| Episodes: 8 | Score: 8.2 (20396)
Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing
Type: ONA
Producers:Imagin | Tohokushinsha Film Corporation | Avex Pictures | Sound Team Don Juan | Shueisha | Twin Engine | dugout | Bit grooove promotion | Flagship Line | IRMA LA DOUCE | Amazon MGM Studios | Aube
Synopsis
1. Niwa ni wa Niwa Niwatori ga Ita. (A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard) 2. Sasaki-kun ga Juudan Tometa (Sasaki Stopped a Bullet) 3. Koi wa Moumoku (Love Is Blind) 4. Shikaku 5. Ningyo Rhapsody (Mermaid Rhapsody) 6. Me ga Sametara Onnanoko ni Natteita Yamai (Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome) 7. Yogen no Nayuta (Nayuta of the Prophecy) 8. Imouto no Ane (Sisters)
Voice Actors
Sakurai, Shion
Nakai, Tomo
Nakashima, Runa
Horie, Shun
Anzai, Chika
Matsuoka, Youhei
Fujiwara, Natsumi
Wakayama, Shion
Okano, Youichi
Sasaki, Hitomi
Kawase, Maki
Kumagai, Toshiki
Yukimura, Eri
Hanazawa, Kana
Kikuta, Chiaki
Sakakihara, Yuuki
Sugita, Tomokazu
Ono, Kensho
News
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09/02/2025, 03:31 PM
Production company Avex Pictures opened an official website for an anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's 17-21 and 22-26 anthology manga on Wednesday. The webs...
Reviews
sajadrapm
Fujimoto 17–26 عمل بي تنوع كبير بالمشاعر والأفكار وكل حلقة تقدم تجربة مختلفة تحرك بيها شي داخلك وبعض الحلقات كانت قوية بالسرد والمعنى وبعضها كان ضايع وما يوصل رسالة واضحة خصوصا مثل الحلقة السادسة اللي ما عرفت شنو تريد تقوله وبنفس الوقت أكو حلقات تخلّد بمخك بسبب طريقة تقديم المشاعر والفكرة أما الحلقة السابعة فشفتها من منظور فني لأنها أقرب لفكرة الجسد كفن مثل الفن الإغريقي مو كشي جنسي وهذا خلاها أعمق وأكثر فلسفية وبشكل عام العمل جيد فيه لحظات رهيبة ولحظات ضعيفة لكنه يبين شنو كان يحاول يسويه فوجيموتو ببداياته ويوضح إمكانياته اللي راح تتحسن بعدين | | | | Fujimoto 17–26 is a work of great diversity inemotions and ideas. Each episode offers a different experience that stirs something within you. Some episodes were powerful in their narrative and meaning, while others were lost and didn't convey a clear message, especially episode six, which left you unsure of what it was trying to say. At the same time, there are episodes that stick in your mind because of the way the emotions and ideas were presented. As for episode seven, I viewed it from an artistic perspective because it's closer to the idea of the body as art, like Greek art, rather than as something sexual. This made it deeper and more philosophical. Overall, the work is good; it has amazing moments and weak ones, but it shows what Fujimoto was trying to do in his early days and demonstrates his potential, which would improve later on.
Lolt25
Fujimoto was on something when making these, 6/8 of them were really fun to watch. Only mid eps for me were 2 and 3, other than that really solid. 1st ep - insane animation, fun characters, pretty interesting story 2nd ep - good animation, mid characters, boring story (imo) 3rd ep - average animation, decent characters, alright story 4th ep - really really good animation, fun characters, fun story 5th ep - good animation, good characters, interesting story 6th ep - really good animation, fun characters, average story (interesting beginning tho) 7th ep - insane animation, really good characters, interesting story lastly 8th ep - really really good animation, really interesting charaters(at least for me), Average but interesting story. (everything felt so raw and real, 100% my favourite of the 8 episodes) Overall really fun to watch whenever.
crazyredhead
Its not everyday you get to see an anime that encompasses the feeling of watching diffrent genres of Anime. Be it the absolute Awe when seeing a Sakuga that is so well animated or The sinking feeling in your stomach when you see a dark side of society, Or the absolute heart and soul poured into an episode that truly emphasizes the passion of the artist working in the medium. this anthology truly has it all. even the disappointment when one story is not quite as good as the other. Overall I really enjoyed this serise of short stories accompanied by the breathtaking visuals. will definitelyrecommend it as i am sure you will enjoy one or more episodes from this collection of Fujimoto Tatsuki.
