A few days ago, " Chainsaw Man " animation season 1 ushered in the last episode.
This work is adapted from the popular Japanese comic "Chainsaw Man" and is produced by the animation company MAPPA, which adapted "Attack on Titan" and other well-known works. From the broadcast to the completion, every update of
can become a topic among animation lovers. It can be said to be one of the most watched and controversial animations in the last quarter of this year.
The original comic author of "Chainsaw Man" Fujimotosuki , who rose to prominence in the past few years with the long comic "Fire Fist", has also made a splash with his second feature "Chainsaw Man". Famous scenes in
comics have been widely spread as Internet memes; Fujimoto himself has become one of the most famous new generation cartoonists in recent years.
Some famous scenes in "Chainsaw Man" and " Fire Fist "
In 2020, after "Chainsaw Man: Public Security Chapter" ended, Fujimoto did not immediately start the second serialization, but published three short and medium-sized comics: "Looking Back", "Goodbye Eri" and "Just Listen".
These three comics return to daily life, showing friendship, growth and love in youth, but each has its own theme and style . Each article demonstrates Fujimoto's genius creative ability. Every time it is released, it will cause heated discussions among comic lovers.
Among them, "Looking Back" introduced by from Xinxing Publishing House has been published, and the simplified Chinese version of "Goodbye Eri" introduced by us has also started pre-sale.
Today, Ashin wants to talk to you: Fujimotosuki, the "genius cartoonist" and his cartoon world.
"Psychopath" Fujimotoshu
If you search for "Fujimotoshu" on a search engine, among the highest-ranking automatic association entries, in addition to his works, there must be one word - " mental illness ".
As one of the most popular cartoonists at the moment, Fujimoto Shu often behaves in "letting go", making readers doubt his mental state from time to time.
For example, the reason for handing over the animation adaptation rights of "Chainsaw Man" to MAPPA is:
For example, in order to prove to Twitter users that he has the ability to levitate, he uploaded a video of confusing behavior saying " now, I'm going to take off ".
And the story he has been talked about recently is:
Fujimotoshu has always made up a persona for his Twitter account: "Fujimotoshu's sister, Nagayama Koharu, who is in the third grade of elementary school ", and often expresses his daily life and nonsense in the tone of an elementary school girl.
However, because he changes his birth year by one year younger every year to maintain the persona of a third-grade elementary school student, "Changshan Xiaoharu" was banned not long ago due to Twitter's new policy of "no users under 13 years old." .
However, comic fans jokingly call him "the second free cartoonist on the surface", not only because of his various "psychotic behaviors", but also because his comics are full of unexpected turns .
Create a full-fledged and well-liked character who will be suddenly arranged to die in the next episode;
The plot advances to a critical moment, and the protagonist gives up revenge and powerThe atmosphere is paved to the extreme, but in the next comic strip, the sister asks him to pick up the power and "become a fire fist";
character One second ago, I was still feeling " There may be no more joys and sorrows in this life", and the next second I would be shouting " OK " because of the invitation to vacation...
Fujimoto seems to have a bad taste of " when readers are immersed in a certain atmosphere, they must interrupt ", which makes people always be knocked away by the sudden turning of the plot.
However, although Fujimoto's works are full of "free" story unfolding, these plots, which seem to appear in third-rate fantasy novels, not only do not hinder his creation, but instead achieve his unique style of "anti-routine and anti-rules".
Part of this is because, unlike our common Japanese comics, Fujimoto’s comic storyboards can be seen in a large number of movie camerawork and narrative techniques.
The absurd story direction, imaginative pictures, and cinematic lens expression together constitute Fujimoto's very unique comic style.
The foreshadowing of the appearance of the "dark devil" in "Chainsaw Man": the dark and boundless universe, the bizarre death posture, the weird religious rituals, the protagonist group who moves forward cautiously, montageThe sudden insertion of frog croaking, these absurd and bizarre elements create a dangerous atmosphere of silence, weirdness, and uneasiness. Every frame is full of visual impact (please read Japanese comics from right to left)
Perhaps it’s because today’s readers have seen too many routines of passion, bonding and growth, and have seen too many bizarre stories in life where “screenwriters will be scolded for writing like this”. They have realized that – “ absurdity is the normal state of life ”.
Fujimotoshu’s story is not really about letting go. In the details before and after the comic, you can find that is very neatly contrasting with .
Left: The farewell of the protagonist Denji to his two important partners in "Chainsaw Man"; Right: The behind-the-scenes bosses at different times in "Fire Fist"
And at the end of the story, you will even find that every "free" turn is actually filling the character's characteristics ; every absurd development is 's deconstruction of the life we are accustomed to. .
Fujimotoshu’s stories are not necessarily logical, but they can always create impressive characters and arouse readers’ resonance with the beauty of humanity hidden in the stories.
The ultimate dazzling skills in comic art
After "Chainsaw Man" became popular, Fujimoto showed his genius camera control and creative ability in the following short comics.
"Looking Back" was published on July 19, 2021. It tells the story of the friendship of two girls who love comics-Fujino and Kyomoto.
It created a new high reading volume for short comics in the comic magazine " Shonen Jump + ". After "Chainsaw Man", it once again won the first place in last year's "This comic is really awesome!" male comics selection, making Fujimoto the first double crown cartoonist in .
The lens language of Fujimoto's movie version and the delicate description of the characters' psychological state are most vividly reflected in this short story.
The sincere friendship flowing in the picture, and their love for comics also made countless comic lovers burst into tears.
