48 pages • 1-hour read
Goodbye, Eri
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Background
Genre Context: Brief Overview of Manga
Content Warning: This section discusses suicide, mental illness, death, and child death.
Manga is the Japanese word for the graphic novel format. Writers and artists of manga in Japan are called mangaka, the suffix “ka” meaning “professional.” Traditionally, manga are first published in a serialized format, published chapter by chapter in a manga magazine. Goodbye, Eri was first serialized on Shonen Jump+, a web/online-only version of the popular and long-running magazine Shonen Jump. Manga can be long-running series (like Marvel or DC Comics storylines), shorter series with a definite ending, or one-shots that tell a single story like a self-contained graphic novel. Following serialization, most manga are collected into published volumes, called tankobon. These book-length volumes are then translated for publication in the US and other international markets. Japanese language publications are read from right to left, the opposite of English. Most English translations of manga retain this format. Many manga are then adapted for television or film in the Japanese animated format called anime. Though a small number of manga are published in full color, the standard is black-and-white line art.
Like Western/English-language comics and graphic novels, manga is a medium or vehicle for storytelling that ranges from science fiction and fantasy to contemporary drama and even nonfiction, such as The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Some Western literature has recently been adapted into the manga format as well, such as Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. Additionally, there are genres unique to Japanese culture and the manga/anime format, including the popular genres of isekai, which features characters transported to or reborn in another world, and shonen, a category of stories typically aimed at boys and centered on action, friendship, and personal growth. Mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto is best known as a shonen writer, though Goodbye, Eri is not a shonen manga but a contemporary drama one-shot. Shonen manga is the most popular genre of manga and anime, with a readership of all genders and ages. Shonen manga are typified by teen male protagonists, a large ensemble cast of supporting characters, action-adventure storylines, elaborate fighting sequences, and a focus on good-versus-evil conflicts.
Manga layouts vary widely, but many use dynamic paneling to emphasize emotion, pacing, and action. A panel refers to a single image frame, while a splash is a panel that takes up an entire page (a full-page splash) or even spans two pages (a double-page splash), often used for dramatic or emotionally powerful moments. Unlike the fixed grids common in Western newspaper comics, manga panels can overlap, break borders, or change shape to reflect characters’ inner states or accelerate the story’s rhythm. Some manga experiment with highly creative layouts, while others employ more structured designs for thematic or stylistic reasons. In Goodbye, Eri, the layout is unusually consistent, relying on a simple vertical four-panel format with occasional two-panel spreads and several splash pages. This structured visual rhythm echoes the framing of a smartphone screen and reinforces the story’s preoccupation with perspective, framing, and the blurred line between lived experience and recorded narrative.
Literary Context: Metafiction
In addition to the genre and form expectations of manga, Goodbye, Eri contains elements of metafiction. Metafiction is part of a tradition of stories about the act and experience of storytelling. It uses various techniques to emphasize its own narrative structures and remind the audience that it is experiencing a piece of fiction, thereby allowing the narrative to explore the relationship between creator and audience, and the interaction between fiction and reality. Metafiction can comment on the power of story and imagination or highlight the impact of media on life and perception. In some literature, the metafictional elements are the primary point of the narrative. For others, such as Goodbye, Eri, the metafictional elements provide support to larger plot and theme issues. The metafictional elements within Goodbye, Eri specifically blur the boundaries between fact and fiction within the narrative and contribute to the themes of Memory and Authenticity in an Age of Curated Content and Storytelling as a Coping Mechanism. Some other examples of metafiction include The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, and Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
Cultural Context: Mental Health and Death by Suicide in Japan
For decades, suicide rates, particularly among children and teens, have been a major societal concern in Japan. While Japan’s overall suicide rates are not among the top 10 highest rates, it is the most common cause of death among men aged 20-44 and among women aged 15-34. Additionally, though youth suicide rates have dropped since the 1980s-1990s, a significant increase in 2025 has led to the highest suicide rates among children and teens since 1980. This is believed to be due to lingering health concerns and social isolation from COVID-19 (“Suicide Rates by Country 2025.” World Population Review).
Much of Japan’s difficulties with suicide rates among all demographics are believed to stem from a complex combination of cultural attitudes and societal expectations. First, Japanese culture places pressure on children to excel in school, including mandating longer daily hours in school, firm expectations of extracurricular involvement in clubs, after-school tutoring, and summer cram schools. Great importance is placed on testing, which often determines which schools and colleges a student can apply to. Academics in Japanese schools are highly competitive, with test scores and school placements often publicly displayed. This leads to high anxiety, social isolation, bullying, and fear of parental judgment. In 2021, Japanese children rated first among 38 countries in physical health, but 37th of 38th in mental wellbeing (Misic, Lidija. “Hidden Struggles: The Surprising Mental Health Crisis Among Japan’s Youth.” Humanium, 9 May 2023). Exacerbating all these issues is the impact of the internet and online social media. Japanese youth have high rates of internet addiction and cyberbullying.
Traditionally, Japanese culture tends to discourage speaking about or acknowledging mental-health issues, placing value on privacy, stoicism, and self-sufficiency. People are expected to deal with issues privately, including mental-health issues and problems like family conflict and abuse. Generally, there is cultural reluctance to speak of personal issues or reach out for help. Though efforts have been made to change this stigma in recent decades, change remains slow (Imataka, George, and Hideaki Shiraishi. “Youth Suicide in Japan: Exploring the Role of Subcultures, Internet Addiction, and Societal Pressures.” Diseases, vol. 13, no. 1, 2024).
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