Manga-based Japanese movies continue to hit the big screen this winter. Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, based on the popular manga of the same name and starring Japanese teen idols, is set to have otaku flocking to the cinema this holiday season.
The original manga was written by Motoro Mase and has been published in Young Sunday since January 2005. So far, 2 million copies have been sold.
The story is set in a country that bears strong historical and environmental resemblances to Japan. It is protected by a law called the Special Law for the Maintenance of National Prosperity, under which all children are vaccinated, just before they start primary school.
But one out of every thousand vaccines contains a time bomb - a capsule which will explode near the person's heart and kill them before they turn 25. Only the 'state' knows to whom these capsules have been given, and treats them internally as sacrificial victims - their deaths provide stability.
An officer from the Ministry of Health and Welfare brings the ikigami - a letter announcing impending death - to the victim 24 hours before the capsule strikes.
As well as announcing imminent death, the letter grants the victim absolute freedom do whatever they want for their remaining hours.
The movie is directed by Tomoyuki Takimoto, whose 2004 directorial debut Ki no umi received extremely positive reviews during that year's Tokyo Film Festival, and commercial success.