The Manga that Lost its Purpose (in a good way)

[@zeroanonymity9736]

Fun fact about the meme face: It is an ON POINT reference to a Korean thriller called Old Boy. The main character shares a similar expression in the final scene of the movie for very similar reasons. If you haven't seen it you really, REALLY should give it a shot.

[@stanislaww.piesio9879]

Just don't mix it up with American remake - that version is just awful

[@MrARhodes]

Classic Movie. 🫡

[@DongbaekEGOSpicebush]

OLD BOYS WORKSHOP

[@guymanhumanperson]

dear god, dear god, tinkle hoy

[@hairylegs1319]

​@@DongbaekEGOSpicebushrecover stagger

[@RenderingUser]

Bro, sometimes i forget that this was the rainworld channel. peak manga recommendations coming left and right

[@Chaos1king]

This is??

[@starplatinum1113]

@@Chaos1king Yep, he used to do rainworld videos back when he had just a few hundred to thousand subscribers, those videos are funny af btw they just didnt get recommended, you should watch them, you wont regret it.

[@smartsmartie7142]

Yooo he makes now manga content too? Nice.

[@Halak014]

This Manga has layers, the film they make, the fight they try to do, the religion they believe in, the misunderstanding and suffering of a cruel world.

[@rodrigoalvarenga1314]

"Your aura was strong before you got murdered by the lightning twink", god I love this channel

[@hellbreakfast1590]

I always half-wonder what happened to Fujimoto. He writes stories that appear to be about action, but are in reality about trauma and relationships. This isn't work you can write without having gone through hell. It's a certain way things are presented, how survivors of abuse aren't treated only as victims, but as complex humans who can sometimes do damaging, horrible things because they don't know where to put the fire that keeps burning inside them forever. It's a perfect metaphor. He understands something very deeply that I can't see a regular person understanding, and my heart often finds itself going out to him. I hope I am wrong and he's merely a man from a happy home life that got interested in psychology and writes well. Thanks for the review, strange internet guy. I have stayed away from Fire Punch because I was told how gloomy it was compared to Chainsaw Man, but I may read it, now.

[@mikankitsune0440]

Fujimoto from what I've heard he has experienced starvation and had a rough childhood. I thought that was the case when I was reading his stories because as a survivor of abuse myself a lot of his writing has the feeling of *lived experience* when it came to the trauma and horror that he writes.

[@Stryfe52]

Something something the greatest comedians are the saddest people, which is even funnier because Fujimoto is somehow both the funniest mangaka yet also the most emotional when it counts. I love all of his work

[@Tata45868]

Not only someone that has gone through hell, but someone that has thought about and analyzed what he has gone through

[@asherdunton9999]

chainsaw man can be pretty dang gloomy...

[@Albertable]

I loved it when Agni said "I guess I'll Firepunch my way through this..." And Firepunched the guy.

[@popogeejo]

The last little thought about External Perception vs Internal perception is great. I love how Agni and Togata relate to each other as he tries to understand Togata's feelings. "People see me as a God when I'm just a kid." or words to that effect. Shit goes hard.

[@bonemarrow3439]

Okay half way through the video, i actually took up reading the manga myself and holy shit it was a rollercoaster. Color me surprised when the final tree made by Luna was literally where i live in South India. Now the name Agni makes a lot of sense regionally too. Anyways time to continue the video

[@AratakaReigen497]

Wait where was the tree situated again?

[@bonemarrow3439]

@@AratakaReigen497 southern India, specifically in the states of Andra Or Karnataka

[@AratakaReigen497]

@@bonemarrow3439 woah I didn't know that thanks!

[@wordsoflove8787]

Houseki no Kuni AND Fire Punch? This channel is GOATED!

[@mopmop4862]

Can’t wait for his land of the lustrous analysis!

[@octosushi013]

and girl's last tour mega goated

[@mopmop4862]

@@octosushi013 based hnk pfp

[@shukohs]

nerd

[@JalarenZarrus]

Tatsuki Fujimoto is truly one of the most Mangakas of all time

[@danowo1048]

i remember when i initially read this i finished it like "that's IT?!" bc i was hoping for a more clear cut answer to the "why live thru the agony" question, but since then ive come to the same conclusions you have here. its such a good manga with such good art

[@joenoodle6914]

damn, he's an anime video essay channel now. the year of daszombes starts NOW

[@t-rex1019]

Like right now? 'Cause it's the middle of they year so you'd only get like a half of the year of Daszombes.

