Thoughts on Undead Unluck, Vols. 2-13

Since reading the first volume of Yoshifumi Tozuka’s series, Undead Unluck, I’ve been steadily making my way through volumes 2 to 13. While my opinions about the fan service haven’t changed much, my impression of the story is a lot more positive now for a number of reasons.

About the Manga

Undead Unluck, Vols. 2-13 (2020-22)

Chapters: 8-115
Series: Undead Unluck (2020—)
Volumes: 21+
Author(s): Yoshifumi Tozuka
Demographic: Shōnen
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Theme(s): mortality vs. immortality; rules
Status: Ongoing
Trigger(s): gore; self-harm; sexual assault; suicide; violence

I didn’t think that the story would progress as quickly as it has. The main duo of the story, Andy and Fuuko, have fought and defeated several Uma, or monsters, and have confronted the Union’s rivals, Under, on more than one occasion.

Andy and Fuuko, have developed tremendously since the 7th chapter in Volume 1. Their development stems from acknowledging each other as partners for the Union after being welcomed into the organization. The pair also realize their potential as romantic partners as Fuuko develops feelings for Andy, and Andy hints at feeling the same way for her.

Strangely romantic: Andy and Fuuko

The romantic tension between the main characters was the last thing I expected to enjoy. After all, their first scenes together include Andy’s perversive pursuit of Fuuko for her power of unleashing lethal amounts of unluck to whoever comes into contact with her bare skin. Andy would often take advantage of Fuuko with the most concerning time being when the mangaka implied that Andy fondled her while was unconscious in Volume 1, Chapter 4.

Since the first volume, Fuuko has moved somewhat cautiously whenever skin contact became essential for the pair to complete a mission against stronger foes. While Fuuko was hesitant to allow Andy to touch her, she eventually became used to it. And somewhere down the line, Fuuko admired Andy’s fighting style as well as his perception of life and death. Andy believes that a person can’t be forgotten after death if there’s someone left alive to remember them. This notion is something that gives Fuuko some closure for the deaths of her parents, which were caused by her “unluck” power.

There were several times in the 12 volumes I’ve recently read when Andy acts as Fuuko’s biggest hype man. If he’s not admiring her appearance, he’s cheering her on when she’s shouldering the burden of a mission. I expected the two to have some romantic development at some point in the manga, but the slow-burn of their romance is what roped me in. I couldn’t help but remember when my college creative writing professor said that people are hooked on romance, no matter the genre. And, man, she was totally right. I was hooked.

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But the word choice kind of ruins the ship for me

Fuuko is at first introduced as an 18-year-old. Given Andy’s immortality, he often calls her “kid” or “brat,” which makes their infatuation with each other kind of weird. She’s not a kid, but she’s addressed as one by Andy and other characters.

More romantic pairings

Several side characters are given the spotlight and really intriguing roles. But their dynamics with other characters is what makes their focus a lot more enjoyable. Characters like Mui and Shen, for example, are a funny pair that mirror Andy and Fuuko.

There are other side characters that are hinted to liking each other. The most concerning is between 15-year-old Top Bull Sparx (or Top) and 23-year-old Isshin. Isshin has a huge crush on Top. While the age gap didn’t surprise me (given that Fuuko and Andy have approximately a two-century age difference), it’s still an odd thing to add to the story.

Andy and Victor/Victhor 

The lore behind Andy and the weird piece of paper he kept embedded in his forehead is revealed early on in the story. It turns out that he first identified as Victor, Andy’s true personality. His goal was to kill the Union’s leader, Juiz, out of love to let her rest, and then Fuuko to destroy Andy and regain control of his body. However, the pair’s growth convinces him to let them live to watch their development.

I’m sure that there will be more of Victor in later volumes. And while I now know about his relationship with Juiz, I am hoping to see if there’ll be any flashbacks of the two.

Time traveling: fiction’s worst retcon

In the 6th and 7th volumes of Undead Unluck, it’s revealed that Fuuko was able to infiltrate Andy’s memories to reveal his past. It is there that the two interact for what’s canonically the first time ever in the history of their relationship. Andy makes her realize that she’s in love with him, and before moving on to another segment of his memories, Fuuko tells him to meet her 144 years into the future at Shinjuku Station—which he did.

