You’ve definitelyalready heardofLook Back, the one-shot manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, mangaka ofChainsaw Man- Now, two weeks after its publication, the manga was slightly modified, with a certain page and line of dialogue changed.
Why was Tatsuki Fujimoto one-shotLook Backmodified after release, what was changed?
Look Backis critically acclaimed worldwide and in Japan, most notably by other mangaka in the manga industry, who unanimously praised Fujimoto. The manga quickly reached over 5 million views on the Shonen Jump + app. However, several Japanese fans on Twitter, while liking the one-shot, also explained it could participate in spreading mental disorder discrimination. Following these comments in Japan, the murderer depicted in the story ofLook Backwas modified.
Originally, the manga had a newspaper quoting the killer, who mentioned having hallucinations and symptoms similar to schizophrenia. Several Japanese readers commented on how it painted people with mental disorders as potential murders. Reinforcing stereotypes. In the new version ofLook Back,the newspaper now explains the killer stated “they just wanted to kill someone, anyone”, looking for the thrill of murder.
Before the change
After the change (Japanese version)
Note that as I’m writing this, theofficial English versionofLook Backwas not modified yet. As such I’m using screenshots of the Japanese version to explain the differences.
The other change and controversy: Possible reference to the Kyoto Animation arson attack
Furthermore, one of the lines of the killer was modified. Originally, the killer screams about being plagiarized. This line was criticized by several Japanese readers, who said Fujimoto might have inspired himself from the Kyoto Animation arson attack. The culprit of the attack told the police he was “plagiarized” by the studio. In the modified version, the killer now shouts “stop looking down on me” instead.
Before the change, with the plagiarism line
After the change, no mention of plagiarism
Note that Shonen Jump + in its announcement only stated the changes were made to avoid the manga leading to discrimination. It did not mention what was changed specifically and did not mention whether this line was truly a reference to the Kyoto Animation arson attack or not.
Overall, the reaction after the change on Twitter seems to be rather positive. While Twitter is not an accurate reflection of reality, I’ve seen some pretty heartwarming comments in the replies and quote replies of the Shonen Jump + tweet announcing the changes.
Tatsuki Fujimoto’sChainsaw Manis getting soon an anime adaptation by Studio Mappa. Fujimoto also plans to continue theChainsaw Manmanga at some point with a sequel.
