MANGA REVIEW | "Undead Unluck" - Volume Twenty-One
At long last, Andy returns to Undead Unluck. It’s been hinted for a while that one-half of the manga’s namesake would be just around the corner. But who would’ve guessed that he’d always be in the picture, even when we couldn’t see him? In Volume Twenty-One of Undead Unluck, Fuuko’s better half makes his entrance in grand fashion!
The Union is still dealing with Sick, as Rip and Latla fight over who’ll wear the prosthetic legs. Naturally, the most unorthodox solution winds up being the best: both will bear the burden. As a result, Rip becomes Unrepair and Latla transforms into Untruth. The battle with Sick wages on, as Fuuko performs surgery on Leila. (How she learned that, well, when you’ve got all the time in the world, you’re bound to perfect new talents!)
However, during the fight, a piece of Fuuko’s hair gets chopped off, sending it flying onto Rip. As a result, a meteor starts hurtling towards the Earth, with its impact no doubt having the capacity to kill quite a few people. That’s when our favorite zombie-like hero, Andy, makes his return, and proceeds to make an example of Sick. His return is a quick one, but it shows why Andy is such a beloved Shonen Jump character. He holds nothing back, and proceeds to use every trick in the book to not just deal with Sick, but also the meteor.
It leads to Fuuko unmasking the ten Master Rules, who have found themselves shocked that a Negator somehow managed to find their secret location. Even more shocking is how their powers work, as they just can’t willy-nilly cause chaos. No, it turns out that they can only attack when the Quests are initiated, and in return, Negators can’t cause harm either. Oh, and there’s also the thing about Andy’s true location, which is far, far, past Earth’s stratosphere.
These rules make a lot of sense in Undead Unluck. After all, in the past, these Master Rules never just started making the Union’s lives miserable; there were guidelines that they had to follow. And as Fuuko discovers, these guidelines also affect Negators. While there have been many a rule-breaker in the Shonen Jump world, it shows that author Yoshifumi Tozuka puts plenty of restraint in his characters. Even when things get as wacky as they do in the series, there are still a few rules of thumb these heroes and villains still need to follow.
Speaking of wacky things, Undead Unluck becomes a cooking manga briefly, in order to bring Unburn into the fold. Fuuko and Enjin face off in a ramen fight, as the two compete for the best-tasting bowl. Enjin uses his own skills, whereas Fuuko calls upon a few other Negators (including a recent groom) to make the perfect bowl. But what is a perfect bowl of ramen? It is an unanswerable question, just as we don’t know if falling trees make sounds if no one’s around to hear it, or if finding the female version of Ranma Saotome hot makes you gay.
With Unburn now in the Union, the most important mission begins: bringing back Andy. His location made it impossible to collect him unless Enjin had his Negator powers awaken, as anyone who went to his hiding spot would be burned to death in an instant! It takes a rocket ship, a burnt-out sun, and a few minutes to spare to bring Andy truly back into the fold, and even with a Master Rule there to try and muck things up, one’s destiny cannot be avoided. Even when he’s burnt to a crisp, Andy will still tag himself in for a fight!
All of the important pieces of Undead Unluck are finally put together in its twenty-first volume. Our main duo, the toughest Negators, and even the real villains of the story are all here, meaning that the battle to kill God and save humanity can truly commence. Undead Unluck never holds back in its battles, and when it comes to the fate of all humankind, one can truly bet that we’re going to be in for a hell of a sight in the coming volumes! Needless to say, things are about to get sicker!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
