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New Fujimoto oneshot is out, you know what that means.

It was fantastic. It really felt like something he'd write years ago before CSM. It was funny and nonsensical and just HIM. The pacing was as fast as his works usually are, but it didn't feel as though it was crammed. It flowed from start to finish and left off on a sweet note. A bit of an open ending like he tends to write, but not as vague as before. i will say that it could've used a few more pages. Maybe I'm just spoiled from Look Back and Goodbye, Eri, but it would've been ... great to see more of the world. I would've loved to see some of the things that were only talked about. Maybe had a longer flashback to build the characters more. I figured that as time would go on and Fujimoto's style would be refined, he would choose to make his works longer and longer by default but I guess I was wrong. This feels straight out of the Fire Punch era in the best way possible. i wouldn't be surprised if he penned this years and years ago when that series was starting to take off.

I guess this story is his way of responding to people analyzing his works too much. There were a lot of people who were analyzing his previous works who maybe took it too far. An example I recall was people pointing out condoms and leftover bread in the garbage scene from the first chapter of Chainsaw Man, likening it to Denji's dreams to have sex and eat well. Or the constant discussion regarding the second half of Fire Punch. Hell, even Goodbye, Eri from a couple months ago might've been blown out of proportion by me and others in the community. Maybe he just thought it would be a cool thing to make and didn't think much of it. Who knows with this guy, really.

Then there's the art. I'm not as familiar with Tooda as I am with Fujimoto or his other assistants, so I'm not sure what I expected. I suppose rough outlines and a lot of negative space was all that I thought of, and I was right. It's shocking how similar their artstyles are. It completely makes you forget you're looking at drawings from a different person at times. The only time the artwork will ground me back down and remind me that this is a different artist altogether is when a female character is on screen. Tooda and Fujimoto draw men very similarly, but not women. Other examples of similar styles is the men, the scenery, and the way the panels are laid out.

Obviously there's a lot more to the art than just comparisons and I don't want to undermine Tooda's talent by comparing them to Fujimoto but it's definitely the biggest detail about the art. As such, a lot of the same things that can be said for Fujimoto can be said for Tooda. The expressions say a lot, especially during quiet scenes. The panels are arranged neatly with only the bare necessities in the backgrounds as to give them room to breathe. Hell, even the title card drops in very neatly. Just big enough to catch your attention.

Overall, this is a fantastic read. Just very funny and entertaining. As always I'm convinced that Fujimoto can't do anything wrong even if he tried. I have got to check out Tooda's other works after this as well.

People come and go, but their memories stay with us, and it's our duty to keep them alive.

It's one thing to have a masterpiece under your belt at any age. It's another thing to have multiple, and it's ANOTHER thing to have four of them back to back before you've even hit 30. I may be biased, but I really do think that Fujimoto-sensei has already set the gold standard for mangaka moving forward, and this oneshot is the perfect guide on how he does it.

What I assumed was just Fujimoto talking about a dead relative turned into a story showcasing his obvious love of ... film, and then turned into a manual on how to move past loss and regret. Sprinkle some deadpan comedy into it and you have the perfect formula to get you attached to Yuta, Eri, and Yuta's dad.

Ever since his old one-shots, he's always geared towards normal, human stories with "a pinch of fantasy", and not only has he doubled down on it, he perfected the formula. The story comes to a close with a confusing-- for lack of a better term, parallel to the in-universe film that Yuta shoots. This just ties everything together so much more. This is without a doubt his most "complete" work. Even Look Back could've used a couple more pages to explore the character relationships. The formula seems to be nailed in here, though. 200 pages for a one-shot is insane, especially when you take into account how most tankobons fall just under that number even with the added extras.

The artwork is fantastic, by the way. The perspectives and use of a motion blur when the story is in "camera mode" helps get the message across very well, and the limited paneling does wonders as well. Fujimoto has always loved his empty space and repetitive, quiet panels, but it's never been as apparent as it has been here. There's a scene where two characters are shown eating at the table, and a couple pages are just dedicated to seeing their eating mannerisms. These may be characters on paper, but moments like that really help get the author's points across. It's the little things, yknow?

Fujimoto is here to stay, and we're all just along for the ride. I can only wonder what the hell he has in store for Chainsaw Man part 2, and whatever else comes after that.

Probably a lot of film talk... and explosions.