From page to cel

Ah, f[swords clashing]k it. I’ve been putting it off long enough and my desire for perfection is clashing with my schedule so, I’m bringing the long-awaited opinion on the anime adaptation of Undead Unluck. Still got a few episodes left in this season, but I’ve reviewed anime halfway through before so there’s no reason to hold this one to a higher standard.

Immortality Misfortune is the story of a man who’s chronologically so old, his birthday is on a different calendar system going on a journey with Japan’s millionth unlucky female protagonist on a quest for the best death the world can offer. It was picked up by Viz Media in January 2020 for weekly distribution in the west and I’ve been keeping up with it leading up to my first try at Army basic training. I’m still following along to the best of my ability, and yes I still recommend the manga.

For the anime, it was picked up by David Production, the same craftspeople responsible for bringing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to stunning life after 25 years in limbo and Fire Force, only for that to be delayed by a few weeks due to the tragedy at KyoAni in July 2019. It’s not often that a manga I follow closely gets this treatment, but the industry seems to be enjoying a boost as of late with more and more manga I find getting adaptations later. Speaking of which, The Elusive Samurai’s next episode should be airing right now so a review of that will arrive in time. I will try my best not to delay it as long as I’ve done with this one.

Considering the year of release of the manga and that of the anime, Deathless 13 went through a few changes since it takes place in the modern era. COVID had a slight influence on the first episode as the female MC, Fuuko Izumo, was all by herself before attempting to try her own hand at death, whereas in the manga, there was a crowd gathered attempting to stop her. Then deuteragonist, Andy, shows up attempting to do the same but in style.

The series likes to have a ton of fun with body horror considering the premise: a select group of people possess supernatural abilities that negate the laws of physics. What anyone else can do normally, these “Negators” can do the opposite, hence the abilities like Untouch, Undead, Unstoppable, Unchange, Unmove, etc. No, it doesn’t match with how English works, but longtime weebs know the difficulties of accurate localizations.

A small group of Negators, known as The Union, have made it their mission to uncover the mysteries of the world they live in by challenging God himself. Many obstacles stand in their way, those being the UMAs or Unidentified Mysterious Anomalies/Animals. These beings have an adverse affect of some kind on the rest of the planet and are due in large part to The Union’s performance in the field. If successful, the repercussions are negated and things return to their normal state; but if they fail, the consequences become part of nature, in some cases permanently. Sacrifices tend to be made in order for The Union to reach their goal.

Having followed the series for the better part of 3.5 years, I recall some panels that would look astounding if animated because the action within is limited by the medium it originated from.

Of course, not every manga has that luxury, as Berserk fans know very well. When I learned that DP would be captaining the ship, I recalled their expertise in animation with JoJo, Fire Force and several other series and rested easy that night confident that their ethos of quality animation would not have to suffer. The studio promised us the Sistine Chapel once again and their hard work has paid off. Better yet, no one was breathing down their necks to meet an arbitrary standard so prepare yourselves, people. For the chefs have cooked another perfect dish.

I personally didn’t have much issue with the Stone Ocean adaptation, but I understand the argument that there was interference.

DP’s attention to details is one for the textbooks. Watching Andy regenerate severed limbs and such is phenomenal, and whatever confusion there was about how this world works is enhanced with the motion of all the pictures. No more flipping through pages for visual learners.

Having said that though, much of the series makes it a candidate for the mystery genre. Discoveries are being made all the time, characters keep their pasts well-hidden, motives change regularly, and the changes that influence the world can only be explained by a handful of people. I’d say it meets those prerequisites well with what I remember about it.

I can’t recommend enough that you check out the anime yourself. The manga got back on its feet a while back after a subpar arc, but with the anime adaptation in tow, it’s more than worth the watch. It’s available in dub and sub on Hulu and you already know what I like to frequent.