Comments on: 365 Days of Manga, Day 361: Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit http://graphic-novels-manga.suvudu.com/2010/09/365-days-of-manga-day-361-ikigami-the-ultimate-limit.html Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, and Games Mon, 20 May 2013 03:01:05 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5.2 hourly 1 By: KBKarma http://graphic-novels-manga.suvudu.com/2010/09/365-days-of-manga-day-361-ikigami-the-ultimate-limit.html/comment-page-1#comment-20718 KBKarma Sat, 06 Nov 2010 01:25:30 +0000 http://suvudu.com/?p=6958#comment-20718 This sounds remarkably similar to Machine of Death, a 30-story anthology edited by Ryan North (http://www.qwantz.com/), Matthew Bannardo, and David Malki ! (http://wondermark.com/). Basic summary: a machine has been invented that can tell you how you're going to die after getting a sample of your blood. The problem is that it tells you how you die, but it (very rarely) says when, where, or in what circumstances. And it's got a sense of irony. And it's never wrong. So, if you got AIRPLANE CRASH, and never left your house, an airplane would crash into your house. If you get OLD AGE, you could die because your car was so old the brake wires wore out, or because an old man shot you, or you could live into your old age, but be in a coma for twenty years before you die. As a result, since the Machine is always right, the one way you can die is the only way you can die. Some people become agoraphobes. Some people live life normally. Some become hedonists. But the question the book, and every story (each of which has an excellent illustration) in it, asks, is: is it good to know how you die? Or would we be better off without that knowledge? Absolutely brilliant. This sounds remarkably similar to Machine of Death, a 30-story anthology edited by Ryan North (http://www.qwantz.com/), Matthew Bannardo, and David Malki ! (http://wondermark.com/). Basic summary: a machine has been invented that can tell you how you’re going to die after getting a sample of your blood. The problem is that it tells you how you die, but it (very rarely) says when, where, or in what circumstances. And it’s got a sense of irony. And it’s never wrong.

So, if you got AIRPLANE CRASH, and never left your house, an airplane would crash into your house. If you get OLD AGE, you could die because your car was so old the brake wires wore out, or because an old man shot you, or you could live into your old age, but be in a coma for twenty years before you die.

As a result, since the Machine is always right, the one way you can die is the only way you can die. Some people become agoraphobes. Some people live life normally. Some become hedonists. But the question the book, and every story (each of which has an excellent illustration) in it, asks, is: is it good to know how you die? Or would we be better off without that knowledge? Absolutely brilliant.

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