6C   

}} {{Episode list

  EpisodeNumber       -12    
  Title               -"Where the River's Flow Changes"    
  TranslitTitle       -"Nagare no Majiwaru Basho"    
  NativeTitle         -"流れの交わる場所"    
  NativeTitleLangCode -"ja"    
  DirectedBy          -"Yayoi Tanaka"    
  WrittenBy           -"Noboru Takagi"    

1. Aux2 |- Mamoru Hatakeyama (kept)
2. OriginalAirDate |-
3. ShortSummary |- Victor rescues Aya and Tsugaru from Royce agents in exchange for information about the werewolf village and black diamond collateral; at Wolphinhel they uncover murder evidence including Alma’s corpse hidden in a secret passage used by Nora who manipulated suspicions between villages through staged killings; Royce agents attack Wolphinhel joined by The Banquet resulting in conflict while Aya finds the final clue in a graveyard.

{{Episode list

   LineColor          ="2E4A6C"     

}} {{Episode list

   EpisodeNumber      ="13"     
   Title              ="The Culprit's Name"     
   TranslitTitle      ="Hannin no Namae"     
   NativeTitle        ="犯人の名前"     
   NativeTitleLangCode="ja"     
   DirectedBy         ="Hiroki Koike"     
   WrittenBy          ="Noboru Takagi"     
   Aux2               ="Mamoru Hatakeyama"     
   OriginalAirDate    =""     
   ShortSummary       ="Tsugaru rescues Victor who returns the diamond and reveals that Aya’s body is held at Moriarty’s London base; Alice is poisoned by Aleister while Shizuku fights Carmilla ending in a stalemate. The Cage User exposes Nora as the murderer behind killings in both villages using disguises and secret passages to provoke conflict between humans and werewolves; despite being captured Tsugaru frees Nora who plans to travel while Cage User returns to London."     
   LineColor          ="2E4A6C"     

}} }}