Undead Unluck

Episode 23

Can I just say how wonderful it is to feel so vindicated, as a fan of Undead Unluck? While the show has never had a truly bad episode, the stretch from around Episodes 17-20 felt a lot more inconsistent than what the series had been delivering up to that point. I'd been so thoroughly impressed by everything that Undead Unluck had accomplished before then, and I will admit that, for a few weeks there, I was beginning to wonder if the show would be able to reach the standards it had set for itself again before the end of the season. Now my doubts have been washed away by the rejuvenating waters of redemption…or maybe that's just Andy's blood?

The last three episodes haven't only brought the show back into tip-top shape; I would argue that they're the best episodes that the series has yet produced. Everything about Fuko's journey into Andy's memories was already just top-tier stuff, but this climactic revelation of the past of Akira Kuno (aka “Anno Un”) is somehow even better because it ties the world of the story together in such a satisfying way while also busting open the door of possibility for what's to come.

I adore how effectively the episode communicates the frankly bizarre and ridiculous circumstances that led to Akira taking his position as the de facto God-Seer of the Undead Unluck universe. The way that the G-Liner crammed an entire time-loop's worth of memories into the young Akira's head was already mythic enough, and the tragic addition of his Negator powers only makes it more impactful. As with every other Negator in Undead Unluck, Akira's powers manifested in the exactly perfect way to ruin his life forever. Possessing the power of “Unknown”, Akira suddenly found himself unable to be seen or heard by anyone, and let me tell you, the scene of the boy standing right behind his mother as she collapsed into tears thinking that he'd disappeared forever is utterly heartbreaking.

It makes his eventual mission to chronicle the events of his doomed future into the pages of his manga more compelling, too. When he was at his lowest, he took solace in the stories of Andy and Fuko like any manga fan would, and not only does it provide him the one means he has to communicate the fact that he exists to the outside world, it allows him to save that world, too. When he realizes that he's the only person who knows why Union fails to kill God, he also realizes it means that he's the only person who can change the course of events by inserting himself into the story and giving Andy and Fuko the tools they need to avert the demise that Fuko would normally suffer during the Autumn UMA battle.

I know I've made this exact observation probably a half-dozen times over the past few weeks, but this is just such a damned cool way to tell this story. The confidence with which Undead Unluck has weaved its existence as a thrilling battle-manga filled with loveable characters into the core foundations of its plot is the kind of thing that I just live for. The episode punctuates all of this epic, revelatory storytelling by stripping Akira's narration out of the next-episode preview because he no longer knows what is going to happen in this version of events.

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Undead Unluck is currently streaming on Hulu.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.