Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 22–26

藤本タツキ短編集 [Fujimoto Tatsuki Tanpenshū] #2

by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Killer mermaids, gender swapping, and a devilish little sister with the power to end the world—four more unforgettable short stories that reveal the starting point of Tatsuki Fujimoto, the twisted mastermind behind Chainsaw Man.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Tatsuki Fujimoto 藤本タツキ (Fujimoto Tatsuki) is a Japanese manga author, mostly known for Chainsaw Man.

Awards:
- Shōgakukan Manga Award: Shōnen category for Chainsaw Man (2020)
- Harvey Award: best manga for Chainsaw Man (2021-2022)

Chinese language profiles: 藤本樹 and 藤本树.

Reviews

[zaï · Rating 5 out of 5]

if fujimoto has 10 million fans i’m one of them, if fujimoto has 10 fans i’m one of them, if fujimoto has 1 fan then that's me, if fujimoto doesn't have a fandom that means i’m dead, if the world is against fujimoto then i’m against the world.

[Angel (๑❛ᴗ˂̵)〜☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Siren Rhapsody (Ningyo Rhapsody, 人魚ラプソディ)
“I loved her so much that i thought… if it was by someone with a smile as pretty as hers, maybe being eaten wouldn’t be so bad.”
Uwa~ that was sooo cute💗
“Maybe if i play the piano, Shijyu will come back. So i’ll play until i drown.”
All aside, Toshihide looks absolutely entrancing while playing the piano underwater, i’d probably fall in love too if i heard him playing on the piano like that, he’s a pretty cute boy ngl.

- When I Woke Up I had Become a Girl" Disease (Me wo Sametara Onnanoko ni Natteita Byou, 目が覚めたら女の子になっていた病)
AHAHAHA this is so kekekeke the chaos
His gf and her brother both pack a punch huh

- Nayuta of the Prophecy (Yogen no Nayuta, 予言のナユタ)
“Blood spatter spray”
I don’t think anyone’s gonna be able to break the bond of these two siblings hahaha, Nayuta’s lowkey kinda cute tho, and it’s a bit endearing to see her cry, perhaps it’s because it makes her seem more human, but i could slightly imagine how lonely she must’ve felt without her parents and when her brother’s usually not there.

- Little Sister's Elder Sister (Imouto no Ane, 妹の姉)
Pfft this starts off weird ,but ends up wholesome and funny lol, that face the elder sister drew and the pose say ‘look all you want you bastards’ smth like that

[Ludwig Aczel · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10
Recently, I have decided to give a chance to Tatsuki Fujimoto, possibly the most celebrated and discussed young comic creator in the world today.
The impact with his best-selling series Chainsaw Man, which I dropped after four volumes, was not the best: too many shonen manga clichés, too much rushed storytelling and that weird disconnection between Fujimoto's sketchy main drawing and his assistants's background and details. I could see why it is successful, but it was not really for me. (I called that the material could make for a pretty great animated adaptation, and now that the anime is out I am happy to say that I was right.) Nonetheless, I could perceive the potential of the artist, if given time and space to tell a story that speaks to him more than to the finance of the Shueisha publisher. Well, I think that Fujimoto one-shot stories confirm that. Especially that small masterpiece of Look Back (2021).

The collection Short Stories 22-26 feels a bit green, but has a few great moments and sets the standards's for Fujimoto's authorial view. The volume collects four 50-page stories published in between 2014 and 2018. (The title of the collection refers to the author's age at the moment of publication.) At their core, these are stories about love and search of identity through the relation with the loved ones. The tales that work best are about sibling love.

Siren Rhapsody (2014) has the most naïve plot, although as a 'boy in love with siren' story it does the job. The style here is still a bit anonymous, with a certain roundness, not yet the sexy angular inking style that Fujimoto will adopt soon after.

"When I Woke Up I Had Become a Girl" Disease (2017) shares the same round soft style. It plays only incidentally, yet dangerously with gender identity. In actuality, the focus is on teenage love and the tone remains pretty light.

Nayuta of the Prophecy (2015) is the gem in this collection. Here is where Fujimoto finds his edgy line art approach, his cinematic composition style and his core themes. What if you had to raise your orphan little sister, knowing that she is very likely to be the beast of the apocalypse? A story on how communication - literally, language understanding - is key in family relationships.