1stDecame4Danime
If no one else is going to offer actual criticism, I suppose I'll have to do it myself: Improv storytelling in an anthology of 8 completely unrelated short story animations. (missed opportunity for interconnected depth) The source material stories feel like rough draft story ideas cranked out when the mangaka couldn't think of anything worthwhile to do with them, sticking them here with no narrative reasoning behind these being collected together, nor their ordering. As it turns out these were all completely separate one-shot publications from much of the author's earliest work starting from when he was a teenager, which were since republished in 2021 compiled togetherin chronological order (not because of their merit but to cash in on the coattails of successful publications by the mangaka). It's no wonder the source material mangas aren't popular: juvenile quantity over quality. The art/animation is high budget, far in excess of what the stories merit. This is effectively throwing money at the wall for a dual-release ad to cash in next to the Chainsawman movie, both sharing contribution by MAPPA & mangaka. But of course high budget art/animation means: "10/10, I like it when the pretty colors go by." There are some characters who serve no purpose in the story and would've been better off cut or given an actual role/arc: ep1 "It's not cause I like you or anything!" tsundere cliche, ep4 parents+maid, ep5 father. But the adapters are doubtlessly afraid of exercising any creativity to make obvious improvements on the source material with changes because as you k-no: "different bad". There are a ton of overly cliched plotlines where it's effectively cringe otaku humor of most (non)comedy (shit-post) anime of just doing the cliched tropes because 'haha cliched trope is funny errytyme': ep1 baka shonen slop, ep2 hentai plot + 'naw, I'd win', ep3 the same shitty romcom (non)joke cliche on repeat, ep4 vampire cliche, ep5 artist's self-insert monster-guro harem VN, ep6 terf hentai plot, ep7 loli demon lord cliche, ep8 artist's anime-girl self-insert lesbian incest hentai plot. (no I will not give you the H numbers) There's very little depth to any of these stories. What few morals can be gleamed are shitty lessons for bad people: megalomanic wishful-thinking, skip school for toxic romance, sexism, remember to beat your kids, revenge porn of children is totally fine and legal stop complaining to adults, communication is bad an' remember: fambily. Aside from some mostly derivative pianistry in ep5, the musak was uninteresting and almost exclusively filler noise for the slow credits. There's not much to be said about something so vapid. It's dumb fun spectacle over substance. Some of the shorts were okay despite their flaws. I'd expect them to be quite hit or miss for most people. For me Mermaid Rhapsody was best: 5>>2>8>4>6=7=1=3. 4/10 (where 5/10 is average)
My_Shin
This one-shot adaptation is an outstanding example of how much emotional depth and sheer artistry can be packed into a short, focused series. It truly delivers a cohesive, satisfying story with powerful character development and some truly compelling visual storytelling. The animation is the immediate standout. The landscapes are simply stunning, and the production team uses color and composition in a masterful way to convey a huge range of emotions. What really works is the attention to detail—it makes it so easy to instantly empathize with the characters, even within this limited timeframe. You feel immediately connected to the story and the world they inhabit. From anarrative perspective, the adaptation of the original material feels faithful and incredibly well-paced. The story never drags, but it also gives the emotional beats room to breathe, so they land with maximum impact. It manages to explore meaningful, complex themes without ever feeling rushed or incomplete. Overall: If you enjoy thoughtful, visually expressive anime with characters you can quickly care about, I highly recommend this one-shot. It’s the perfect blend of stunning visuals and genuine heart. Most importantly, both the established animation studios and the small startup studios that brought this adaptation to life deserve recognition for their incredible work—but above all, the animators themselves deserve the most credit. They are the ones who breathe life into the characters, the landscapes, and the world, and their artistry is what truly makes this adaptation unforgettable.
Suprgamr123
For anyone on the fence, please just watch this show. I think it was absolutely brilliant, but even if you don't agree, it's not very staggering a time investment and also offers a look into Tatsuki Fujimoto's past. Keep in mind that, I never really got around to reading the he original manga, so I am an anime only. So, getting to the meat of my first ever review, this show was just absolutely great. I usually always love these kinds of series where each episode is from a different studio/director and this show does that wonderfully. For most episodes, it's clear to see thatdifferent people worked on it; but the constant was production quality and the sheer artistic talent that showed through. The music was also very well done and really enjoyable. All throughout, there was great art, some really good shots, and loads of well-animated sequences; at no point did it feels cheap. And, in terms of the actual stories, from having wacthed every single one of his works that have been adapted to anime form, it's very clear to see how differently Tatsuki Fujimoto thinks, and has thought since a young age, from the average person. The premises of his stories themselves may not ALWAYS be very unique (though they very often are) but the direction he takes those stories and the way he chooses to tell them are incredibly unique and interesting. This show is a very interesting look into his psyche. My only really serious critique is that: the dub voice acting was plain horrible. It felt grating to my ears. And the dialogue was so altered as well. Like I switched on the Japanese subs midway through Ep 7 and the og dialogue was 1000x better compared to the corny-ass dub I was listening to. Overall Show Rating: 8.5/10 [SPOILERS] Individual Episode Ratings: Ep1: 8/10 love the execution of a time tested trope; it's a simple story, but very well done and very well thought out as well(mostly unrelated rant upcoming)** Ep2: 7.5/10 good, but corny. Good message and very interesting concept. Ep3: 7/10 just a funny little short Ep4: 8/10 Cringe in the beautiful Fujimoto way. We've seen this kind of thing alot before, but this is still well done Ep5: 5/10 weak link of the show + the bad VA really shines. It's just not very compelling. It tries to do so many things and brings up so many plot points, but doesn't really properly execute any of them. Ep6: 9/10 by far my favourite, great artstyle and art, very good art direction, great music, and impressive episode overall for it's short runtime. The bad dub also kind of played into it's more favour. I just can't get over how well they use colours and how colourful this episode is. I also love the ending song. Ep7: 9/10 really accurate portrayal of how a kid thinks and how she would feel if she was in a situation like this, where everyone hated her already when she was born. Also, I heard someone saying that she could be a symbol for neuro divergent people, but I'm not too sure about that(was the opening shot in the same alley as the one in CSM?) Ep8: 9/10 very Look Back esque. Obviously the art was great and also the story itself was an interesting dissection of how sibling rivalries like this can play out and how people who introduce you to a craft can start to harbour resentment for you if you outdo them. **[MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE GAME "Detroit: Become Human" AND EP1 UPCOMING] [spoiler] I especially appreciate what the first episode does because it's twist essentially just does the opposite of the twist at the end of Detroit Become Human. See, what happens in the relevant part of Detroit Become Human is, that Kara — basically an android maid — gains consciousness and saves Alice — a little kid — from her abusive father. After this, they become runaways and Kara has to risk herself being rounded up with other rogue androids in order to steal food and provide shelter to Alice. But, near the end of the game, it's revealed that Alice was actually also an android and that Kara actually knew this fact. What this essentially does is, invalidate all the effort Kara went through for Alice, even though all her needs could have basically been turned off with just the press of a button, but also, much much more importantly, it invalidates the genuinely beautiful message that an android can act as a mother and raise a human child. What Ep1 of this show does is exactly the opposite of that, as the opening and ending lines clearly already state. [/spoiler] PS: I had to write all this twice because I accidentally deleted it all the first time literally after I'd finished writing the whole thing. PPS: I left out a lot of parts that I decided later that I wanted to add in and thus deleted the og review to repost it now.