[@joenoodle6914]

@@t-rex1019 the year of dasbombes will never end

[@Algorithm_God_Cult]

​@@joenoodle6914endless year

[@nguyentandung42]

Well yeah no more rain world

[@Someone-id5xj]

I want to add that, at the end, when we see how San (I thought it was Sun, but I may be misremembering) took over Agni’s cult, he uses the exact same “fuel” terminology and ideas as those Behemdrog. I think it’s a very nice way to tie everything together and, it shows not only how delusional he is (using the same ideas as those of Behemdrog), but also how flipping the system so those who were in power are now oppressed isn’t any better (IIRC, the last survivors of Behemdrog come to him and beg for forgiveness and shelter, but he kills them on the spot, since they are “fuel”)

[@MACZ2021]

Sun is how Viz translates his name in the official translation so you're remembering right.

[@dougman1067]

bro, the manga literally stated that sun’s name is derived from the sun that provides warmth. idk what this translator was on

[@liricopetanco6257]

I dunno if it was the autor who said it but I think he write firepunch because in revenge histories they always end on the revenge, never showing how the protagonist deals with life after they are done. It realy shows, the revenge in the story is short lived giving bigger enfasis in the life afterwards and in how you are forced to keep going.

[@KumaChainsaw]

She didn’t cool the world because she could, she did it because she didn’t like how Star Wars was going and wanted to restart humanity so she could lead the new mankind to the point where they could make it again and it would go the way she liked

[@danielpankuch2913]

Understandable.

[@michalszilagyi6114]

the world cooled of naturaly

[@smugumin3448]

Understandable

[@koshhi1178]

Video essay creators hypnotising me into watching fire punch and fear and hunger essays instead of doing schoolwork

[@arglebargle42]

Fuel: The best wood is reserved for beautiful carvings The next best wood for buildings and ships The next best for furniture and bowls The next best for boxes and paper The least best is good only for burning. But all wood burns. Do you burn a beloved statue or a pile of scrap to stay warm? The only war that has ever been is class war.

[@thisrandomdude2880]

Beautifully said.

[@whamuwu7865]

I thought you were making a point about bringing back aristocracy, implying that some people are inherently superior to others (which I agree on) Not sure how talking about better and worse wood explains the class war, which at this point is not top 15% against the rest, is the 0.01% against the entire world, but either way, I will repurpose your argument and use it to defend my own, and radically different beliefs. Thank you 🫡 PS: I don't believe that there isn't a class war, one generally shares more culture with someone of their same class from another country than with a rich person from their own country, I just believe that the rich people we meet are not responsible for the shit happening in the world, that's just the ultra rich, that we won't even meet irl in pur entire lifetime.

[@thedarpside9480]

​@@whamuwu7865so you believe that some people are better than others, and want to bring that back..? Yeah you're fucking crazy, and thank god ur not a leader in any country 🤣 but on a real note, while others may have advantages in certain areas than others, to delegate someone to be entirely superior than someone else based on specific attributes is nonsense and totally disregards the complexity behind human nature. and about class, regardless of whatever rich people are "truly evil", they all feed into the same economy, which is literally why those class systems exist in the first place. Rich people have more than enough time and resources to understand their privileges and how they could help others. Do they have too? well thats a different conversation, but averting blame is just simply false.

[@chuckin6823]

disco elysium ass dialogue

[@KomoliRihyoh]

Togata not liking others knowing he's really a trans man is *also* about perception. Due to his blessing, there is no surgery or medication he could take to fully transition, as his body will always "heal" back to its original female form. Due to this, he'd rather others think of him as a girl to 1) try and pretend he's *not* trans since it's less agonizing to live as a girl than exist as a trans man who can never transition, and 2) so others won't think he's disgusting or pity him. I'm really in awe at Fujimoto being able to write a trans character with such depth of personality as Togata.

[@OrcaIguana]

I think it's absolutely insane that so far not a single Tatsuki Fujimoto work has missed for me. From one shots to manga all insanely good to me. I think the ability of an author to write a world so objectively horrifying, and managing to make the horror the reader feels the small things? so good. The scariest part of Fire Punch in the first half to me? the abject disgust from Luna's suggestion. The scariest part of CSM so far to me? I won't spoil but let's just say a scene with a sushi train. These worlds have things going on objectively significantly worse on an objective level, but Fujimoto is so good at making the personal horror. Also obviously he's so good at action and world building. IDK I could write up a whole essay on Fujimoto's writing style I know this is a weird comparison but it reminds me a lot of how Kideaki Anno writes stories if that makes sense.