Unlike the weird previous three tales, Little Sister's Elder Sister (2018) is ground on reality, but explores a similar theme: love between two sisters, and how their relation shape the way they perceive themselves. This was also a pretty cool story. Admittedly, the author will further develop the idea of this short into the more tragic Look Back.

Overall, I reckon that Fujimoto - as undoubtedly mainstream as a mangaka can be - is definitely an authorial voice to follow with interest. Maybe more on his one-shot 'movies' than on his long 'blockbuster' series.

[Jimmy Ramirez Jaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Fujimoto has 1000 pet fishes I’m one of them, if he has 100 I’m one of them, if he has 10 I’m one of them. If he has no pet fishes Fujimoto ate me.

Such great short stories I love this mama range I can never get sick of him

[MarinaLawliett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dos c*ños en la última historia y ni una p*lla en todo chainsaw man.
Nada más que añadir~

[MargReadsManga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know about you but I enjoy short story collections! This was another fun collection from Fujimoto. Although I liked the stories in 17-21 more, it was still a solid one-shot. My favorite story was the first one. The one where Fujimoto was challenged to write a “normal” story. I also enjoyed the paragraphs that we get from him that describe what he was going for with each of these stories. He’s shown that he can create a wide variety of interesting tales.

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Outside of disliking sisters, this compilation of mini stories was really enjoyable! I think Nayuta of the Prophecy is the closest to the style and dark-humor of chainsaw man… plus the brother and sister relationship reminded me a lot of the fatherly relationship a certain character had with two chaotic characters in chainsaw.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories in this volume were much better than the previous volume. There is obvious improvement in the art and writing. The mermaid story was great. But the demon girl sister was weird.

Remember that this is Mr Chainsaw Man I just have to quote Hank Hill and say "There is something not right with that boy." Not in a bad way but still.

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the stories in this one! My favorite was Nayuta and I feel this easily could be its own series or she could even show up in Chainsaw Man. The mermaid one and gender-swap one were both solid, but the Sisters one was very weird (derogatory).

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well.. Idon’t know… this work from Fujimoto, before Chainsaw Man and Look Back, feels rather ordinary to me.

[Fátima Embark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un 3,5 en realidad. Me ha gustado mucho!!!

[Mar · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really liked the first story and the third one (especially the third). the second one was a 0/10 for me, and the last one was just weird.

[Elle VanGilder · Rating 3 out of 5]

me and my best friend nayuta are holding swords over the city, just so you know

[casey]

fujimoto try not to add some freak shit into your stories challenge (impossible)

[Knigoqdec · Rating 1 out of 5]

Мислех да пиша 2 за старанието, но всъщност не усетих старание. Не е моето нито като арт, нито като "хумор".

[Ippie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah all the stories were good but I really liked nayuta of the prophecy

[Gesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

fuji u are weird. But so good

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were fantastic stories! I really enjoyed the last story about the two sisters and the one about the girl with the horns. But they were all good! I will definitely be reading more of these stories by Tatsuki Fujimoto!

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fujimoto seems to love writing about the relationships between humans and others. Aliens, mermaids, ect. And adding in the desire for violence within these forbidden relationships that also find connection despite the barriers. This is apparent in “Mermaid Rhapsody”, a story about the love of piano, and the bond between a human and a mermaid, both of which have eaten eachother historically. It was a really beautiful and cool story.

“Woke-Up-As-A-Girl Syndrome” was honestly just kind of uncomfortable. I think with it being 2023 and having trans people exist it just felt weird and wrong, as the MC doesn’t want to be a girl, and is just turned into one. But love prevails so that’s cool right?

“Nayuta of the Prophecy” is an interesting one because without spoilers for chainsaw man, a character named Nayuta who looks like this (sans horns) shows up in Pt 2! I guess Fujimoto took this character and kept her around, making changes of course but nevertheless. She’s adorable first of all. Cool concept, mage with horns, destined to destroy the world, no human heart and weird speech, claimed a “devil child” *cough seems familiar cough* The story has more to do with her relationship with her brother, and while she totally doesn’t understand humanity she does care about him and tries to show it in her own, very bad ways. Also interesting concept of danger of the prophecy vs nuclear war. This is also the first one shot where the art really feeels like chainsaw man, there are some amazing panels. I don’t know how it feels so wholesome and apocalyptic at the same time. A nice story with great design that definitely feels like it’s building up interesting and deeper relationships that might have been lacking before. Still levity but more serious. “She might destroy the world but she’s still my baby sister”

“Sisters” is the final one-shot of this collection, with Anzu, a high school student with a nude portrait of her stuck on the wall of her school, her sister having been the one who painted it and won a competition. And then the rest of the story feels creepily incest-like. It’s short and just….icky?

