With a gentle prod from my friend, Leander, I read Tatsuki Fujimoto’s ‘Goodbye, Eri’ as my next book of 2024.

Fujimoto is also the creator of other well-known mangas, such as ‘Fire Punch’ and ‘Chainsaw Man’. I have not read either of these. But that may change, depending on what Leander gives me to read, with encouragement, in the future. He gave me ‘Goodbye, Eri’ a while back, and it has waited for me in my stack of books. Well, buddy, I finally got around to it.

The story follows Yuta Ito, who receives a smartphone as a birthday present. His ill mother then requests that he record her as much as possible before she dies. Only, when it comes to recording her death, he chickens out. The story spirals out from there, twisting, turning, and folding in on itself.

The book breezes by and takes about the same time as a movie. As Leander recommended, I binged it in one sitting, and it’s the best way to consume ‘Goodbye, Eri’. It reflects on storytelling, creating art, and grief and loss. When taken in one shot, it is quite a profound experience. I loved it.

Given how fast it is to read, I’d recommend it to everyone, even if you don’t like manga.