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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
I really haven’t read much in the way of graphic novels or comics let alone manga in my life. I’m not entirely sure why because I do enjoy them whenever I dip my toes in and that holds true here as well. Goodbye, Eri has a few tricks up its sleeve that makes it really fun to go through and it stops right at the correct moment before it all got to be too much.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Goodbye, Eri was recommended to me by a friend, and as someone who's barely ever read manga before, the only thing I knew about this book was that the cover was really pretty. So, what are my impressions now that I've read through it?
The first thing I noticed was that it was a super swift read. This is probably just my unfamiliarity with manga, but I finished it in one study hall period, which is not what I expected---it worked its way through my head so much faster than I anticipated. This book is very light on text, leaving the illustrations to do the work in some parts, and they more than succeed. The art is fantastic and filled with small details that complement the immersion; like, for example, when something is being recorded on a phone, the panels have a hazy blur to them that looks exactly like an old home movie. It plays around with the idea of movies and recordings in a really great way, and not just in the art, either.
There is a bit of goofyness in the beginning of the book that could come off as stupid, and I was hesitant to accept it when I first read it, but it really doesn't matter. The main character is twelve and he does something goofy, gets made fun of, and feels sad. That's just how twelve year olds are, even if it doesn't make for a plot point that can be viewed as serious from a first glance. On a similar note, many of the events and ideas can feel contrived, but in a good way. In general, I don't think this is necessarily bad, and this book proves my point. Sure, things only really happen to serve the plot, but there's something about how the story moves that makes this not matter. Maybe it's the fact that the book knows it's repetitive; the same bad things happen to Yuta in a cycle, but for a reason, and attention is drawn to this rather than it being disguised as something else. The manga knows exactly what it is and what it's trying to be, delivering its strongly conceived narrative with confidence and emotion.
Finishing Goodbye, Eri leaves you with some profound questions. Mainly: if someone is a bad person, how should we remember them after they die? Do we memorialize them by their sour moments, the things that actually come to mind when we hear them mentioned? Or do we decorate their name with flowers and only share the good memories so we have something nice to remember them by, instead of leaving things on the most unsatisfying of terms? Yuta seems to prefer the latter, and I can't blame him. It must hurt so much to lose your mother, no matter what. As Yuta's father says, "You have the power to decide for yourself how you'll remember someone. That's an incredible thing." So, the ending of the book only feels natural. It's a meta ending; Tatsuki Fujimoto adds a now-reincarnated vampire version of Eri. In any other book, this would be absurd. But in this one, it's a clear follow-through for the entire point of the book: the idea that we record and remember people however we'd like. That we have control over our memories of everyone we know. A really beautiful message.
The first thing I noticed was that it was a super swift read. This is probably just my unfamiliarity with manga, but I finished it in one study hall period, which is not what I expected---it worked its way through my head so much faster than I anticipated. This book is very light on text, leaving the illustrations to do the work in some parts, and they more than succeed. The art is fantastic and filled with small details that complement the immersion; like, for example, when something is being recorded on a phone, the panels have a hazy blur to them that looks exactly like an old home movie. It plays around with the idea of movies and recordings in a really great way, and not just in the art, either.
There is a bit of goofyness in the beginning of the book that could come off as stupid, and I was hesitant to accept it when I first read it, but it really doesn't matter. The main character is twelve and he does something goofy, gets made fun of, and feels sad. That's just how twelve year olds are, even if it doesn't make for a plot point that can be viewed as serious from a first glance. On a similar note, many of the events and ideas can feel contrived, but in a good way. In general, I don't think this is necessarily bad, and this book proves my point. Sure, things only really happen to serve the plot, but there's something about how the story moves that makes this not matter. Maybe it's the fact that the book knows it's repetitive; the same bad things happen to Yuta in a cycle, but for a reason, and attention is drawn to this rather than it being disguised as something else. The manga knows exactly what it is and what it's trying to be, delivering its strongly conceived narrative with confidence and emotion.
Finishing Goodbye, Eri leaves you with some profound questions. Mainly: if someone is a bad person, how should we remember them after they die? Do we memorialize them by their sour moments, the things that actually come to mind when we hear them mentioned? Or do we decorate their name with flowers and only share the good memories so we have something nice to remember them by, instead of leaving things on the most unsatisfying of terms? Yuta seems to prefer the latter, and I can't blame him. It must hurt so much to lose your mother, no matter what. As Yuta's father says, "You have the power to decide for yourself how you'll remember someone. That's an incredible thing." So, the ending of the book only feels natural. It's a meta ending; Tatsuki Fujimoto adds a now-reincarnated vampire version of Eri. In any other book, this would be absurd. But in this one, it's a clear follow-through for the entire point of the book: the idea that we record and remember people however we'd like. That we have control over our memories of everyone we know. A really beautiful message.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I could rate this more than 5 stars, I would. Wow this was amazing, nothing like I’ve ever read before. Fujimoto is well known for his art style, impeccable writing skills, and many know of him from his famous manga Chainsaw Man. He has such a way with words and plot!! Like this book had so much potential and IT WENT BEYOND IT.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Goodbye Eri was a book I certainly enjoyed throughout my time reading it. Many of the book’s themes resonated with me on a surprising level, giving me a lot to ponder even after I’ve finished. From how we remember other people after death, to the loss accompanied with that memory, there’s so much to unpack as the story unfolds.
As good as the plot was, I found myself a bit unimpressed by the ending. I think I understand what exactly Fujimoto was trying to express with the final pages of his work, but at the same time I feel like it could have been done much better. Objectively, this is a great way to round out the narrative. At the same time though, I can’t help but feel like it loses it’s impact. The whole aspect of the way we’re remembered, and how we remember others after they’ve passed on is touched on so well just 10 or so pages prior. Regardless, I think this is probably my favorite work from Tatsuki Fujimoto despite all it’s flaws, and is something that I believe will stick with me for quite a while.
As good as the plot was, I found myself a bit unimpressed by the ending. I think I understand what exactly Fujimoto was trying to express with the final pages of his work, but at the same time I feel like it could have been done much better. Objectively, this is a great way to round out the narrative. At the same time though, I can’t help but feel like it loses it’s impact. The whole aspect of the way we’re remembered, and how we remember others after they’ve passed on is touched on so well just 10 or so pages prior. Regardless, I think this is probably my favorite work from Tatsuki Fujimoto despite all it’s flaws, and is something that I believe will stick with me for quite a while.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A