TRIDIUM
I'm really glad these got adapted. While I'll review each one individually, I would suggest watching the whole thing start to finish. 1: A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard (8/10) This is a great intro to the anthology, as it really captures the weird energy fujimoto's works have. Animation and cinematography was great, and I think it did a really good job of elevating the source material. 2: Sasaki Stopped a Bullet (2/10) Probably the only one I can say I hated. While the idea of catching a bullet because you got insanely lucky is interesting, the rest of the story isgross without any of the redeeming qualities his other works have. The production quality was quite low as well. 3: Love is Blind (8/10) The funniest one by far. The pacing and direction reminded me a lot of a nichijou bit. It's short, simple, and the kind of episode that's just gonna make you smile. 4: Shikaku (10/10) An all around solid entry to the series. Like love is blind, it has a relatively simple yet interesting plot that it sticks to. The animation and art direction is immaculate. I love stories about the immortal, and I felt this summarized a lot of those themes well in a short amount of time. 5: Mermaid Rhapsody (6/10) It was okay. It didn't really grab my attention like the other episodes. 6: Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome (11/10) My personal favorite. While the story is great, the y2k setting/vibe is the cherry on top. There are so many great little details and gags that really add to the experience. It's very messy in its themes and characters, but I think it works. 7: Nayuta of the Prophecy (10/10) Once again, a great simple concept executed well. Watching this makes me wish that nayuta was like this in part 2 of chainsaw man instead of whatever we got. 8: Sisters (5/10) It's kind of like "Look Back but worse and with incest vibes". It's not so much as that the actual episode was bad, it just feels a bit redundant.
Chihab__2006
After the heart wrenching film that was the reze arc movie, Tatsuki fujimoto is back with another adaptation, this time an anthology series adapting his one shots from when he was 17 until 26 years old. Honestly, i wasn’t really familiar with Fujimoto’s early works so I didn’t have much expectation for this, but damn this was better than what I was expecting. I really loved this series Not gonna lie, the characters were really interesting, the animation was pretty good, and I really liked how each episode/story is just so edgy and unique. Guess chainsaw man isn’t one of his sanest ideas after all. My episode rankings: 1-shikaku 2- nayuta of the prophecy 3- sisters 4- a couple clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard 5- mermaid rhapsody 6- love is blind 7- sasaki stopped a bullet 8- woke up as a girl syndrome
Sylvesker
If you enjoyed Fujimoto's other works (Chainsaw Man and Look Back) this is worth checking out. Episode 1: A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard (5/10) Fine enough short story about humans being prey to aliens. Nothing too special, although it does draw particular attention to humans eating other beings for sustenance, which seems to be a running theme in Fujimoto's other works. The animation is pretty decent. The little girl's English voice acting was jarringly bad. The voice did not match the character. Episode 2: Sasaki Stopped a Bullet (4/10) Wasn't a fan of this one when I read it and I'm still not afan. There's a good scene between a student and teacher talking about how their perception shapes the world around them which I think was well-written. The overall message of the story is fine, if not very cliche. This leans into the Fujimoto weirdness and sex-central storytelling without any of the nuance or maturity of his later works, so it's just weird. Episode 3: Love Is Blind (6/10) A funny short about a boy repeatedly getting interrupted while trying to confess to a girl. This could have been better if Fuji had written in more absurd scenarios instead of lessening the impact by having the boy nervously fumble whenever he gets a chance. Episode 4: Shikaku (9/10) This episode is when the anthology goes from mid to good. A vampire hires an assassin to kill him. It's like Undead Unluck if Andy were a vampire and Fuuko were a crazy, airheaded assassin. Great animation and solid voice acting. They must have been saving on budget with eps 2 & 3 because while they both looked quite bare-bones, this episode and everything after has surprisingly good animation. Fun premise, sweet ending, good stuff. Episode 5: Mermaid Rhapsody (8/10) A wholesome love story between a boy and a mermaid. Simple and cute. I liked how instead of causing unnecessary drama between the two kids, Shiju biting Toshihide was treated as a "yeah, that was the risk" event and the story moved on after brief apologies. Episode 6: Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome (9/10) My personal favourite. As you can probably guess from the title, Toshihide wakes up as the opposite sex. The day touches on pretty much all of the big things that one would expect to be problematic were somebody to suddenly wake up as the opposite sex with a decent degree of maturity. Even though there are a few emotional and mature moments, the episode is full of visual comedy and gags that work wonderfully with arguably the best animation out of any short in this list. One scene that balanced emotion with comedy well was the near-sexual assault that Rie, Toshihide's girlfriend, commits during a state of emotional distress. It reminded me of a few scenes from other shows where, when faced with substantial revelations or changes to their norm, one of the characters will react poorly due to such an influx of high emotions. After the tension rises and the characters are distraught, deciding how to proceed next, we get a few funny lines and some visual comedy to bring things back down. Rie's reaction, while not appropriate, was very realistic, naive, and motivated by emotional immaturity rather than malice. By escalating things WITHOUT going too far, the story unlocks lots of potential to explore those emotions and develop both of the characters. I would absolutely watch a 12-episode story in Fujimoto's style about these two characters, à la Ranma ½ without the