[@OrcaIguana]

Basically, 26:27

[@hellbreakfast1590]

My suspicion is that he's a survivor of *something*. He's obviously a man that's wrestling with his own mind, and making beautiful art through it. Art that, in turn, helps other people understand themselves better. I've drawn the Anno comparison, myself, from time to time. Taste-wise, I prefer Fujimoto's work, and feel it is much more successful in exploring its themes than Anno's- or, at the very least, the messages are not tied down as heavily with the absolute balls-out insanity that working at early Gainax was. If you haven't seen it already, and you like Anno's work, Bennet the Sage did a really fascinating breakdown of his career.

[@Markm8]

Imagine seeing a person literally on permanent fire and think “yea i should rob him”

[@time_time3038]

Holy shit Daszombes talking about Fire punch?! I Didn't expect this to happen

[@ivanfrostythesnowman]

fujimotors has some definite brain damage to make me read the shit he makes. he is a merchant of suffering, both the main character and the reader

[@mahwiiiife408]

There was never a moment while reading this manga where I thought to myself "Is this really necessary?" Every panel is essential to understanding the heart of Fire Punch.

[@AnnaTheFallMaiden]

the "hey, children, i want you two to have sex with those dogs" scene felt too over the top to me personally the world building establishes how fucked up the world is constantly (with the cells full of electricity users being sapped being the most drastic display imo), adding pedo bestiality into it (even if its only implied because the characters escape) is just fucking wild

[@mahwiiiife408]

@@AnnaTheFallMaiden don't misconstrue that panel. That is our first intro to how depraved Behemdolg has become. We knew they took Blesseds to work as slaves, but we didn't understand how corrupted the higher-ups were. It's a stab in the gut after being babied for the first few chapters.

[@Pannlicker]

Great video, I signed in just to make this comment and give some possible insight into the creation of Fire Punch (Warning, possible e.d trigger) I never knew why exactly I resonated with Fire Punch so much, that was until I found out that Fujimoto has had the displeasure of experiencing starvation. Since I am a recovered/recovering anorexic I know firsthand how starving for extended periods of time warp one's mind, so I've noticed some possible ways Fire Puch was influenced by said experience. The first thing I connected was the empty and cold setting of Fire Punch. One of the awful things about starving is keeping warm, since you are literally starting to hollow out you have almost no natural insulation on top of not having the energy to move, you generate little body heat it combines to make a chill that permeates your whole being. So the setting checks out. The other two standouts to me are Agni and the fuel motif. Another 'fun' part about starving is the mental horror and im not talking about the mental effects of the physical pain when starving. Im talking about the never ending visceral feeling of dread, feeling like an incomplete husk, being all too painfully aware that your body is consuming itself that it is throwing parts of itself into your meager life flame, that your body is nothing more than fuel for itself and knowing that you dont have the energy to even really fully understand what is happening around you. Its a very dehumanizing experience where even your humanity is eroded. But yeah and Agni reminds me of when tummy hurt. I hope this was coherent enough to get my observations of Fire Punch across and not sound like an indecipherable run-on/ramble.

[@my_name_kenn1490]

When you put things into this perspective, the story makes a lot more sense. As an artist myself, I find aspects of my life sprinkled into some of my pieces. Thank you for sharing not only Fujimoto’s experience, but putting your own vulnerability out here as well. It makes me reflect on my own vulnerabilities and how I could potentially use them within my art as well. I am very glad you are recovering, and from one stranger on the internet to another, I wish you well.

[@slamburger1479]

YOOO Firepunch mentioned!

[@darryllmaybe3881]

Yeah, I know! It was a super brief and subtle reference, but it's really cool to see nonetheless!

[@nulls5408]

Best way I can describe fire punch is the shinen equivalent of a slice of life. Your just kinda here to see what the protagonist is doing, but rather than being nice and wholesome - it’s extremely bitter and slightly sweet with cool explosions.

[@RenderingUser]

Bro casually skipped over the.... the... scene from chapter 1

[@soupeateryummy]

its youtube did you expect him to?

[@RenderingUser]

@@soupeateryummy gigguk also mentioned it in his video

[@xadielplasencia3674]

What scene?