The protagonist Fujino heard about the comics he drew and was admired by his classmate Kyomoto who was more skilled in drawing. The joy that he secretly endured at first but could not control himself at all does not need any words to describe:
Only a freeze-frame shot is needed to show
2 Time changes and two friends Addiction and love for comics :
At the end of the story, Kyomoto, who has become a genius cartoonist, was attacked and killed by a prisoner suffering from persecution delusion. The remorseful Fujino traveled to another time and space through the comics torn up inside and outside the door, and saved his friend like a god descending from the earth.
echoes the comic clues at the beginning of the story, the exquisite design of time and space transformation through comic fragments, and the light shaping of light and dark changes before and after practical use to imply the character's mood, all reveal Fujimoto's exquisite narrative ability :
The four-panel comic that Fujino stuffed under the door of Kyomoto’s house when he was a child was once an opportunity for the two to get acquainted, and also hinted at the ending of Fujino’s death.
written Comic fragments with "Don't come out!" floated into the Kyomoto family in another timeline
In another timeline, Kyomoto did not open the door to meet Fujino, but was still attacked, but was successfully rescued by Fujino who traveled through time
Two years before the publication of "Suddenly Looking Back", the ·18 Kyoto Animation arson incident shocked the world. Countless precious animation manuscripts were burned, and 36 outstanding, even world-leading animation practitioners lost their lives in the flames - just because the arsonist believed that "his novel was plagiarized" .
Undoubtedly, this is a tribute to Kyoto Animation : Even after experiencing despair and grief, the living should carry the hopes of the deceased and continue to move forward firmly with the enthusiasm for creation.
If "Looking Back Suddenly" is Fujimoto's "gentle knife" , then the next "Goodbye Eri" is the ultimate show of Fujimoto's comic skills.
"Goodbye Eri" tells a story about movies and memory.
"Please film until the moment I die..." The seriously ill mother requested, and the protagonist Yuta began to shoot videos for her mother to keep her last moments.
But at the last moment, he could not face the death of his mother and ran out of the hospital.
The film he edited was shown in the school. At the end of the film, based on his own understanding of artistic creation, he added a fantasy ending
- the hospital exploded.
There is no doubt that the film he carefully created has attracted a flood of negative reviews. Under the heavy blow, Yuta decided to go to the rooftop to end his life, but he met a girl named Eri.
Eri is the only classmate who likes Yuta's movies. With her help, Yuta regains her passion for movies. At Eri's request, she decides to shoot a movie to avenge her shame and screen it in school again.
During the filming, he discovered Eri's secret: She was also suffering from an incurable disease - This time, can he make up for the regret of not being able to photograph his mother's deathbed and face the death of someone close to him on camera?
If you observe carefully, you will find that almost every comic in has only two presentation methods: a page composed of 4 grids, and a full page covering the entire screen.
However, such a picture will not only make people feel boring when reading, but also have a immersive feeling like watching a movie , and it is even as if you can hear the "click-click" sound of the film spinning in your ears.
Such fixed style pictures, under the pen of Fujimotoshu, present the exquisite narrative trick .
On the previous page, my father was still fiercely opposed to Yuta and Eri filming the movie together ; the whole page of freeze-frame and silence between them seemed to be brewing some special emotion.
Turn to the next page and you will find: This is just the plot of the movie they shot . The fixed shots are waiting for the director to shout "Cut".
Such dazzling narrative tricks are everywhere in "Goodbye Eri".
The most controversial issue among readers is the distinction between reality in comics and movies:
Which are the real things that happened in the comics, and which are just videos shot by Yuta?
Is Eri's "vampire" identity a setting in Yuta's film, or is it a "touch of fantasy" added by Fujimoto himself to the comics?
A romantic love letter to the movie
"Goodbye Eri" tells the story of Yuta filming the movie, and it is also Fujimoto's true confession of the movie.
It is well known that Fujimoto is an avid movie lover , especially the horror cult film and Quentin . His works are full of homages to movies, and he himself was nicknamed the "movie devil" by readers.
The movie tribute in "Chainsaw Man"
The four-frame comic storyboard on each page of "Goodbye Eri" is very similar to the movie's storyboard script . The frozen sequences and lens transitions all present the strong cinematic quality of and .
The shaking lens ghost, noise in the picture, completely black picture and voiceover will remind you from time to time: what you see is actually a video shot by Yuta.
"Goodbye Eri" also hides many easter eggs about the movie. Some readers even speculated that the special double picture storyboard on page in the comic is just like the shooting techniques and "coordinate principle" in "Fight Club", "Inception" and "Lycean Theater". It is a reminder of "separating the inside and outside of the play" .
The movie Eri invited Yuta to watch is "Fight Club". This is also one of the nine pages with two pictures and one page.
The story told by the full comic, It seems that and the movie have a wonderful intertext:
In Yuta's camera, mother is gentle, strong, and beautiful. However, in the scenes recalled by her father later, her mother was actually very harsh and dissatisfied with about Yuta's filming.
In the full comic, Eri is beautiful and individual. Readers only know this from Eri's best friend: It turns out that Eri outside the comic screen wears glasses, braces, and has a bad temper.
How do we face the death of someone close to us? How to keep them in memory?
The power of images can lock time. In the movie
, the director relies on intentional editing to guide the audience to observe the image of the protagonist that the director hopes to show.
Besides movies, in life, we mobilize our memories to decide how we keep others in our memories.
Memories are very similar to movie materials: they are constantly accumulated and reconstructed repeatedly in their own minds - just like how Yuta treats his own movie works in "Goodbye Eri", editing as he shoots. Finally, ’s mother’s bad attitude and Eri’s unattractive appearance were all cut out of .
This is Yuta's gentleness, and it is also the gentleness and kindness that is always conveyed in Fujimoto's works .
Of course, it is also possible that the "free" Fujimoto tree just wants to tell readers:
In daily life, never forget
- add "a touch of fantasy".
-End-
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