Tatsuki Fujimoto’sChainsaw Manhas gained popularity that even the author himself likely couldn’t have predicted. By the time that Part One ended, myself and many other fans could hardly wait for Part Two to begin serializing. Fujimoto, however, decided to take nearly a year and a half away from the series, not only to flesh out Part Two’s story and give himself a break, but to also draw and release a handful of one-shots that also gained mass popularity. One of those being 2022’sJust Listen to the Song, a story that has stuck with me since its release.
Fujimoto’s work scratches a particular itch for me. Unknowingly, I’ve always been driven by a need to know what’s going on beneath the surface of a story, and Fujimoto’s works just so happen to be packed with symbolism and themes that make the writer in me jealous. And it wasn’t untilJust Listen to the Songwas released,a one-shot all about the artist’s relation to their art, as well as the readers who give meaning to it, that I realized my love for analyzing stories. It was also this one-shot though, that created a large rift in Fujimoto’s fanbase.
Now, anytime a new chapter ofChainsaw Manreleases, there seem to be people diving into the work, pulling out all the good stuff hidden beneath it, while someone else yells at them to ‘just listen to the song’. It’s a bit ironic, really, people using a work about the meaning of art to criticize people looking for meaning in art.Just Listen to the Song, changed how I looked at fiction and reminded me why I adore it, and using it to discredit literary analysis just doesn’t sit right with me.
Just Listen to the Song Is About the Relationship Between Art and the Artist
Fujimoto Explains the Different Meanings Given to a Story
If I was asked to describe the works of Tatsuki Fujimoto as briefly as possible, something like ‘weird and wonderful’ would come to mind. Despite so many of his stories leaving readers in shock and confusion, they are often relatively straightforward, grounded tales focusing on very human issues. His recent one-shots featurea sort of meta-commentary on the many struggles of being an artist.Look BackandGoodbye Eriare the most popular belonging to that category, but neither are as on the nose asJust Listen to the Song.
The truth about creation, is that as soon as art leaves an artist’s hands, it no longer belongs to them.
The manga features a young boy who creates a song that unintentionally goes viral, before the masses ascribe meanings to it that he never intended.It’s likely that the same thing has happened to Fujimoto’s stories, as it happens with all other pieces of art to which the public has access. This story taught me that the truth about creation is that as soon as art leaves an artist’s hands, it no longer belongs to them. Instead, those examining art continue to breathe life into it, and eternalize it through their own thoughts and interpretations.
Just Listen to the Songis about exactly that and its final pages prove it. The girl, for whom the main character’s song was written, sits next to him on the train and informs him that she does know the actual meaning behind the song, saying it was “cringey” before scolding him for deleting his music from the internet. She also lets him know that deleting the music was pointless, aseveryone has already downloaded it, heard it, and given meaning to it.
Just Listen to the Song Is About Expectation
The Manga Details Fujimoto’s Own Anxieties About Chainsaw Man
While awaiting Part Two ofChainsaw Manto begin serialization, I, along with many other readers, set expectations for the upcoming story sky-high. Who could blame anyone? The series received numerous awards, was beloved by fans and critics alike, and defined the new era of Shōnen Jump. BothLook BackandGoodbye Eriwere met with endless praise, and Tatsuki Fujimoto ascended to the peak of the manga world. In response, just a week beforeChainsaw Manreturned,Just Listen to the Songwas released.
After the main character’s song goes unbelievably viral, the public demands a sequel, impatiently waiting to see just what the boy will do next. His follow-up, which he titles “Just Listen to the Song” after his frustration with what people did to his original piece,is immediately panned, and everyone loses interest in him.
Personally, in my earliest creative writing courses, I learned that I struggled mightily with perception, feedback, and expectation. So, when I came acrossJust Listen to the Song, I realized that even the authors I idolized struggled similarly.The one-shot is a thinly veiled message from Fujimoto to readers, pleading with them to lower their expectations forChainsaw Man’s second part.
Fujimoto Is Not Telling Readers to Stop Digging Into His Work
He’s Telling Readers To Listen and Not Just Play the Song
Anytime I come acrossJust Listen to the Songbeing used to stop someone from digging into Tatsuki Fujimoto’s stories, I must admit that I become just a little agitated. The idea that he and other authors create stories for no reasonflies in the very face ofJust Listen to the Songitself. It isn’t that the boy’s song had no meaning, and he became upset when others gave it some. Rather, the song did have meaning, as explained by the girl near the end of the story. Everyone just misinterpreted it.
Look Back,a story about the pains and joys of creation by the same author, tells a most sincere tale about using art as a way to bond with others, and to lay bare the soul that went into creating that art. Imagining Fujimoto to then tell his audience to stop digging for meaning in his work would just be foolish, and discredit all the pain and joy that went into creating it.
AsChainsaw Manis currently venturing back into commentary about the United States, it’s important to rememberJust Listen to the Song. It hasn’t left me since I first read it, and as I continue working toward writing my own original stories, it reminds me that regardless of how others perceive my work, I’ll know the meaning that I gave it is enough. And with how divisiveChainsaw ManPart 2 proved to be, it’s more important than ever to remember to listen to the song, don’t just play it.
Chainsaw Man
Cast
Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a young man burdened by debt, who teams up with his pet devil Pochita to fight devils under the yakuza’s control. Released in 2022, the series portrays Denji’s struggle to achieve his dream of living a simple, peaceful life.