Then we have a final page where Fujimoto expresses a time he ate a goldfish for a meal, and that really feels like an explanation to some of his work by itself! At least the themes of poverty and being hungry which seems present in most of his work.

Overall I liked this significantly less than 17-21, it felt too perverted and didn’t have as much of an impact to me personally. “Nayuta of the Prophecy” felt like something that could’ve gone somewhere if it wasn’t a one-shot but a bigger piece, so I’d say that’s my favorite, it showed a lot of growth, but overall not a fan of any of these really.

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars.

“In the end, I couldn’t be parted with my little sister. Because I am her elder sister.”

Fujimoto Tatsuki is, generally, someone that writes weird and out-of-the-envelope stories that I can enjoy in some way, as they tend to make you think and connect in the most interesting ways; however, this might have been just a little too weird for me.

While the exploration of love through the different stories, whether familial or romantic, was incredibly interesting and well done, and it was even touching at turns, I just couldn't quite connect with the whole collection.

Truthfully, I found half of the stories confusing and off-putting.

A writer as daring and often controversial as Fujimoto will have one story or more, that is not for my taste, that is inevitable; and while I didn't love those stories, I can still see the value in them and appreciate them for all the things that he is trying to say with them and the sheer genius he invests in all his works.

“I see now. Everyone gets emotional when they hear something pretty, no matter who they are.”

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Story: Charming.
Second Story: Quirky.
Third Story: Heartwarming.
Fourth Story: Down-to-earth.

All in all, not what I'd expect from Fujimoto -- but always clearly his work, both technically and because of his trademark twisted approach. A romance involving mermaids...who love eating humans. A story about gender-swapping...that comes down on the side of biological birth. A tale of a child prophesied to destroy the world...which is actually just about responsibility and familial devotion. And it concludes with a fraught sibling drama...that ends on a joke. Classic Tatsuki Fujimoto.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book as a whole
I enjoyed the author’s notes after every short story, they helped me understand and appreciate the significance of the story better, as well as where Fujimoto-sensei was coming from with it. I also appreciated how they were included AFTER the story, as typically, going in to a Fujimoto-sensei story blindfolded is the best way to go.
Lastly, his final author’s note at the very end was shocking. He really ate them.

Mermaid Rhapsody
This was a very cute story, one which felt a little odd for Tatsuki Fujimoto. For the better half of it, I expected some tragedy to occur, such as when the boy was playing piano for all of the mermaids in the area. I expected a wound of his to reopen and they all would react to his blood and swarm him, butchering him into pieces as they ate him alive. But no such thing occurred; it was actually a bittersweet, quaint story that gave me similar vibes to Your Lie in April or Koe no Karachi. And it had a happy ending too, with the boy following in the footsteps of his father, but perhaps going even further with his involvement with the mermaids. However, I have to wonder on one thing… One of the mermaids mentioned how humans ate mermaids up until just a few years ago, and nobody specified how the boy’s mother died. Not only that, but his father seems a wisp of what must have been his former self. What happened to his mother?
The information here was definitely not left open-ended by mistake. There’s something here that Fujimoto wants us to think about. Lastly, I didn’t know until finishing the story that this was Fujimoto’s attempt at a “normal story.” I think that he did well.

Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome
A quaint story about sexuality. It has likable characters and feels very bite-sized. Fujimoto-sensei says how he had originally posted (a portion of) this comic on the web. It certainly feels brisk like a webcomic.

Nayuta of the Prophecy
Even though it was important to the story, the excessive butchering of animals made me uncomfortable. However, Nayuta was a unique character, which made things interesting. If you liked this short story, then I recommend Kaiju Girl Caramelize.

Sisters
Tatsuki Fujimoto-sensei states how this story is foundational for “Look Back” and I think I can see how. An imouto[-like character] who is always making life both harder and better for you at the same time. Big changes. All that jazz. Overall, a fun short story.

[martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’re back with four more short reviews for my fans x

Mermaid Rhapsody: Now we’re cooking. There’s a restraint here that was absent in any of the previous one-shots. If Love Is Blind was Fujimoto showing he can adhere to the format in a cohesive way, Mermaid Rhapsody is him showing he can also let his stories breathe. The storyline plays out in a way that is suspiciously tame for Fujimoto standards. However, it more than makes up for it by being (in many ways) his most confident one shot yet. It’s also very moving, which is a plus!🥈

"When I Woke Up I Had Become a Girl" Disease:.. and immediately we’re back in crazy town! Truth be told I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I’m aware Fujimoto likes to be sexual and provocative, I’m just not convinced this one sticks the landing. He would later more convincingly navigate gender politics in Fire Punch. I prefer to view this as a stepping stone towards achieving one of his most memorable character arcs later on.

Nayuta of the Prophecy: This is my favourite story across both collections, hands down. The subtle details, the visual storytelling, the unique and interesting main character, the heartwarming ending.. Great stuff!
In an author’s note, he mentions that he made this one-shot to prove he can write a unique and interesting character. I already knew he could, but he definitely proves it here. If I had to nit-pick, it would be the lack of any shocking twists.🥇

Sisters: Interesting… this one feels more deliberately interpretative. Having an older sibling made it easier for me to try and connect with a deeper meaning here. On that front, I applaud the continued development of his craft. You can definitely see elements of Look Back in this too. It ends a bit abruptly, but perhaps that’s to encourage your own personal resolution.🥉

The most rewarding thing about reading these however, is the ability to chart the development of all of the elements that make him such a talented author. There’s little reason to recommend these stories to anyone other than established fans when Look Back and Goodbye, Eri exist. However, if you’re interested in his creative journey, both one-shot collections are very rewarding to read.

[Marc D. ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 estrellas.

"Pero su sonrisa era tan preciosa... que no me hubiera importado que me comiera. Así de enamorado estaba de ella."

Rapsodia de una sirena ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
La enfermedad que te convierte en chica ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
La chica de la profecía, Nayuta ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hermanas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

En "Rapsodia de una sirena", al fin leo una historia de amor por parte de Fujimoto que no es tan trágica 🥹 ¡El arte fue sublime! Muy, muy lindo.

En "La enfermedad que te convierte en chica", me encantó ver otro personaje trans de Fujimoto (¿será el primero?), pero lo mejor es que mantuvo su esencia a pesar de todo, eso es lo mejor. Me reí muchísimo con esta historia y la disfruté un montón.

En "La chica de la profecía, Nayuta", encontramos una niña que, en lugar de ser tenebrosa a causa de su profecía que la pronuncia como la que traerá el apocalipsis, es un personaje muy particular que a mi parecer rebosa ternura. Adoré esta historia de hermanos cuidándose mutuamente contra todo.

Por último, "Hermanas" me gustó mucho, en especial el dibujo. No sé qué tiene Fujimoto con las relaciones de hermanos/as, siempre son tan controversiales(?), pero tienen un 'algo' que hace que me gusten, es un atractivo característico de las mismas.

En resumen, un recopilatorio de absoluto deleite para fans de Tatsuki Fujimoto y para cualquier persona que quiera pasar un buen rato 💚

[Daniel Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recomendación manga: Historias cortas de Tatsuki Fujimoto!

🌕Hoy os traigo un par de recomendaciones que no solo me han sorprendido mucho sino que son geniales para quienes estáis deseando empezar con los mangas y no sabéis por donde: 17-21 y 22-26, historias cortas de T. Fujimoto!

🌘Tatsuki Fujimoto es uno de los autores más punteros de los últimos años, acaparando un gran éxito con sus series Chainsaw Man o Fire Punch. Pero mucho antes de esto ya había creado obras muy buenas como Look back o algunos de los relatos que os traigo hoy.

🌗17-21 y 22-26 son dos tomos que incluyen cada uno cuatro relatos que el autor empezó a crear cuando aún no era tan popular. En algunos de ellos el estilo es totalmente distinto al que posee actualmente mientras que en otras de las historias ya se empieza a perfilar ese dibujo tan característico del autor.

