#53 Is Being Able to Die a Happy Thing?

I stop by a bookstore at least once a week.
As a librarian, I check on new releases, review the contents of materials I want to add to the library, and, of course, buy books I want for myself.
Going to bookstores this often makes the number of books I'm curious about grow like bubbles.

"Dead Yamada and the Classroom" was one of those books.

I finally started reading it on July 29th and finished it today.
As for my thoughts...

I've never read a novel that made me laugh this much,

touched my heart this deeply,

and made me think so much about life and death.

"Dead Yamada and the Classroom" is a story like this.

Yamada, a popular student in Class 2-E at Hoki High School, died suddenly in a traffic accident.
Class 2-E, usually noisy, was as dejected as if their fire had been extinguished.
To try and change the mood, their homeroom teacher, Hanaoka, proposed a seating chart change, but naturally, it didn't lift anyone's spirits.
Then, suddenly, in that gloomy classroom,a voice was heard.
And it was a voice they were very familiar with,his voice.

"No way, isn't this a bit too depressing for a seating change in an all-boys school?"

"It's not a funeral, guys, let's react more to the teacher."

It was the voice of Yamada, who had always livened up Class 2-E.It was Yamada's voice.

The ridiculous, typical all-boys high school life with Yamada, who had returned as a voice, was about to begin again.

A novel that is fun, lonely, and full of love

This work is divided intothe first half, which depicts the state of Class 2-E after Yamada returns,and
the second half, where the members of Class 2-E scatter due to grade advancement and moving on to higher education.

The first half is as funny as a gag manga.
I won't say everyone, but I often think that male students are idiots in a good way.
Male students are a species thatcan burst into laughter at a single dirty joke(this is my personal opinion).
By the way, I was that kind of male student too. Or rather, I still laugh at them even now.

The lighthearted communication between Yamada and his classmates proceeds with the tempo of a manzai or comedy sketch.
Even the stories that could be called inside jokes of Class 2-E are hilarious.
I think the fact that it can provide this much laughter through text alone is a testament tothe writing ability and comedic sense of the author, Kaneko-san.

However, as it approaches the second half, the story gradually takes on a shadow.
Yamada, who has died, remains in the classroom with his time stopped as a high school student.
But his living classmates advance in grade, move on to higher education, have various experiences, and change as human beings.
For better or worse, humanspossess the ability to forget.
How cruel is thatfor Yamada, whose time remains stopped?
As you read through the novel,you can feel the coldness and indifference of people painfully well.

However, at the same time,there are developments where you can feel love and friendship to the fullest.
I really want you to read the novel and experience this for yourself.

Perhaps being able to die is a happy thing

Sometimes, I find myself thinking about my own death.

The characters displayed before my eyes right now, the sight of my home spreading out before me, this sensation of being hot, my parents, my beloved cat, my best friend, my workplace, my colleagues at work, this head, both hands, feet...

If you die, everything disappears.

When I imagine that, I become terrified.
That is why, even when I had adjustment disorder and felt completely hopeless about life, I could not choose that path. I simply couldn't summon the courage.

But if you ask whether I want to be immortal, that is also different.
Reading "Dead Yamada and the Classroom" made me think about that quite strongly.
I began to think that perhaps being able to die is a form of happiness.

Of course, "death" itself is scary, and I don't want to die right now.
If I were to lose another loved one, there would be nothing more sad, lonely, or painful than that.
But if everyone were to become immortal, the world would become chaotic as a result, and I even feel like the world would become even more filled with endless conflict than it is now. If I were the only one who was immortal,
I would have to witness the end of many of my loved ones, so that would be very painful in its own way.

Even now, when I have difficult times, I sometimes experience suicidal ideation.
But in those moments, I remember:
No matter what, my life will definitely come to an end someday.

The band BUMP OF CHICKEN, a source of pride for Japan, also sings this in their song "Motorcycle."

Whether to end it now, or to leave it to fate a little longer.
I think that even having that choice is a form of happiness.

This novel, which can make you laugh out loud, makes you think about life and death, and stirs your heart with friendship, is undoubtedly a masterpiece.
I want both those who enjoy life and those who find it painful to read it.
I will conclude this article with this line from Yamada.