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hoveros 's review for:
藤本タツキ短編集 17-21 [Tatsuki Fujimoto Tanpenshu 17-21]
by Tatsuki Fujimoto
This is a collection of four short stories written by Fujimoto between the ages of 17 and 21. I’ve been on a bit of a comic book stint the last few months, partially thanks to the artist’s most popular, ongoing work, Chainsaw Man. Tatsuki Fujimoto probably is the future of Japanese comics - at least for the next decade or so. I imagine that many artists will try to replicate his formula, which can be seen in this volume as already being present when he was a teenager.
Some brief explanation, I stumbled upon Fujimoto’s first issue of Chainsaw Man when I was trying to get back into reading after struggling to connect with longer works for a few years. I had read advice that if you’re someone struggling to get back into reading for fun, then start easy. Read short stories and comics. It will help build up that habit. I jokingly clicked Chainsaw Man issue 1 open on my phone (I just happened to see it on the first week it had come out) while looking for a new story. It instantly hooked me. Despite being crass I felt that the artist was actually trying to do something unique. Playing around with tropes in stories like Dragon Ball and One Piece, Fujimoto seemed to be dialing it all to 11 only to sweep the rug from under you and divert the story in a non-traditional direction. It was raw, and cynical. If One Piece was pop this felt punk rock. Really, when all the style and crass humor is taken away, the story is about youth. As a kid your small problems seem so big and insurmountable but when you get older you realize how those problems paled in comparison to the larger issues going on around you. You also realized that maybe the adults were lying. The kids were not alright.
If anything, this collection of stories shows the dual theme of youth and tragedy have been on the artists’ mind since he was in high school. He recounts how he had to wait a year for art school because the Fukushima earthquake happened. He tells a story of feeling like his art was meaningless after going to help clean up after the event and not feeling like he had actually done anything to contribute. Ultimately, for whatever reason, that through-line resonated with me. I think that, whatever else is happening in his stories, the emotional arc of youth confronting an absurd tragedy is a powerful and compelling one.
The art here is good but clearly he improved over time. The stories and action also become easier to follow. But each short story and both of his single issues (Goodbye Eri and Look Back) show someone with a lot of talent playing around with a format that’s inherently juvenile and pulpy. I’m excited to see where his work continues to go. I’m also amazed that we’re similar in age and he’s already produced so much good work.
Some brief explanation, I stumbled upon Fujimoto’s first issue of Chainsaw Man when I was trying to get back into reading after struggling to connect with longer works for a few years. I had read advice that if you’re someone struggling to get back into reading for fun, then start easy. Read short stories and comics. It will help build up that habit. I jokingly clicked Chainsaw Man issue 1 open on my phone (I just happened to see it on the first week it had come out) while looking for a new story. It instantly hooked me. Despite being crass I felt that the artist was actually trying to do something unique. Playing around with tropes in stories like Dragon Ball and One Piece, Fujimoto seemed to be dialing it all to 11 only to sweep the rug from under you and divert the story in a non-traditional direction. It was raw, and cynical. If One Piece was pop this felt punk rock. Really, when all the style and crass humor is taken away, the story is about youth. As a kid your small problems seem so big and insurmountable but when you get older you realize how those problems paled in comparison to the larger issues going on around you. You also realized that maybe the adults were lying. The kids were not alright.
If anything, this collection of stories shows the dual theme of youth and tragedy have been on the artists’ mind since he was in high school. He recounts how he had to wait a year for art school because the Fukushima earthquake happened. He tells a story of feeling like his art was meaningless after going to help clean up after the event and not feeling like he had actually done anything to contribute. Ultimately, for whatever reason, that through-line resonated with me. I think that, whatever else is happening in his stories, the emotional arc of youth confronting an absurd tragedy is a powerful and compelling one.
The art here is good but clearly he improved over time. The stories and action also become easier to follow. But each short story and both of his single issues (Goodbye Eri and Look Back) show someone with a lot of talent playing around with a format that’s inherently juvenile and pulpy. I’m excited to see where his work continues to go. I’m also amazed that we’re similar in age and he’s already produced so much good work.