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GOODBYE, ERI by Urizon

 

   It feels like a sort of off season for me with movies. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen a few, but no where like I would like to. Things have been hectic and arrangements have changed a little, so it isn’t as easy as it once was. Combine that with decreased spending, it is a little tough. In the meantime though, I have just been trying to catch up on the numerous backlog of games and anime I have while also getting back into reading manga. Boy have I been binging some manga.

   One of my favorite series is one that is currently taking the anime and manga world by storm, Chainsaw Man. Goes without saying that it is an amazing series. Almost anyone would tell you that. Yet it is the first one I had read by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Afterwards, I knew I had to read more.

   Starting off, I checked out his other serialized series, Fire Punch. It took me a little bit to get into Fire Punch. Had a lot of strange things going for it, yet a lot of good. Didn’t take me long to binge it and end up really enjoying it.

   Fire Punch is not what I will be talking about here though. Instead I will be talking about a one shot released by Fujimoto this year called Goodbye, Eri.

   Goodbye, Eri tells the story Yuta Ito, a student who wants to make movies. Yuta is gifted a smartphone by his terminally ill mother and asked to film her constantly, up until she dies. The manga is even presented as a film throughout the whole thing. We see though that instead of filming his mother’s death, Yuta ended up staying away, adding in a shot of him running away from an exploding hospital. Presenting this film to his school leads to Yuta being bullied and ostracized for his decision, causing him to decide to commit suicide by jumping from the roof of the hospital his mother was in. While he’s about to jump, Yuta meets a girl named Eri. Eri stops him, telling him how she loved his film and wants him to make another.

   I unfortunately can’t get to much more into the details of things without spoiling this short story, but honestly Goodbye, Eri is a really wonderful one shot.

   Fujimoto’s art is instantly recognizable, and I love how much of it is drawn in a way to make it look as though it is being filmed. Things are out of focus. There is a bit of motion blur. The framing of the panels. It shows that while Fujimoto might not have the greatest or most intricate art out there, he truly has a lot of talent when it comes to his art and style. I think a lot of that comes from his love of film, which has shined through in all of his works. Strangely with Fire Punch more than anything.

   The story is very fascinating as while it is very emotional and beautiful tale with some really funny moments thrown in, a lot of it is left open to interpretation. Ultimately that also ties into the over all theme of the story which in turn ties into Fujimoto’s love of film. Throughout, it is talked about multiple times how with film, you get to see someone how the filmmaker wants you to see them. It may be an ideal version of them; it may be a worse version of them. It all has to do with how the filmmaker wants you to see. With that, you can see this story in a few different ways. I love that.  It isn't often you get that in manga I feel.

   At 200 pages, Goodbye, Eri is a short but great read. With amazing, thoughtful writing and wonderful art and framing, it is one that is certainly worth your time. Especially if you are a fan of Fujimoto’s other works. It is recognizably his style of writing and art, just without a lot of the more extreme elements. Yuta also very much feels like a bit of a stand in for Fujimoto, which to me just adds to the experience.

   Anyway, I’m sure little was said here,  but having just read this, I felt it was something that others should know about as well. Plus being a shorter story, a shorter review fits. Go check out this masterpiece online and see what you get from it. With Fujimoto’s works, at the very least you know it is going to be one wild ride.

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