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Anime Spotlight: UN-GO

by Justin Sevakis,
Visit the Official Site ›

UN-GO

Premieres October 2011

Introduction

The story begins with a pair of detectives: Shinjurou Yuuki, known as “the Last Great Detective", and his partner, Inga. Togther, they solve the mysteries of the world and uncover hidden truths. If a wealthy man is assassinated in the West, they'll travel there and expose the murderer. If a man dies of a curse in the East, they'll prove that it wasn't a curse, with Shinjurou's reasoning and Inga's aid. When their strange bond is firing on all cylinders, there's no mystery that they can't solve.

Or that's what they would have everyone believe, but more often than not, things don't go as planned for the pair. Even so, it's as if the two are drawn into pitting themselves against cases.

"However, calling me in means that some crime is going to occur. And a major crime at that."

Story

Private detectives have been out of fashion for many years, but that's how Shinjurou Yuuki identifies himself. With his superior deductive powers, Shinjurou solves various challenging cases. Meanwhile, Inga, an attractive young lad, serves as Shinjurou's “buddy”. But contrary to his cute appearance, he's a sharp, arrogant rogue. Why Inga sticks with Shinjurou is not immediately appparent.

The setting of the story is a post-war Tokyo of the future, one that still bears the scars of war. Ruling the land is Media King Rinroku Kaishou, who has the communications infrastructure under his thumb, giving him great power over both politics and industry. Kaishou is renowned for his use of logic and the massive amount of information at his fingertips to solve a great number of mysteries. But unbeknownst to the public at large, most of those discoveries have been the work of Shinjurou Yuuki, "the Last Great Detective." (The public, in fact, regards Shinjurou as a loser, and gives him the nickname, "Defeated Detective".) Still, Shinjurou, together with Inga, can't help but search for the truth.

A story boldly adapted from Ango Sakaguchi's Ango Torimonochou (Ango Detective Stories)! Character designs by pako and Yun Kouga!

Director Seiji Mizushima, writer Shō Aikawa and anime studio BONES, the team behind megahit Fullmetal Alchemist, have reunited to create another major work, UN-GO. While following the spirit of Ango Sakaguchi's Meiji Kaika Ango Torimonochou, which was set in the Meiji era, this adaptation boldly shifts the setting to the near future. With a style that can only be done with anime, a brand-new detective is brought forth.

Also featuring character designs helmed by illustrators pako (Scared Rider Xechs) and Yun Kouga (Mobile Suit Gundam 00).

Characters

Shinjurou Yuuki
VA: Ryo Katsuji
A young man in postwar Tokyo who calls himself a detective and solves various cases. Though small in stature, Shinjurou has quick reflexes and extraordinary deductive powers, which earn him due respect from the Joint Coordinating Department and the police.
Inga
VA: Aki Toyosaki
A mysterious handsome boy who goes along with Shinjurou. It seems that he and Shinjurou are tied together by a curious bond, but no one knows the nature of it. Inga is usually protected by Shinjurou, but when a crisis is at hand...
Rie Kaishou
VA: Nozomi Yamamoto
Kaishou's daughter. Due to a good upbringing, her personality combines open-mindedness with sloppiness. She often brings cases to Shinjurou's attention.
Rinroku Kaishou
VA: Shinichirō Miki
The chairman of JJ System, which holds a monopoly on the communication infrastructure and its technology in postwar reconstruction Tokyo. Kaishou rules as the Media King, is widely known in political and industrial circles, and acts as an information analysis adviser to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the National Police Agency, etc.
Izumi Koyama
VA: Takako Honda
Prosecutor for the Public Prosecutor's Office, Joint Coordinating Department. Due to pressure from foreign countries, the Joint Coordinating Department was created in postwar Tokyo to regulate government organizations. Possessing the authority to use her own judgment on whether to launch an investigation, Izumi frequently gets involved in Shinjurou's cases.
Seigen Hayami
VA: Miyu Irino
National Police Agency, Security Bureau Section Chief. As a representative of the police, Seigen gets involved in various cases.

Cast

Shinjurou Yuuki
Ryo Katsuji
Inga
Aki Toyosaki
Rie Kaishou
Nozomi Yamamoto
Rinroku Kaishou
Shinichirō Miki
Izumi Koyama
Takako Honda
Seigen Hayami
Miyu Irino

Staff

From the original work
Meiji Kaika, Ango Torimonochou
Ango Sakaguchi
Director
Seiji Mizushima
Story/Script
Shō Aikawa
Original Character Designs
pako
Yun Kouga
Animation Character Design
Supervising Animation Directors
Kazumi Inadome
Yuuko Yazaki
Hiroko Yaguchi
Art Design
Takashi Miyamoto
Takeshi Waki
Production Design
Takashi Miyamoto
Junya Ishigaki
Takayuki Yanase
Art Director
Takeshi Waki
Color Setting
Shihoko Nakayama
Director of Photography
Kōta Sasaki
Sound Director
Masafumi Mima
Music
NARASAKI (The Quiz Show)
Animation Production
BONES
Presented by
UN-GO Production Committee

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