Fellow metalhead Imomushi Narita presents to us a somewhat hilarious yet tragic tale called Killing me / Killing you, which follows the journey of two immortal beings, Meteor and Youth, who are looking for a way to die. And yes, if you're wondering if its a reference to Killing Me Killing You from Sentenced, it definitely is.
Now this synopsis feels fairly simple right, its not really complicated or detailed at first glance. Not only that, but thinking of reading several chapters of characters just trying to commit suicide all the time might seem redundant and not so interesting as it seems. Yet, the mangaka is able to make it so entertaining in a way you would still look forward for the next chapter. Is it thanks to the comedy? Yes, partly. But the drama side of the story is what really shapes it into an emotional ride through this adventure, along with it's world building surrounding the lore of the land. A land that will be described as overall desolate, beautiful in certain aspects despite being the result of utter destruction following the meteor shower.
As the characters Youth and Meteor go throughout their journey, they are indeed thinking about multiple ways to die, so they ask the people they meet what's the next hot place to commit suicide over (of course, all of this in an almost hilarious tone as Meteor is so excited about it that she's rushing for it). But then, as they always end up failing to die, a question arises in the middle of it. Would it be worth it if they really died? And if they still don't manage to, how would their loved ones perceive them (in Youth's case)? The meteor has drastically changed their appearances, not just them, but the others as well, just like with the cameleon "El Cielo" who turned into a giant dragon. During their encounter with El Cielo, our characters question the dragon as to why he doesn't want to end his own life and the dragon answers "I still need to keep on living, for that boy's sake", which shines some light into Youth, but also Meteor's words saying that "we need to move on from the past" also highlights how the current world is the beginning of a new era that they must adapt to.
Life as an immortal is boring, very boring in loneliness, less with camaraderie. But if there's only two of us in this world who cannot die, then it's even more boring. And what will happen after Youth and Meteor explored the whole world? So many questions arises in this manga. It kind of feels like a Made in Abyss universe with some Kino no Tabi mixed in. Our characters do help other secondary characters that they meet through their journey, since this manga is indeed quite episodic. But the problem of not being able to die continually arises, yet it always ends up with a new discovery about life, sometimes a comfy one, but sometimes also a depressing one as well.
And then, there's the problem of the passage of time. Time goes on and on... to the point people who lived for so long completely forget everything, including what they knew about themselves. No wonder Youth doesn't even remember his real name, or that El Cielo almost forgot what his purpose in life truly was. This manga explains perfectly well the 2 core issues of being an immortal: loneliness and memory loss. Yet despite those 2 elements being part of some of the characters' lives, they still keep on living, even after 5 years. What a life of utter boredom this is! That I can't help but feel pity for them. Thankfully, Youth and Meteor are always there to brighten up the mood, even in the most gruesome fashion (they always end up getting themselves hurt).
In any case, this is merely an hypothetical assumption, but why is it this manga has such low interest among the Japanese audience despite the fact it seems so fun to read? And why was it at the verge of getting cancelled had it not been for the mangaka to make an animated PV all by themselves? This is most likely due to the fact that the main topic that's being tackled is suicide, which is not only a sensitive topic but also something that's difficult to take upon in a comedic way rather than a serious one. Even though we are fully aware that its fiction, it can still be perceived in a different light depending on the person, and may not be as a funny as it may seem.
Finally, Killing me / Killing you isn't bad, it's a fairly enjoyable read with really loveable, attaching, characters who shine as a comedic duo. The story also brings a warm sadness to it, with this desolated world half destroyed by the meteor and as we dwell more and more into it, there's just a depressing tone to it and the people who still live through it. Normally, this is supposed to end in 5 volumes, but the release of the chapters etc are extremely slow, so if you want another read that's similar to it (but not entirely), check out It's My Life, which also shares the same universe as this one.