Regarding the dread feeling while reading this manga that some people are getting-
So the biggest fear in my life is death. But not because I'm scared of 'things ending'. No, no, no. What terrifies me is that it might
never end. I fear that if there is such a thing as a soul and some kind of consciousness of mine that 'retains', it would retain for
eternity. That regardless if there is reincarnation or not, there is literally no end. That this 'soul' will forever exist in some sort of superposition, be it via different lives or just floating in a 'void'. Every time I catch myself thinking about this, I get a shiver run down my spine and immediately try to distract myself with something not to think about it. It's a terrifying thought that grips me once a year or so.
When it comes to time loop stories, I think they generally fall into one of two categories:
a.) the characters are stuck at some point in their lives and the time loop is a representation of this limbo to break out of and 'move on with your life'. A story about 'moving forward'
b.) the characters have died and are in the afterlife trying to 'deal with their emotions' and basically draw a conclusion about their lives to be able to pass on. So it's like a story about accepting yourself. A bit different from moving forward, because there is no forward, but just acceptance.
Fundamentally, however, both of these branches can channel that exact same dread I get about this idea of infinity and being 'stuck in limbo'. I think reincarnation as a religious concept was in no small part 'invented' to combat this dread.
The manga/anime 'Girls Last Tour' that someone mentioned on here earlier is another good example of that later 'afterlife' branch, while something like Hakomari is a good example of the former.
Anyways, I wasn't really going anywhere with this comment, so there is no conclusion, but just wanted to get some emotions out that this manga brings out in me that maybe some people in some form relate to
