The Creator of the Creator changed the way I looked at fiction with one story, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Tatsuki Fujimoto Chainsaw Man Has gained popularity that even the author himself probably could not predict. By the time part one ended, I and many other fans could hardly wait for part two to start serializing. Fujimoto, however, decided to take nearly a year and a half off from the series, not only to flesh out part two’s story and give himself a break, but also to draw and release a handful of one-shots that also gained mass popularity. One of these is 2022 Just listen to the songA story that stuck with me until his 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 are just so packed with symbolism and themes that make the writer in me jealous. And it wasn’t until Just listen to the song was released, A one-shot all about the artist’s relationship to their art, as well as the readers who give meaning to itThat I realized my love for analyzing stories. It was also the one-shot that created a big rift in Fujimoto’s fanbase.

Now, every time a new chapter of Chainsaw Man Releases, there seem to be people diving into the work, pulling out all the good things hidden under it, while someone else shouts at them ‘just listen to this song’. It’s a little ironic, really, that people use a work about the meaning of art to criticize people who search for meaning in art. Just listen to the songChanged how I looked at fiction and reminded me why I adore itAnd using it to discredit literary analysis just doesn’t sit right with me.

Just listening to the song is about the relationship between art and the artist

Fujimoto explains the different meanings given to a story

If I were asked to describe the work 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 simple, grounded stories focusing on very human issues. His latest one-shot feature A sort of meta-commentary on the many struggles of being an artist. Look back And Goodbye Ari Are the most popular belonging to that category, but not as on the nose as Just listen to the song.

The manga features a young boy who creates a song that unexpectedly goes viral, before the masses attach meanings to it that he never intended. It is likely that the same thing happened to Fujimoto’s storiesAs it happens with all other works of art, to which the public has access. This story taught me that the truth about creation is that as soon as the art leaves an artist’s hands, it no longer belongs to them. Instead, the examined art continues to breathe life into it, perpetuating it through their own ideas and interpretations.

Just listen to the song is about just that and the last few 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 real meaning behind the song, saying it was “crazy” before scolding him for deleting his Music from the Internet. She also lets him know that deleting the music is pointless, like Everyone has already downloaded it, heard it and given meaning to it.

Just listening to the song is about expectation

The manga details Fujimoto’s own anxiety about Chainsaw Man

While awaiting part two of Chainsaw Man To begin serialization, I, along with many other readers, set expectations for the upcoming story sky-high. Who can blame anyone? The series received many awards, was beloved by fans and critics, and defined the new era of Shonen Jump. Both Look back And Goodbye Ari Were met with endless praise, and Tatsuki Fujimoto ascended to the top of the manga world. In response, just a week before Chainsaw Man returning, Just listen to the song was released.

After the song of the main character goes unbelievably viral, the public demands a sequel, impatiently waiting to see exactly what the boy will do next. His follow-up, which he titled “Just Listen To The Song” after his frustration with what people did to his original piece, He immediately becomes a fan, and everyone loses interest in him.

Personally, in my first creative writing courses, I learned that I struggled mightily with perception, feedback, and expectation. So, when I came across Just listen to the songI realized that even the authors I idolized struggled similarly. The one-shot is a thinly veiled message from Fujimoto to readersPleading with them to lower their expectations for Chainsaw Mans second part.

Fujimoto isn’t telling readers to stop digging into his work

He tells the reader to listen and not just play the song

Every time I come across Just listen to the song When I used to stop someone from digging into Tatsuki Fujimoto’s stories, I have to admit that I get just a little agitated. The idea that he and other authors make up stories for no reason Flies in the very face of Just listen to the song himself. Not that the boy’s song had any meaning, and he was upset when others gave it some. Rather, the song has a meaning, as explained by the girl near the end of the story. Everyone just misinterpreted it.

Look backA story about the pains and joys of creation by the same author, tells a most sincere story about using art as a way to connect with others, and to reveal the soul that went into creating that art. To imagine Fujimoto telling his audience to stop digging for meaning in his work would just be silly, and discredit all the pain and joy that went into creating it.

like Chainsaw Man Is now venturing back into commentary about the United States, it is important to remember Just listen to the song. It hasn’t left me since I first read it, and as I continue to work on writing my own original stories, it reminds me that regardless of how others perceive my work, I’ll know the meaning I give it is enough. And with like division Chainsaw Man Part 2 proved to be, it’s more important than ever to remember to listen to the song, don’t just play it.