Ikigami by Motoro Mase

Description:

A national prosperity law has been passed in a dystopian nation, resulting in citizens between 18-24 to be randomly selected to die for the good of the nation. These citizens are given 24 hour notification of their impending death, called "ikigami". The ostensible reason for this system? To help demonstrate the value of life

Kengo Fujimoto is a new ikigami messenger, and through the various lives he notifies of death, he comes to learn if this law is moral or not. 

Genre :  

Drama, Psychological, Action, Mystery

Review:

The manga starts with a glimpse of a memory from the childhood of  Kengo Fujimoto, where it explained how the "National Prosperity Preservation Act" (NPPA) works. Each elementary school student on the first day of their school are given a vaccination which takes affect when the children become adults, causing 1 out of 1000 people to die randomly between the age of 18-24 for the prosperity of the nation. The story then fast forwards to the present day where an adult Fujimoto is in the middle of a job description lecture. Here the dark fate of those who dare to speak against the "NPPA" is revealed, where even being put down for death is a normal outcome for the so called "traitors of the nation". There can't be a better start to a story with a set up as dark as this which pulls you in immediately.

The manga is a collection of stories of those who received the ikigami, their thoughts, actions and the decisions they make in their final moments. It is interesting to see how fearless people become when their death is close and how it can cause them to become evil and hurt others or give them one last chance to pour out every ounce of energy they have to reach their goals and motivate those around them.

With a set up where a country kills it's own citizens in the name of prosperity there is bound to be a resistance standing against it. The constant struggle between the government and the resistance between the various stories in the manga is put together really well and catches you off guard every time it comes to light. This works really with the theme as those who stand together or against the government hold onto those beliefs until the end of their life and act accordingly after receiving an ikigami.

The manga revolves around the main character Fujimoto and the people he delivers the "notice of death". The affect of his job on his mind, his personal life and the constant struggle to hold onto his beliefs and continue his job as an ikigami deliverer. With additional details in the manga such as a major war and its impact on the struggle between the government and the resistance with again Fujimoto struggling to choose a side makes you wonder about what would you do in the same situation. 

The manga while being absolutely flawless in its art and presentation of a sensitive topic progresses really slowly and makes you restless and leaves you waiting for the conclusion with twists and turns at the end of each chapter.

Conclusion:

Ikigami is a manga which deals with topics like death, violation of basic human rights and what affects it has on the daily lives of the people. The best part is that unlike other manga where the main protagonist is someone directly involved in the action and fighting the system or is controlling everything from behind the scenes, the main protagonist here is an everyday guy who is stuck in a struggle between two opposing sides and the story from his perspective. The manga is a rewarding read and i would be happy to recommend it to all the manga readers.