THE DOG OF DEATH (MIKITO CHINEN)

A Grim Reaper is reincarnated into the mortal world in the form of a dog to help terminally ill patients avoid becoming "haunted spirits" by freeing them from their attachments to the earthly realm. However, the place where this Grim Reaper descends is a hospital shrouded in countless mysteries from the past to the present. Through his work, the Grim Reaper not only inadvertently unveils the dark veil that has long shrouded the minds of the people there, but also confronts reality, veering in an unpredictable and dangerous direction.

THE VALUE OF "LIFE"

As a terminally ill cancer patient facing imminent death, what do you still "cling to" about life? How will you live? Silently watching time pass until your body turns to dust? Drowning in regret, remorse, and self-reproach, then simply closing your eyes and passing away? Or striving to live each minute, each second to the fullest, doing everything to leave a personal mark of a self that existed in this world? Like how the Grim Reaper Leo helped the patients at Okanoue Palliative Care Hospital rediscover the value of "life" during a time when their lives were measured in months, even days?

Indeed, with a nearly confined realistic space and a relatively small number of characters, but with four terminally ill cancer patients, author Mikoto Chinen opens up a series of different dimensions. The space of past and present, the space of individual thoughts intertwined with the space of living within a small community.

This multidimensional space creates layers for the novel *The Death Dog*. Each chapter tells the story of the individual patient's hidden anxieties and lingering feelings before their death. However, if it were just separate stories, the novel *The Death Dog* would be nothing more than a collection of disjointed short stories lacking coherence. Therefore, author Mikoto Chinen skillfully connects these parts of the story with a link between the past, which these seemingly strangers gathered at the hospice shared, and a part of the present, which they are experiencing together. The past is tragedy, while the present is hope. Because they are no longer alone. Because they have Leo, the death guardian who guides the souls of the deceased, currently residing in the body of a Golden Retriever.

Leo uses "I" to tell the story in the first person, but when recounting the lives of other individuals, he takes a third-person perspective. Therefore, Leo can easily perceive events more objectively than anyone else. Leo frees patients from their "attachments" because that is his mission. But after all, Leo realizes that his help in unveiling their mysteries, freeing their souls, and changing their reality stems from a personal, contradictory love. Leo helps others, and at the same time, helps himself discover the true value of life.

Life is multifaceted, and the definition of "life" is also incredibly diverse. But whether one goes through the stages of birth, aging, sickness, and death, or simply shines brightly for a fleeting moment, it is still the life of each individual. And is it possible that throughout a lifetime, until the moment of death, one cannot let go of ingrained attachments in the subconscious? To live is to burn brightly for every minute and every second, but to live is also to enjoy every moment of being present in this world. To live is to suffer, but to live is also to hope, to give love, to dedicate oneself completely to the beliefs one holds. Life is finite, forcing people to cherish the precious time of their lives. "Don't be arrogant, human! You only borrow flesh as a temporary dwelling place to exist in this world. When you must return this 'temporary dwelling place' is not something you can decide. What you should do is not lament your short remaining time, but make the most of that limited time and live it to the fullest."

And although some plot points appear somewhat contrived towards the end, it cannot be denied that *The Death Dog* is a beautiful novel about love and the meaning of life amidst the impermanence of existence.

PEOPLE WHO "WOULD RATHER HAVE ONE MOMENT OF GLORY AND THEN FADE AWAY"

Each individual in *The Death Dog* is a unique self with a different personality and past. Therefore, their mindset when facing death is also very different. While they all share a sense of "lingering attachment," each person has their own unique attachment. This not only reflects a part of their personality but also determines their inner thoughts and actions when they bitterly realize that the time left in their lives is dwindling.

Like the melancholic old man Minami, carrying the pain of a broken love, his "lingering attachment" will be very different from that of the old man Kanemura, who for 7 years has lived in fear, torment, and guilt. Although both are young, the feelings of a talented artist like Utsumi, consumed by resentment and disappointment over betrayed trust, and the regret and melancholy he experiences, are completely different from those of a gentle, kind young woman like Naho, who always cares for others before herself.

It is this difference in the "lingering feelings" each character carries that creates the multifaceted nature of the novel *The Death Dog*. They are the personal creations of the author Mikito Chinen, yet they also echo life itself on the pages he has written.

Each character represents reality and the past of Japan's history from after World War II to the modern era. By portraying individuals of different ages, professions, and personalities, perhaps the author wants to convey the philosophy that no one can escape the harshness of fate. Because they are filled with all the emotions and desires, before departing, people inevitably carry the heavy burden of unspoken and undone feelings from their lives. But as long as they are alive, nothing is too late to express love, to burn their life force for one last chance to live on this earth. Burning one's life force, living intensely, is not about living hastily or superficially, but simply about cherishing the precious moments of existence in a human body. “What you should be doing is not racking your brains over those things. With the little time you have left, devote yourself to doing what you believe is right.”

And among the characters in the novel *The Death Dog*, there is a very special character; the one who recounts this entire story, the dog who also serves as a death dog named Leo. Having spent thousands of years guiding souls, Leo possesses a profound life experience and is intelligent enough to consider issues from many angles that those involved would find difficult to discern. Leo was once rigid, but he wasn't a conservative; he just hadn't found the opportunity to open his heart. Leo is an existence of imagination, yet he is also extremely relatable. Because no one in life can remain indifferent and superficial to the suffering of their fellow human beings forever.

THE VOICE OF THE COUNTRY OF WAR IS PRESENT IN SIMPLE BEAUTY

As one of the most noteworthy authors in Japan today, Mikito Chinen's literature can be said to be beautiful, a simple, pure, yet profound and poignant beauty. And that is quite clearly demonstrated in the novel *The Death Dog*. His writing style is simple, pure, yet profoundly insightful: “Kanemura shouted as he reached out to the specks of light clinging to the branches. He touched the glittering stones, like countless fireflies, containing a distant, dreamlike illusion that would shatter at the slightest touch.”

At the same time, the philosophies he instilled in his work about life are incredibly simple. It's a pity that, perhaps amidst the hustle and bustle of life, people have forgotten: “Even when facing death, a person can still recognize their own existence and illuminate the little life remaining.”

More than anything, the novel *The Death Dog* is a powerful expression of Mikito Chinen's anti-war stance. It criticizes war, bombs, and condemns a time of conflict and the heavy class distinctions of the past that indirectly caused human tragedy. From then on, he seemed to contribute to the hope for a peaceful world, where people can live fully in the present while also yearning for the future. Even if the physical body disappears, people can smile peacefully, knowing they have lived a full life without regrets.