Deaddie Du Dead Chapter 1
Death Wish Review

Originally published on Medium March 20, 2023 by Toran L.

Here’s everything that went down in Chapter 1 of Deaddie Du Dead.

The following contains spoilers for Deaddie Du Dead Chapter 1, “Death Wish,” written and illustrated by Arūnas Murnikovas, available in English from MyFutprint Entertainment. Debuted in Issue #16 Saturday PM.

Deaddie Du Dead Chapter 1 was, quite possibly, one of the most intriguing introductions to a series I’ve read. This chapter introduces the protagonist, Yvas, a young man who is an assassin for “the agency” who becomes disillusioned with his work after his friend was killed. This series is a unique addition to the world of manga, presenting a world where humans coexist with “hybrids” (human-animal hybrids). This concept alone sets it apart from other manga series and creates a lot of potential for exciting and unexpected storytelling.

Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead — Benjamin Franklin

Assassins Yvas and Alissa deal with the consequences of a secret Yvas and his friend, Lou, kept from the agency. Lou Oshka is a hybrid with a goat’s head. On a meal break with Yvas, Lou reveals that “looking at how fucked up the world has become, I sometimes think that disappearing would solve all of my problems.” This quote sets the tone for the chapter and possibly the series. His statement may reflect a sense of helplessness and resignation towards the violence that he and Yvas, and the other assassins, commit for the agency. This despair towards the world, and monotony of the work, can culminate to this feeling of wanting to “dissappear.” All of the characters’ lives are seemingly at the disposal of the agency, just as any worker is only pushing forward the mission of their boss or company.

In light of Lou gaining the courage to share with Yvas, the challenges and struggles that he faces, the reader would hope that it underscores the importance of continuing the fight and working towards positive change. However, Yvas admires and dives deeper into this sentiment.

Abruptly, the chapter takes a turn. The assassins swiftly, violently kill the street gangsters in a pool of blood. Right when the reader presumes calmness and resolution, the head Bill, an A-rank assassin, immediately delivers closing remarks concluding that they’ve finished for the day.

Alissa, Yvas’s partner, asks to meet with Lou. Lou isn’t as familiar with Alissa like Yvas, so he asks him to tag along. To her surprise, Yvas attends and she appears utterly disappointed. Then, Bill delivers a monologue about their boring work, killing “small fry” members of the Stryx gang, eventually disclaiming “even though it’s almost impossible, sometimes when a gang member quits, they succeed at erasing their past and come back to society.”

Yvas’s Conflict

Bill rhetorically poses his statement to Lou, seemingly confirming a secret of his. As a turn of events, Lou tries to escape from the grasp of the agency, but Frank, an A-rank assassin hybrid with a dog head, kills Lou by stabbing him in the torso.

Alissa teams up with the agency to chase Yvas around the building after it “shifted.” She some how appears in front of Yvas after he escaped four-floors down. She confronts him and declares that the agency is inescapable and that she must continue her work, she has no choice. Yvas is discouraged and disappointed by her lack of faith. He shouts at her, in confusion, that they are still friends and swore revenge for Lou’s slaying.

In spite of her absolute claims that there is no way to fight the agency, Yvas reminds her that there is “one way.” Right as he is discovered by Frank and Herry, an A-rank assassin hybrid with a fish head, Alissa stabs Yvas in the torso through his back. At his “death,” Yvas meets the incomprehensible Death-entity named “Mirtis,” which is Lithuanian meaning “death.” The name Mirtis can be seen as a representation of the unknown. Death is an unknown and mysterious concept that humans (and hybrids alike) have been grappling with since the dawn of time. By naming the entity Mirtis, Arūnas may be emphasizing the idea that the entity is a representation of the unknown and mysterious aspects of the world. Also, it can be seen as a reflection of the themes of the story. In “Deaddie Du Dead,” the characters will probably face numerous challenges and obstacles, many of which are tied to the violence and chaos of the world they live in. The name Mirtis may serve as a symbol of the violence and death that permeate the story and the characters’ lives.

Mirtis asks Yvas if there is anything he still wants from life before moving on. Yvas tells the entity that it already knows his answer, reminding the reader of Yvas’s conversation with Lou at the meal, life is bleak especially as an assassin. After a “second chance” to answer, Yvas responds that he wants to save everyone he cares about. Mirtis grants him this second life or “chance.”

Further Potential

As Yvas resurrects from the Alissa-assisted staged death, he awakens his power, ready to take on the agency with Alissa. Alissa asks Yvas if he knows what kind of power he has awakened, which he did not, which may shed light on what we can expect from the series here on out. The rest of the chapter follows Yvas and Alissa as they team up to destroy the agency and become free…ending with Yvas declaring their wants of freedom as his phone displays the reward (or bounty) on Yvas, adding to the already high stakes of their mission.

It seems that Yvas and his partner Alissa are taking on not just one, but multiple underground organizations. This creates an opportunity for a thrilling and action-packed storyline. The story is fast-paced, and with the complexity of the hybrid characters, this adds another interest to the narrative. If one is interested in a series that reads like “Chainsaw Man,” “Attack on Titan,” or “Kaiju №8,” “Deaddie Du Dead” has the potential to attract readers from all over the world and introduce them to the unique world and characters created by Arūnas Murnikovas. Overall, it is a promising start for a new manga series that has the potential to captivate readers.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Deaddie Du Dead is a Lithuanian original English-language manga series written by Arūnas Murnikovas (Instagram @aruunas_art). It began monthly serialization in Saturday AM’s seinen manga magazine, Saturday PM, in March 2022.

Synopsis from Saturday AM: In the dismal world where humans live together with hybrids everything becomes more distorted day by day. While everyone is used to living with the hybrids, they are still strange creatures, a borderline between humans and other animals. Hybrids introduce humans to even stranger concepts which allows them to use their potential to its fullest. Yvas is a teenager who happens to work as an assassin for an agency established by the government to exterminate street gangs. However, after an incident between them and his friend, Yvas and his partner Alissa swear to destroy the agency and become free from it. Everything gets even more complicated when Yvas becomes the target of another big underground organization.