Tatsuki Fujimoto has become one of the biggest names in the anime industry in the last few years with his worldwide series Chainsaw Man, as well as many of his other manga or one-shot titles like Fire Punch, Goodbye Eri and even Look Back. But outside of his most well known works, he also wrote a bunch of shorter one-shots which I’m here to talk about.

This is a very impressive feat to achieve in the anime industry, being able to release a compilation series of short film adaptations from your earlier works as a mangaka… his silliest ideas, each one animated and directed by a different studio.

Even in his earlier works we can see his vision for what he is trying to achieve with his stories now, his approach is always one that is over the top, silly or sometimes even stupid, but every time there is something deeper rooted behind the curtain. This collection of short films, covers a vast range of different emotions, writing styles and characters, some better than others... but inconsistency is part of human nature, you can’t always write something to please everyone, but if your mind is in the right place, the right people will resonate with it, and that is very clear from this compilation.

A lot of his stories in this series are very romance focused, with exceptions, some being straight up romance oriented while others having hints of it, these stories are very symbolic and powerful with their direction for human emotion. Two of my favourite examples here are ‘Sisters’ and ‘Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome’. ‘Sisters’ plays more on familiar love, using nudity as a means to show admiration, something Fujimoto does often in his works, his use of nudity is always symbolic and while he does sometime make it seem more sexual, coming off as perverted, I feel like he always has something deeper to say, and that is the case for ‘Sisters’. It might seem humiliating at first, but the story progression is so raw and powerful that those scenes never come across as sexual and more than anything as love and admiration. The plot of the film also explores the familiar relationship between sisters, the fear of being left behind in someone's shadow, abandonment... a truly spectacular show of human emotion, and my favourite of the bunch. ‘Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome’ is a comedic yet perturbing take on bullying, sexual harassment and the ability to understand your sexuality, to come to conclusions with it and accept your own identity. One of the most visually unique of the compilation, with it’s beautiful light composition and color grading, as well as an impressive creative direction.

I won’t cover every film in detail, mostly covering the main emotions they transferred onto me, and how impactful they were. Going into one of the worser examples here is ‘Sasaki Stopped a Bullet’ which does have a good message... determination, the ability to try even if the odds are low, the confidence of attempting what you love is what matters, but I can’t say the direction of this film was that impactful… I found myself laughing a lot to how ridiculous this approach was, it was very sexual and weird in my opinion, kind off reminiscing of Denji’s character in Chainsaw Man in a way, yet this was just plain stupid. The characters were very odd, with the creative and visual direction being pretty lacking as well, and having one of the most forgettable endings.

Turning back to the well written one-shots, another very impactful story was the very first in the compilation ‘A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard’ a tale that primarily plays on blending in, the nature of the human survival instincts to play pretend, trying to fit in, surviving in a cruel world. But what surprises most is how reminiscent of his vision for Chainsaw Man this is, other than the deep psychological themes, the direction is very alike. The extraterrestrial yet devil looking creatures, the body transformations, gory and ‘dehumanising’. (they are aliens so not really the best wording) But what makes the symbolic meaning shine is the beautiful animation and visual style of this piece, a very well directed story, the usage of camera angles, empty space and the accompanying soundtrack are very cinematic, something that felt very much like the vision he had for most of his well known works.

Quick firing the rest, ‘Nayuta of the Prophecy’ is an ambitious attempt at covering human emotion through devil like characters, inhumanity, and the fear of aging myths, a good film, but pretty simple and not as rewarding of a message execution. ‘Shikaku’ is a comedic approach on the coming of age, realisation of love and the importance of a close relationship envisioned through immortality. A very fun and wholesome experience. ‘Love is Blind’ and ‘Mermaid Rhapsody’ are both primarily romance focused films that play on teenage love, but with different approaches, one attempting it through grief, music and love as a coping mechanism, while the other takes a more comedic and absurd approach, showcasing the blindness of love through various ridiculous and silly scenarios. Both are decent attempts at covering different love emotions, yet not the most impactful or memorable ones in here.

More than anything this compilation of short films showcased the vision that Tatsuki Fujimoto had all his career, his continuing evolution as a mangaka and an author worth of his status. Every story he has tells a different truth about human emotion, his approaches might not satisfy everyone and they might come across as odd or even disgusting to some, but he will always relate for someone.
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Favorite Short Film - 'Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome'