Three Days of Happiness

What is true happiness? It seems like such a simple question yet no matter how hard I myself tried, I couldn’t answer it truthfully. I could say that it is the feeling I got a week ago when I completed all my finals, yet I would be lying as I barely felt anything. It could be the increase in dopamine in my body after quickly downing 8 shots of vodka, but the last time I did that it just made me want to puke my heart out. In the end, the happiness I experience seems fleeting - almost as if it comes in short burstsair hitting my face in obscure but fairly predictable times. Unfortunately because of this nature it causes me to be unable to answer the question, but alternatively the nature of this might’ve just made me forget such a question existed at all. “Three days of Happiness” definitely does not belong in the tier of great manga here on myanimelist or any manga list. To do that you really need a deeply structured plotline and a masterfully crafted set of characters each with their own intricate details and its certainly hard do that with a 16+1 chapter manga (15 chapter novel). What it does well on is its emotional impact to the reader, and it does this well. The premise is as blatant as it comes: straight from the title - a man decides to sell his future, all except for 3 months, for 300000 yen. He is then granted an observer to negate the impact if the man becomes desperate and starts to cause trouble - this observer was same young receptionist that helped him make the transaction. This of course, flows the reader to the question: how much is one’s life worth in cash? Through a short 16 chapters, the story explores themes of depression, happiness, and the value of life itself - how it truly is something hard to measure. The plotline is quite simplistic yet also important in its own way. Our main protagonist is depicted as having lighthearted and casual nature, and seems to almost care naught about his impending death. This type of characterization really gives a sense of how far the man has fallen down in life. These feelings ease up as the story progresses, as the man (followed by the observer) begins on a path , unbeknownst to him, to find his own answer to the question of happiness. Over time, our protagonist and the observer each begin to find out more about themselves, and each other, and a budding relationship grows out of this development. Technical-wise, the art itself complements the storyline very nicely. It provides a casual and realistic atmosphere that tones down the supernatural aspects of the story for the reader so that they can focus more on the more important themes of the story explained previously. The underlying romance in the story was pivotal in expressing the theme of happiness but it was done in a very subtle and delicate way to stay realistic and easy to understand. In the end, this manga did not answer the question of true happiness for me, but that was not its intention. “Three days of happiness” aimed at reminding me that such a question existed in the first place, and posed many other questions: What is my life worth currently? How does this value change, if it could change? Is there truly an accurate representation of worth in today’s society? How can we find our true happiness? All in all, this 16 chapter manga might not be able to affect you as much as it affected me. In fact, you might find it to be a bundle of cheesy and simplistic plot lines, filled with plot-holes, mashed up in a jumble together depending on your own situation or presence of mind. Maybe if I read this a bit earlier or a bit later, I would have a different opinion as well, along with different answers to the questions the manga poses, if i had the motivation to answer them. But the thing is, if 16 chapters can cause me to write a bunch of stuff out of the blue that might not be seen, read entirely, or even visited at all, it might just be a worthwhile quick read for you as well. 10/10 tldr : read it for some bittersweet feels my dudes It would be a great anime

We are prisoners to the things we think we need. Is it possible to die satisfied? Surely we'll all have our doubts- the "I wish I'd done blah, blah, blah" as we contemplate all the things we could've done differently had we internalized just how short and unforgiving father time truly is. However, if you were given a timestamp, what would you do? How would YOU live out your given amount of days? Wouldn't it all seem futile? Afterall, if you know *eactly* when you'll die wouldn't every subsequent breathe be filled with the dreadful air of certainty? Is the fact that we don't know whenour lives will end what makes it meaningful? What's the point to living in the first place if all it ends anyways... This is the true mystery of life. We know that death will come for us one day, but how do we fill that time with things that are *meaningful*. There is no guide book on how to lead a fulfilling life. What do other people do to find meaing? Spending time with family and friends, doing outlandish things, seeing what the world has to offer, telling people how we feel, and maybe become recognized by history. But is this what YOU want to do, or is it what you THINK other people would tell you to do? What is a fulfilling life? Is it the six-figure bank account? Is it being famous throughout the world? Being eternal after death; to be remembered as some who did exist? Or is it the interpersonal connections that are more important? To find love? To create friendships and restore lost ones? To leave a lasting impression on those around us, so that they can carry on our memory as if it will keep us alive longer? But then again, how could one define something as subjective as fulfillment? While it isn’t always a priority in our minds, on those nights where you're sitting in bed when it's too dark to see your hand stretched out in front of you, those thoughts will rise to the surface and force us to ask ourselves: "What do I want?" Yet not a single one of, not a single one of the hundred seventeen billion of us, has come to a single, conclusive answer. It’s become a kind of cliche fantasy that we only realize how to answer that when we're in those final moments nearing death; finding meaning in all the disconnected memories that have stuck with us throughout all of the years, slowly fading from our minds as we slip into darkness. But if we don't discover that answer until right at then end, what's the point in even concerning ourselves with the question in the first place? Why bother trying to "maximize our time", what the hell does that even mean? Is the concept of "meaning" just something we use to cope with the utterly terrifing reality that life has no inherent meaning? Are just we deluded in thinking that our lives have more meaning than the countless number of insects, plants, microscopic organisms, and animals we thoughtlessly destroy and consume while we ponder these very questions? Should we even bother asking ourselves in the first place? Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de tells that it's imperative that we do, no matter how difficult it may be. I'd like to say it isn't profoundly philosophical because of how purely it represents such complex ideas, but the manga shows how something like fulfillment is something of deep importance despite its intricacies. The manga isn't too plot-heavy, and places most of the focus on the choices which these characters make and how we can apply that to our own lives, without having to spoon feed us very single little detail. The story is very character-driven, with many of the main themes and plot points deriving from very subtle character interactions and decisions. As such, I guess you could say it's not really "deep," so much so as it is "thought-provoking". IMO something "deep" would be a series like NGE which is packed with layers of symbolism, but I digress. In the end, this is really just a manga about coming to terms with who you are and recognizing your worth. By doing so, we can all lead more fulfilling lives, free from societal standards and subconscious restrictions. It believes heavily in moral introspection, where its bottom line is determining what's important to you, what's worth living for, and discovering the lengths you will go to pursue that worth. This is really good if you like the feeling of having your heart ripped out, seeing those homeless puppies on those ASPCA commercials, or the ending of Angel Beats. It really isn't too long either, just a short 16 chapters (idk y MAL says 18). the dialogue isn't too heavy so it’s a quick read. Yeah, a really good read :) (READ THIS PLEASE IF YOU'RE GOING TO READ) there's an extra chapter called "I say a little prayer" I think it's 8.5 or something, but when you get to it during your first sitting DON'T READ IT UNTIL THE END. It kind of spoils later plot developments and doesn't really correlate with what's happening, but it makes it even better if you read it last. Just a tip from me you don't have to tho lol

Tales of simplicity have always pursued a universal theme, trying to evoke sentiments of genuineness and the empathy of the reader. “I sold my life for ten thousand yen per year” ultimately ends with a transparent attempt of capturing a message, but the means it uses to get to this point completely deny any sense of authenticity this might have pretended to transmit. Youth is a complicated age. Time to make decisions, to face a myriad of risks and to move on, it usually never comes in the way one was expecting it. Overall, what mostly matters is trying. This manga introduces us to a fairlyforgettable male lead who has already surrendered. His whole characterization being made around the fact he is broke and dejected, which is depicted by a constant exhibition of supposedly depressing thoughts and platitudes. Is in this context where this story makes an extravagant move towards novelty, by introducing a ridiculously contrived premise. What if selling your lifespan was possible? Considering this is the cornerstone of the whole work, the approach it receives is at the very least underwhelming. Instead of placing the focus on whether this is a morally correct decision or not, all the attention is set on the actual monetary value of the main character’s life. He takes it instantly even if both surprised and disappointed at the low amount he is offered (300 000 yen, or a bit more than 2 000€ if you want a reference without having to search for it). And thus, we are left with our boring main dude, 300K yen and 3 months left of existence. It is also mentioned that he had two other options. To sell his time, instead of lifespan (others call it working) or his health (money to pay for your own treatment?). This latter option is obviously never mentioned again, and the former is what pushes the story forward. And that is because to make sure our protagonist doesn’t become a threat for society with his considerably shortened lifetime, he is assigned a girl who only him can see, whose mission is to make sure he behaves. And thus, we are left with our boring main dude, 300K yen, 3 months left of existence and a girl he says to hate… But not without admitting she is his type. There is another girl to this story, sort of a childhood friend, the bonds between them are completely broken yet he fondly remembers a promise they made 10 years ago about marrying each other. As corny as this might sound, it is actually used as a source for some shock value later on, and to further isolate our character into his world of personal nihilism. Barely anything is worth mentioning about the later revelations and events, as the plot stumbles around and only further concentrates in building the fantasy bond between our two only characters. An example could be his longevity being only worth 30 yen in reality, a fact that is assimilated without barely any concern by the characters and the story itself, since the narrative has exhaustively established that he is worthless. Or perhaps the fascination our protagonist feels for... Vending machines. And while we are at it, why does he own a motorbike despite being in such dire need of money he sold his own lifespan? The main issue is that is truly hard to trust in a dishonest and arguably offensive failed effort at self-contemplation. Particularly when instead of that all you get is an endless stream of indolence and self-pity. Is our life really only worth a few days of happiness, or aren't we actually supposed to try to address our situation and change things for the better?

