Ikigami
Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit

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Story: 9

The story expressed in Ikigami is done in two parts, first is the episodic form which follows a separate person during the last moments of their life and how they cope with their newfound mortality. These each are taken from a unique perspective and give a great amount of character and world building all expressing the morose themes of the series in a natural fashion without blatantly spelling it out to the reader. The second follows the man who delivers said ikigami and how he copes with his work. Each chapter begins and ends with his thoughts on each case and the over ... arching plot that develops through them.


Character: 8

The characters under this story format are surprisingly fleshed out and many experience an entire character arch which feels natural and progresses without being too rushed. My only nitpick on this is that with the format we are not able to become too attached to a character or those around them, and are instead forced to detach ourselves from them and become more akin to an onlooker of a show than an actual member of the cast, so to speak.


Art: 7

The art is very standard, and on the surface can even be criticized for not being able to stand out. However, the art is well done and well fitting to the darker and more somber themes of the story, and when the visuals do pop out with excellent detail, they truly stand out and in turn express extremely impactful moments of the series. This contrast between rather standard and truly incredible art allows for a more in depth dissection of the characters and plot which wouldnt be possible if the art was done to be more consistently pleasing to the eye. So while the series would look better if the art was of greater quality, I would probably not enjoy it as much as I have under its given form.

Enjoyment: 9

The episodic form of this story is surprisingly attractive and approachable as a reader. As each arch is very well developed and succinct, but still making a reader ache for more. As such it is perfect for the reader who wishes to stop and think on a piece, the binge reader who just wants to keep going on, and the re-reader who analyzes each page multiple times. The themes and questions on human nature and the necessities of societal structure are truly compelling as each chapter gives its own impression on each. And the best part about the thematic message is that the series trusts the reader to think for themselves and in turn does not spoon feed you a right/wrong, and leaves the message for the reader to determine.

Overall 9:

Please note that this series is not for the faint of heart, and does not back away from themes of domestic abuse, rape, poverty, politics, suicide, and murder. As such, it is not a show for the easily offended or the faint of heart. However, if you are the kind of person who enjoys deeply philosophical discussion and are not deterred by realistic depictions of the aforementioned topics, then I implore you to read this, as this is not just an absolute masterpiece manga, it is a masterpiece in literature as a whole.

no spoilers
this is my first read for this mangaka mase Motoro and boy i did not expect it to be this good, i just kept reading i enjoyed it a lot. it was a surprise because i never heard of it before but i stumbled on it by a coincidence.
the art is very good to look at and the characters are well build and what makes it even more enjoyable to me is that he separated the main theme into episodes three chapters each built around the main theme about the value of life and how to build a good society and to be a ... good citizen.
each episode has its own idea that connects to the main theme.
this manga despite the tag (action) has no action scenes like some shounen manga but its very dramatic and political definitely not for younger audiences.
if you like this type of manga give it a shot you will enjoy it.

tl;dr: An episodic story that tells stories about the value of life in an interesting manner but that doesn’t land the ending in terms of wrapping up the overarching story. 

This manga certainly has an interesting concept. That people prize their lives more strongly and truly live when they think they’re going to die isn’t that novel, but that being tied into a dystopian system with the goal of achieving such an effect certainly is. A work where the government arbitrarily kills off 1 in 1000 citizens, I would normally expect to be about fighting the system. And while that does play a part, primarily towards ... the ending, that’s really not the focus of most of the work. The majority of the manga is a series of episodes that begin by first showing off someone’s personality and background, then showing that person receiving their Ikigami, then showing what they do in the time they have left while also showing the effect that has on others. The main character has a pretty limited presence for most of these, only showing small glimpses here and there that slowly build up to him becoming the focus during the final chapters.

Still, in the end I didn’t feel that much attachment to him or his story all that much, especially compared to the episodes focusing on those that were going to die. These episodes are written pretty well and strangely enough are generally bittersweet. They show that people do live their lives more fully when they know their time is coming to an end, and that often does result in others also improving their lives as a result of the actions of the dying. Despite the completely strange situation that it arises from, while still sad, there is still an element of hope to these deaths. And that is part of what I feel makes the overarching story feel somewhat contradictory in that the final conclusion is that the system is actually something terrible that wasn’t created for the stated purpose. A system that arbitrarily kills people is horrible and obviously does not need an explanation for why it is so and the explanation that such a system could promote the value of life is immediately obvious as nonsensical. Still, having that be the conclusion of a narrative that for the most part was focused on cases where the system did lead to at least somewhat positive outcomes feels inconsistent.

Furthermore, how it pivots from the previous message about valuing life to one about how society is spineless and selfish in that they much prefer the system over pushing for a change they don’t personally benefit from, felt pretty forced. The message very much does fit a narrative about such a society, but considering what the rest of the narrative was focused on it feels out of place. It also felt pretty hollow and superficial, because due to the big twist that happened towards the end and the last line, it felt like the author was reprimanding people for not criticizing society while also making sure not to criticize his own society. The ending itself in terms of the protagonist is satisfying enough, but due to all the other issues with it I didn’t find the ending that satisfying overall. In terms of art, it never seemed bad but never popped out as good either, so the best I can say is that it was adequate for telling the story the author wanted to tell.