Warning: contains spoilers for Just Listen to the Song!
With the second part of Chainsaw Man beginning soon, its creator Tatsuki Fujimoto is seemingly reminding fans not to overanalyze the massively popular manga. Chainsaw Man was a breakout hit for Shonen Jump, enamoring fans with its likable cast of characters, awesome action, and powerful themes. However, as with every popular series, many fans have interpreted the series a bit more deeply than its creator may have intended.
This isn’t to say that Chainsaw Man isn’t full of subtle and powerful messages. The series delves deeply into what it actually means to be fulfilled through its main character Denji. As the action ramps up and characters begin to die, it also dives into trauma and grief. These are just two of the threads that make up the rich tapestry that Chainsaw Man becomes by the end of its first part. However, Fujimoto is a powerful master of subtle storytelling, often trusting readers to pick up on the themes that might not be explicitly stated. This can often lead to fans assuming that every panel has a deeper meaning hidden in it, which can be a bit of an unreasonable expectation to put on a mangaka.
Just Listen to the Song is a one-shot with a story written by Tatsuki Fujimoto and art by Oto Toda, and follows a high schooler who confesses his love to his crush with a song on YouTube. While initially everyone thinks his song is silly and dumb (much like the gory surface-level premise of Chainsaw Man), people start to find hidden elements in the video that change their minds. When played backwards, the song becomes a critique of American gun culture, and when translated into Spanish it denies the existence of God. However, at the end of the story it is revealed that the song is ultimately just about when he sketched his crush for art class. Ironically, this one-shot is laden with various themes itself, from how self-expression can draw ridicule to the awkward innocence of young love. But its most pertinent message seems to be that when art is overanalyzed, readers can create interpretations that the original creator never intended.
It’s easy (though ironic) to read this story as a commentary on how fans responded to Chainsaw Man. For instance, the mention of a critique of gun culture may reference the Gun Devil, a major antagonist in Chainsaw Man that many readers viewed this way. On a metatextual level, this one-shot being released in such close proximity to Part 2 of Chainsaw Man also serves to tie its message directly to that manga, and the various theories that fans will undoubtedly soon by cooking up.
Despite this potential message to fans, it is unlikely that part 2 of Chainsaw Man will be free of deeper meaning. However, whether intended as direct commentary or not, Just Listen to the Song reminds fans not to read too deeply into every detail of the upcoming part 2 of Chainsaw Man, and to make sure they enjoy it at face value as well.
Just Listen to the Song is now available from Viz Media.
