Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, Volume 5

Ikigami #5

by Motorō Mase

Dear Citizen:

Thank you for your loyalty. You've no doubt noticed that the world is a troubled place. People are apathetic, lazy, unmotivated. You've probably asked yourself

WHY ISN'T ANYTHING BEING DONE TO STOP THIS SYSTEMATIC DECLINE?

Rest assured that measures are being taken. Beginning immediately, we will randomly select a different citizen each day who will be killed within 24 hours of notification. We believe this will help remind all people how precious life is and how important it is to be a productive, active member of society.

Thank you for your continued attention and your cooperation and participation...

FEATURING:
EPISODE 9: THE WRITING ON THE WALL
EPISODE 10: HONOR AND DUTY

WHERE DOES A DEATH MESSENGER GO ON A DATE?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Seinen, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Bande Dessinée

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2008

About the author

Kanji Name: 間瀬元朗.

Reviews

[Pinkerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ora che anche i "demoralizzatori" sono della partita questo manga si fa ancora più intrigante.

[Johnny il.cacciatore.di.libri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siamo a metà della storia! Veramente un manga stupendo, scritto e disegnato benissimo e con il gran potere di portare con ogni storia che racconta un messaggio e ispirare una riflessione nel lettore! Consigliatissimo al momento!

Il voto è salito a 4,5 ⭐️ - spero di chiudere con un 5 pieno!

[Noura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is an interesting turn of events.

[beyza · Rating 5 out of 5]

bu cilt aşırı 1984 vibei verdiği için can bu cannnn

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story #1: A group of graffiti artists discuss their idol, who goes by the tag FK. We find out that FK only took up graffiti because his family runs a normal painting company, and if there is graffiti on the streets then they get more calls to paint over it. He just happened to get good at it. He wanted to be an illustrator but ofc the dad was like noooo u gotta take on the family business etc etc etc. FK is approached to make a legitimate mural because he actually does have talent and the government wants to seem hip for hiring a banksy like figure. FK declines because it wouldn’t be in the spirit of graffiti. The job goes to a kid who idolized him. FK gets served an Ikigami and with his final hours he paints on the wall where the mural was supposed to be. The image is extremely critical of the NWP.

Story # 2: The son of a man who works for the NWP is obsessed with both the program and getting respect from his family. He wants to rat out a social miscreant for the respect he will gain from his father. His older brother is in police training and he feels the familial pressure, but he also seems to believe in the NWP deep in his heart. He genuinely thinks it’s good for the country. When he gets served the Ikigami he cries with gratitude for the honor. However in his final hours he tries to get his whole class deemed social miscreants because they gossipes about him and didn’t like him. He beats up a student and ultimately his dad comes to arrest him because beating someone to a pulp is social miscreant behavior :////

Meanwhile, Fujimoto’s doubts are getting even stronger. At first I thought I was wrong in vol 4 and the Psych was actually going to rat Fujimoto out for being a dissident. I mean it’s still up in the air, she could be plotting. But it seems that she might be a dissenter as well. This volume was very different from the others in that the background plot with Fujimoto’s disillusionment is beginning to get more play. The first story was the first instance where there was public dissent shown rather than just a heartfelt personal story. The second story was unique to see someone who completely bought into the ideology and felt honored to receive an Ikigami. I don’t think I would mind if the whole rest of the series continued to be the short stories about the last 24 hours of different characters, because there is so much you can do with the same concept and this author is incredibly creative and talented. I get completely invested in the character even when it’s following the identical format and I know they will die in 24 hours. It’s still not tiresome. That being said, I am excited to see where the Fujimoto plot goes and the general population’s disillusionment with the system.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

F.K. is the hottest new grafitti artist in town. Nobody knows that his real name is Yukimasa and he works for his family's painting firm. In fact, his father demanded that he do grafitti, which is illegal, to boost his business. On night he is offered to paint a wall legally. This has always been his dream, but he reluctantly refuses for fear of being found out and putting his father's firm out of business. His ikigami makes him reconsider. He calls on all grafitti artists to clean up the town by removing the ugly grafitti everywhere. Still, he does one more grafitti criticizing the National Welfare Act. The other street artists are quick to follow suit and begin an underground anti-establishment movement.

Fujimoto can't help expressing himself when it comes to the Act. Ishii tries to stop him, but it's too late. Kobo hears Fujimoto speak badly about it and reports her suspicions to the authorities. She even goes as far as to declare herself as anti-establishment, likely to make him speak more of his views. Fujimoto is worried about where this can lead.

Ikuhuko is a high-school student very much in line with the Act and the party in power. His father and brother, both supporters of the Act, have been in the Police University. He is pressured into going as well, though his grades may prevent him from doing so. He wants nothing more than to be seen as a National Welfare Hero, so he welcomes receiving his ikigami. He also takes advantage of reporting a classmate as a social miscreant, an accusation that can be fatal if proven true. He then demands to be told who else has been bad-mouthing him. Many colleagues inform on each other, so he declares he will report them all. This earns him a beating, but he gets away. He beats up a classmate to get to his phone, but ultimately denounces everyone from the roof of the school. Everything gets turned on its head when he is arrested for beating up his classmate - 'miscreant crimes commited by a chosen' or receiver of an ikigami invalidate all of his accusations. His own father arrests him. Even though his family is a supporter of the Act, it is disgraced and forced to move away.

