REVIEW: ‘Undead Unluck’ Episode 10 — “Result”

Our lovable duo of Andy (Yûichi Nakamura) and Fuko (Kahara Moe) are back together in Undead Unluck Episode 10 after the defeat of Victor. Titled “Result,” the members of the Union have gathered back together to receive their results from Apocalypse as the ball gets rolling on their next adventure.

While Andy, Fuko, and Shen’s adventure took center stage over the last few episodes, all of the Union Roundtable members were sent out on six different quests. Apocalypse, the all-powerful book that assigns the tasks and doles out their rewards and punishments, returns to give the results of the quests.  In this case, the first five quests were all completed successfully, but the sixth, the capturing of Unseen, failed. Those who went after them all ended up dead. It shows just how formidable the next opponent is going to be for the Union.

Andy believes Unseen was captured and killed by Unrepair, the UMA that he and Fuko are looking for to help fulfill their wishes. It works as a solid enough segue to link the two missions together and naturally sends the duo on their next adventure. That said, the added penalty of the UMA Galaxy being unleashed by Apocalypse adds a new wrinkle to the whole thing.

The entire premise of the Union doing the bidding of Apocalypse is a really interesting one. They know that they can not actually stop Apocalypse, so the idea is that completing the missions it sets out for them will allow them to learn more about how it works. Seeing it all unfold over the course of the season has been fascinating and Undead Unluck Episode 10 does a good job unraveling more of the mystery. Apocalypse is also just downright creepy. It is impressive, the sway he holds over a group as powerful as the Union Roundtable.

It is also great to see how the different Roundtable members react to this new challenge. Andy is expectedly excited and confident, while Fuko is so in over her head that her over-the-top reaction of fear makes complete sense. The rest of the group is difficult to read, but for the most part, they are cool, collected, and ready to face the challenge ahead. Having such different reactions all within the same group helps showcase multiple approaches to the same situation, which is part of what makes Undead Unluck Episode 10 so interesting.

In keeping with the theme of traveling the globe to deal with new threats, Undead Unluck Episode 10 brings the crew to the Australian outback. The season, so far, has taken the gang to Russia, Nevada, and now Australia in a global tour of complete butt-whooping. The sparse desert background set with the imposing Uluru landmark in the middle gives way to some beautiful scenes as Galaxy heads to space to begin unleashing his power. There is an underlying sense of dread, sure, but it almost goes away when the breathtaking visuals appear on screen.

That lull into a false sense of safety then gives way to an alien invasion, because of course it does. Undead Unluck Episode 10 continues to keep viewers on their toes by constantly flipping the script. The big whiplash moments are not unexpected, it is obvious when the series is going to suddenly flip the tone, but the impressive part is in how they do it. It is also all explained in a way that makes so much sense based on the rules the series has lived by. Even when things are a bit over-the-top, they end up feeling almost grounded in the grand scheme of things based on the world Undead Unluck has established. It’s a difficult balance that the series maintains well, making the absurd feel close to normal.

It is a bit of a bummer, then, when the alien invasion ends so soon after it starts. It’s just a quick pitstop to the ultimate goal and ends up feeling cheapened because of that. It can be hard to take the latest big bad guy seriously when they only spend a few minutes on screen and are mopped up so quickly, even if the action does provide some neat visual moments. Hopefully, the payoff when the gang goes after Unburn and Unrepair takes its time to be fully deserved.

Undead Unluck Episode 10 attempts to tie up loose ends while setting up the next adventure but stumbles a bit along the way. It is a perfectly enjoyable episode, but a rapid resolution cheapens the stakes that were set out from the start.

Undead Unluck Episode 10 is streaming now on Hulu.