As it's known by its English title, "I sold my life for ten thousand yen per year" did hardly anything for me despite how high my expectations were of it. Granted, I did not read the novel that this is based on, so I can't comment on it as a whole, but just going off of this manga, this was a huge disappointment. I was recommended it by many of my close friends, but I fail to see what any of them assumed I'd enjoy out of this. STORY: 5/10 The story is the definition of mediocre. It has a premise straight out of the tripeknown as Black Mirror that is too ridiculous to buy but not fleshed out enough to believe. This could have been a very interesting Kafkaesque story about the possibility of "selling your lifespan" and the ethics behind this as an institution, but instead, the protagonist immediately decides to sell it for the pitiful amount of 300k yen for 30 years (roughly $2.9k). We're presented with three options: Selling lifespan, selling time, or selling health. The health aspect is never brought up again despite it sounding like the most logical answer. It's incredibly vague and never attempts to put actual thought into it, but it sounds to me like the customer could just use some of the gained money to help nurse back to health. Of course, that's the logical thing to do, and logic is something this series is devoid of. The story, as minimal and stretched as it already is, is pushed along by numerous plot conveniences and hand waives. The twist with the childhood friend is predictable and laughable at how hard it tries to shock the reader. It's something I personally cannot feel sympathy for, and it just made me hate both parties more than I already did. The romance between the guy Kusunoki (had to look up his name because he's so bland) and Miyagi is beyond forced too. I'm a staunch opponent of the "romance via circumstance" story type because it feels lazy, contrived, and phony. There's nothing really that special between the two other than they're stuck with one another until Kusunoki has to explain to the reader "She's exactly my type" because, well, of course she is! Never mind that she looks and acts nothing like the supposed love of his life. ART: 4/10 Nothing to say here, it's not-great-not-terrible. There's no unique style or flair to it. That's probably intentional because it doesn't want to get in the way of the story, or it's just because the artist didn't attempt to try since it's just adapting a book. Character designs are stock and backgrounds are virtually nonexistent. A hyperrealistic art style maybe could have worked to help the story have more actual weight to it, but as it stands, it's just serviceable and vapid. CHARACTER: 2/10 The absolute worst part of this manga. The protagonist is an insufferable idiot, and I understand he's supposed to be a cautionary tale, but I just cannot be bothered to slog through three volumes of him. Miyagi is not much better. She has no character until she suddenly decides to. The hyped-up childhood friend ends up being a cheap plot device and attempt at character development for another's sake, and we never get to see the serious ramifications of her actions. A large part of her character is waived away prior to ever getting a payoff for it. The only good character is the protagonist of the bonus epilogue chapter because he does what any reasonable and worthwhile person would do. I get that if it was about him, there'd be no conflict and the message would be one-sided, but I do not need a misery porn loser to tell me "Hey, selling your lifespan is not good!" In the end, the harder the manga attempted to get me to care about its characters, the more I resented them. ENJOYMENT: 3/10 There are so many missteps in this manga that could have led to me enjoying it greatly. There's a small part of it that I actually liked a lot, the whole performance bit arc of thee protag with how he is perceived by others regarding Miyagi (who only he can see). It leads to a nice worthwhile development which is take away at the end of the manga for a safe and convenient ending. I despised the attitude and moral of this manga. It attempts to say something positive about life and choosing to make the most out of it, but to me, it was just a weirdly pessimistic way of shouting "YOLO," maybe more akin to "YOLASLP" - "You Only Life a Short Lifespan" Instead of choosing/being allowed to face his life, no matter how miserable it may be, head-on in an honest and optimistic way, he chooses the easy way out. Then Miyagi decides to do the same thing because muh love. It's a love that is not earned nor does it feel impactful because of how short of a time it lasts and how little of an impact it has on the world around them. It's not a romance, it's a cope. There is one great epilogue featuring a great character who actually does something respectable and representative of a worthwhile moral to follow, but he's locked away in the epilogue extra chapter. It feels very insulting to end the story like this despite how great of a chapter it is. You make me sit through three miserable volumes hammering an idea on my head only to suddenly deliver a much better entire story, moral, and presentation of it all in a single chapter that renders the logic of the entire previous series null. Maybe it would have been an interesting and bold move if the core story was half as long and this epilogue taking up the rest, offering evenly balanced stories of opposite ends. This is how you present counter-arguments, something Spike Lee mastered in "Do the Right Thing." Here, this is just juvenile and unbalanced. OVERALL: 3/10 This is the type of shallow manipulative drivel that Makoto Shinkai would pump out. It's just such dry, uninteresting, manipulative, shoddily thought and executed drivel that forces the reader through the wringer with a wallowing miserable retch posing as a protagonist. Despite how much I wanted to quit throughout the whole story, I kept holding out on the thought of him redeeming himself or living a better life, but nope. Not here. The manga, like its protagonist, takes the path of least resistance, leading to an end result with least gain.