The creators of the hit manga Chainsaw Man and of the critically acclaimed short stories collection To Strip the Flesh have teamed up for Just Listen to the Song, a new manga one-shot that is going to be published in Shueisha's Jump+. Tatsuki Fujimoto reunites with his former assistant Oto Toda for what promises to be another little gem in the manga landscape.
Tatsuki Fujimoto is one of the brightest stars in the new generation of mangaka. He rose to prominence with the grim and visionary tale Fire Punch, a short but impressive manga that also saw Oto Toda among Fujimoto's assistants. Since then, Fujimoto became a huge star with Chainsaw Man, a scathing critique of modern society told through a fantastic tale of blood, guts, and comedy. Toda went on to work on Chihayafuru Junior High School, and made waves recently with her short story collection To Strip the Flesh, published in English by Viz Media, which marked a major progress for transgender representation in manga.
This excellent duo of creators has reunited and produced a short story titled Just Listen to the Song that will be published on the Jump+ web service on July 3. The announcement came totally unexpected and there is no information available at the moment on the story. Both authors have demonstrated to be masters of the short-story medium, however. Fujimoto's recent one-shot - Goodbye, Eri - impressed readers and was an instant success, while To Strip the Flesh has earned a lot of praise for its honest and nuanced portrayal of one transgender man's journey.
The manga industry is clearly moving forward at a very fast pace, both in terms of content and formats. Short stories are becoming increasingly popular, with more and more authors trying their hands at them and major publishers not being afraid to step away from the traditional serialized manga format. Fujimoto and Toda have both shown an ability to innovate their chosen art. To Strip the Flesh was very brave in tackling trans representation, which is still an issue not just in manga, but in Japanese society at large. Chainsaw Man, on the other hand, used the traditional tools of a supernatural/action manga to expose the dark side of society by focusing on people who live outside of its norms and how they can be abused, degraded, and literally objectified.
Considering the accomplishment of the two authors, Just Listen to the Song promises to be a must-read manga. Fujimoto has probably left artist duties to Toda because he is currently busy drawing Chainsaw Man part 2, which will make its debut on July 13. While they wait for it, fans of Chainsaw Man and To Strip the Flesh should check out Tatsuki Fujimoto and Oto Toda's new short story, Just Listen to the Song, available from July 3 through Jump+ and Vix Media.