🌔Si no me equivoco los títulos de ambos mangas se refieren a las obras que creó desde los 17 a los 21 años, y de los 22 a los 26. Con lo cual podemos ver un gran avance entre unas historias y otras.

Os cuento un poco sobre los relatos:

1️⃣7️⃣➖2️⃣1️⃣

🐥Dos pollos en el patio
(súper chulo, temática extraterrestres)
🔫Sasaki ha parado una bala
(puede que fuera el que menos me gustó de este tomo pero el final es muy sorprendente, es el que se representa en la ilustración de portada)
💘El amor es ciego
(muy divertido, además tiene un guiño a Guía del autoestopista galáctico!)
🧛Shikaku
(muy bueno también, temática vampírica)

2️⃣2️⃣➖2️⃣6️⃣

🧜‍♀La rapsodia de la sirena
(un relato muy muy bien hecho!)
♀️Metamorfosis transfemenina nocturna
(este tira más a historia romántica, el dibujo me pareció muy chulo)
👿Nayuta de la profecía
(este sería el de la portada, es brutal y ya se ve una temática muy tipo chainsaw man!)
🖌️Mi hermana pequeña
(podríamos decir que era una idea previa de Look back, los personajes y la temática son muy similares)

🌙En resumen, os lo recomiendo muchísimo, son mangas autoconclusivos e historias cortitas que se pueden intercalar entre otras lecturas.

🌑También es buena opción para adentrarse en el manga o para conocer el estilo del autor antes de lanzarse a por las grandes series!

Para más reseñas como estas seguidme en mis redes sociales:
IG: @dani_rivera13
Twitter: @daniriv13

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Bit of Experimentation, a Bit of Vision for Future Works
1. Siren Rhapsody (2/5) – A standard fluffy love story. Nothing special, but nothing negative either.
2. When I Woke Up I Had Become a Girl Disease (2/5) – Makes me overthink a topic so briefly treated: sexual identity.
3. Nayuta of the Prophecy (2/5) – I can see the seeds of Chainsaw Man, or rather the series that follows (need to catch up so badly). How to protect a sister who seems almost certain to destroy the world.
4. Little Sister's Elder Sister (4.5/5) – The best. But why did it have to be so weird? Two sisters, both artists. When the younger wins a contest with a nude portrait of her sister, painted from memory and imagination, the older undergoes an identity crisis. Very funny and reminiscent of Look Back.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equally as enjoyable as 17-21. I don't know many other mangaka that have had their one shots published like this, so that alone really shows just how special Tatsuki Fujimoto is. Watching his style evolve into what is now his more recognizable style is great, especially as an artist myself. It's also great to see certain characteristics of his art style and character obsessions that have made their way into his later works (i.e. chainsaw man, fire punch, etc.).

I must say that reading through Fujimoto Sensei's work also gives me the feeling that his publishers really go out on a limb for his work. Things like nudity that I wouldn't think would go over well with a publisher like Shonen Jump. Anyways, my favorite one shot from this collection is Sisters. I really enjoy the story and the characters and I also enjoyed the unique flare that Fujimoto Sensei brought to it.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatsuki Fujimoto will forever be known as the author of Chainsaw Man, which began publication in 2018 and has been one of the most successful titles published in the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump, the home of One Piece and My Hero Academia. This manga was so huge that it made MAPPA’s TV anime adaptation one of the most anticipated releases. There hasn’t been confirmation about a second season being developed yet; luckily, there’s plenty of Fujimoto’s other material to check out until then, including the latter half of his two-volume anthology collection of one-shot stories that he wrote and drew.

Please click here for my full review.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fujimoto wrote these stories when he was younger and starting in his career, I think that shows a bit within this collection. These definitely carry that unusual and somewhat uncomfortable tone you get when reading his work, but deeper than the immediate story, these typically are all about relationship and human emotion. While the last half of this book was better than the first half, overall, I’m glad I was able to read these short stories from Fujimoto’s early career. Now I’ve eventually just got to read Fire Punch to have read everything that is physically out and I remain cautiously intrigued to do so because of the ridiculous amount of mixed reviews I’ve heard about that series.

[Cédric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two stories were okay, but the last two were clearly as good as what tou can expect from Fujimoto ! Interesting anthology, but would recommend both volumes only to fan of the author, as I don’t think it would necessarily have been published if not the recent popularity of Tatsuki Fujimoto.