| Overview |
Dear My Living Dead (愛しのリビングデッド Itoshino Ribingu Deddo?) is a one-shot manga originally released in GFantasy's November 2013 issue.[1] It was later included in Volume 0 of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun alongside the latter's pilot chapters.
The plots of the two series are not directly affiliated as it takes place in a different setting.
Plot Summary[]
Dear My Living Dead features a post-apocalyptic world, debuting two necromancers, Cult and Lilia. The world is swarmed with the living dead, which are corpses that have been affected by an unknown curse. In order to combat this, the church employs people who wield powers to defeat these evil creatures. These people are signified by a distinct seal on their body that appears when they're around five years old.
However, the seal has the ability to fade or disappear over time depending on the permanence, resulting in loss of powers. For those who have permanent seals, they have powers to utilize their strength and form contracts with lesser living dead such as deceased animals. Cult had a permanent seal, while Lily was at risk for her abilities fading away.
Characters[]
Trivia[]
- As this is a one-shot drawn by AidaIro prior to them making Jibaku Shounen Hanako-Kun, several characters have artstyles, designs and personality traits that are eventually used for some characters in the (then)future series:
- Cult's facial and bodily design is eventually used for Hanako, and he also exhibits some of his personality traits like his internal struggle in forgiving himself for an action done against a blood relative (Yugi Tsukasa for Hanako, Cult's Father for Cult) and his death-seeking traits.
- Lilia's facial and bodily design is eventually used for Yashiro Nene, and she also exhibits some of her personality traits, like being upbeat and bubbly, as well as setting her mind onto a goal once she decides to do it (Getting her wish to extend her lifespan for Nene, getting out of the Church for Lilia).
- Claid's facial and bodily design is used for elements of Shinigami-Sama, Teacher Nagisa and Young Nagisa Kunishige's designs. And while his personality is vastly different from any of the characters his likeness is used for, he exhibits a sense of professionalism to his role or mission much like Shinigami-Sama and possibly Teacher Nagisa does.
- The family that Cult and Lilia rescues, particularly the father and mother, have designs that are eventually used for Aoi Akane, and Akane Aoi respectively. While both characters have similar appearances as the latter characters that use their likeness, little is known as to whether they share the same personalities. However, both the father and Akane have demonstrated a sense of protecting their loved ones no matter the cost, even at the brink of death.
- The two named male characters have names relating to religious themes:
- Cult's name is in English, and it is an obvious reference to the Cult, which is a term for any group of religious origin, but has since referred to smaller unofficial religious organizations which usually carries a negative connotation.
- Likewise, Claid's name is in English, and it can be also read as Creed, which is a term for any religious organization's summaries or sets of core religious beliefs, usually said or chanted as a prayer. Furthermore, the Romanization of Claid's name is Kureido, which sounds similar to the Latin Word Credo, which the word Creed comes from.
- Additionally, while not a character, the Town of Ruben that was mentioned by the Church Leader is named after Reuben, one of the Twelve Sons of Jacob, and thus, the Founder of the Tribe of Reuben, which is one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, a concept found in both the Jewish and Christian Bibles.