Un-Go - Episode 6

Given what we've learned in previous episodes of Un-Go about the curtailing of freedom of speech and the like in the world that it posits, it's no huge surprise that the focus of this week's story, a man named Yajima, begins his particular tale incarcerated for his outspoken views which didn't mesh with those of the government.

On the cusp of his release, a fellow inmate present Yajima with a second-hand book stamped with the name of none other than Rinroku Kaishou - a book which also contains an intriguing coded message written on Yajima's own personalised manuscript paper.  Just what does this all mean?  Rather than asking Rinroku (a friend of Yajima's) himself, Shinjurou is called into action to investigate this rather odd state of affairs.

As Shinjuro's investigation commences, not only do we find that Rinroku is still in possession of his own copy of this exact same book, but also the meaning of the coded message in question.  Perhaps most importantly of all however, more and more evidence seems to link this fêted detective to Yajima's wife, with him seemingly paying numerous visits to her in a time-frame which also saw Yajima's wife blinded in an incident about which little is known which followed the disappearance of their children.  Of course, all is not what it initially seems from the evidence, and after clearing up these confusing circumstances our attention turns to the inmate we mentioned who gifted Yajima the volume which started it all, in a scene which looks set to reverberate heavily through the remainder of the series.

Put simply, this was an absolutely excellent episode of Un-Go - it built its mystery and story carefully and quickly, allowed us to flow along with its revelations and jump to the same conclusions as its major players before pulling the rug out from under us and presenting us with what appears to be a far more generous and palatable truth.  But is it the real truth?  Given what this series has taught us so far, and even some comments this episode, you can't help but feel there is still more to the situation presented than we're left with - a thought we have little time to ponder as Shinjuro quite literally reels from the encounter which closes the episode.  Overall, this instalment effectively didn't put a foot wrong, finding time for some nice humorous touches while still rattling through its story at a perfect pace - of course, pacing is nothing without an interesting tale to tell, and thankfully Un-Go nailed that aspect of its offering this week too for what is almost certainly the best this series has offered us so far.