Key Takeaways
- Fujimoto's Goodbye, Eri showcases his approach to cinema, emphasizing character-driven storytelling.
- Bye, Eri blurs the lines between manga and film, using a series of panels to capture visuals.
- Fujimoto's passion for cinema is evident in Goodbye, Eri, creating an intimate and unique storytelling experience.
Author Tatsuki Fujimoto began his career in manga Fire Punchbut Chainsaw Man made him famous all over the world. Thanks to the incredible manga and stellar adaptation by Studio MAPPA, Denji's dark story became a huge success. However, Fujimoto is celebrated for his lesser-known, shorter stories later on Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch. Come back was recently adapted into a film, but shortly before Part 2 of Chainsaw Man, released by Fujimoto Goodbye, Eri. This short story is a different masterclass in traditional manga creation, taking a more cinematic and less conventional approach.
Fujimoto first demonstrated this style in Look Back and, to a lesser extent, in Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man, but with Goodbye, Eri kicks it into full gear. This is why you should read Tatsuki Fujimoto's Goodbye, Eri.
A Tale of Flawed Humans
People are broken, art is perfect
The manga follows Yuta Ito, a high school student who is given a smartphone for his birthday. After his mother fell ill, he gave her the job of documenting her last moments for investigation. Yuta then premiered the movie at his school. He is bullied and taunted by the film, causing him to attempt to jump off the school building. There he meets Eri, a girl who tells him she likes the movie and asks him to take a picture of her. The story follows Yuta's time with Eri making the movie.
In his previous works, Fujimoto has already shown his talent for character writing. While his two major works are in the Shōnen category, his approach to storytelling is closer to Seinen. Fujimoto creates characters that are human and expressive. He is not shy about exploiting his character and is difficult to watch at times. At the core of the narrative of his work is the human element. More than all the war and superpowers, his stories are more about human relationships and the complexities of sexuality and how it comes into being. Fujimoto, more than a famous artist or designer, is a master of character-based storytelling.
Hello, Eri is the best example of this. There is no war or higher power, no good and evil. It's about the little people in the story. It's not a story you read for the thrill of watching exciting battles or trying to decipher complicated plots and developments. Hello, Eri is a drama in manga form. More than the usual manga, the reader is treated in a more intimate and cinematic way.
Movie Made Manga
Fujimoto's Passion for Film
Fans of Chainsaw Man may know that writer Tatsuki Fujimoto is a movie buff. The first opening of the series is full of references to famous movies. This is shown in full with Goodbye, Eri. Here, Fujimoto departs from the usual active plates found in manga. Instead, he uses rectangular panels to display images. Here is his art of photography as seen in live action movies. The reader follows the story through successive panels like a movie.
Dialogue and graphics are presented in a smooth and coherent manner. This is to present the story as a film due to Fujimoto's love for the medium but also because a large part of the story is Yuta's image of his mother and then Eri. The reader sees the story through Yuta's image. Fujimoto places the reader in the audience's seat looking at Yuta's portrait.
Goodbye, Eri is blue like no other. The lines between comics and movies are blurred. His approach to storytelling and manga creation sets him apart from most series you'll find in the media. If you like Chainsaw Manyou should check out Fujimoto's work, Goodbye, Eri.
