Danganronpa: The Animation (Trigger Happy Havoc)

This is a 13 episode anime that was originally a video game on PSP. It's a murder mystery story about a group of kids who are enrolled in this elite high school, based on a skill they specialize in, only to find that they may never be allowed to leave there for the rest of their lives. The school is abandoned except for the students, and this malicious talking bear. The bear tells them that the only way they'll be able to leave the school will be if they are the only person alive. If ever there is a death in the school, all of the students will meet as a council to try to figure out who the murderer is. If they guess correctly, the murderer will be killed. If they guess incorrectly, everyone except the murderer will be killed, and the murderer can walk free.

This was a surprisingly good show. When the rules of the school were being discussed at the beginning of the show, I initially thought that this plot sounded suspiciously similar to Battle Royale, but we quickly find out that there are some differences that make the two-story lines distinct. Another thing that made me kind of hesitant to get into this show were the character drawings. All of the characters are drawn in a way that is so stereotypically cliché that I almost didn't want to continue the series, thinking that the story would also be just as cliché. While the character artwork is definitely not my favourite, I was able to get past it by appreciating the actual plot.

The story was surprisingly intricate and well thought out. Murder mysteries can by kind of difficult to do, because it's a challenge to come up with a good plot that the audience won't be able to guess right away, but this show does it brilliantly. With each event that takes place, we are shown the evidence that the characters see as they inspect the crime scene, and then go with them to the trial and hear them deduce what they will. The first couple of murders are pretty straight forward, but as they go on, they become increasingly difficult to figure out. Also, as another person is murdered, a different section of the school is opened up, and typically the next murder will happen in the new wing of the school. All the while, the students are simultaneously trying to figure out how they will be able to escape this place and who is behind this torturous game.

It's a fast-paced story that keeps you guessing until the very end. They also play with a few different styles of animation, which keeps things fresh. I know it looks kind of cheesy, but give it a try. You will enjoy it.

You can watch the first episode here for the time being.

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

This is one of Disney's more serious cartoons, and one of it's surprisingly lesser seen or even heard of cartoons. It's about a young mouse named Olivia whose toy maker father was kidnapped, so she hires a famous detective, Basil of Baker Street, to track him down.

The story takes place in London and opens on a young female mouse asking a famous detective to help her find her missing father. When Olivia first tells Basil about her predicament, he doesn't take her seriously. He makes it clear that he doesn't really like children all that much and doesn't believe her case to be worth his time, until he finds out that the bat who kidnapped her father works for his arch nemesis, an evil rat named Ratigan. He then takes on the case along with his sidekick Dawson, unwillingly taking Olivia along as well. He uses his deductive skills and His pet bloodhound, Toby, to find Ratigan and Olivia's father. Ratigan then has Olivia kidnapped so that her father will do his bidding and create ingenious mechanical monstrosities (I might be exaggerating). Basil and Dawson then go about trying to rescue the pair and stumble upon a deeper diabolical plot to over-throw the queen and usurp the throne. Will Basil be able to out-wit the crafty Ratigan and save Olivia, her father, the Queen, and the day?!?

This is a great movie that I really enjoyed as a kid. It's one of the more suspenseful Disney flicks and imitates a sort of Sherlock Holmes vibe. There is also a lot of detective work going on, a lot of clue following, real gum shoe stuff. I'm always surprised to hear how unknown this movie is. I know there's no princess in it, and it's not a romance, but it rivals any of the newer Disney classics. It's a great detective story for kids, and there's a lot of action and suspense. There's even a fight scene in Big Ben. A definite watch for the kids.