The main character of the series is Sakon, the grandson of the famous Bunraku master, Tachibana Zaemon. Sakon is shy and lacks self-confidence; however, when he's with his puppet, Ukon, Sakon can focus on both himself and on his crime-solving abilities. Sakon is a master ventriloquist, and he can mimic and throw voices to force a confession out of a villain.
Ukon is a Bunraku puppet created in 1870; supposedly, Ukon was created by the Master puppet-builder Unosuke Koizumi III. Ukon is a forward, obnoxious, flirtatious, coarse, and egocentric puppet. Sakon and Ukon travel Japan together and solve murders, mysteries, and horrific crimes. Sakon's aunt Kaoruko is a young police detective who helps him out and tries to keep an eye on him.
In the first episode, Sakon and Ukon are taken by a young woman to an old high school that's about to be demolished. She is gathering there with some of her old friends for one final time at the building. It turns out the friends have a secret concerning a friend who died eight years earlier. A voice over the PA system accuses the friends of being murderers and announces that revenge will be taken. The sudden activity of light at the school attracts the attention of a police officer, who tries to get everyone to leave. He says the building is condemned and could collapse.
After one of the friends gets in a scuffle with the officer, he rides off on his motorcycle. He ends up being beheaded as he tries to cross a bridge that's the only way back to town from the school. As he dies, the bridge collapses, trapping Sakon, Ukon, the remaining friends, and the police officer at the school. One of the first mysteries in the series is to figure out who's trying to kill this group of people.
Puppet Master Sakon is a series that focuses on mystery, and it's not willing to shy away from bloody violence, such as the beheading near the end of the first episode. It's definitely not a series being aimed at a younger audience. Personally, I would recommend Puppet Master Sakon to anime viewers who are 16 or 17 years of age and older.
| Puppet Master Sakon | 26 | 1999-2000 | Hitoyuki Matsui | Tokyo Movie Shinsa | N/A |
