Forum - View topic(The) Unwanted Undead Adventurer (TV).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11298 Location: Frisco, TX |
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(The) Unwanted Undead Adventurer (TV) Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 13 volumes, written by Yū Okano, illustrated by Jaian) Demographic: Shounen Animation Studio: Connect Genres: action, adventure, drama, fantasy Themes: dark fantasy, medieval, monsters, sorcery, transformations, undead Plot Summary: Rentt Faina, a twenty-five-year-old adventurer, has been hacking away at monsters for a decade. However, without much talent for the job, Rentt finds himself stuck hunting Slimes and Goblins for meager amounts of coin every day. Swallowed whole by a dragon, he wakes up a short time later not quite dead, but not very alive either— He is nothing more than a pile of bones. Armed with nothing but his trusty sword, tool belt, and ghoulish new looks, Rentt sets off on his quest as a newly reborn Skeleton to achieve Existential Evolution, hoping to one day return to civilization with a more human form. Air Date & Platform: January 5, 2024 (Friday) Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: 12 episodes Last edited by Tony K. on Fri Apr 12, 2024 5:30 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#1
The concept in this franchise is not new; there are previous adaptations about former humans being reincarnated into a completely different species and then building their way up from lowly beginnings (Slime, Spider etc.). Likewise, our protagonist has realised he is now on the other side of the game and has to evolve before he can return to civilization. The first part is done up; being more than a bag of bones means he can actually talk (with practice and possibly more evolution to acquire whole vocal chords) and with a disguise can return to civilization without calling the town guard and priests on his head. Despite starting from a well-trodden and derivative formula, there are some unique selling points for this franchise that might interest casual viewers. Probably the biggest one is our protagonist's character and personality. The very definition of an untalented but diligent individual, he's made a quiet living for over a decade before his unwise spelunking leads to the Black Swan event which changes his life forever. Despite this, he hasn't lost the common sense approach he took to adventuring and plays it very safe with his new form. Unlike his human life, it appears becoming undead has granted him the talent (for want of a better word) to actually help him achieve his long-held dream of becoming a top-class adventurer. He was never going to achieve this aim while he was still human, but with his new form and the innate trait of existential evolution he might just make history and become the first non-human top-class adventurer ever, but his is a long and perilous journey. Another point in favour for this franchise would be its monster designs. Our protagonist and his fellow skeletons aren't too far from the conventional mould, but the slimes are animated slightly differently from the usual with the emphasis on the core. The new ghoul form isn't too different, but kudos to the VA for what must have been the most excruciating take on rotten vocal chords to produce that piece of audio. The big draw would obviously be the dragon, which is not a design I think I've ever seen. Had Rentt not assured the audience it was a dragon, I wouldn't have been able to identify it as anything other than a big flying monster with a massive roar. The final point in favour of this franchise would be the acquaintances and allies our new ghoul has made and will make over this adaptation. With the exception of the male adventurer group at the start of the episode, the OP, ED and episode feature busty female adventurers and researchers of various stripes. How the franchise goes about this is up in the air; it could go full fanservice like the recent Skeleton Knight Isekai adaptation or it could lean towards the Overlord template where the character designs are meant to hook the viewer only for the characterization to flesh out these people into more than visual eye candy. I'm hoping for the latter, since an undead ghoul not requiring hunger and sleep probably doesn't have libido either and if the story is mostly told from his perspective (a solo human adventurer with no skills who only partied up when he was commissioned to) then the fanservice angle would waste time by detracting from the main narrative. Still early days, so I'll see how this adaptation fares after a few weeks. Also that English title: I'm assuming it's the author's choice but somehow I think it's slightly off. Translation is a bit too literal; it breaks up the title into its component parts and then translates them into English word by word. After watching the first episode, it makes more sense to clump up 望まぬ不死, then the particle and finally 冒険者 before translating. One would still get the same in English using a standard translation, but for some reason the output doesn't quite convey the part about the adventurer Rentt being unwillingly transformed into undead. Too bad my powers of expression are just as bad as Rentt's human adventuring talent so can't really come up with a better alternative than what's already available. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1912 |
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Hmmm, the show is indeed nothing new concept wise and while there are several possible hooks it really depends on the next two episodes for me. The premise is interesting enough and I like some good old undead mc adventuring, but it all depends on how the other characters are and what the mc does after becoming human like. I assume that he will go on from ghoul to something higher on the foodchain undead wise, yet seeing him wear that mask in the OP seems to suggest that his mug is not all that human so maybe he is stuck as a ghoul for a long time.
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Edjwald
 Posts: 1122 |
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I went into this one with somewhat minimal expectations, just because the last time I watched an anime about an undead adventurer it was...actually, I can't even remember the name of the show. But this one seemed pretty solid. I found the protagonist likable enough to be sympathetic, and even though the RPG type world is very familiar, it's a kind of familiar that I happen to like as long as there aren't a lot of other annoying elements.