back-and-forth. Episode 7: Nayuta of the Prophecy (8/10) A precursor to concepts explored more in-depth in Fujimoto's later works, made even more obvious by the names; Kenji's younger sister, Nayuta, a child with horns and magical powers, who speaks only in incommunicable violence, has been prognosticated to bring about the end of the world. Kenji has to learn how to control her violent tendencies and outbursts to protect both his community and his sister. It's a neat story that deals with Nurture vs. Nature without the cheap shock value that you may initially expect when she first starts killing animals. I really liked the later scenes between Kenji and Nayuta. Episode 8: Sisters (7/10) Not my favourite of the bunch, but not a bad way to close out the anthology. Sisters explores a one-sided sibling rivalry between a girl who idolises her sister, and her sister, who does not at all care for the idolisation. These last few episodes have explored quite relatable struggles and concepts that many of us may deal with in the real world, and Sisters is no exception. From Mitsuko's perspective, her sister is a bit of a nuisance who slowly shifts from a loving sister to a competitor. From Kyouko's perspective, her sister is her world, and all of her efforts and pushes are done with the intention of strengthening the bond between her and Mitsuko. While I think that there should have been a bit more moderation in how both sides are handled instead of the Kyouko-favouring outcome, I can't ask too much more from a short story like this, and I appreciate that there was some willing acceptance of the sisterly dynamic on Mitsuko's end. Overall, a good watch for any fans of Fujimoto. 22-26's adaptations are definitely stronger, but 17-21 ends strong. Since it's an anthology, you aren't missing anything if you decide to only watch a handful of the 8. I wish anthology series like this had individual sub links for separate ratings outside of the forum polls.
merope28
Based on each episode, I have a different rating: 1. A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin’ in the Schoolyard: 8 - The story was a good intro to hook you onto the anime. 2. Sasaki Stopped a Bullet: 6 - Honestly found this one a little weird. 3. Love is Blind: 6 - This one was funny but I wasn't too hooked. 4. Shikaku: 9 or 10 - This one should be serialized or even a movie. This story was really good! 5. Mermaid Rhapsody: 7 - This one was cute! 6. Woke up as a girl syndrome: 6 - This one was also cute! 7. Nayutaof the Prophecy: 9 - This one would also make a good movie! It should be longer. Its a wholesome family story 9. Sisters: 8 - This one was a good story as well! Personally Shkaku and Nayuta were my top!
afmikasenpai
I was simply hooked, binged all of it in one go. There is no more than one Tatsuki Fujimoto in this world. I just have to admit that this guy is just a really unique divergent thinker and storyteller. Most of his work are simply bangers, thought-provoking, and all with a very distinctive sense of imagery. This set is yet another proof that he can do any settings, and any genre. A great depiction of his skills. Experimental stories are usually very unique, but this set is on another level. The characters are great, but if you've read most of his work, you'll notice that his protagonists oftenfeel like vessels to drive the story. It feels very impersonal, yet immersion and empathy still come naturally. The pacing is on point. Easy 9/10 for most of the episodes.
Neo_Randomz
What kind of drug did Mr. Fujimoto eat in his youth, and where can I get a sample? It’s almost uncanny how this guy squeezed an entire plethora of ideas out of himself when he was still that young, while I can’t even write a better plot twist than “and he wakes up” in my 20s. Did he find a secret vending machine of ideas, or is his brain just a bottomless candy jar? Tatsuki Fujimoto 17–26 feels like a fever dream you can only get away with when you’re both wildly honest and completely untamed. This anthology doesn’t try to be classy about being weird. Itbarrels in, slaps you with an idea, laughs if you blink, and then moves on. If most anthologies tiptoe around metaphors and overstay their cleverness to look deep, this one is blunt and gloriously “in your face.” Rather than becoming pretentious or self-satisfied, Fujimoto chooses to be immediate. The anthology format becomes a showcase for his range from sincere to deranged to dumb-funny. He treats each idea like a hot take that either melts your face or makes you grin and shrug. Some entries land like gut punches—raw, a little gross, and yes, sometimes discomfiting. They can be edgy and off-putting, but the weird thing is they feel earnest. Fujimoto never seems to be playing cynical provocation for its own sake. Even when an episode is wild and uncomfortable, you can sense a straightforwardness behind it that reads as honest intent. That said, a few segments feel like he was just goofing around with the toys in his head and not trying to teach you anything deep. And that’s fine too cause not every piece needs to be a thesis paper. Visually, every episode looks like someone told the studio to spare no blood, sweat, or money. The animation is eye-catching in different ways across entries—sometimes gritty, sometimes painterly, sometimes bizarrely minimal but always pleasing to watch. You can feel the craft and risk in the visuals, like the animators were given free rein and a fat budget by amazon, and they spent both well. That said, because this is an anthology, it also suffers the same major downside: quality swings. Some short films are masterpieces that stick with you, others are pleasant distractions that fade fast. If you hate uneven collections, this will frustrate you. It’s also not universal comfort viewing. Some topics are touchy and might make you uneasy, and the unevenness means not every short will land for you. I personally call it a masterpiece, but I won’t be so eager to recommend it to everyone I know. If you like something that pushes boundaries, sometimes misses, but never plays it safe this is a must-watch. If you want neat morals and consistent vibes, maybe skip a few entries. For me, it’s a messy, wonderful ride that proves Fujimoto is basically a walking idea machine and I am both terrified and grateful he fucking exists.
