Dust 8(a.k.a.Dust 18)
1972/01/9-05/14
STORY
This is a short omnibus story themed on death, featuring an imaginary substance called the Stone of Life.
A commercial flight vanishes from radar due to a malfunction while flying over the Sea of Suo, ultimately crashing into Mt. Life on an unknown island. Among the many passengers, only ten survive thanks to a shower of rock chips infused with the miraculous power of the mountain. However, people believe the plane must have been spirited away.
Among the survivors are a boy and a girl, both of whom are possessed by fairies known as Kikimora. The two Kikimora, tasked by the boss of Death to retrieve the rock chips, locate the eight survivors, all Japanese and of different genders and occupations, scattered throughout the country. The survivors, asked to return the chips by Kikimoras, desperately try to escape as they must die upon returning the chips.
DESCRIPTIONS
1972/01/9-05/14 Serialized in Shukan Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan)
The highlight of this work is the eight survivors’ reactions upon being forced to die by Kikimoras. First, all of them are frightened at the arrival of death, but they take different actions. One dies with satisfaction after making a big achievement, one dies after struggling disgracefully, and one dies without showing any hesitation. But all live and die humanely, which somehow moves the audience. The author’s love for humans is felt from such endings.
