MANGA REVIEW | "Undead Unluck" - Volume Twenty-Three
Only in Undead Unluck can the fate of humanity be rested upon a children’s word game. But that’s the brilliance of Yoshifumi Tozuka, who has taken his characters through Heaven and Hell in the most wild of ways. In its twenty-third volume, Undead Unluck goes all in with emotion and intensity. The end result is something that’s both badass and silly, all with a twist of crazy for good measure.
Before we get to that part, there’s the situation with Master Rule Beast, who has unleashed his most dangerous form. Thankfully, Fuuko finds a way to counterattack Beast’s maneuver. And all it takes is a little soul power, albeit not in the same way as Bleach or Soul Eater. Nay, it’s all about how Negators are chosen, and it’s not by the big man hanging around in the sky.
This unleashes a new level of power by the Negators, as they attack with the skills of their predecessors. This allows Top and Haruka to take down Beast, and complete the mission. It’s a situation that leaves The Ten Superior Rules baffled, with the one known as Soul reaching a staggering conclusion: Fuuko and the gang may just win this loop! The reason: Fuuko knows how the rules work now, and it’s giving her and the Union a crazy advantage.
Enter the Negator Language, who is in her Second Phase. She takes away many of the Union members’ voices, leading to the next big battle: her against Nico. One problem: because he’s had no tragedy in his life, Unforgettable has yet to manifest in Nico. Language is furious, to the point of attempting to end Ichico’s life to bring it about. Thankfully, Ichico’s got herself a sick power that will keep death from happening to her.
It all leads to the deadliest game of Shiritori imaginable. With every round, another language is added to the game, meaning that this is one game that may never have a true ending. (If you don’t know the rules of Shiritori, just Google them!) Because this is Undead Unluck, this version has the words manifested into reality, meaning there’s bound to be a lot of chaos thrown around.
Although Nico is a great scientist, word games aren’t exactly his specialty. With that being said, he knows enough to avoid ending the game in a loss, and with so many languages thrown in, that means Nico can be imaginative when it comes to what he summons. However, Language is a bit more imaginative, as things like dragons and meteors are summoned in various tongues to her advantage. But when Feng enters the fight, the scales start to tip in the favor of the Union!
There’s a bit more that happens during this Shiritori battle, but I shan’t spoil the brilliant mind games Undead Unluck plays against Language. Volume Twenty-Three showcases the strengths of both its storytelling and intensity. Every word spat out is akin to an epic wizard spell battle, albeit with more explosions. Fuuko and the gang may not be from the world of Mashle, but in the world of Undead Unluck, they’re filled with just as much magic and muscles as those heroes were!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
