Apr 10, 2022
Holy shit. If there was any question about it before (there wasn't), Fujimoto cements his status even further as my favorite mangaka with this one.
Goodbye Eri is an absolutely wild ride and I adore it. The way he frames his panels using creative perspectives to make it actually look like a film within a film is ingenious. It really feels like watching a movie rather than reading a manga. As always, Fujimoto wastes no time with filler or fluff, but keeps the plot moving speedily forward from the jump. This is not to say that his characters are rushed or sloppy, on the contrary:
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he has an exceptional gift for illustrating realistic, flawed, conflicted characters that you just can't help but root for and see yourself in. As is evident in the many complex relationship dynamics in Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto portrays the ups and downs of young love in all its forms expertly. The affection between Yuta and Eri, as well as Yuta and his dying mother, is both genuine and toxic, both heartwarming and unsettling, and painfully realistic.
The nonlinear storytelling is genius in the way that it confuses the viewers right alongside our protagonist, Yuta. The many layers of meta stories-within-stories pile on as the story progresses, leaving readers to question what is real and what is fiction. With the mangaka having demonstrated his plot-twist prowess, his newest one-shot is no exception, in the most surprising and chilling way possible.
Goodbye Eri brings up excellent questions that I ask myself frequently these days: where do we draw the line between the usage of fiction as a medium of enjoyment versus one of complete escapism? This overarching question feels almost like a continuation of Togata's character from his previous series Fire Punch. It's difficult for me to place into words the significance of film and media, including manga, in my own life, but Fujimoto does it for me across all of his works to date. The stories we love serve as extensions and continuations of ourselves, across years, cultures, and stages of life.
Oh, and a Tatsuki Fujimoto manga wouldn't be a Tatsuki Fujimoto manga without a balls-to-the wall fucked up ending sequence.
I wouldn't have it any other way!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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