Sayonara Eri
Goodbye, Eri

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Holy shit. If there was any question about it before (there wasn't), Fujimoto cements his status even further as my favorite mangaka with this one.

Goodbye Eri is an absolutely wild ride and I adore it. The way he frames his panels using creative perspectives to make it actually look like a film within a film is ingenious. It really feels like watching a movie rather than reading a manga. As always, Fujimoto wastes no time with filler or fluff, but keeps the plot moving speedily forward from the jump. This is not to say that his characters are rushed or sloppy, on the contrary: ... he has an exceptional gift for illustrating realistic, flawed, conflicted characters that you just can't help but root for and see yourself in. As is evident in the many complex relationship dynamics in Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto portrays the ups and downs of young love in all its forms expertly. The affection between Yuta and Eri, as well as Yuta and his dying mother, is both genuine and toxic, both heartwarming and unsettling, and painfully realistic.

The nonlinear storytelling is genius in the way that it confuses the viewers right alongside our protagonist, Yuta. The many layers of meta stories-within-stories pile on as the story progresses, leaving readers to question what is real and what is fiction. With the mangaka having demonstrated his plot-twist prowess, his newest one-shot is no exception, in the most surprising and chilling way possible.

Goodbye Eri brings up excellent questions that I ask myself frequently these days: where do we draw the line between the usage of fiction as a medium of enjoyment versus one of complete escapism? This overarching question feels almost like a continuation of Togata's character from his previous series Fire Punch. It's difficult for me to place into words the significance of film and media, including manga, in my own life, but Fujimoto does it for me across all of his works to date. The stories we love serve as extensions and continuations of ourselves, across years, cultures, and stages of life.

Oh, and a Tatsuki Fujimoto manga wouldn't be a Tatsuki Fujimoto manga without a balls-to-the wall fucked up ending sequence.

I wouldn't have it any other way!

A one-shot where you're never quite sure what's real and what's not, what's part of a movie and what's part of the real story of the manga. It's certainly unpredictable from beginning to end, it becomes very meta and is full of love for film... and in between it tells you a story about emotional closure after the death of a loved one.
The panneling is very simple but very cool, all the panels are the same (like the frames of a video) and he also adds motion blur from time to time to add realism to the protagonist's recordings. A funny guy, this Fujimoto.

This is one of the greatest one shots I have ever read. It takes one of unique styles to tell a compelling story. We get to see Tatsuki Fujimoto insane ideas and a glimpse of his storytelling prowess. From chapter one it should hook you in with its unique storytelling and introduction. Sayonara Eri is meta of meta made by movie loving manga artist. One of the greatest traits of this manga is its panelling. Man Fujimoto is indeed a genius in terms of how he wants to tell a story. We can see his paneling are inspired by movies and you guess, it legit ... looks like a movie. I didn't know you can watch a movie from reading manga, but here you go, Fujimoto is HIM.

Well, this was a long one shot, it could've easily been a few chapters long.

This story brings such an interesting idea and the art itself is very nice!
The characters are mainly very strange, in a way, but that's what brings this story together. It's interesting that the majority of the things we, as readers, see is the camera footage, it's a fun concept and the plot twistS (plural!) it brings are scaaary. I feel like one of the purposes could be to show the idealization in movies, or just idealization that comes after person's death.
It's a story about death, loss, tragedy, but also a ... story about rekationships with people, forgiving, remembering, living and loving.
After reading you are left with so many questions and very little answers, but it's awesome, you come to really appreciate this piece of art.

on first read a lot of the first half or so didn't grip me as much as "look back" did, look back is just so immediate with the impact for me, & i know i don’t need to be comparing the two but they are fujimoto's two big newer one shots & i read them together originally as some of my first manga so they do have a kind of importance in my head as a pair as far as my own manga journey goes. but by the end of eri the first time through damn, can't help denying its another amazing work forsure. just ... so strongly everything in its place & so many layers, it rly does feel like the story could've ended so many times lol. i read it digitally for my first time which was actually sick for this bc i wasn’t checking the remaining page count as i went along so there was many points that i believed could’ve been the end & it would’ve been valid. it just keeps going though & with each new addition & each new layer, by the time you get to the final page its like wow that was so cool how so much was added to this by the end & how strongly it all comes together. i don’t feel the twists or additions were unnecessary or “trying too hard” to do twists just to have a twist, i feel like they all flowed naturally & all built onto the story in a cool way. these 2 newer bigger fujimoto one shots are def a high af level of creating, on second read though i will say its def confirmed that for some reason there’s some final feeling missing from goodbye eri for me to fully give it a 10. i read it & think damn yea this is p much a seamless manga to me as far as structure goes, more expertly crafted & creatively laid out than look back i’d say, there's design choices i can definitely appreciate as special in a good way such as the whole thing being framed like a landscape video recording in the paneling, & of course the layers are def rly great to unfold, but there's just that last golden spark of loving the characters or loving the impact of the story or loving the aesthetics or something like that that i’m kinda missing. idk whatever that last lil magic is in the art that allows you to connect deeper with it or love it as full as possible, i don't feel as much in goodbye eri as i do with look back, which i’ve come to find out is a more rare opinion when ppl talk about the two i guess. & at this point after rereading it, i'm currently now a good amount of volumes deep into chainsaw man & def have confirmed that fujimoto has even more characters that i love that feel fully alive & grab me so strongly, but guess this story here doesn't have the same full effect for me. but it's rly good & i would understand how so many people could love it even way more than me! i’d say it's a rly amazing lil manga that i like at a very respectable high level, but just without that last little magic spark that would allow me say that i love it 100%. either way this & look back both are amazing ass recommendations to give to someone who hasn't read manga before old i'd say, rly short & rly good books, v happy i got to have these to help kick off my manga journey

