Tatsuki Fujimoto Short Stories: 17-21

Before Chainsaw Man

by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Marco Franca (Translator)

Un volume unico che ripercorre le origini di Tatsuki Fujimoto, il geniale autore di Fire Punch e Chainsaw man! Da Due galline nel cortile, la prima storia con cui ha partecipato a un concorso di manga, a Sasaki ha fermato il proiettile, in cui dà sfogo a tutta la sua passione giovanile, fino a L’amore è cieco, una love comedy fantascientifica in cui un sentimento crescente spazza via tutto ciò che ha attorno, e infine a Shikaku, che racconta l’amore di una giovane assassina con qualche rotella fuori posto... Una raccolta di storie brevi che il maestro ha realizzato da giovanissimo, in cui esplode tutto il suo talento dirompente e sincero!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Fantasy, Short Stories, Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2021

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

[✔️ JAVI ®️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10 ⭐⭐⭐
17-21 es el rango de edad que tenía "Tatsuki Fujimoto" (autor del conocido manga "Chainsaw man") cuando dibujó las cuatro obras que componen este recopilatorio ("Dos pollos en el patio", "Sasaki ha parado una bala", "El amor es ciego" y "Shikaku").
Recomendado para fans del autor o curiosos de los principios de un mangaka de éxito.

[Angel (๑❛ᴗ˂̵)〜☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

- There were Two Chickens in the Garden (Niwa ni wa Niwa Niwatori ga Ita, 庭には二羽ニワトリがいた。)
I think this one had more potential, but the execution didn’t play into its full potential ig

- Sasaki-kun Has Stopped the Bullet (Sasaki-kun ga Judan Tometa, 佐々木くんが銃弾止めた)
I’m sorry this is just too ridiculous it’s funny pfft

- Love is Blind (Koi wa Moumoku, 恋は盲目)
“I witnessed earthlings dealing with love. The mood wasn’t right to go destroying stuff”
Absurdly cute

- Shikaku (シカク)
Mmm this one’s a bit interesting, but aren’t these vampires a bit OP💀
it’s so sweet and cute

[Mansoor · Rating 2 out of 5]

"We're gonna destroy planet Earth to build a gigantic highway in its orbit. I just figured I should at least hear out any objections you guys might have! Earthling civilization isn't that advanced anyway, so you don't mind, right?!"

مجموعه‌ای از چهار کامیک کوتاه که فوجیمتو در سنین 17 تا 21 سالگی نوشته بوده

داستان اول کم‌وبیش آماتوری است، هم از لحاظ روایی و هم از لحاظ طراحی. مثلا ترکیب‌بندی پنل‌ها خیلی تلاطم دارند و بی هیچ منطق مشخصی زاویه عوض می‌کنند

داستان دوم درباره‌ی پسری دبیرستانی است که به معلمش نظر دارد. یک روز مرد روان‌پریش مسلحی داخل کلاس درس می‌شود. خودش را همکلاسی سابق معلم معرفی می‌کند و خواسته‌اش این است که معلم با او سکس داشته باشد. شخصیت‌پردازی‌های این داستان قوام‌یافته‌ترند

در داستان سوم پسری نوجوان هم‌مدرسه‌ای خود را دوست دارد و در تقلاست تا عشقش را برای دختر فاش کند؛ البته اگر دلهره و دلواپسی امان دهند! اینجاست که خامدستی فوجیمتو در تصویرسازی، به کمکش آمده و بازتابی شده از موقعیت عاطفی لرزان قهرمان

تازه در داستان چهارم است که تصاویر فوجیمتو تمیز و پرداخت‌شده به نظر می‌رسند

[Suppi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatsuki Fujimoto is one of the most chaotic people I've ever read from and that's really all I have to say about this. He reminds me of Junji Ito except Ito is a more civilized/reigned in chaos and Fujimoto is rough around the edges chaos. I don't know how else to explain this.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There is no such thing as a zero percent chance.

"It's just that we're all too lazy to bother with miniscule percentages, so we pretend they're zero percent instead."

