For many from the manga and audience crowd, their first introduction to Tatsuki Fujimoto was through the popular manga and anime Chainsaw Man. There are also people that were introduced to him through his manga Fire Punch. These one-shots were all done before Fujimoto did CSM, and only Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome & Sisters weren’t written before Fire Punch started.
One of the most noticeable things is the amount of romance that is in these works. Which may surprise you if you are only familiar with him through CSM. Though even the works that aren’t romance do an outstanding job at establishing bonds between characters.
In “A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin’ in the Schoolyard” you see the raw potential in Fujimoto that you see in his works. “Sasaki Stopped a Bullet” & “Love is Blind” are simpler works but demonstrate more storytelling if you dive deeper. Shikaku & “Nayuta of the Prophecy” show you how 2 people of different backgrounds can find happiness. Finally, “Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome” & Sisters are the closest to the current Fujimoto that we see, as the premise in both is so bizarre. Fujimoto uses that bizarre nature to dive deeper. With some remarkable storytelling in the short story format. Lastly, much like with Look Back, “Mermaid Rhapsody” is an example of how Fujimoto doesn’t need to use weirdness just for its own sake. Both of those works are more normal in that sense but tell a great story.
Visually the different studios did a good job. Each having their own style added to the mix. The most unique was probably “Love is Blind” as the direction in that one is very familiar to Bakemonogatari. Though overall the direction and visuals of each one were excellent.
With Fujimoto’s writing style, these stories might or might not be for you. Still, at the very least, these short stories are at least worth checking out.