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tokiro07 · 2 hours ago

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Undead Unluck ch.238 thoughts

[Five Years and an Anime]

(Topics: thematic analysis - Rules, character analysis - Ruin/Soul, narrative analysis - Fuuko, speculation - finale)

What do you MEAN UU doesn't get the cover for the five-year anniversary?! It ain't Blue Box's anniversary, get outta here with that!!!

Is it cus we're not gonna make it to ch.240??? Does it not count if it's not divisible by 48??? That's cruel!!!

But, in the end, it's a petty concern. The covers don't make it into the volume releases or anything, but the color pages do, so it's more important that Tozuka focuses on the final color page for next week's issue. Whatever he chooses to do with it, I have no doubt it's going to move me to tears, especially if he pulls what Medaka Box did and saves it for the last page rather than the opener, though I'm not counting on that

Rather than lament what was not or fret about what may be, let us revel in what is: and what that is is a fantastic cooldown chapter leading into our finale!

God Tier

With the old Gods defeated, the Union have been granted the role of being the new Gods of the final world, and with that role comes the right to decide on what Master Rules will govern it

However, despite being given this right, the Union decides only to make one change: to alter Revolution in such a way that Autumn is added back into the seasons, making this final world identical to ours

At first glance, it seems oddly lax to leave negative Rules like War and Sickness in the world, as they are some of the biggest contributors to human suffering. However, practically, philosophically and narratively, I think that the Union made the right choice here

As Billy says, he imagines that the presence of War as a Rule helps regulate conflict - the key word being "imagine." He can't envision the ripple effect that removing War would have, for better or worse, but after seeing what happened to the world when Andy nonchalantly killed Insect in L100, it's clear that the delicate balance of this world that Sun so painstakingly created over the course of billions of years does work. Altering that balance without extremely careful consideration could be catastrophic, so only a change to revert to a previous, tested state is truly safe

Then there's the idea that the Union have become Gods; if they were to change anything about the Rules, that would mean changing the lives of all of the people on Earth - a decision that affects everyone without any input from them whatsoever. That was exactly what the Union was fighting against: Gods who would impose their will onto the unsuspecting populace. It would be hypocritical to think that it's okay for the Union to risk making the world suffer just because they "earned" it

Fuuko's goal wasn't to gain control of the world, it was to attain freedom. She wanted to live in a world where people could make their own decisions, for better or worse; the benefits and consequences of their actions rest solely with the individual, not an unseen and capricious God. And if the Rules of humanity still cause suffering, then it can't just be up to a chosen few to make things better - it has to be all of us, working as one, to enact change that helps everyone

And though he never actually renounced his faith in God, it was thanks to this decision that even Ruin was able to accept that the Union won in the end

Not So Ruined After All

Ruin's perspective has always been that the Master Rules were perfect, that Sun's Intelligent Design was necessary for the world to function properly. The Rules of humans never made sense to him because they were made to benefit the few and oppress the many, whereas the Rules of God were made to oppress everyone while also bringing balance to the world itself

Ruin's greatest fear was that if the Union, if humanity overthrew God, they would dismantle the Rules that allowed the world to operate and introduce one-sided, short-sighted Rules that would lead the world to ruin

The Union's decision to leave the Rules as they were has assuaged that fear. The world turns the same as it always did, just now there aren't literal monsters that magically manipulate the Rules with the specific intention of making helpless humans suffer. The world that Ruin loves remains the world that he loves, and the Union no longer has a reason to fight - everyone wins

However, with the two no longer in conflict, Ruin is left without a purpose. He has no one to fight for and no one to fight against, and even if he did continue to oppose the Union, there would be no benefit to it, as the world would not change. Ruin's reaction to this revelation is fascinating: because the world won't change anymore, he has to

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying

Ruin can't just coast on being an immortal misanthrope anymore, now he has to participate in the world as it is. If he can't adapt, he'll have no place in the world that he loves, and that would make everything he did to ensure the world was shaped to his wishes completely pointless

Therefore, he has to find something that makes him worthwhile, something that makes it meaningful for him, who almost prevented this world from existing, to remain in this world. The conclusion that he comes to is at once nihilistic, that the world cannot be changed, and yet incredibly optimistic, that people can be

