Apr 10, 2022
Goodbye, Eri is a tale of loss, presented brilliantly by Fujimoto. The synopsis is nothing which would attract your attention but once you start reading it, you know this one shot is going to leave an impression for quite some time. To be honest, I didn't think I'd enjoy it the way I did. It seemed like a cliche with the death of the mother and an inspiring friend/love interest, but boy was I wrong!
At first, the explosion we saw after the mother's death was quite shocking and I couldn't tell it apart from reality until it was stated. In my opinion, it's like Yuuta
...
getting closure for the first time he experienced grief. He felt bad about himself for not filming his mother's last moments, but it was how he found closure to that chapter of his life. After Eri's 'death', he doesn't end the movie with an explosion because he always felt he didn't get closure. However, we see him going back to the abandoned building, getting to talk to Eri for the last time, and finally getting closure. Thus, ending it with an explosion which hits differently this time.
At this point, I will add another take on the ending. The manga blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, as we're unable to really tell if Yuuta actually met Eri after he grew up. It could be his own touch of fantasy. It could also be viewed as him shooting that part with Eri back when she was alive and editing himself in his thirties; because he always loved adding a pinch of fantasy. In this case, the explosion he edited in the end could either be viewed as him getting closure to another part of his life or a touch of nostalgia in remembrance of the movie he made during his middle school days.
Coming to the art, the 4-koma style in which each page was drawn was just clean. I loved the art from beginning to end and it never felt like even a panel was wasted. All the black panels in one part of the manga, the repetitive panels in various parts; everything fit perfectly with the tone of the manga. I'm no expert in the art department, but I'll go as far as saying that I loved it more than I did in Chainsaw Man. I think this is proof that Fujimoto is improving as an artist and I'm happy to witness it.
I'd like to end this review by saying that we indeed have the power to remember our loved ones in the way we want, and not in a way they want us to. This is my takeaway from this beautiful one shot. So grateful to Fujimoto for creating it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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