shiningcheese
Individual episodes rating excluding factors like animation and production values. 1. A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin’ in the Schoolyard: 8 Even if I did see the twist coming, it's still great. I love the batshit crazy concept and characters. 2. Sasaki Stopped a Bullet: 7 I like the idea, though I feel it is missing something. 3. Love is blind 8 So cute and silly. I love the comedy, it's so endearing. 4. Shikaku: 9 Love the characters, especially the main girl. I agree with the vampire, it's so entertaining to watch them interact.5. Mermaid Rhapsody: 5 Boring and uninspired. Characters are as flat and generic as they can be. Wouldn't care if it was from any other guy but I expected more from Fujimoto especially since the other stories are so much better. 6. Woke up as a girl syndrome: 7.5 I see the vision, and I like the commentary on gender identity against gender roles, but it felt a bit undercooked on the execution. 7. Nayuta of the Prophecy: 8.5 I feel like Nayuta might be a metaphor for being neurodivergent. It's so wholesome, and I love the concept. 9. Sisters: 9 This story walked so Look Back can run. I'm a sucker for stories about art, passion, impostor syndromes. and human connection. Ranking the for the animation, direction, and quality of art: Sisters = Chicken > Shikaku > Girl Syndrome > Love Is Blind > Nayuta > Sasaki > Mermaid.
ghostly6888
Oh my god. You have to see this. No questions asked. These short stories are nothing short of incredible. Tatsuki Fujimoto is certainly an incredibly unique and interesting storyteller in the modern day. I have to discuss everything here, in order of the ones I liked best. 1. Nayuta of the Prophecy (9/10) I actually thought the story and direction of the episode were not that remarkable compared to the other episodes. The environments give off the same feeling as the first season of Chainsaw Man did (pretty cool how this story would actually get referenced in the Chainsaw Man series itself, huh?). The soundtrack was quiteamazing, too. I loved the music that appeared during the title card. But this is, in my opinion, the best episode in this series not because of the episode itself, but the allegory that the story could be presenting: caring for a neurodivergent sibling (the sibling in question being Nayuta). There's so much about Nayuta and her story with her brother that just hits so close to home. The struggle with communication, the social stigma surrounding her existence in society, and most importantly, the love that trumps all of it. If those that struggle to fit in fail to conform to our social norms end up harming or scaring us, they shan't be met with judgment, but love, empathy and guidance. Even though we may see the world differently, and act differently, we are all human at heart. We show affection for one another, we care for one another, and it may be in ways that we may not recognise, that we may find repulsive. But once we break through that wall, once we come to an understanding, that is when we can flourish together. I thought the way Nayuta and Kenji's story was directed was unremarkable, but its message pulled at my heartstrings. 2. Sisters (8/10) If you aren't the type of person that can appreciate artistic nudity, this episode would probably be a shock to you. It's important to approach this story with an open mind (or at least one that doesn't see nudity as inherently sexual), because artistic nudity is a focal point of this story. It's a story with enough misdirection that makes the main character, Mitsuko, really compelling. It's amazing what these short stories can achieve with so little time, because with just twenty minutes, Mitsuko is already a character with layers. I love the depiction of the sisters' unconditional love for each other. The way the story ended was incredibly heartwarming, too. Overall, it's just a simple story about the bond that an older and younger sister can have, with just a small taboo element to it. 3. Niwa ni wa Niwa Niwatori ga Ita (7/10) The next episodes are getting tied for quality for me. This is one of the stories that feels like a setup for a long-running series. This episode about an aliens taking over Japanese society and becoming an imitation of it was quite fun. I think the biggest highlight of it was just the Chainsaw-Man-ism you get towards the end when it starts to become more action-packed. The gore in this episode is also quite intense, much more intense than what you'd get from Chainsaw Man itself. That said, I don't like comparing it to Chainsaw Man too much, so I will say that the premise of the story itself seems compelling enough to become a series that would last a few volumes. It would've been even better if the story ended on a cliffhanger so that it can keep its potential as a story to be expanded. The world also has some of the elements of your typical battle shounen, so if you like those, I'm sure you'd want to see more from this story. 4. Shikaku (7/10) It's a story that's just plain fun. Not a fan of Shikaku's backstory (really, all it establishes is that she's a messed up girl that grew up in a messed up home), but she's a cute and entertaining character that becomes the main charm of this episode. I also laughed quite a lot watching this episode. I love Fujimoto's sense of humour. A lot of the qualities of the previous episode I mentioned can be seen here as well. 5. Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome (6.5/10) It's a cute story about staying true to who you are regardless of the body you get put in. The characters and their dynamics were quite cute, and their struggles felt real. However, the story didn't really capture me that much. It's still an experience that I appreciate a lot though. I have to acknowledge how it sheds a light on transmisogyny, particularly the part about how men that turn into women get sexualised like cisgender women do. The representation is something that I appreciate quite a lot (this wouldn't be the first time Fujimoto does something like this either!). 6. Sasaki Stopped a Bullet (6/10) Really funny story about a really strange situation resolved in a really strange way. It's a story that feels very unabashedly Fujimoto, with wonderful absurdist humour. Every moment had me wondering what strange thing the characters were going to say next. I think the jarring awkwardness might turn away some people, but that's also what makes the story really funny. Overall, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. 7. Love Is Blind (6/10) This one reads almost like a 4-koma gag manga. There's a lot of build-up towards the big moment and it keeps escalating until it just becomes ridiculous, then it has an ironic, anticlimactic ending. Really cute and funny, does a great job with its gags, but it doesn't offer much story wise. 8. Mermaid Rhapsody (6/10) Awfully generic, to be honest. It was like the author was asked to make a simple age-appropriate coming-of-age romance. I still like the story, but it also feels like the type of romance story you'd get from a seasonal anime. That said, I LOVED the piano parts. They were absolutely melodic. Everything surrounding the piano was what gave this story at least a hint of uniqueness. But otherwise, it's a story that's really safe and doesn't do anything that interesting. Overall, even though I enjoyed some stories more than others, I really appreciated this anthology as a whole. Would definitely recommend going through ALL of them to see for yourself, even the ones that might not appeal to you.
