TL;DR
Ultimate Level-up With My Immortality Skill wastes its potential with inconsistent storytelling, a half-hearted revenge plot, and a lack of commitment to its mature themes. The protagonist’s refusal to kill feels artificial, and the tone clashes with its overly edgy, exaggerated art style. Overall, it’s a frustrating and unsatisfying mess.
This manga had the potential to be a gripping revenge story, but it falls flat in almost every conceivable way. The premise revolves around a protagonist seeking vengeance, yet the execution is riddled with inconsistencies, poor storytelling choices, and a lack of commitment to its own themes.
First and foremost, the protagonist’s so-called "revenge" is laughably half-hearted. Despite the manga being marketed as a revenge story, the protagonist never actually kills anyone. Sure, he tortures his targets, but it’s painfully obvious that something — likely age guidelines or editorial restrictions — is holding the author back from letting the protagonist take that final step. This is absurd, considering the manga is already saturated with mature themes like rape, torture, and graphic violence. Other characters are shown killing without hesitation, which makes the protagonist’s restraint feel artificial and frustrating. If the story is going to dive into such dark territory, it should commit fully instead of pulling punches at the last moment.
The "leveling up" part, which is central to the title and premise, is another major letdown. Despite the grandiose name Ultimate Level-up With My Immortality Skill, the protagonist and his sister stop leveling up once they reach roughly the same strength as their revenge targets. Instead of continuing to grow and completely overpower their enemies, they stagnate, which feels like a cheap way for the author to artificially inflate the difficulty of their revenge. This undermines the entire concept of "ultimate level-up" and makes the story feel contrived and unsatisfying.
The tone of the manga is equally inconsistent. The exaggerated facial expressions, contorted to portray "cruel ecstasy," come across as overly edgy and unintentionally funny. The art style clashes with the gravity of the themes, making serious moments feel ridiculous rather than impactful. It’s as if the manga is trying to mimic mature storytelling but ends up targeting an audience that just wants something superficially edgy. The result is a story that feels immature and poorly thought-out, despite its attempts to tackle heavy subject matter.
Finally, the use of rape as a plot device is poorly executed and feels unnecessary. It’s introduced to add tragedy or depth to the protagonist and his sister's backstory, but it comes across as gratuitous and exploitative rather than meaningful. The handling of these themes is so shallow that it undermines any emotional weight the story might have had, reducing it to mere shock value.
In conclusion, Ultimate Level-up With My Immortality Skill is a frustrating mess of wasted potential. Its half-hearted approach to revenge, inconsistent tone, and reliance on edgy tropes make it difficult to take seriously. If you’re looking for a satisfying revenge story, this manga is not it.