Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, is about a nation that has a law that randomly selects one citizen each day to die.  They give each individual victim a 24 hour notification that they have been chosen to die.  When the citizens of this nation enter the first grade, they are given an immunization shot as part the "National Welfare Act".  One in one thousand vaccines carry a nano-capsule, this nano-capsule is programed to follow the blood stream into the pulmonary artery, where it will rest until the predetermined time and date (usually between 18 to 24 years of the persons life) when the capsule will rupture, thus killing the individual.  There are three departments in this process of this immunization group, the first handles the nano-capsules and the vaccines, the second department deals with putting the vaccines into the syringes, then the third deals with pairing the syringes up with a person.  No information is passed between the departments, for fear of tampering with the random selection process.  

Fujimoto is a deliverer of the Ikigami, or the 24 hour notice.  He happened to not have the nano-capusal in his vaccine, and now, he's working for the National Welfare Operations, the people who kill randomly in order to keep the nation at peace and to encourage the people that their "civic duty is to live as well" as they can.  The crime rate has gone down, and in general, the society respects life more.  All seems well.  Fujimoto thinks that, well, on the surface, they say his job is an honorable one, and that's what he tells himself.  In Volume 1, you follow two of the last moments of a person who is given an Ikigami, both through the eyes of the victim, and through the eyes of Fujimoto.  Episode one, The End of Vengeance's victim is Yosuke, a slacker who droped out of high school, because of "medical problems".  When he gets home from work, his mother hands over the Ikigami that Fujimoto delivered.  Yosuke is in his room, trying to decide whether or not he's going to do what he really wants to do in his last 24 hours.  He replays the last time he was beat-up and abused by some punks that went to his high school, the real reason he had medical problem, and the reason he quit school.  He wants revenge, but if the crimes he will commit will end up hurting his family, who will have to pay the large fine for the crimes.  In the end, Yosuke seeks out the ones who where the leaders, and gives them what they deserve.  The only problem is, when he finds them, they don't remember him, or at least the things they did to him, so he ends up not feeling fulfilled in life, not until he finds a schoolboy being beat-up by abusive classmates, just like what happened to Yosuke.  He tells the boy to get revenge now, to standup for himself, before they forget who he is.  

Episode 2, The Last Song's victim is Torio, who's part of street musician duo, his partner is Hidekazu.  Torio is the vocals and lead guitar, while Hidekazu is the songwriter and backup.  One night, a music label producer comes up to them, he's looking for a new act, and Torio has caught his eye.  Then, after a meeting between the producer and Torio, the duo talk about their plans for the future.  Hidekazu believes Torio wont make it far as a soloist, while Torio doesn't agree.  The discussion results in the end of the duo.  Torio goes off to fail as a soloist, and becomes backup to a singing harmonica player, in a band called the T-Birds.  Hidekazu works with a dilevery company.  While Torio's job seems to be taking off at last, Hidekazu is going no where.  One day, which happens to be the last day for Torio, the T-Birds where scheduled to play live on a radio station.  That same day, Hidekazu gets hit by a car, and is sent to the hospital, in a coma.  Torio knows his time is almost up, when his band is finally ready to play a song, but, instead of him being backup, he takes the mic and sing the song that Hidekazu wrote, the one that caught the attention of the producer.  The listeners love it, and so the radio keeps it on, then, shortly after the song is over, Torio dies, just as scheduled.  Hidekazu awakens from his coma, while Torio is singing his last song, and after he gets out of the hospital, he goes back to the streets with his music, following his dream in honor of Torio.  

There is one major question being looked at in Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, "what would you do if you knew the exact time when you were going to die?".  The End of Vengeance was a little disturbing, just because of the thought that people would treat a fellow human like a monster, when they did nothing wrong.  But, it was captivating, it kept me reading.  Although, I know that he was going to die, I wanted to know how people were affected by his life.  The Last Song was sad, he finally resized what he wanted to do, but time was up, but I was happy to see someone go on living, and living the dream of two people.  I enjoyed this manga, and it's got me thinking about my answer to this major question, would it drive me to be a criminal, or would I keep living, like before the notice, without a thought of death, or will I try to live to the fullest in what little time I have left.  The question is one that doesn't cross your mind, except maybe when someone you know dies.  I thinks it is brilliant how Motoro Mase is able to draw out this curiosity of death in people, and how it does affect us by changing the way we live in general, not to mention the illustration is well done!   I wouldn't let someone under 16 read this manga, it could scare them a bit, but for an older audience, it's  something that provokes thought on things that will probably be addressed in ones life, and if not you, then in someone else, and then you will be there with your own thought to help them through it.

ComicsOnline gives Ikigami: Th Ultimate Limit, Volume 1, 4.5 out of 5 notification of death.