It's a oneshot. Just read it. It'll take you an hour, maybe.
In case you need justification to read the damn thing, here are some buzzwords. Also, might be some spoilers ahead.

Art
- see for yourself, but I'd say it's pretty damn good. Considering the use of perspective, I'd say it's really damn good.
Perspective
- the use of perspective as both a narrative and plot device is on a whole another level
Pacing
- actually without a fault. Maybe only possible because it's a oneshot.
Narrative devices
- framing story? Or is it a framing story withing a framing story? Or is it a framing story withing a framing story withing a ... framing story?
Plot devices
- foreshadowing, plot twist, unreliable narrator. You know the words, right? Now find out what they truly mean.

CATHARTIC is how I'd describe this one shot. The story is about death obviously but it shows how people cope with it, how one thing that a person fears more than death is being forgotten. You want atleast someone to remember you, to know that you mattered, that you weren't forgotten in this storm of time.
The story shows complexities of relationships. How parents can be complex, how a companion can be complex, how people can be complex.
As always there's also the mind bending Fujimoto sensei twist which will make you rethink the entire story once again and give a new, beautiful meaning.
I highly RECOMMEND ... this one shot to anyone who loves a good story, yeah a few panels repetitive but the whole story has an amazing message.
Thanks for reading. See you later ✌️

I went into Goodbye, Eri thinking that I would find it decent, and that's it. What I was not expecting was to be completely floored by how well written it was, and just how much that it would impact me. I found that the story was so beautiful and that I had never read anything quite like it. Characters like Eri and Yuta are so well written that you only want the best for them as the story goes on. If you have not read it, I highly recommend that you go read it, especially if you are fans of Tatsuki Fujimoto's other works like ... Chainsaw Man, Fire Punch, and his previous one shots.

I never feel compelled to write a review on here, but I feel so deeply affected by this work, it would be almost cruel to myself to not write something.

I didn't know what to expect out of this one-shot; a surprise 200-pages dropping by Fujimoto is anyone's guess as to what could happen. What I received enthralled me, moved me, and solidified him in my mind as one of the most unique, creative, and interesting mangaka working today.

Simply put, this is a story about loss and it is a story about grief. It is a story about seeking connection and it is a ... story about creating art. It is about nostalgia, it is about family, it is about love, it is about memory. It's about movies. And it's about storytelling.

I'm always drawn to works that attempt to push the boundaries of their own medium, and this does that beautifully with its replication of camera motion. I'm also drawn to works that speak on subjects of mortality, creation, and selfhood, so this sunk its metaphorical fangs in me from the get-go. It asserts all we have is memory, and honoring someone with memory is the greatest way to keep them living, but it also cheapens their existence. We will never really know the true perspective of this story, just like we will never know the true perspective of the lives anyone else around us may be living. Despite that, we are still inspired to give our best effort to show someone in the light we wish they were, and in their best moments, actually may be. Creation, and then filling in the gaps, is the best way we can achieve closure and progress for any kind of grief, as well as connection with our fellow man.

Obviously film is not a new motif for Fujimoto to explore, but I love the way that the entire manga is paneled like a storyboard, allowing yourself to get sucked into the flow and truly experience it as a film Yuta was creating all along. It reminded me especially of my favorite parts of Fire Punch, and I see a lot of the same discussion of art (particularly movies) affecting our lives, creation being an act of pain as much as an act of celebration, and immortality via characterization in both works.

I know this isn’t much of a review, and more of a ramble of thoughts and ideas this one-shot stirred up in me, but it really connected with me emotionally and I can easily see myself rereading it time and time again. It’s the definition of an “instant favorite”. I don’t think it’ll affect everyone the same, but I think the ideas presented are very strong and thought-provoking, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone that thinks they would enjoy it even a little. This is Fujimoto at his peak, and the work of his own to beat. (And I’d like to think we haven’t seen anything yet.)

