Look Back Director Has No Plans To Adapt Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Goodbye, Eri

Tatsuki Fujimoto has become a giant in the manga world in a relatively short amount of time. While the mangaka might be best known for bringing to life Denji and his fellow Devil Hunter in Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto has created some amazing stories outside of this bloody shonen. Most recently, Look Back took both Japanese and North American theaters by storm, highlighting a morose and strangely life-affirming story that highlighted Tatsuki’s strengths as a creator. Unfortunately, it seems as though one of the big creators responsible for Look Back doesn’t have any plans when it comes to tackling another major manga hit from creator Tatsuki Fujimoto.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story of Look Back, the original manga is a short story that follows the “mundane” journey of Ayumu Fujino and Kyomoto. The two young artists are aspiring manga artists and hope to one day create stories that are read far and wide. As they get older and their friendly rivalry helps in forging their respective creativities, a tragedy befalls the pair. Receiving critical and audience acclaim, the movie has received rave reviews from animators at Studio Ghibli and many other players in the entertainment industry. While no home video release has been revealed for Look Back as of yet, there are sure to be anime fans willing to give this one a try once it hits the small screen.

Goodbye, Look Back

In a recent question and answer session taking place in Burbank, California, Look Back director Kiyotaka Oshiyama stated that he had no plans of tackling another of Fujimoto’s tear-jerking works, Goodbye, Eri. In his reasoning, Oshiyama detailed the fact that he felt that his style, and the style of Studio Durian, didn’t necessarily match the tone and structure of Goodbye, Eri. While the more recent Tatsuki Fujimoto is a story that elicits some major emotion similar to Look Back, manga readers might know that Goodbye, Eri is a story that differs greatly from its predecessor and involves a creature of the night too boot.

What is Goodbye, Eri?

Releasing in 2022, Goodbye, Eri is another one-shot manga special from creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. Rather than focusing on aspiring manga artists, the story instead follows its protagonist Yuta Ito who finds himself falling in love with making movies. Thanks to some hard times, Ito decides to take his own life but is stopped by a mysterious girl named Eri. Without diving too much into spoiler territory, it is revealed that Eri is keeping a major secret close to her chest and said secret will make Yuta look at her in a brand new way.

While Studio Durian and Look Back director Kiyotaka Oshiyama might not be making a comeback for this specific Tatsuki Fujimoto anime adaptation, that doesn’t mean that Goodbye, Eri will never be made into a film. In fact, in the past, Studio MAPPA has been on-board with the idea of translating all of Fujimoto’s works to the screen. When Look Back was initially announced to receive an anime adaptation, many were stunned by the fact that MAPPA wasn’t the ones who would bring it to life.

Of course, MAPPA is currently working on the biggest work from creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. Following the success of Chainsaw Man’s first season, the production house is skipping a second season for now and instead working on the first movie of the shonen franchise. Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc will continue Denji’s journey as a mysterious new girl is introduced into his world. While no details have been revealed regarding this upcoming film, it’s sure to make waves in the anime world.

Want to stay updated on all the works that have sprung from the mind of Tatsuki Fujimoto? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Chainsaw Man, Look Back, and Goodbye, Eri and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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