With this perspective, he decides to help other people change in the same way he did, to help others understand the beauty of the world. How this will look is anyone's guess. Maybe he'll find people trying to jump off bridges and give them a reason to live like Andy did for Fuuko. Maybe he'll get into environmental activism to protect the planet itself. I'd like a bonus chapter or light novel to cover that, but even without that, the mentality motivating it is really interesting

It's especially fitting that the first person he convinces to change isn't a person at all, but UMA Soul, who Luna has left behind to observe the world that the Union has created

Witness Me

Luna's motivations for allowing Soul to keep living as the only remaining UMA are just as esoteric as her motivations for facilitating the game between her and Sun in the first place, but from what I can tell, I think they're the same motivation

Luna believed that her and Sun's exile from their home world was meant to teach them a lesson, specifically so that they could understand why they "lost." Who they lost to is still a mystery, and one I'm not sure Tozuka wants to answer, at least not at this time, but in the end I think it's safe to say that Luna did in fact learn that lesson. From watching the Union defeat Sun through Love, Luna realized what it was that she and Sun lacked

In the final battle, Sun only spoke once, to express to Luna that the end of their game had come. Since he didn't complain or object, I think he may too have come to understand Love and accepted his defeat. It is the proverbial stone so heavy that even God couldn't lift it, the ability to create something greater than Himself, and thus, in a sense, proof of His greatness

But Soul could not accept this. Soul rejected this outcome and fought against it with all his might, only to be defeated in the end because of his petulant small-mindedness. Perhaps if he could have embraced Love as I suggested he would, he could have achieved something greater and validated the world as he wished

Not that it mattered in the end either way. When Andy approaches Soul and suggests he had something to learn from the Union's world, he looks around at it. He sees man and beast walking in harmony. He sees sickness among the healthy. He sees several unique souls, of different ages and sexes, gathered in one place, with different opinions and reactions to the scene taking place in front of them

He sees his friends. Though the UMA no longer exist, their Rules still do. The Union didn't kill their memories, and so they still live. Soul may not have understood Love before, but I think this might have been enough to start to give him an idea of it

And with a basic understanding of Love, Soul realizes that it would be cruel to deny that Love to the ones who refused to forsake him and his friends even after everything they'd done. With but a snap of his fingers, he performs his first Loving deed: he returns Fuuko's memories

Deja Vu All Over Again

Again, my immediate reaction to Fuuko getting her memories back so easily was that it was a strange choice. We didn't even get a full chapter of Fuuko being without her memories, and in that chapter she barely interacts with anyone, mostly just looking around confused. The weight of Fuuko's memory loss is never given a real chance to sink in, and that is a bit of a shame

But I'm not mad about it

For one it allows Soul to find a little bit of redemption, the single act that he's taken in the entire series that actually has any meaningful consequence. It showcases how even Soul, for all his staunch resistance to it, has the capacity to change and love

Secondly, it expedites a foregone conclusion. It's not like we didn't know that Fuuko was going to get her memories back, as this is clearly the kind of series that fully intends for everyone to have a happy ending. Again, even Soul is technically getting one, so it would be absurd for Fuuko not to

I definitely wish that we had more time for Fuuko to try to remember, to know that there was something missing from her that she wanted to get back. I envisioned it as Andy taking her to familiar locales - Lake Baikal, Longing, Uluru, Stanley Park, Tokyo Tower, etc., and finally Shibuya Station, but logically it makes sense to go to the place where they first met immediately

Even if Soul hadn't been there, the shift between Fuuko timidly asking Andy to step back from the ledge to suddenly leaping over the fence to pull him back herself because he isn't Undead anymore is a perfect way to illustrate the return of her memories. It's poetic, it's moving...

It's wicked sick!

Undead Unluck has always had bizarre pacing, so it's only appropriate that it have it right at the end too, and again, I can forgive it because the scenes we get within that odd pace are always so excellent. Even if he's being hampered by Jump rushing him along, Tozuka doesn't miss, and my faith in him for these last five years has been well-rewarded just by this one scene

And we still have one chapter left!