Their fateful meeting in Chapter 1 wasn’t so fateful after all.

Aside from that, in Volumes 11 to 12, Fuuko is fatally stabbed, and in order to save her life, the Union leader Juiz pleads with Luna, a god, to manipulate time.

But Undead Unluck makes time traveling a bit more interesting

It’s revealed that earth is caught in a time loop with the same people being reincarnated from their previous selves. Unsurprisingly, humans have no knowledge of the loop, except for Union and Under members. And whoever is able to ride the Ark during humanity’s mass extinction will retain the memories of the previous loop.

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In the final two volumes, the members of Union race against time. The end of the world is upon them and Fuuko appears to be the key to save the members of the Union—and to some extent, the members of Under—and their deceased loved ones.

The lore

Besides the time loop plot, Tozuka includes more interesting information about the world his characters live in:

• The UMA, or Unidentified Mysterious Animals, are creatures that were created by God. The Union are forced to face the UMA to fulfill quests that are given by Apocalypse. The UMA are able to create minions and enforce a set of rules that they and their opponents must abide by. As they grow stronger, the UMA reach new forms that make them almost impossible to defeat.
• Apocalypse, or the Book of Revelatoins, is an artifact. It appears like a book, has a face, and speaks. Its purpose is to assign quests for the Union to fulfill and to penalize or reward the members.
• The Roundtable, or Ark, is another artifact that works in conjuction with Apocalypse to assign quests. Riding the Ark also enables one person to live into the next time loop after Ragnarok.
• Ragnarok is essentially the end of the world. This event seems to be inspired by the Norse mythological events of the same name where prominent figures, like the Norse gods, will cleanse the world of humanity, letting the world flourish.
• There are more artifacts besides Apocalypse and the Ark. The Union collects these to gain more power. It’s revealed that artifacts enable the user to see memories of the previous time loops of the world.

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• Negators are people like Andy and Fuuko, who are people who have abilities to negate certain rules. These rules are mostly enforced by God through the UMA.
• The Regulators are beings that were made to regulate God’s rules. Such beings are Ruin and Seal, both of which were introduced in Volumes 11 and 12.

End goal: to kill/control the god that cursed them

Union’s ultimate goal is to get strong enough to kill god as the Negators in this organization feel as though they’ve been cursed. A majority of the characters in the Union have felt responsible for causing the deaths of their loved ones, like Fuuko. Their response to their lives is revenge.

Unlike the Union, the organization called Under, wishes to become strong enough to defeat God, but also to control God and recreate the world with their own ideals.

Other stuff worth mentioning

• The themes of the series are very interesting. But the one that stood out to me the most this time around was the implementation of rules. The Negators are often fighting against nature, or God’s will. Andy’s own view of the ordeal is interesting as he sees rules as things that are meant to be broken.

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• Character introductions are usually exciting, but I found that in Undead Unluck, it became a bit exhausting after Under’s first introduction in Volume 3. However, the characters that have spring since then are still interesting. It’s a bit disappointing that a great number of them haven’t had their time to shine. Since I’ve only read up to Volume 13 as of now, I do have to wonder if Tozuka will include anything more of them.
• In the final chapter of Volume 13, Andy decides to carry the burden of killing trustworthy people, like Rip and Nico. It’s evident that his decision to save Fuuko and humanity by activating the Ark is strenuous. Tozuka shows just how far Andy is willing to go to save Fuuko.
• The rules that are reinforced by the UMA are interesting as they’re created with a touch of realism. For instance, the absence or destruction of the seasons, or the UMA, makes the world out of balance and forces humanity to face catastrophic climate changes.

Conclusion

In all, I’m pleasantly surprised by the development in the story as well as the characters. Fuuko quickly grew on me, though Tatiana, the Negator in a mechanical ball, will always be a favorite character of mine. I adore the wholesome outlook that Fuuko has as she can always find a trace of kindness in nearly everyone she encounters. I also like Tozuka’s inclusion of rules as a theme; the ones that are imposed by God in Undead Unluck completely contradict the natural order of our real world.