Although there is an occasional imbalance of overall quality when it comes to its storytelling, Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit is one of the most thought-provoking seinen manga to come out in recent years.

Exploring complex societal issues, this manga is centred around Kengo Fujimoto, a government courier whose responsibility is to deliver Ikigami - death papers - to citizens to inform them of their imminent deaths as a result of a nationwide program that has a random segment of the population randomly chosen to die through the use of a nanocapsule injected into their bodies during their inoculations in elementary school. As he begins to become more personally involved with the people he comes across throughout his duties, Fujimoto struggles with his jobs and the ramifications of a system that he comes increasingly disillusioned with, while at the same time avoiding the ire and suspicion of his colleagues who are inclined to report on any citizens who have hints of treasonous thoughts towards the country.

Told primarily in an episodic format, the majority of Ikigami is focused on the people who receive Fujimoto’s death papers. While the protagonist of the entire manga is Fujimoto, it is arguable that the main stars of this manga are the numerous characters that readers are introduced to over the span of the manga’s run. Ikigami feels like an anthology of stories about people who live under the system and are forced to come to terms with their deaths (which occur within 24 hours of receiving notification). Some stories are inspirational and uplifting, showing how there are those who work to make sure that their last moments are impactful to those around them, while others are admittedly depressing and tragic, showing how people with nothing to lose will do anything to make themselves heard, even at the cost of those around them. One interesting thing to note is that not all the stories necessarily have a lesson for the audience. In a world where arguably insane laws and policies force sane people to do insane things, not every story has meaning.

Motoro Mase, the author of this manga, is effective at writing characters that are relatable and captivating, in spite of the fact that most of these characters only have a chapter or two worth of time for development.

Unfortunately, however, while Mase shows his prowess at creating short stories, the same amount of quality is somewhat lacking when it comes to the general overarching plot involving Fujimoto and his life under the system. Kengo Fujimoto is an incredibly interesting character, given the contrast between the nature of his job and his true thoughts towards the Ikigami system, but his story is arguably the weakest of all the ones told in the manga, which is unfortunate given his status as the main protagonist. That is not to say that his story is bad; it is not. Many key moments in Ikigami involve Fujimoto, and many of the most memorable scenes include him as the focal point. But what makes Fujimoto’s tale seem like such wasted potential is probably because its strong points are overshadowed by those episodic storylines. No matter how compelling his struggle with the system is, audiences will likely find it to be relatively run-of-the-mill in comparison to Ikigami's far stronger side stories.

That being said, the climax and end of Fujimoto’s story is an amazing one. While the idea of the government killing its own citizens for the sake of encouraging citizens to value life is admittedly far-fetched, the ending chapters of Ikigami deliver a conclusion that not only wraps up the story in a satisfying manner, but also gives a well thought-out rationale for a system that was previously thought to be unjustifiable.

There’s a great deal of depth available in this manga that would arguably fit right in with a university-level ethics class. As such, this series is not only easy to recommend to seinen manga fans, but also as just an excellent graphic novel for anyone looking for a mature and dark read. One thing to note is that while Ikigami is a dystopian novel set in a bleak future, it is also one that has many emotional moments for people looking for extremely human stories.

In terms of its art, Mase uses a more grounded style than most manga. Some backgrounds look traced from actual photos, while body proportions and facial features are on the more realistic side. During emotional moments, Mase’s art style shines as every frame is given an amazing amount of detail that suits the typically high-intensity nature of the stories being told. Ikigami is arguably one of the best-looking manga series out there.

To conclude, Ikigami is an amazing manga that capitalizes on its unique concept of a society that kills to preserve the sanctity of life. In this bizarre dichotomy, there is an abundance of interesting stories to be told. And while the overarching plot is somewhat weaker than the rest of the manga, Ikigami is a worthwhile read even if just for the episodic stories alone.