Undead Murder Farce is an interesting beast in terms of Shonen anime. It’s a niche, but a popular niche involving vampires, Sherlock Holmes, and Jack the Ripper. The freedom to use public domain characters to help create a supernatural mystery is a great premise, even if it’s not for everyone. But the resulting anime adaptation has been a popular one that’s free for Crunchyroll viewers, with its central question being an enticing one. Just exactly who cut off Aya Rindo’s Head in Undead Murder Farce?
Who Removed Aya Rindo’s Head and Stole Her Body in Undead Murder Farce?
In Episode 3 of Undead Murder Farce, a mysterious mid-70s old man carrying a cane engraved with an ‘M’ on it is confirmed as responsible for removing Aya Rindo’s head and stealing her body. Viewers everywhere grabbed their nearest gourd Calabash pipe and deerstalker hat to deduce that it was Professor James Moriarty, the classic Sherlock Holmes villain.
Related: Undead Murder Farce Episode 3 Review
It didn’t help that the man insisted he be called “professor” by those he encountered. Come on, make it a bit harder for the sleuths in the audience.
Does That Mean the Mystery of Undead Murder Farce is Solved?
Well, no, as Aya still has yet to recover her body, but she’s also not the only victim of his crimes. Her companion Tsugaru Shinuchi was additionally injected with demon blood, creating a half-oni in the process, and this was done by the same assailant. While this is certainly the central mystery of the series, it sometimes goes on the back burner in favor of fun stories featuring iconic public-domain characters like Arsène Lupin and their various schemes.
This mashup of Western and Japanese characters results in a fascinating cocktail. Aya and Tsugaru, as well as other companions, become well-known in Europe as the Cage User’s Entourage. Moriarty is the leader of a criminal organization called Banquet. There are numerous surprising interactions with a combination of mythological and larger-than-life characters that make this a fascinating, fun series, and one that’s still ongoing in the Japanese light novels and manga adaptation, let alone the anime.