[Marcelo Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

En este volumen nos encontramos con artista del graffiti cuyos sueños ha reprimido toda su vida y con el hijo de un funcionario al cual su existencia ha sido encaminada al único propósito de servir al gobierno que ratificó el sistema de muerte controlada volviéndolo un verdadero creyente de la causa. En ambas historias encontramos puntos de cuestionamiento de las acciones del gobierno y como este hace todo lo posible para suprimirlos.

[Guy Riessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As this series is progressing the overarching plot is shaping up to be a very interesting look at someone torn between a totalitarian government and a growing rebellion. Then the individual stories are fascinating looks at what someone might do if they know they only have 24 hours to live. Good stuff that's becoming better through the telling..

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The overarching plot is finally picking up!

This was the first volume where I liked both stories. I feel like more and more people are starting to have dissident thoughts and (guerilla) fighting against the National Welfare Police, a.k.a. Big Brother.

[Büşra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asıl Dejenere olan toplumdu diyen abi aşırı haklı

[Beril · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Levent Erikli · Rating 5 out of 5]

İkuhikonun hikayesi baya gerçekçiydi neye güvendiğimizin önemini açıkça görüyoruz . Rip ikuhiko

[ingeburge · Rating 3 out of 5]

ce volume plaira aux amateurs de street art (ep9) qui ont des daddy issues (ep10)
(une seule condition validée pour moi désolée🤐)

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two stories were good but literally there wasn’t a significant female character, and I’m not sure his date counts.

[Sylvia Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s getting very anti-establishment. Love it.

[Zuhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

9. Bölüm şu ana kadar okuduklarım arasında en iyisiydi 10. Bölüm sonu resssssmen çakti

[Berra çalışkan · Rating 5 out of 5]

İlk 5 cilt arasındaki en iyi cilt buydu okurken çok keyif aldım

[Irem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Özellikle 2.hikaye çok iyiydi.

[Mady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este estaba bastante chulo creo

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the better volumes of the manga. I'm so confused as to what's going on with his woman friend though. Is she part of the resistance? Is she faking to get him in trouble? My theory is the second one, but only time will tell.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read from the Ikigami series. The personal "ikigami" stories themselves were not my favorite thus far, but I love how all of the personal stories reveal another dimension of the National Welfare Program's effect on citizens and society. And in this latest edition, we're starting to stretch beyond just the negative impact on individuals and really get more of a feel for how the populace at large is viewing the program. In contrast, while in previous volumes we see ikigami delivery agent Fujimoto weighing the consequences of the program on a large scale, it's becoming a much more personal issue for him as he suspects he may be dangerously singled out as a "social miscreant" for his non-conformist inclinations...

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 5 out of 5]

After 8 standalone stories the Ikigami series starts to utilize the slowly developing story arch more fully. One would think that it's about time by the fifth volume, but the standalone stories have been just so completely excellent that it's actually just the perfect timing to give more attention to the regular characters who haven't been particularly prominent so far.

There are still two separate stories here involving people killed randomly as sacrifice to the state, and those storylines work as well. But yeah, it's nice to see that the imagined totalitarian state the series presents is getting fleshed out.

[Kam-Hung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The two stories in this volume are more related to the premise, the National Welfare Act, and how the secret police use it to silence dissent by letting suspicion and paranoia spread among people. One starts to worry if protagonist Fujimoto should trust his co-workers with his concerns about the act.

[Christiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are still strong and Fujimoto is a character you can really identify with. He is a good person doing a soul-killing job in a society where anyone can be accused of being a "social miscreant" and taken away by the National Welfare Police for "reeducation". While this story is fictional, there are certainly parallels to totalitarian regimes today (or in the past, like Nazi Germany, or the former Soviet Union). I think teens could find a lot to discuss in this series.

[Softymel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dans cette suite (toujours aussi intéressante!), on entre de plus en plus dans le doute concernant la loi des morts programmées par l'état. Les différents protagonistes commencent à se poser des questions sur le bien fondé de cette règle.

De plus, on suit également l'histoire d'un lycéen plutôt fanatique, du fait de l'éducation très pro-gouvernement de son père.

Une excellente suite donc :-)

[Jelke Lenaerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting seeing the thoughts on getting an ikigami from someone who has been raised to respect that law.
This volume also started showing me the underlying storyline i've been waiting for. Excited to continue onwards.

[elin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My most favourite volume so far? I’m not entirely sure. Nonetheless, it revealed some more about the main characters and pushed the plot a little bit further. It’s interesting to follow along the one-time side characters, also, and how they’re so different to one another.

[Tarot · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

[Lupe Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh and the doubting begins!! I love it!

[Reyzl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno. La historia del integrista es estremecedora.