The Imminent Death category has hardly anything in it, alas, which is why I need a bit of extra help. Plus, my request is a little bit more complicated.
I'm looking for a manga/anime/movie/show where the protagonist or one of the principal characters is doomed to certain death - and they know it.
Yeah, I know that everyone is 'doomed to certain death' (we're all gonna die!), but in the context of this request, I mean 'certain death' in a more extraordinary way - not death through natural aging or by accident, but prematurely and cruelly, with forewarning, in a way that leaves the person plenty of time to contemplate their demise.
Examples: terminal illness, an entire assassin's guild being sent after their life (with their knowledge!), a family curse, a blood clot in the brain, a deal with the devil, an unwilling sacrifice, a prophecy, a legal death sentence, a suicide mission, foreknowledge of an incoming bomb/natural disaster, shrapnel from an old wound buried in a heart valve, etc.
Basically, I want to look at how the character deals with the knowledge of their own impending death. SELF-AWARENESS IS KEY.
The death should be unavoidable, or almost unavoidable (like, it would take a miracle for them to survive, and they honestly don't think that they will). They might actually end up surviving at the end, or they might not - but as far as they know, they won't.
Any genre except hentai/ecchi is welcome.
Things I've already read or already know of:
Birthday - a young boy with terminal disease lives out the last of his days. Very sad, very lovely. Has a 'shounen ai' label but is mild/subtle enough that everyone (not just readers of BL) ought to read it.
Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu - another boy with a fatal health problem, and plenty of forewarning.
Seizon - Life - amazing manga about a father's quest for justice in his last days on earth. His own impending death is definitely one of the main deciding factors for his actions.
Ilegenes - one of the main characters is a 'clone' who is raised solely to be used as 'spare parts' for his actual counterpart. He knows he's going to die once his organs/limbs are used up, but grows to love his counterpart as a brother, and is content with facing his own death. (So far, anyway! That might change.)
Konoyo Ibun - a man starts dying of a family curse which has killed all of his ancestors before they grew old. Thankfully, a demon turns up to save him when it gets too close, but he is pretty much living on the threshold of constant death, and at the start of the manga, he's despairing about being able to survive at all. It, um, throws an interesting light on how far he's willing to go to stay alive. Even if it means turning gay. For a demon.
Heaven's Door (HONGOU Ranko) - yeah, terminal illness and talking about death. But it's a shoujo romance. So, yeah. Don't expect it to get all seinen up in har.
Sleeping Moon - FABULOUS, gorgeous story about another family curse that kills off all the young men in the clan. The protagonist and his cousin both have to deal with the fact that they'll probably die - and soon. In fact, the protagonist can eventually feel himself dying...
Renri no Eda - more terminal illness.
Babylon 5 - one of the most fascinating elements in this TV series was Londo's prophetic insight into his own death at the hands of G'Kar. He knew how and when he was going to die - as the emperor of an empire, with a Narn's hands around his throat - long before he actually got there. This fits into the prophecy category of 'certain death', but there's also this other interesting arc in the series, about an assassin's guild that likes to forewarn its victims waaaaaay ahead of time. So as to maximize suffering. "How will they kill me? When? Will it be the spring roll I have for dinner tonight? (Poison?) The speed-boat I take my girlfriend on tomorrow? (An exploding engine?) The construction site I'm working at? (A staged accident?) ARGH! I might as well just lock myself up and shrivel to death!"
Iron Man - the two recent movies starring Robert Downey Junior do an excellent job of highlighting the fact that Iron Man (a.k.a. Tony Stark) is basically living on borrowed time. The second movie in particular places emphasis on Stark's foreknowledge of his own death, and how he handles it.
More stories like these, please!
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Certain Death
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Member
6:01 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 1354
Post #462365
Member
6:21 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 161
Are you excluding novels and short stories that cover this topic, or are you interested in those as well?
Member
6:37 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 364
Code:Breaker - All the code breaker guys know that they will die because of their power. The more often they use their power the sooner they die. Everyone has their own way and reason to cope with it and to keep on using the power.
Member
6:49 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 14
6:49 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 14
Post #462378
Member
7:07 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 109
Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan? The guy knows very well he will die. I think it's mentioned pretty often in the manga.
________________
“I thought also of another thing between us. Call it trust... That is one of its names. It is a very great thing. Though each of us alone is weak, having that we are strong, stronger than the powers of the dark.”
________________
“I thought also of another thing between us. Call it trust... That is one of its names. It is a very great thing. Though each of us alone is weak, having that we are strong, stronger than the powers of the dark.”
the mu...
Member
7:34 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 1050
the obvious: gunslinger girl
movies: you prolly already watch em all though.
hero
seven pound
life is a house
gran torino
harry brown.... wait.. did he die at the end?? i forgot...
movies: you prolly already watch em all though.
hero
seven pound
life is a house
gran torino
harry brown.... wait.. did he die at the end?? i forgot...