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

These four short stories were definitely written by the same writer of Chainsaw Man. This collection of stories ranges from aliens to slice of life and you can tell Fujimoto really was just figuring out some storytelling and manga practices and having fun with these. Chainsaw Man definitely reads deeper than these stories, but these are still very fun nonetheless!

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t believe Tatsuki Fujimoto was always just such an amazing storyteller and artist. It’s fucking great. All 4 of these short stories were 5 stars and just freaking amazing!

[asia ◡̈ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se state cercando il genio di Tatsuki Fujimoto nelle sue primissime short stories, mettetevi l'anima in pace perché non lo troverete così facilmente.
Tra lo stile disegno acerbo - distante anni luce da quello per cui oggi è così conosciuto -, personaggi poco caratterizzati e una narrazione velocissima e confusionaria, quello che rimane dopo la lettura delle storie brevi di Fujimoto è la sensazione, quasi impercettibile, di un autore che in futuro saprà regalare trame esplosive e stravaganti. Con queste short stories ancora non si può parlare di un autore per cui valga la pena spendere dei soldi.
Regalatevi, invece, la gioia di vedere un Fujimoto, già maturo e bravo nell'arte del racconto, con l'altra collezione delle sue opere giovanili, "Tatsuki Fujimoto Short Stories 22-26".

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

First steps :)
1. There Were Two Chickens in the Garden (1/5) – Almost make me gave up on the collection; this one felt so lifeless. Aliens eat everyone but miss two kids in chicken costumes.
2. Sasaki-kun Has Stopped the Bullet (4/5) – Instantly revived me. Many people are quick to dismiss improbable events, rare successes, and small miracles, but this story shows how a unexpected triumph can still happen despite doubt and skepticism.
3. Love is Blind (3/5) – An alien invasion is halted by a schoolboy’s confession of love. Funny and cute.
4. Shikaku (3/5) – Psycho vampire meets psycho killer and psycho love happens. I just want more of their twisted chemistry.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

These early stories by the creator of Chainsaw Man are rough. They are obviously from someone still growing as a writer and artist. These stories are not bad but not nearly as good as most of Chainsaw Man.

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

Loved this collection! Fujimoto’s mind is so weird but entertaining. Love is Blind was probably my favorite story in this volume just because of the outrageous gag repeated over and over. Hilarious!

[kylee walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

goofiest manga author ever

[Siona Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of one shots. The first one was maybe the weakest in my opinion, a cute premise but the ending was just kinda… it didnt fit with the beginning imo. The Sasaki Stopped a Bullet story had a cool message behind it, I just wish they had left the teacher out of the ending and left it more open ended.

Love is Blind was my favorite of the stories included, mainly because of the insight to its inspiration the author gave at the end. I enjoyed the pettiness of it, and the humor too. The final story kinda gave me vibes of Chainsaw Man, so you can kind of see the concepts percolating in the authors brain. It was enjoyable but not my absolute most favorite.

Overall a fun short story collection for a fan of Chainsaw Man to look into. Not required reading by far, but still enjoyable.

[Daniel Rivera · Rating 4 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

[achilles · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have debated whether i should give it 5 stars or not, but all of the stories were very interesting and funny in their own ways and had me finish the volume in just a few minutes. solid one-shot collection for those who enjoy the weird stuff fujimoto pulls.

[Brad Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little collection, with some really off the wall stories! Loved it!

[Allison Simms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this thinking it was a prequel to chainsaw man… it was not. A lighthearted collection of short stories, it was okay.

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I think Niwa ni wa Niwa Niwatori ga Ita was my favorite.

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There’s no such thing as a zero percent chance. It’s just that we’re all too lazy to bother with minuscule percentages, so we pretend they’re zero percent instead.”

After reading a few of Fujimoto's works I can say that his style of writing is very unique, filled with deep ideas and thoughts left open for the reader to interpret and fulfill as they will, and aspect that is really intriguing and compelling.

His writing is, in short truly iconic and a work of art.

Because of this, getting to see four of his earlier works was a really fun treat.