I agree with Smurky that whether I stick with this show or not will depend on the supporting cast and what forms the main antagonists will take. I'll be watching to see how the show gets... ::::::::::Don't say it. Don't say it. What's wrong with you? Don't say it:::::::::::::::::. ...fleshed out. (Scrambling for the power off button) |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23773 |
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Ya know, I am generally anti-capital punishment...
...except for punsters. 
I had a similar reaction to this as I did Delicious in Dungeon... kinda liked it but was kinda bored. Not bored enough not to try more, but I looked down and my pants weren't on fire. Which is good because who wants flaming pants? Nobody, that's who. Yes, let's see what this show has to offer before hitting the flush button. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1912 |
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What a difference a week can make. This week we had some more dungeon action, but it was mostly about the mc meeting Rina and them getting along step by step. Rina started off being very wary of Rentt (for good reason), at the end they had built a bit of trust between them/got along and thanks to her quick thinking Rentt now has a new outfit and is once again in town. He also got a pretty cool cursed Doctor Doom mask though.
I like the overall mood of the show, the world while standard is interesting enough and thus I can now firmly say that it is going on the watch full season list. |
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b-dragon
Posts: 452 |
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I left last week basically considering it episode 0- all setup, nothing in inherently interesting, but I was willing to see what happens after setup. I left this week well satisfied, and eager to see what happens next. As it turns out, giving your characters likable personalities and letting them bounce off of each other is a good plan, and well executed.
I did like Rentt's implicit judgement of the researcher- "I don't like using someone as innocent as Rina" as he sneaks into Lorraine's home. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#2
If the first week was showing how generic the show's template could be, it really comes down to this week that would be the fork in the road for casual viewers. As far as I'm concerned, I'm taking the route for watching to the end. Despite the generic template, I like Rentt and the people around him and am curious to see how far his peculiar journey is going to take him. It wasn't that obvious last week, but even Rentt is aware that his new undead form is much stronger than he was when he was human. Now that the "level cap" is off, he can become stronger just as his researcher friend theorised. Will he remain a ghoul for the rest of the adaptation? Or will he evolve into the wight (and more) that Rina said when she passed the package to him. His appearance in the ED all comes from the equipment Rina bought for him, and I'm betting it's better than what he had when he was human. All that grinding in the starter dungeon got him the coin he needed to afford stuff he wouldn't have been able to otherwise even with his savings. The only thing he needs to complete his look in the ED is a better weapon, and the blacksmith featured there might be the key. I'm very impressed with Rentt's VA. Switching between his "human" voice, the gradual fleshing out of his "ghoul" voice from the end of episode one to what it is when he speaks to the guards, that is HARD and very straining on the vocal chords. I hope talent scouts are paying attention; if he gets better roles after this based on the strength of these two episodes it would be well deserved. It's ironic that Rina is iron-grade despite being an absolute newbie while Rentt for all his years as a conservative low-grade adventurer is copper. In human form, Rentt would probably lose to Rina after a few fights (and after Rina builds up muscle), but in terms of experience he has her completely beaten. She certainly helped him out, and one feels a little sorry for her getting bailed on like that. One does understand why Rentt thinks that way and has taken that approach, but he owes her that apology and he'd do well to evolve into another undead form with closer human features to keep his word. His researcher friend Lorraine interestingly enough recognised Rentt straight away despite his vastly changed appearance. Then again if she didn't get any other visitors besides him who is on first-name terms with her it wouldn't need a genius to figure out who he was through logical deduction. It's clear she's going to help him, but I've no clue how she can help beyond her research. Perhaps as a bolthole since Rentt cannot return to his previous lodgings in his current state at least. Going by the OP, the guild receptionist will eventually get round to interacting with Rentt in his current state. Which will present a problem: if he's formally reported everyone involved is in huge trouble since he's technically an outlaw. Plenty of short-term tribulations ahead for our intrepid ghoul. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1122 |
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This has turned out to be a solid anime, and it has a beating soul, or at least I found myself empathizing with the character in a way that I wouldn't if it felt like a factory floor rip-off fantasy. For example, I didn't feel like it was a contrived plot device when Rentt left Rina behind. He feels like she's a promising young adventurer, and it's totally in his character not to want to burden her with his baggage after she's shown him nothing but kindness. That's what I mean when I say this anime is solid - I feel like I know his character because he's got one.
