English-speaking fans of the hit manga Chainsaw Man will soon get an opportunity to read two short story manga collections from that series' creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto.As detailed on Viz Media's official Twitter page, the two collections are titled "Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 17-21 and Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 22-26. The numbers in each title reference what age Fujimoto was when he created the included stories. The current release window for both collections is Spring 2023.
The first collection, Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 17-21 was published by Shueisha in Japan on Oct. 4 of last year, while the second collection was put out one month later on Nov. 4. There are four stories included in the first collection, two of which containing either a Sci-Fi or a supernatural premise. The first story, originally published on the digital platform Shonen Jump+, is titled Niwa ni wa Niwa Niwatori ga Ita. It is about the last two remaining human beings trying to survive in a world taken over by aliens. In a comedic twist, they are forced to disguise themselves from the aliens using chicken costumes. The collection's second story, Sasaki-kun ga Judan to Meta, which is occasionally localized as Sasaki-Kun Stopped A Bullet, centers around a student that must rescue the teacher he admires from a gunman. Koi wa Moumoku is a romance about a boy blind to everything but love, while the final story, Shikaku, is about an assassin that is hired by a vampire because he needs assistance in figuring out how to end his eternal life.
The stories in the second collection also cover a wide variety of topics: Ningyo Rhapsody, tells the story of a mermaid-human hybrid who enjoys playing his piano in the sea that is one day approached by a mysterious siren, while another story, Yogen no Nayuta, is about a girl with horns who is prophesized to bring destruction upon the entire world. This story's main character is also featured on the cover of the second collection.
Fujimoto is best known for creating Chainsaw Man, but has also achieved success with the acclaimed one-shot manga Look Back, which was published in July of last year. Originally released on Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ platform, Look Back is about two young female artists from a small town brought together by their mutual love of art and desire to become manga authors. Both Chainsaw Man and Look Back are also available in English from VIZ.
Source: Twitter