Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit 10.3

Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit Vol 5

By Motoro Mase

Episode 10: Honor and Duty

Act 3

Ikuhiko breaks free and escapes. His classmates fan out and start looking for him. They aren’t sure what they are going to do when they find him. Kitayama suggests that they could detain him until he dies.

Kiminari finds Ikuhiko in one of the empty classrooms. Ikuhiko asks for Kiminari’s phone. He still wants to report his whole class but promises not to report Kiminari.

Kiminari refuses to hand over his phone. The two young men get into a fight. Ikuhiko beats Kiminari senseless with a chair. He goes for his classmate’s phone but it is broken.

Ikuhiko finds a megaphone and makes his way to the roof. He starts denouncing his classmates loudly. The police show up. Ikuhiko’s father is there to arrest him. Ikuhiko doesn’t understand. He is a hero and was doing good. He resists arrest and is beaten down by officers with truncheons. His father handcuffs him and takes him away.

Fujimoto has dinner with Dr. Kubo. She remarks on some of his recent comments and asks him if he is against National Welfare. He isn’t sure how to respond. Her question makes him wonder if she is an undercover agent of the National Welfare Police. She tells him that she is against National Welfare and feels that she can trust him. He doesn’t know what to say or how to respond.

Thoughts

This is one of my favorite episodes in this series. I love how it shows how twisted the system has become. Ikuhiko is driven over the edge, as are his classmates when he threatens to report them. Fujimoto, in a different way, isn’t sure where to turn or what to believe. Is Mr. Ishii, his boss, as honest as he claims to be? Will he report Fujimoto if he continues to have doubts? Is Dr. Kubo’s confession an honest one? Is she really against National Welfare or is she an agent of the National Welfare Police trying time get Fujimoto to reveal traitorous beliefs?

This series probably isn’t for everyone but I’m enjoying it. It is convoluted and horrific in ways that make my blood run cold. Not every episode is a home run but this one blew me away.