Goodbye, Eri

I want preface this review by stating that I have never been the biggest fan of Tatsuki Fujimoto's works. By no means am I saying that any of them are bad. I personally felt that part 1 of Chainsaw Man was often over the top simply for the purpose of being over the top rather than actually delivering a message. Look Back was extremely meta in its presentation but it ultimately fell a bit short in terms of bringing forth the emotions that Fujimoto wants the reader to feel. For the longest time I couldn't understand the brilliance that so many stans of Fujimoto's works claimed he had. To me it simply felt like chaos for the sake of chaos.

I do also want to mention that unlike majority of my reviews there will be spoilers throughout this review because I feel it is essential in order to explain the brilliance behind this one shot. I will be marking spoilers throughout so that people who have not already read the manga have to opportunity to read this review without having any of the manga spoiled for them but know that majority of the points I make throughout this review will not be seen completely without reading these spoilers. I would greatly urge you to read Goodbye, Eri prior to reading through this review with spoilers.

All this being said, I am more than willing to admit when I am wrong about something or someone and in this instance I was dead wrong about Fujimoto as a mangaka. In this review I will be touching upon the story, the messages, the conventions (or lack thereof), and the brilliance of what I believe to be Fujimoto's Magnum Opus Goodbye, Eri!

Story/Writing:

Unlike majority of my reviews where I simply give a brief outline of the story I feel it is important to summarize the entire story so as my point about the level of writing Fujimoto displays in this story isn't overstated. For this reason, down below is a near complete summary of Goodbye, Eri. It is riddled with spoilers that I have marked accordingly but please refrain from pressing them if you want to read a spoiler free review of this manga.

Goodbye, Eri is a story centered around Yuuta Itou. The story begins with Yutta being asked by his sickly mother to film the remain portion of her life for her. Yuuta's mother wants him to do this so that he will have memory of what she looks, sounds, and acts like after she is gone. So Yutta spends the remainder of his mother's life filming nearly every aspect of her day to day life. We get to see this very loving and sweet woman's life slowly fade away. We see all the seemingly mundane activities she does in life but still we feel as though it is a shame that this woman's life is being taken from her and that she is leaving behind a husband and son who care so much about her.

As Yuuta's mother's life draws to a close Yuuta is asked by his father to film the final moments of her life. He is asked to film his mother dying in front of his eyes (a seemingly cruel ask for such a kind woman). It is at this moment that we the reader being to question just what type of woman Yuuta's mother truly is. However, before going into the hospital to film his mother's death, Yuuta runs away from the hospital. __(Beyond this sentence is major spoilers so please do not read beyond this point if you have not already read Goodbye Eri!)

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

Behind Yuuta we see the hospital explode and then we pan out to see that the entire story thus far is a movie being played at Yuuta's school. This is the first time that we have been had by Fujimoto in this story and it won't be the last.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

What we see is that Yuuta has created a movie from the moments he has filmed of his mother prior to her death. It is his way of coping with the death of his mother. Yuuta is criticized by the people of his school for the way in which his movie ended and many people even question his love for his mother as a result of this film. He becomes a social outcast and is ostracized to the point where he begins contemplating suicide. Yuuta then films his last goodbye and heads out to commit suicide at the hospital where his mother died.

When Yuuta once again goes to the hospital he meets a young woman named Eri, this story's other main character, on the roof of the hospital. She takes him from the top of the hospital and leads him to an abandoned warehouse where the two of them begin to watch movies together. While this may seem like an insignificant act, it truly does turn Yuuta's life around for the better. Yuuta no longer feels the despair he felt after the passing of his mother. Instead he becomes absorbed with the idea of how to improve his films and, more importantly, become obsessed with the idea of pleasing Eri. We see the daily lives of Eri and Yuuta together and the time they spend together. We see Yuuta working towards making a film that will leave a lasting impact on the audience with the help of Eri. Most importantly of all, we see Yuuta become a healthier person due to Eri being in his life. However, one day while filming with Eri, disaster strikes Yuuta's life once again.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

While filming at the beach Eri collapses into the sea and we are they cut to a scene of Yuuta and Eri speaking in a hospital. It turns out that Eri, much like Yuuta's mother, has a fatal illness that will ultimately take her from Yuuta. However, this is not where the disaster ends for Yuuta because during this conversation Eri asks Yuuta to film the remainder of her life (the same request his mother made of him) and make it into a film. Initially Yuuta denies this request as it is seemingly too much for him to handle but he eventually decides to do this for Eri.

So, much like for his mother, Yuuta begins to film Eri's life for her. He films every aspect of their life together. We get to see the simplest of moments between them and you get to see just how much care and love Yuuta has for Eri. Before long we get to see the lovely relationship Eri and Yuuta have formed (though never officially a relationship).