Each story is wildly different from the last, yet, all of them have undeniable charm and heart that is so intrinsically mixed into them that, at the very least, one of them will resonate deeply with you.

Unique, vibrant, fun, sad, and touching. This collection of one shots made me laugh, feel deeply, and be appalled all in the spend of a few minutes.

Really, after reading them I am all the more convinced that Fujimoto excels at telling shorter stories; and even though these are his older works I can say that I found some of my new favorites between them.

“Still, I want you to remember one thing [...] Remember that a couple of chickens were still kicking in the schoolyard.”

[Casper Paaske · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this, but that is probably because I am a Tatsuki Fujimoto fan. It is very interesting to see where some of the themes and ideas came from before he made Chainsaw Man or Fire Punch.
If you are not a fan of either stories, then I can’t recommend this book. One of the stories is a fantastic short story, I’d recommend to anyone, but the other three are only stories I see fans of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s would enjoy.
But I enjoyed it tremendously and I think Tatsuki Fujimoto has always been a talented artist.

[Ludwig Aczel · Rating 3 out of 5]

6,5/10
The first four comic stories created by a promising managaka, when he was studying art in college. Four good ideas (one with a great twist!), implemented in a naive and inevitably amateurish way. All four tales share the core theme of finding love. Only, love to be found in twisted situations, as per Fujimoto standards. The aspiration for weirdness was there from day one.

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

what is going on in fujimotos head

[❝ rachel ❞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every single story was strange. Every single one. But I still liked them in a weird way.

Fujimoto you’ve done it again 😔😔

[Ladz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content warnings: Genocide, humans as food, sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, attempted gun violence, dead parent (father), body horror, gore, child neglect, attempted robbery

This first collection has four stories. “A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin’ in the Schoolyard” is about two kids who wear chicken suits to hide from aliens. There’s some rumination on the way we consider cattle, but mostly it’s a story of deception and the lengths people are willing to go to survive.

“Sasaki Stopped a Bullet” might be difficult for some folks to read, as this one involves a rejected former colleague attempting to murder a school teacher. A student steps up and uses remarkably juvenile leaps of logic to avert a tragedy. This one I think I’ll be spinning in my head the most. Much like in Chainsaw Man and from what I experience so far in Fire Punch, though the answer to who and what is a villain seems easy, there’s a challenge to open one’s mind to compassion. The ending took my breath away.

Aliens strike again in “Love is Blind,” where a teen’s attempt to confess his love to his class president is interrupted by a robbery, and that robbery is interrupted by an attempted annihilation by alien technology. It’s fun. The teens are empty-headed, and I got a hearty chuckle out of this one.

The final story, “Shikaku,” is about contract killer who is summoned by a vampire to kill him before he dies of boredom. The romance in this one is so quirky and unexpected, and the way the crime and fantasy genres meld really resonated with me (especially as someone who also wrote a fantasy with crime elements). It might be my favorite in terms of immediate enjoyment of the entire duology of collections.

[martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to get my PhD in Fujimoto glazing, so here are four short informal reviews.

A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin’ in the Schoolyard: The premise is bizarre and half-baked, but the execution is interesting. The uniquely Fujimoto ability to explore a ridiculous scenario in the most compelling way is faintly here. The ending is a personal highlight, perhaps my favourite part across all the stories in this collection. It showcases an innate talent for unpredictable (and moving) storytelling. He was 17 when he wrote this! CRAZY! 🥇

Sasaki Stopped a Bullet: From the brief research I did online, this is often one of the higher rated out of the one shots. I disagree. The signature sudden escalation he’s known for isn’t used to great effect here. The themes are interesting as always, but don’t come together in a way that worked for me. Possibly because I wasn’t wooed by the catalyst of the story. The art is seriously impressive for a 19 year old though.