Tkit
This is how you do the most you can with short form stories folks, form of art many adults don't understand perfected by someone so young. Every story serves the larger theme of love. Love is either explored in many different angles or used as a backdrop to having fun. Those eight episodes despite being incredibly creative and somewhat crazy give you a complex picture of such a pretty thing. Love here draws out amazing emotions, but even if in a tragic story it never is worth regretting. The amount of messages told through stories about love should be evidence enough that each episode is trulygreat at efficient use of time. There is love for others that leads to resisting evil societal norms, motivational story about how trying is the most important part in getting what you want no matter how unlikely, the idea of music and love bridging the divide between people, love transcending the nature of your body, love as a drive for growth and art. It shows how weird/disabled people can be pushed to evil by lack of understanding, paranoia and fear of 'normal' ones and how love can help them. There are also works focused on emotions. The blind passion of love, brightening a sad boring life by love. Fujimoto has the soul of a romantic and it is great to witness. There is only one weaker story and it still explores the theme well and is cute. The rest is very good and two I would even call perfect. Those stories are filled with fun. Characters are enjoyable and full of emotion, episodes creative and diverse. You can have the fantastical in one and the grounded in the other. It all is reinforced by great production. Shorts look great, are colourful and have great scenes. Animation is pretty, sound design good and music works wonders sometimes. Visual aspects often reinforce the story or emotions in a perfect way as do voice actors which were wonderful in their acting. The range from dramatic to fun and many other performances in between was great to hear. Will this be a 9/10 for you? I don't know. You can get much better stories than those, but here you will witness the limit of what can be done with such a short run time. I never saw any other work get so close to short form perfection.
supersmash1580
As someone who has caught up with Chainsaw Man and has only seen a few of Fujimoto's one-shots (Goodbye Eri and Look Back) I'm going into this anthology completely blind. So because of that, I'm going to be writing this review as I watch each episode and giving my rating as I go. My final score will be an accumulation of everything I've watched. 1. A Couple of Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard (8/10) A weird yet interesting story about putting yourself in another person's shoes to try and understand what they're going through. The story itself is very depressing knowing humans no longerexist and were completely annihilated by aliens, but the story isn't about just aliens killing humans, it's mainly about empathy and how even if someone looks nothing like you, you can still care for them and understand what they're going through once you go through the same experiences. The animation was amazing, beautiful backgrounds and sakuga fight scenes. The characters were well-written for only a 20 minute episode and resonated on an emotional level. Unfortunately the amount of depth given to them is not very deep due to the shortened runtime. Music and sound design fit well for each situation and was incorporated well. 2. Sasaki Stopped a Bullet (6/10) Beneath the layers of sex talk in the first five minutes of the episode at first I thought it was going to be about how putting too much faith in someone could end up turning into your demise, but I don't think that's what Fujimoto was going for. I think this episode is mainly about how belief can shape who you become. Sasaki believed he could stop a bullet, and he did. Everyone couldn't understand how he stopped a bullet, and neither did he, but by changing how people see you, their common sense was turned upside down. The gunman didn't believe in himself after he was rejected by the teacher and his life became worse because of it. I have no clue if I'm right or not but that's my interpretation as of now. The animation was good, didn't blow me away or anything but it was solid. The characters weren't that interesting besides Sasaki. The music nor the sound design blew me away. I'd give this one a 6, not bad, not amazing. 3. Love is Blind (7/10) This gave me Monogatari vibes immediately. This was a funny and cute love story. Not really a deep lesson to learn here, just confess to the person you like or you'll regret it if you don't. The animation wasn't that good, it has some good art but there wasn't much movement from the characters. I don't think this story needed amazing animation anyway, so I'll give it a pass. Overall a fun short story, cute and worth your time if you like romcoms. 4. Shikaku (6/10) Another love story but this time more gruesome and about two crazy people. I don't have much to say about this one, the animation was great, art was good as well. The characters were both interesting and I could easily see their relationship being a full series. They kind of remind me of Loid and Yor's relationship from Spy x Family, Shikaku is basically Yor in both personality and strength. I liked both of the main characters dynamics and overall it was pretty good, nothing too deep or philosophical, but a good love story. 5. Mermaid Rhapsody (8/10) Probably my favorite story so far. Beautiful music and animation. Great characterization, development and story. Love can be scary at times, and you might fight every so often, but if you both love each other, you'll be able to work it out. Overall a really good short story, everything ended and progressed beautifully. It truly felt like a complete short story that I'm satisfied without wanting more. 6. Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome (4/10) Fujimoto was on drugs when he wrote this. I honestly don't really know what to say about this episode. The animation was great, art was unique and the coloring was really good. Other than that...I have no clue. I might have to look up someone on Reddit who has better reading comprehension than me because I'm completely lost on this one. Maybe it's something simple like love has no gender or something along those lines. 