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

However, much like the prior film of his mother, we soon see Yuuta spending Eri's final moments with her. They discuss the film together as Eri slowly passes away and then the end of Yuuta's second film comes to an end. Once again, we've been had by Fujimoto. However, this time, Yuuta's film hits the audience profoundly. The crowd is crying as the movie ends and you (the reader) are left with this intense level of sadness for Yuuta. Unlike when his first film aired Yuuta is met with praise from his peers but now he feels an even more intense sense of despair than from his mother's death. Even more significant than that is that Yuuta seemingly has no one left to pull him out of this rut.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

What makes these passings so signficant is not the fact that these two women are gone from Yuuta's life but instead that it soon after revealed that both of these women were not actually good people. They appeared this way due to the way that Yuuta depicted them in his films but in reality they were not good people. This is where Fujimoto reveals the central message of Goodbye, Eri that I will touch on later in this review.

As the manga progresses we see Yuuta grow older. He builds a life for himself, finds a woman he ends up marrying, and has children. Life seemingly goes on for Yuuta. Then, once again, disaster strikes Yuuta.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

Yuuta, now a grown man, gets into a car accident that kills his entire family outside of himself. This is where Yuuta seemingly films his final goodbye once again. We are made to believe that he is going to commit suicide, this time for real, and he ends up where he spent majority of his time with Eri (the abandoned warehouse). It is there that he is met by none of than Eri. Eri tells Yuuta that she actually is a vampire (like he makes her in his movie) but whether or not this is true or if Eri is simply a figment of Yuuta's imagination is seemingly irrelevant because Yuuta has now found peace in his life.

So why did I decide to write an entire summary of Goodbye, Eri rather than just a brief summary like in all of my prior reviews? Well to put it quite simply it is to demonstrate the brilliant levels of writing that Fujimoto displays throughout this story. To be quite honest, my retelling of the story (no matter how detailed it may be) could never stand up to just how well told the story is done. Throughout the story Fujimoto gives you the craziness he is so well known for from Chainsaw Man but the difference in Goodbye, Eri is that it never once takes away from the message and story that Fujimoto is telling. Fujimoto subverts the readers expectations throughout the story brilliantly to the degree that the reader never is completely certain whether or not what they are reading is reality or not! Put quite simply, Goodbye, Eri is Fujimoto's writing at its maximum capability! It is the craziness of Chainsaw Man with a focus that never once leaves the forefront without the disjointed plot points that existed in all of his prior pieces of work!

Characters:

Normally when I discuss the characters of a series I am discussing the quality of writing behind them. How well is the reader/viewer able to connect to the character and how important are they to the quality of the story? The reality of Goodbye, Eri is that while it does create a great main characters in Yuuta and Eri, its true strength of its characters is derived from the stories ability to relay the central message through its characters.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

Due to the nature of the story, we never truly know or understand a character completely. We never know whether or not this is how the character actually is or if this is simply how Yuuta is framing them through his films.

As a result of this, we can't really get attached to any one character in the story outside of Yuuta. As a result of this style of storytelling we become extremely close with Yuuta and we feel even more significant despair and pain when he feels it throughout the story.

Overall, Yuuta is a fantastic character because he serves as the one constant in the story. The one thing that the reader can know for certain is real. Yuuta also goes through so much that the reader can't help but feel attached to him and care about him. The remaining cast of characters serve as a constant "what if" for the reader. We are never certain of anything involving them. What is their true intentions? Is this really the person that they are? The characters and the writing from Fujimoto combined are what make this story so interesting!

The Message of the Story:

Without a doubt the aspect of Goodbye, Eri that I enjoyed the most was the message behind it. This is a story about loss and grief. It's a story about how we as humans deal with loss. However, more important than all of that, it is a story about how we remember the ones we love. We are always going to be inclined to look at the good times over the bad times with the people we love. We will innately do this when we truly do this. What Fujimoto is attempting to tell us through this story is that even though so many bad things can and will happen to us in our lives it is the memories of the loved ones that we hold dear that will always persevere! No matter how bad times get we will always have the found memories with those we love. It is not to say that we do not have bad times with these people as well, but instead that we will ultimately always paint them in a positive light. There is always a positive light and aspect to every relationship no matter how bitter they one day become.

Final Verdict:

Goodbye, Eri is like all of Fujimoto's other works in its delivery. It is chaotic and a mess at times. That being said, what puts Goodbye, Eri a step above all of Fujimoto's other works is that it never once loses sight of its identity. The story is cohesive and stays on track throughout. Every time Fujimoto subverts the readers expectations it is for a clear purpose. More importantly than all of that, Goodbye, Eri delivers a very important message to its reader and as a result it leaves an impact far greater than many manga are capable of leaving. It does this all while still adhering to the lack of conventions that Fujimoto has become so famous for! Ultimately, if you are someone who enjoys Fujimoto's writing style but was looking for a bit more substance and cohesion out of his stories then Goodbye, Eri is the perfect manga for you! Overall, I believe that Goodbye, Eri is an incredible manga if you have read Fujimoto's prior works but it can be considered a complete masterpiece if it is your first and only work from Fujimoto!