As Roger Ebert said, “see you at the movies.”

Her dying mother asks Yuta to record all her moments before she dies. After his death, he turned the recordings into films and had them watched by the school. He is ridiculed for his film because he does an amateur job. After all this, he decides to commit suicide, but as if he has supernatural powers, his savior Eri appears. Eri's request from Yuta is to make a quality movie that will make the mockers cry. We can see the concept of the original story that attracts people's attention and loves it in the manga called "Sayonara Eri". It's unique, yet so absurd. If you're ... going to be trying to remember people even after they die, why do you choose a terrible story start? When you compare the beginning of the story with the course of the story, there are big differences. Themes worth telling have been chosen, but the starting points are inappropriate.


It seems that Fujimoto loves to choose certain themes in his manga and loosely squeeze them into his story. Aside from adding color, I have to say that such add-ons are unnecessary.
However, in his latest manga, he has to talk about filming. This time, he is half-way through where he should have explained well. On the other hand, he does not neglect to add a dominant female character and we meet Eri, who will make a big contribution in the second half of the manga. Eri has been added to sort of reach the conclusion of the series.
We can think that it was added with the intention of showing the beauty of life and movies. When we examine Eri, we realize that she is actually a nice side character.


Another strong point of manga is that it gives the feeling of watching the movie. Great job emulating handheld camera shooting techniques. The fact that many panels are brought back at least three times makes it more realistic and easier to get into the series. It would not be a lie if we said that the panels flowed while reading. The character and setting designs are similar to the mangaka's other releases, but that doesn't change it's greatness. The ideal length of the dialogues is another plus of the manga.


Forced reverse corners are placed in the plot, and we must go through all the side events before we get to these reverse corners. Not a bad move, considering the surprise and delight it gives. While the middle of the manga looks good, there are major flaws in the pace of pacing in the storytelling process. Because the manga is short and fast, most readers won't notice these errors. Fujimoto has done a delicious job of blending fantasy with reality.
Fantasy has a great influence on the formation of reverse corners. It's a joy to learn later that some of the panels that felt real were actually film footage.


There is no character with much detail and depth, but there is not much problem in fulfilling the roles given to the characters. The purpose for which the characters were created and the way they achieve their goals is finely tuned. If a person's life was made to flow like a film strip, it would have remained in my eyes as a better quality manga. In some places, what I said was tried to be done, but unfortunately none of them could give exactly what they wanted. Another mistake of the mangaka is to put the ending earlier than it should have. It would have been more appropriate for the manga if it ended where the audience was crying. Due to the exaggeration of the fantasy work, we came across a manga that ended with a forced reverse corner.


Sayonara Eri : 7 / 10
( This conclusion emerges when the pros and cons are evaluated. )

Sayonara, Eri is a great manga, and I love it.
The manga revolves around the main character making movies about the people closest to him. But maybe, it's not?
The story blurs the lines between reality and fiction so much to the point of confusion after seeing the final panel of the manga.
In my opinion this manga would be above perfection it was adapted into a movie the quality of "Your Name" or "A Silent Voice". It's strongest part is it's characters and its story, which works well due to the shock factor of turning a page, and being in awe of what you are reading.
The ... source material made me feel like I wasn't reading it, but I was watching it. Just because, of how great the flow of the story is.
Because it's a one shot, it packs so much emotion and feels in just 200 pages, and it does everything great.
The only reason it's a 9, is because it would work better in an anime, compared to the manga, but it's still really good.

TL;DR: Fujimoto needs to go to therapy just so we can get more of this.

Story

Brave take here, but this has got to be Fujimoto's Magnum Opus. Was it a bit paint by the number googoo gaagaa? A bit. But it was done amazingly.

The man straight up avoided the 5 stages of grief by saying "nah, id win".

Art

Fujimoto's art is unique. The man is on another level with this one. It does look like most of his other works to me, but that's the best thing. Once you read all the other looks to the same as the last and you come read ANY of ... his other works, it will make you remember it all.

Overall ** slight spoilers**
9/10. We need to protect Goodbye Eri and secure it for history. I probably cry if I wasn't dead inside. Mom was bad from the start for forcing her wants to get child.

Huh.

That's really what I felt after watching this. Huh.

And in a very good way!

Reading this felt like being sort of gently rocked to sleep, gently pulled through the story and the characters. This was my first foray into Fujimoto's work, and I can't say I left feeling disappointed. The art is wonderful, and Fujimoto's unique paneling cannot go unmentioned. The story itself turns in many different ways, and there's many different interpretations you could take, especially with the ending.