7. Nayuta of the Prophecy (8/10) Fujimoto liked the name Nayuta so much he decided to include it in one of his mainline stories. Her design is also very similar to the one in the manga besides the horns. This one was great representation of family and trying to understand people who think differently than you. Nayuta has a very limited understand of what's right and wrong and because Kenji never truly scolder her for her actions she didn't know that what she was doing was wrong. It's easy to give up on a person who's different from you, especially if they've always done bad things, but that doesn't mean they can't help them change, especially if it's a family member or a kid. I liked the animation and thought it was solid. The characters are well done and developed nicely as the story progressed. 8. Sisters (6/10) I liked the dynamic of both of the sisters and how each of them looked up to the other. Both of them found inspiration in each other and grew their dynamic by finding the same things they both liked. Although me personally if someone drew me naked without my consent and without me knowing about it beforehand I'm throwing hands and tearing that painting up if it's the last thing I do. This was a fun story and cool dynamic between two sisters and it wasn't too bad. The animation was good as well as the art. The story was interesting and kept me engaged. It's not my personal favorite but it's definitely not bad. That concludes the list. If I had to put all of them into a top 8 it would probably be: 1. Mermaid Rhapsody 2. Nayuta of the Prophecy 3. A Couple of Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard 4. Love is Blind 5. Shikaku 6. Sisters 7. Sasaki Caught a Bullet 8. Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome To finish up this review here's my final score. I'd say the series as a whole is a solid 7. None of the episodes completely blew me away but I was pleasantly surprised at how good some of them were despite being only 20 minutes long (some of them even shorter). Definitely recommend this to people who are fans of Tatsuki Fujimoto or fans of anime in general.
2Birds1Stoned
here's a brief summary of everybody's Fujimoto journey: postmodern sceptic to shortsighted enjoyer to mystic believer to everything regreter to regrounded monke, cleansed down to the desire for a banana after experiencing the most incomprehensible, vile, crass but thoughtful ideas & narratives that's the magic of Fujimoto's writing - his ability to shift effortlessly between comedy and heartbreak, juggle pain & sorrow with dry humor is quite unmatched. his stories remind us that joy and sorrow often come from the same place, and that's what makes them unforgettable you can clearly see where he developed his knack for jacobean absurdity, rug-pulls, dark humor & emotional damage. these shortstories were just precursor to what would eventually become one of the most prolific run in the modern anime/manga industry a couple clucking chickens were still kickin' in the schoolyard: 4.5/5 has stellar animation, editing & direction. the battle sequences were eye candy. starts with an absurd premise but by the end you might possibly be soft sobbing sasaki stopped a bullet: 3/5 the weakest from this batch. nothing too extravagant but has some profound ideas one might concoct afternoon a mushroom trip or a big fat bowl or if you're just someone who has mastered levitation love is blind: 4/5 low-key the best directed, very experimental which totally favoured the galactic levels of priorities shown by our protagonist. neat encapsulation of anxiety. Ibuki is the male tsundere of this year shikaku: 3.5/5 this one is a gore fest. shikaku is a ditsy, chaotic version of makima, isn't she? or atleast a prototype with all the eye gouging from the mafia activity. a budget little makima indeed Ill add the 2nd half after i watch it tomorrow ✌️
Supersonic_Pain
As is wont to do in an anthology collection made up of old one-shots made pre-Chainsaw Man, there are some shorts that are better than others. I think some sell themselves on style, some have strong enough backbones to carry the show, some do a little of both, some... quite frankly don't really do either and end up flopping. For what it's worth, I enjoyed the majority of them and would watch a TV show/movie form instead of the one episode if that hypothetically came to fruition. I wrote down notes after each episode so I'm just gonna paste those here: Episode 1 - A Couple Clucking Chickens WereStill Kickin' in the Schoolyard: Intriguing set-up for a longer series but idk if it had the time to establish the dynamics between any characters to the point that I cared. The "chickens" part worked for the role in the story it played, I guess, but I was expecting more comedy out of it. They use it as a gag/surprise reveal and then it's quickly done away with so we can keep moving into where the story needs to be. I guess this is the limitations of a one-shot at play because I'd totally watch a whole season of this but, like, given the 15ish minutes this story gets, I don't think it had the time to get me emotionally invested. It does pretty much exactly enough to establish the 3 main characters, get its point across, and that's it. You can see the potential already (idk if these are in order from the first one Fujimoto submitted to the last, I presume so considering the first 4 were collected in Fujimoto 17-21 and the latter 4 in 22-26) but I don't think it serves to be as good of a one-shot as it is an intriguing look into Fujimoto's past and what he'd end up making. Still great though. Score - 8/10 Episode 2 - Sasaki Stopped a Bullet: Wow, this one kinda sucked. It just felt like the direction was... wrong. Even for the 15 minutes they had, it felt like they were stalling for time and speaking super slowly. It's just some virgin loser talking to another virgin loser (ironically given the plot of the story, someone who could be considered a version of him from a different future) and then he Stops a Bullet It's not like I want the teacher to be forced to have sex with the shooter but, like, I don't exactly want Sasaki to have sex with her either. He's pretty pathetic and his only redeeming quality is "muh father died". The plot is solved through contrivances and Joseph Joestar-level bullshittery. That's pretty much what this short could be described as. It's like if Joseph Joestar had a tenth of his charisma and it went on for 15 minutes. None of the characters were likeable, I guess it had a decent message but boy, do I never want to watch this again Score - 3/10 Episode 3 - Love Is Blind: I thought E2 was kinda Shaft-pilled but that was probably a coincidence/something that pervades Lapin Track because THIS is Monogatari-pilled (apparently