I am curious about what Rina asked/told the receptionist. I mean, I suppose she could have just been asking directions to the best clothing store, and they might have cut off because they were just making us wonder if she'd turned Rentt in or not. But it felt like something significant that's going to crop up again happened there. And I'm looking forward to see how this scholar friend plays out. She seems like she's going to be pretty eccentric, and her relationship with Rentt seems pretty deep. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23773 |
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My interest in the show has upticked. AND NO, IT'S NOT JUST 'COZ A BIG TIDDY CHARACTER HAS BEEN INTRODUCED!!! Although, let's face it, that didn't hurt. The show definitely isn't afraid to maintain a... measured... pace. However, with Rina's burgeoning relationship with Rentt it would seem that half of the adjectives in the title no longer apply.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#3
Rentt at least has lodgings for now, his scholar friend unsurprisingly takes him in as he's the perfect test subject for her research. She most likely never believed existential evolution would actually be seen outside of the wild, and so is taking a bit of a risk with Rentt the ghoul to see what she can learn close-up. The two of them go way back as well; turns out she figured out who he was from the way he knocked at the door when she was pretending to sleep. Their relationship is a surprisingly long one: she's been in the town for almost as long as Rentt has been an adventurer by trade. Over a decade, and she's not bought new clothes since she left her academy and has grown out of them. Not much exercise either by the looks of it, even though she'd easily roast Rentt with any of her powerful spells. Considering how quickly she thought about commissioning the guild to look for Rentt after he failed to visit her when he was stuck in the dungeon, he seems to also act as her (unpaid) visiting housekeeper. Rentt needs a new weapon, so he risks letting more people in on his secret when he commissions a replacement. The local blacksmith and his wife are like him and more or less know everyone in town, so Rentt trying to hide who he is when he commissioned them for a new weapon was going to end in failure. Rentt the human was the only adventurer in town with access to all three energy types (low as they were), while it's clear Lorraine doesn't let anyone into her house other than Rentt, so it didn't take them long to connect the dots. They don't know exactly how he ended up like that, but they're not completely off as far as a curse is concerned (the mask is cursed). As for Rentt the ghoul, his personality hasn't changed much but his physique has. He doesn't feel hungry, but standard ghouls crave human flesh and he's unnerved about his fixation on the restaurant owner's wounds. He does try to help him out knowing he's not really a threat, but they get more than they bargained for when they revisit the hidden area Rennt blundered into two episodes ago. It's interesting Rentt said "boss room", so dungeons in this fantasy world are not dissimilar from the ones in tabletop fantasy. In Rentt's case, his is the "hidden boss room" so if he survives this encounter he's in for a reward. Will it be the existential evolution the next episode title hints at? Or perhaps unique magical equipment? The strange rat who's around him in the OP and ED has yet to make its bow, so is this the moment where he gains a pet mascot? Not much action this week, so next week might pay us double for the budget saved this week. I'm looking forward to seeing if Rentt is more than just imposing in his new outfit with the occasional ghoul eyes; we viewers already know this giant skeleton would have easily killed him while he was still human the same way the dragon did. But with Rentt as he is now (even with a loan weapon while the blacksmith finishes his commission), are the odds more even? Last edited by Harleyquin on Fri Jan 19, 2024 8:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1912 |
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Some interesting things this week. First is that the show seems to be more about Rent's relationships with other people rather than his quest to become a mithril adventurer, though that is a large part of the adventure too. Speaking of those relationships, it seems like Rent is actually pretty well liked by people in town, he comes across as more to me than just a deadbeat adventurer forever stuck at the lowest rank. That said, he has been at it for ten plus years, so maybe it is only logical.
As for Rentt.....given how he seems to be craving some human flesh I hope that he will not munch someone. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1122 |
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I'm liking this show more and more. In most anime where the MC goes from being weak to strong, it starts out with the MC being sneered at and bullied and such (See The Berserk of Gluttony for the most recent example). With this show, it's more like Rentt's situation is letting us see what his funeral would be like even though he's still alive (sort of).
Rentt's been a hardworking, honorable adventurer who's competent despite his lack of a cheat talent, and we're coming to find out that he's been appreciated. The guild utilized him to take care of rookies, he has some solid friendships, and something a little more complicated than friendship with Lorraine (or else she wouldn't have pretended to be asleep so that he wouldn't know she was waiting up worried for him). It's cool to see an MC who isn't a joke, a trope, or an extreme every now and again. |
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b-dragon
Posts: 452 |
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Exploring Rentt and his situation via his relationships with characters around town and their concerns about him is probably the best move the show could've made. Rentt himself is fine, but is perhaps the least interesting part to me. But I care about his well-being now because we've been clearly shown how much the people around him like and are concerned for him. It's good stuff.
I particularly liked Lorraine- she's a good example of how to take a tired trope (the absentminded, hyperfocused researcher,) and expand the cliche til the character feels much more like a person. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23773 |
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Episode 3
As noted before, this show is in absolutely no hurry to get wherever it's going which is kind of refreshing. smurky said he hopes Rentt doesn't munch anybody but I think he should munch Lorraine, heh-heh-heh... I wonder what it's like to be mature? I wouldn't know. Anyway, I'm fine with this show's stately pace at least for the time being. |
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