REVIEW: ‘Undead Unluck’ Episode 5 — “United We Negate”

After defeating Gena, Andy and Fuko have earned their spots at the Union table in Undead Unluck Episode 5, “United We Negate.” Their experience with Gena left a sour taste in Fuko’s mouth and the duo sets off on the next stage of their adventure together.

Undead Unluck Episode 5 starts with Andy and Fuko sharing a drink while thinking about Gena’s death. Andy talks about how Gena had a death wish and that her life in the Union was a depressing one. It’s a fascinating look at how the Union impacts the people in it. It also looks at the human being behind Andy’s wild, immortal facade. He can be quite caring when he chooses to be and this is one of those moments.

Fuko wanted to change the Union after these revelations. She doesn’t understand why something that makes its members depressed and leaves them yearning for death should be allowed to exist as-is. Andy agrees to help, initially because he believes it will help him woo Fuko, but it’s clear that his care for Fuko is more than just surface-level. He constantly comes close to showing those true colors before burying them behind crude jokes and comments. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic continues to play out.

A huge revelation in Undead Unluck Episode 5 is the actual Union table itself. Now that Andy and Fuko have earned their spots at the table, they get to meet some of the other members before being assigned missions. It is interesting to note that most of the members hate each other, which makes sense given that Andy had to kill Gena just to join. Members of the Union are forbidden from fighting each other, which creates an organization built on mistrust and hatred.

Undead Unluck Episode 5 also introduces viewers to Apocalypse, an ancient book that governs the Union table. Apocalypse gives seemingly impossible tasks to the members of the Union with success granting new rewards and failure resulting in terrible penalties. This system is what Gena was so upset she couldn’t change, and Fuko is determined to put an end to it as well. Despite seeming like the other members of the Union have no problem with this all-powerful book, it is actually the opposite.

The only way to defeat whoever is behind Apocalypse is—so the members of the Union believe—to become so much more powerful than they already are. They argue that completing these challenging tasks will grow their strength and ultimately will help them find who is behind Apocalypse and defeat them. Fuko could, in theory, rise to the top of the Union ranks and change the way they approach the situation, but that seems quite unlikely.

It doesn’t help that Andy decides to rush head-first into the most challenging quest possible. He does not have any sense of danger—probably because he can’t die. He accepts a truly impossible mission and brings Fuko and Shen along with him. This new trio is met with obstacles right from the start that test how well they can work together as a group. Shen is the most reasonable of the group, so it will be interesting to see how well he can work with the carefree Andy and the in-over-her-head Fuko.

Undead Unluck Episode 5 takes a bit of a break from the action to help expand the world and lay out the task ahead of Andy and Fuko. There is so much to learn and more still to uncover as the series continues, especially as the challenge ahead is looking more impossible by the episode.

Undead Unluck Episode 5 is streaming now on Hulu.