the director for this episode worked under Shinbo and Ikuhara which... yup that sure does track). The direction (although I'm not surprised the same person [I don't just mean Fujimoto, but the actual scriptwriter] WROTE the script) is really the only notable part of this episode. It's (relatively) significantly shorter and the entire plot is MC-kun is determined on confessing his love to the detriment of everything else which could be fun... if he wasn't also a coward about it. The dichotomy was frustrating more than funny. The last-minute plot twist was kind of funny though. It also feels less thematically rich. For everything I thought this did better than Sasaki (more engaging protagonist, better direction [although I think this is the biggest example of vision vs. budget]), I think Sasaki had something to say Love is Blind was entertaining enough but I think Fujimoto definitely could've gone back to the drawing board to make this better. If I ever watch this again, it'll be solely for the direction. Score - 6/10 Episode 4 - Shikaku: I think this is easily the best one of the first half/17-21 I was pretty happy with how the story played out. Unlike E1, I didn't think there were really any "wasted" story elements. While it has the shortcomings of being a 15ish minute long one-shot, given the constraints, it's pretty good. It tells a story with the most engaging characters so far, they must be conserving their budget for the more action-focused ones because it's back to looking pretty decent, it's another one where I'd read a whole series about this. Fun gore, if nothing else, the difference in aspect ratio makes it stand out, the characters were fun, I liked the plot, good short Score - 9/10 Episode 5 - Mermaid Rhapsody: Oops, this one is also awesome. Idk if it'd make a good whole series but I'd definitely watch a movie of it. It's a touching romance, I felt he did more with the "human and thing that eats humans" dynamic here than the first episode. He manages to set up why the mermaids and humans have a tense dynamic, why the mermaids are more fine with Toshihide, the romance (and fear) between him and Shiju, given the length of a standard anime episode, he did a very admirable job. That's really all I have to say. I guess E2 and 3 just got the short end of the stick budget-wise because this one also looked fine. I think I prefer Shikaku a little more based on my personal preferences in the anime I watch but Mermaid Rhapsody is also really good. Score - 9/10 Episode 6 - Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome: I think this one had my favorite style. E3 was very Monogatari-esque but as a result, it kind of stuck out and to be honest, the budget wasn't all there. This one looked gorgeous and like it had its own stamp and style. It also happens to be the shortest, clocking in at 10-11 minutes. It tells a simple story of someone... waking up as a girl and his gender identity and struggles as a result. I'm not trans so it doesn't personally connect with me/hit home but I thought for the time it had, it was a well-told story. It passes the "I'd watch a longer version of this" test. My biggest complaint is how rape-oriented it was. Nobody ever GETS raped but a not-insignificant portion of the story is dedicated to calling the MC (who shares the same name as the one from Mermaid Rhapsody, which I am not a fan of) a perv or the delinquent bullies trying to get a slice of the freshly minted girl pie or a certain someone else trying to. Other than that, I think this one is my favorite so far. Score - 9/10 Episode 7 - Nayuta of the Prophecy: Sorry, this one low-key kinda sucked. E2 at least had... interesting direction, one of the weaker points of E5 (who has the same director as this episode) is that the direction is just... competent. There's no real style or panache in the same way E3 or E6 had. This one has a sort of washed-out or grainy style but that's about it. Honestly, given she's named after a Chainsaw Man character, I was just kinda wishing Ryu Nakayama was doing this episode as a sort of pseudo-redemption Do you know how godawful and boring this episode had to be to make me go "boy, I sure wish public enemy number 1 Ryu Nakayama was directing this because at least I'd FEEL something" Nayuta is a total brat. Her way of speaking is QuIrKy and she only speaks in dark dangerous stuff like "chaos lava genocide carnage!" which gets really annoying really fast I'm sorry and I get that Nayuta might be able to change but honestly, I was rooting for the military to just go "fuck you" and shoot both her and Kenji down. She is objectively a threat and Kenji's not even sure if she's NOT going to snap and kill everyone. She does nothing but cause problems for Kenji, I couldn't help but dislike her. If you compare her to Power or Chainsaw Man Nayuta, you can clearly see how he's grown as a writer because they are much better in similar roles. Score - 2/10 Episode 8 - Sisters: I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that I watched this whole series in one day, it's off the back of the worst episode in the show, and I'd actually already read this one, but I wasn't a big fan. Really, it just reads like Look Back but, naturally, if it were worse. It's got a very pseudo-incestual, kinda gross tint to it since the whole plot is "grrrr, my little sister who has a huge idolization complex around me painted me naked and it's hung up for everyone to see so I'm gonna get her back!" Like, I get what it's trying to say and this isn't the worst episode in the series but it's also nowhere near the best. I'd say it's fifth, arguably sixth since I'd rather watch Love is Blind again even if I think that is HARD carried by the director. Score - 7/10 IMO: Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome Shikaku Mermaid Rhapsody A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard Sisters (that being said, I have no real desire to watch any more of this, this one works fine as a one-shot imo, a movie would've been too much for me) Love is Blind (this one's kinda weird because I think this one could totally work if it were written a little better, I would totally watch a show with the same plot if it had the same director) Sasaki Stopped a Bullet Nayuta of the Prophecy I think the bottom 2 are really the only ones I don't have any interest in ever seeing again If you're a fan of Tatsuki Fujimoto, you should definitely check this show out Even if you aren't, there'll probably be something interesting among the 8 one-shots, this is a show worth checking out
Animanga