For old times' sake, I'll speculate just a little

I'd bet we're going to have the wedding, even if it's only a brief montage. We may get a glimpse into the future of the Union, with everyone living out their careers, starting families and growing old. One thing I can say for sure though: we'll see Andy and Fuuko aging together. I don't know if it'll be at the same time or if one will continue on a little longer, but at least one of them, surrounded by the aged Union and the new lives they've brought into the world since, will finally experience...

The Greatest Death Ever

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews

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tokiro07 · 13 hours ago

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Toki Reads Shonen Jump 2025, Issue #9

One Piece: The Giants give us a bit more lore on Nika, revealing that the legends are heavily debated based on translation; Not!Shanks and Gunko approach Loki with an offer to join the Holy Knights, but he refuses even as they kill one of his animal friends. Nika being up to interpretation reminds me of what Rayleigh told Robin about how their interpretation of the Poneglyphs might be different from hers; Gunko is confirmed not to be Monet, but god damn if that design ain't an immediate Top Tenner for me!

Yozakura: Mutsumi makes a nice dinner for the family to reveal that she's expecting another child, and everyone gets one last moment to show off their personalities as Gondaira signs off the series' run with a commemorative photo of the family. Sniff...fambly...I may not have been incredibly invested in the plot of Yozakura Family, but I really enjoyed this cast while they were around, and I'm gonna miss them

Undead Unluck: The Union is given the right to edit the Master Rules as the Gods of the new world, but only choose to edit Revolution to bring back Autumn and make absolutely no other changes; Andy takes Fuuko back to the bridge where they met and finds that Soul is still hanging around, who has a brief discussion with both Andy and Ruin about what's next for the world; Fuuko's memories return. In classic UU fashion, the events of this chapter felt a little fast, but Fuuko being the one to climb out onto the ledge of the bridge to keep Andy safe is ABSOLUTELY worth it

Roboco: Roboco makes friends with a little old lady, Tome, and her obsolete robot, Hanaco; when Hanaco breaks down, Roboco takes her to Dr. Mockus, who manages to transfer her processor to a more modern OrderMaid, allowing the two to continue their lives together. I don't love all of the one-off characters that Miyazaki keeps introducing, but this duo was really sweet and endearing

Sakamoto: Shin tries to get Sakamoto to bring him along to meet his dad, but Sakamoto refuses and Shin goes off on his on; he successfully finds his dad, but gets thrown off a boat for his troubles; fortunately, Sakamoto saves him in his usual badass way, by catching him with a car as he drives off a bridge. I think I could have stood to see a little more build-up in their first meeting, just one more chapter of them butting heads, but I'm having fun

EluSam: Emperor Go-Daigo dies and Takauji is made Shogun; under his rule, internal conflict among the Ashikaga Shogunate begins to crop up, most notably including the execution of Toki Yorito. Wait, review canceled, when I was trying to look more into the incident that led to his execution, I learned that Toki's disrespect of Emperor Kogon was the first documented usage of the word "baka," how the hell did Matsui NOT include that???

Witch Watch: Momo accidentally eats sweets with Nico's growth spell infused into them, making her a giant; hilarity ensues. Is this the horniest chapter of the series so far? This was a rough one to read while on break at work

Blue Box: Chinatsu's introspection on interpersonal perception continues, this time being applied to the all-too-familiar misconception that talented people are simply born geniuses and not incredibly hard workers; Chinatu resolves to not worry about being misunderstood and instead focuses on enjoying her passion. A classic theme in Shonen Jump, Miura manages to make it work exceptionally well; it also seems to be setting up that for however naturally talented Yumeka is, the difference between her and Chinatsu's efforts is catching up with her, which is just a fascinating angle to take this storyline

Akane: Rakugo reporter Kashio laments the sudden disappearance of Akane from the Rakugo world right when she was on the rise; while on a business trip to Paris, he stumbles across her performance and sees that she's not only doing well, she's honed her craft to new heights. Is it just me, or does Akane look exactly the same? I feel like her design, if there are any differences, isn't strikingly different enough for a three-year timeskip, but perhaps it'll be more obvious and impactful once she's up and moving around