Post #462386
Member
7:41 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 339
Taiyou no Uta terminal illness
Bokurano
Made in Heaven
Tonari no Kanata (Nostradamus to Sakaki-kun--sort of)
Last edited by book_lover at 8:03 am, Apr 18 2011
Bokurano
Made in Heaven
Tonari no Kanata (Nostradamus to Sakaki-kun--sort of)
Last edited by book_lover at 8:03 am, Apr 18 2011
Member
8:18 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 140
8:18 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 140
Member
8:26 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 1354
Quote from Bafflement
Are you excluding novels and short stories that cover this topic, or are you interested in those as well?
None of those, please!
Thanks for your recs, everyone! I'm starting to make headway...!
Lone Wanderer
Member
9:04 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 2127
Ikigami - The basic premise might seem rather...illogical, but the human drama and psychology associated with impending death is dealt with in a really touching way.
It's Two People should fit, going by the series description.
Last edited by calstine at 9:13 am, Apr 18 2011
It's Two People should fit, going by the series description.
Last edited by calstine at 9:13 am, Apr 18 2011
Post #462404
Member
9:20 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 2
9:20 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 2
Ginen shounen- The characters know of the future but it is alterable.
jail bait
Member
10:05 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 1444
Battle Royale: out of a whole class only one will survive. survival at its finest!
Half and Half- its a oneshot though.. theyre both already dead.. only one will live on.
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Half and Half- its a oneshot though.. theyre both already dead.. only one will live on.
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oh please do click this!
The sweeter the apple, the higher the branch. The quieter the fart, the nastier the smell.
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Member
10:20 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 185
7 Seeds - There are two main arcs in this series that have this theme. This series is a survival manga, so there are also several near death experiences where the person thinks they are going to die, but then pulls through somehow.
Shelter Arc :
Summer B Arc :
Nabari no Ou - One of the main characters that the protagonist befriends (a villian)
Chrno Crusade -
Deep Love - Ayu no Monogatari - A young prostitute
Blood+ - In the anime there is a group of experimental vampires
Shikeisyu 042 - Main character is former death sentence inmate who is released
Brad Harley no Basha - Probably one of the most awful stories i've read.
Last edited by faraway at 11:00 am, Apr 18 2011
________________
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Shelter Arc :
Spoiler (highlight to view)
A large group of healthy people hide in a bunker underneath the surface after a huge natural disaster. The situation is already dire; resources are limited and there's only a slim chance of survival. An incurable mad-cow like disease infects everyone, leaving all people in the bunker to die a slow, painful death. They live out their last days in dignity.
Summer B Arc :
Spoiler (highlight to view)
~500 children are genetically engineered to become future survivors of an impending natural disaster. However, only 7 will be selected. The rest will die. They don't realize until later that the selection process intends on leaving all but seven dead. Truly horrific and moving.
Nabari no Ou - One of the main characters that the protagonist befriends (a villian)
Spoiler (highlight to view)
is slowly dying as a side effect of his ability. As he slowly deteriorates and becomes weaker, both he and the protagonist must come to terms with his condition.
Chrno Crusade -
Spoiler (highlight to view)
Rosette knows she will die a very premature death as a result of making a pact with a demon.
Deep Love - Ayu no Monogatari - A young prostitute
Spoiler (highlight to view)
who is dying of aids tries to save a man in desperate need of money before passing away.
Blood+ - In the anime there is a group of experimental vampires
Spoiler (highlight to view)
that were engineered to have a short lifespan. They escaped and are trying desperately to outlive their predetermined death sentence.
Shikeisyu 042 - Main character is former death sentence inmate who is released
Spoiler (highlight to view)
on an experimental program that implants a chip in the convict's brain rigged to blow up if the convict thinks violent thoughts.
Brad Harley no Basha - Probably one of the most awful stories i've read.
Spoiler (highlight to view)
About girls who are taken from orphanages in exchange for financial compensation and used to quell prisoners in penitentiaries. They don't realize what is happening at first, but when they are taken to the prison, they realize that they will not live long.
Last edited by faraway at 11:00 am, Apr 18 2011
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Image from Gangsta -> Full Image Link http://www.k4.dion.ne.jp/~babyrock/page030.html
jail bait
Member
10:44 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 1444
@faraway- would you please be so kind to put spoiler tag on your post i read most of the mangas and you are kindda pointing out things that are in the climax.. thank you for your kind consideration
________________
oh please do click this!
The sweeter the apple, the higher the branch. The quieter the fart, the nastier the smell.
GUESS WHO??
________________
oh please do click this!
The sweeter the apple, the higher the branch. The quieter the fart, the nastier the smell.
GUESS WHO??
Indifferent
Member
10:44 am, Apr 18 2011
Posts: 377
Hanatsukihime - sounds like what you're looking for, too lighthearted probably
Dawn Tsumetai Te - guess that's more like it
This one too afair:
Seol Hui
Dawn Tsumetai Te - guess that's more like it
This one too afair:
Seol Hui
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