Mass Movement Magazine

Death Notice: Ikigami DVD (MVM)
Adapted from a Manga series created by Motora Mase, Death Notice: Ikigami takes place in a bleak, Orwellian Japanese society. Citizens are monitored and controlled by the state in the most oppressive ways possible. The government has introduced a ‘National Prosperity Law’, where all schoolchildren are given routine innoculations that will determine whether they will one day sacrifice their lives for the benefit of the state. One injection in a thousand contains a nano-capsule that will shatter in the heart of whoever is unlucky enough to receive it when they reach adulthood between the ages of 18 and 24. The only time that victims become aware of their fate is 24 hours before their impending death in the form of an Ikigami, or Death Notice. The premise for the film is not that different to that of Battle Royale, where sacrifices were made to control crime and to ensure people appreciated their life after learning that it could be cut short abruptly at any time. The story focuses on three different characters that have all been served their Ikigami, including an aspiring musician getting his first big break, the son of a prominent politician and a young man attempting to make the best of his life to help his blind sister. The premise for the film is excellent, with a gritty undertone throughout with some genuine moments of extreme tension and emotion particularly with the character thread involving the aspiring musician and the politician’s son. However, the film occasionally falls into the trap of saccharine flavoured over sentimentality, with some clichéd music and corny dialogue. It lacks the overall black humour, violence and bleakness of a film like Battle Royale, but makes up for it with some interesting reflections and societal commentary on the role of the individual citizen for the prosperity of the state. Gareth Moule