Kill Blue: Ogami and Ryo find Chisato and Tenma on a date and decide to tail them; while Ryo challenges Tenma to a game of catch, Ogami and Chisato discuss their relationships, with Chisato suggesting that Noren may have stronger feelings for Ogami than she lets on. I really like Chisato and Tenma as a pairing, I wish we'd see more of them

Nue: Gakuro gets his ass kicked by Yoshichi, who turns out to have enough Command Energy to not only use TWO Shikigami, but to use them continuously even outside of battle. While the explanation given certainly makes it seem impressive, I'm mostly caught up in the idea that Yoshichi's "integrated Hollow Weapon" is somehow distinct from other armor-based Hollow Weapons; however, I don't care enough to research whether or not this is actually consistent with the power system so far

Kagurabachi: It's revealed that up to this point, Chihiro has been coasting on the overwhelming power of his Enchanted Blade and in actuality doesn't have any sword skills worth a damn; this upsets sword-nut Kuguri, who abandons their battle out of frustration until Chihiro draws him back in by revealing that he's learned one of Samura's techniques after only seeing it once. While everyone else is losing it over Chihiro resolving to be "Hakuri's samurai," I'm over here appreciating that we're getting a closer look at how sorcery plays into this world's combat, even if it is a pretty standard method so far

Chojo: Chojo is cursed by a haunted doll until Ippongi accidentally defeats it with a purely reflexive judo throw. I think I'd appreciate a deeper dive into the supernatural aspects of this world - if espers and ghosts can exist, what else is out there?

Astro Royale: Hibaru continues fighting Hachiku, the older brother of the guy who pretended to be Shikaba previously; Hibaru tanks one of Hachiku's explosive punches just to land a hit with his own, calling him out on his lack of ambition. Ambition's another classic theme in Jump, but I haven't really been getting the feeling so far that it's one Wakui really cares to analyze in this story; guess we'll see

Kiyoshi: Sanguis Commander Kyoka comes to visit the Gates of Hell, ordering omurice from Kiyoshi before knocking out his friends and going on the offensive; when Kiyoshi reverses the situation, she concludes that he's her type and asks him on a date; Sakaki declines a warning from a fortune-teller because he prefers to gamble. Kyoka is hot as hell, an instant fave, but uhhhh how old is she compared to Kiyoshi?

Hima-Ten: Kanna finds a roach in her house and recruits Tenichi to take care of it; she dresses up as a maid and makes him omurice as a thank-you, making this Omurice Week. Kanna continues to be best girl, PLEASE let this series be poly so she can be happy

Ichi: Desscaras shows World Hater and the audience why she's called the Strongest Witch. Is this how the yaoi girlies feel about Gojo?? I'm sorry I ever doubted you Desscaras, I wasn't familiar with your game

Shinobi: After the fight with Tobi, Yodaka is brought in for emergency care, but after seeing Mukai's concern for his wellbeing, he can't shake the feeling that there's more wrong with him than just some broken bones. I said earlier that I didn't want the leads to become romantic with each other, but I didn't realize just how much chemistry they'd have at the time

Hakutaku: Hideout Plan is rejected by the judges for being too big in scope to ever achieve proper implementation, but everyone's skills are acknowledged; Hikuma realizes that he wants to make games that only he can make. Probably the best chapter of the series so far, we'll see if it bears fruit

Syd Craft: Waltz captures Elio as she prepares to blow up the ship, but Elio's love for Syd inspires Waltz to sacrifice herself to protect the ship instead of sacrificing them to save her kidnapped lover; Elio, Syd and Lulu (who was apparently on the ship) save Waltz from both the bomb and herself. I'm embarrassed, I was so smug about calling that Waltz was the second bomber but I MISSED that she was explicitly drawn with a bomb strapped to her; however, since no one said anything , I assume either no one noticed or no one cared

Top 3 of the Week:

Undead Unluck for giving me a lot to chew on in this week's review

Ichi the Witch for Desscaras' breathtaking ceiling battle

Mission: Yozakura Family for leaving us on a note that makes me look back fondly on the last five years with this family

Runners-up include Blue Box's ongoing analysis of Chinatsu's character and the themes of the story, Kagurabachi's extremely compelling yaoi moment, Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi's new knockout waifu, and Shinobi Undercover's success at endearing me to a couple I didn't initially care about

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