Love Is Blind: This one is the most cohesive. A simple premise that doesn’t overextend itself. Still, it has plenty of signature Fujimoto charm and a lot of heart. This story felt the most fitting of a one-shot, the others have scope that is dampened by the format.🥉

Shikaku: I appreciate the effort in making Shikaku a layered protagonist with such little space. The other one-shots just had.. protagonists with distinct designs, not actual characters. The artwork here is probably my favourite. Fujimoto has a signature art-style, but these one-shots opened my eyes to how versatile he can be. Another heartwarming message too. My only real gripe is that it gets a little crowded ideas wise.🥈



Thank you to user 136609516 for gifting me this💫

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

17-21 (My Kindle Review)

“17-21” is a handful of manga short stories he created years before his massively popular series “Chainsaw Man”.

- “There Were Two Chickens in the Garden” - Taking place in which aliens have conquered Earth and made human life nearly extinct, two unique survivors attempt to find safety before they become food.

- “Sasaki-kun Has Stopped the Bullet” - A high school student lovestruck for his teacher is determined to go to the moon while a fatal event ensues.

- “Love is Blind” - A passive-aggressive high schooler goes through a lot to confess to his crush, even a possible invasion.

- “Shikaku” - An unusually cheery woman, who also is a masterly-skilled assassin is up against an immortal foe that unexpectedly turns into an unexpected love story.

All four stories definitely have that same crazy and humorous feel that “CSM” oozes, while each offer their own unique storytelling. I liked “Love is Blind” a bit more as I thought it was the most funny one and “Shikaku” definitely felt like it could take place in “CSM”. A feisty and funny pack. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este é o primeiro volume de Histórias Curtas de Tatsuki Fujimoto, o criador de Chainsaw Man. Comprei ele na banca da Praça da Alfândega para passar o tempo durante o evento do final de semana. Este quadrinho traz quatro histórias curtas. A primeira é a pior delas e pelo título "Galinhas Galinhando no Galinheiro" já dá pra sentir que é algo que não dá pra se levar a sério nem como humor. A segunda história é uma história de amor sobre um aluno apaixonado por uma "professora-deusa" e que impede um atentado no seu colégio. A terceira história é também uma história de amor com toques tragicômicos sobre um presidente de classe que quer declarar seu amor a uma colega mas tudo o impede. Essas são as duas melhores histórias do volume. A última história é sobre uma menininha que se apaixona por um vampiro de 400 anos de idade e tenta seduzí-lo, mas algo dá errado no processo. Nessa, os desenhos são os piores de todo o mangá. Aliás, a arte desse volume é toda irregular, não que seja ruim, mas que parece ter sido feita por mangakás diferentes. Isso prejudica a qualidade do todo.

[Marc D. ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 estrellas.

"Vamos a construir una enorme autopista sobre la órbita de la Tierra, así que... tenemos que demolerla. ¡No importa, total, el nivel de civilización de los terrícolas es muy bajo!"

Niwa niwa niwa niwatori ga ita ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Sasaki detuvo la bala ⭐️⭐️⭐️
El amor es ciego ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Shikaku⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disfruté mucho este recorrido por el crecimiento de Fujimoto sensei como mangaka. Me reí mucho con sus historias porque tiene un humor muy ligero, me gusta.

Se aprecia desde la primera historia hacia ya la tercera cómo había hecho el cambio en el estilo y su arte tan característico se deja vislumbrar.

Fujimoto es mi autor favorito del momento, y si bien este tomo no fue mi favorito, es significativo y pude disfrutar de él de otra manera.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Tatsuki Fujimoto has now become a household name in the manga world with Chainsaw Man – currently being adapted by anime studio MAPPA to great success – the manga artist already had a long-running manga series, Fire Punch, which ran for eight volumes. However, like many manga artists, Fujimoto had produced a series of one-shots before jumping into the long-running format where they are able to showcase their art-styles. As the two-volume anthology collection of one-shot stories that Fujimoto wrote and illustrated, 17-21 covers four stories that the artist told during that age period in his life.

Please click here for my full review.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic short story/manga collection. There's aliens, love, science, morality--what more could you possibly want?

My favorite short story--though it is hard to pick--would probably have to be the tale about the school class president who wants only to confess his love to his vice president, only to be stopped by the principle, a mugger, and an alien invasion. With smart one-liners and action-packed illustrations, this is an absolute necessity for the tongue-in-cheek sci-fi lover.