I sold my life for ten thousand yen per year or more simply Three days of Happiness is a novel written by Sugaru Miaki; it received a manga adaptation illustrated by Shoichi Taguchi that I recently had the pleasure to read. I wanted to share some thoughts (without spoilers) on the manga since, in my opinion, for a three-volume piece, it touches several good points and it is beautifully crafted.
The premises
Konosuki, a twenty-year-old, finds himself in a difficult situation; money is scarce and even with various jobs he is forced to sell his beloved books and CD’s to survive. He is informed that there is a ‘special shop’ that would buy his lifespan for money; he ultimately decides to sell the thirty years of his remaining life for the price of ten thousand yen per year (about eighty dollars), as the title hints. He keeps the remaining three months to live for himself and enjoy the small amount of money he received. Miyagy, the girl who works for this ‘shop’, is sent to observe and watch over him during this period as to make sure that he would not do something reckless.
This about sums up the main point of the story and opens up the important speculative element: what is the worth of one’s life? The ontological implications, the remaining three months, the meaning of life as well as the appreciation one would have for it once it would come to an end are themes that intertwine and are explored within the narration.
The art
Before giving my considerations of how several aspects are tackled within the manga, I would like to say some things about the art style. Briefly put, it is simplistic yet functional: the fact that many panels are left without a background or that the composition is not too elaborate accentuates the importance of what is being said. Narration takes the central stage. Furthermore, it creates a link with what the main character feels is important; and nothingness is exactly what I would expect a character that has lost hope for life to be important. The void the empty panels create reflect the feeling of emptiness Konosuki fells living out the last three months of his life.
If we consider the dictum “a picture is worth a thousand words”, then we should also consider its counterpart “a word is worth a thousand pictures” and this manga in particular creates a fine balance. Silent panels depict the unceasing passage of time while conversations reflect the emotions of the main characters without the need to express it visually.
The implications
So, what is the monetary value of a life and furthermore by what parameters would you rate it? Miyagy gives a brief explanation of how the ‘shop’ values a life and informs us that the key elements are happiness, actualization and contribution; in other words, one’s worth would be determined by the way they would live their life, how this would affect themselves and how it would have an impact on the life of others. Self-satisfaction and self-esteem, as well as personal happiness, become important not only because they affect yourself, but because in turn they affect the ones around you. At its core, it is the reciprocity and interaction between self-perception and how you are seen through the eyes of others.
Going back to the main character, there is a moment where Konosuki thinks about his situation. If his present consists of merely three months, thus negating his future perspectives, he tries to find answers within his past. He sees his former self, a child with dreams and hopes for a great future, and remembers different moments from that past, but fails to find a light or a moment of happiness for his current situation. He then asks himself a question that is however subtly asked towards the readers:
“What do I even cling to if both the past and the future are shut off from me?”
There are several other scenarios where the dichotomy between the main characters, the one who sold his remaining years and the observer, becomes more and more fascinating and layered. Partly because I do not want to spoil this dynamic and development, and partly because I think you should experience it first hand to appreciate it, I will refrain from analysing it any further. I will however say that the story has a way of trying to make you feel something, may it be empathy, sadness or gratitude; I wholeheartedly recommend you to read the manga as it is not long and you might even find something to like.
Finally, what about the usual nihilism that comes with pondering the meaning of life? A sad truth of life as being meaningless and leading to nothing is explored, but while that is being done there are however several more hopeful answers portrayed. These answers however deeply depend on your own willingness to change what is in your life and what you want it to be about. For this reason I would like to end this article with an out-of-context panel from the manga and hope you might at least appreciate it as much as I did.