It just felt good reading this story. I feel satisfied, I fill fulfilled. I can't say there's anything wrong.

It surprises me how Fujimoto is so deep in his works, this clearly shows that we can all be, this shows that a DRAWING is not just a simple DRAWING, Soyanara's story is incredible, it reflects in an amazing way the reality seen in various sectors, It's touching, seriously, why don't they give this man an award???!!! If with Chainsawman it was the best, now with this, he is an excellent writer.
Although I must admit something, at the beginning the story did not attract me much, due to its plot, but really after spending time reading it, I immediately ask for a sequel, hopefully it ... will not be a simple one shot.

While perhaps not recommended for a first approach to Tatsuki Fujimoto's work, "Goodbye Eri" is a thoughtful and interesting look at the way we view other people in our lives, and how they are portrayed in our memories. Across Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga, it is clear that he has a respect and interest for cinema as an art form. "Chainsaw Man" comes to mind. In "Goodbye Eri," we see an interest in film-making, and respect for unconventional ways of conveying stories. His art is perhaps my favorite of any work I've read, with the panels shown through a camera lens being blurred and repeated when necessary ... to show different frames of something. The story is also best interpreted as metaphorical; many readers get caught up on what "actually" happens in the story and miss the point. The point is how people regard memory in their lives and how we can choose to remember those we interact with, regardless of how they have personally treated us. Memory is a powerful thing, and "Goodbye Eri" is a very interesting interpretation of this idea.

Goodbye Eri is a one shot that embodies fujimotos classic themes. The story is decent, nothing crazy. If you are a fan of this author then you’d definitely enjoy it. For me the writing was a bit meh, but fujimoto isn’t exactly the best writer (insert pointless vulgarity in hopes we find it funny). I guess there aren’t too many well known one shots so the story in general is good for a quick read!

Anyone who enjoys Fuji’s works will definitely enjoy it. And the art style of interesting as it transitions from recordings to plain conversations.
It’s a 7/10 for me👍

Goodbye, Eri is a manga that is such simple in premise yet so complex in execution a way that after reading you will experience a whirlwind of emotions and have no idea what you Just experienced.

This story hits close to me as my mother died and yet I didn't record her last moments, or any moments at all. You must remember that time is fleeting and nothing will last forever In the end no matter how much you want it to. Time Moves forth whether you like it or not and without hesitation can take away as much as time gives. This Manga albeit short ... takes that message and delivers it perfectly without any filler or nonsense, it portrays what it needs to and nothing else.

I do not Try to give 10's lightly Unless I truly experience or connect with the work in some way and this is the most earnest 10 i will ever give for making me happy for the time I had and for what I had gotten in the fleeting time we have in this world. I will be earnest to cherish what we have and live freely as I was meant to. This manga is one of the best pieces of fiction I have ever read and will enjoy thinking about it as I move along.

Fujimoto is a genius god of creativity. He is one of my favorite mangakas right now. I cannot even imagine how can he come to this story's idea while writing and drawing this manga. Fujimoto's existence is proof that it is important to be both drawer and writer of a manga. The style of dialogue and drawings is too harmonic that you feel like you are watching a movie. I hate all the characters, and I love them.

Read it...
...if you want to cry calmly.
...if you have even a little time.
...if you are done with heroic main characters.
...if you want to learn about Fujimoto's world of ... imagination.

Instant Masterpiece. Perfect. Easiest 10/10 I've ever given anything.

Fujimoto manages to juggle an intensely personal and emotive core plot, a meta framing and panelling technique, multiple meta format-skew twists, and several heavy hitting emotional/philosophical through lines all at the same time. All the while rendered gorgeously in his straight forward, somewhat sketchy, and easily readable art-style.

This one shot is easy to comprehend, but something you could truly contemplate and explore the concepts of for hours and hours. The themes it touches on are both very (clearly) personal to Fujimoto, and universally understandable and relatable.

'Goodbye Eri' pulls no punches, doesn't rush, doesn't drag, and will likely ... make you laugh and cry in the same breath. Beautiful.

I can only say one thing. Tatsuki Fujimoto's one shots always manage to leave me feeling hollow. His writing has such a profound ability to just create a deep emptiness. I mean this in a good way, of course. For a work of fiction to pack such a punch, to illicit so many emotions at once, the piece must be incredible. For this to be accomplished in such a short span, it proves that Fujimoto is a master of the artform, a truly remarkable mangaka. This one shot, in a short period, made me fall for the characters, care for their struggles, and wish the ... best for them, it's a masterpiece. I am writing this directly after reading, and mostly just to try to express how I feel after reading it, but please, read this one shot and feel everything that Fujimoto intended for you to feel, as he wrote a piece of literature that could bring a tear to your eye.