[@walnutstudio502]

He skipped most of the sexual stuff

[@aliyutube]

​@@xadielplasencia3674read the manga

[@pebblepebble1242]

I feel like you really hit the nail on the head in regards to how and why we cling to life. As utterly crushing living can be, i tell myself that it's all we can do...yet at my wits end, trying to figure out what I was struggling for and finally give it up for good, what crossed my mind wasn't having a choice or purpose. It was those occasional and fleeting moments when life just felt...fun. I'm living because i remembered the moments that I was simply happy to be, and admitted to myself that the sole reason i kept going was to have more of that warmth. That realization - however coated in nihility - redefined everything for me. Showing me that above all else, we all suffer through these things because we long for that radiant glimmer of possibility. For the sake of future in which we may bask in a warm love once more.

[@Ev1em]

One of the biggest reasons, why do I love this manga to no end and am willing to ignore practically all of it's downsides is because of how this manga feels to read. When you read Firepunch - it feels like a barely restrained stream of pure consciousness from Fujimoto. It gives an impression like Fujimoto was sitting before his workplace and thought "what if I add this scene?" and then just went ahead and added it, "what if this character will do that?" and then just went ahead and made them do it with next to no hesitation. does this leads to story and setting to having more plot holes than a block of cheddar cheese and being absolutely nonsensical at times? yes. Does it allow the story to show some of the most unique and intriguing ideas, interactions and visuals I have ever seen? also yes.

[@pradipayogyartha328]

The panels shown in the video are fan translation. In the official release, San is spelled Sun, so it's actually Sun and Luna

[@tjpprojects7192]

The man marked by flames in One Piece is a reference to Firepunch.

[@goldengolem4670]

The city using the blessed as fuel reminded me of "Those who walk away from Omelas"

[@kadmus1515]

Fire Punch is a really hard manga to recommend but this video just explain the entire feeling of reading it the first time, such a nice work, ty dude!!

[@rileyanderson-uk3ql]

26:27 "FUCK GOD SHIT DAMN fuck YEAH, ok I'm normal again" is the best reaction to this manga.

[@LamarjorieQueen]

I’m sorry, did he just say all that happened because of fucking Star Wars?!

[@matute93]

just to clarify, when the manga was published we didn't had the sequels yet 😂

[@LamarjorieQueen]

@@matute93 that is possibly the most batshit crazy idea that has ever been genuinely good 🤣🤣🤣

[@SandsAgain]

I WOULD NEVER THINK I WOULD SEE DAS MAKE A VIDEO ON FUCKING FIREPUNCH. That's so goated. I love tatsuki.

[@aperfectkil]

this is a manga that genuinely changed my life, this is the only manga that I've gone out of my way to by all the volumes so I can read it whenever I want.

[@chroney8355]

this manga got me thru some awfully grim shit in my life. even now, there are days where i feel like im losing it. at my lowest, ive often thought of agni and how he rallied himself to get up again. and every time, im reminded that i want to live

[@MrCythos]

Fire Punch is up there on my list of favorite manga I've ever read and I think it's generally underrated and unduly dismissed as nothing more than being overly indulgent in graphic content. I love Togata and I felt for him so much. The pain of Agni's existence and his constant mental breakdowns. I can understand if the content is too much for someone to read but if you are able to read it and look at the graphic content as a tool and vehicle for the characters, the setting, the story as a whole, it all works so fantastically well together. Fire Punch is beautiful.

[@sslinger704]

"Kick the baby!" I do love a South Park reference

[@devilsMasquerade]

Togata can’t transition because his regeneration stops all attempts

[@alcoholic_father_gaming]

"he was merely a man who burned" what a hard sentence

[@Toto-95]

"For the first few months, all i did was howl in pain" - Firepunch trying to adapt to burning alive constantly😃

[@JustoneMILK]

"the coffin of Fire punch and Luna"

[@Amirrorofmirrors]

I hate how accurate of a comparison this is

[@alias6676]

one motive that seemed very important at the beginning of the manga but dropped later is the "common sense" and i think it deserves some spotlight too there are few moments where characters spew some absolute insane shit and call it "common sense" other characters spew some nice and inspiring shit and call it "common sense". One common sense supports other common senses and clashes with more. With all that a question arises: Does common sense actually exist or is this just an easy excuse for our believes?

[@pacotaco1246]

Omg someone made a video on Fire Punch!!

[@the_german_platypus200]

I like the English version where fuel is “firewood” significantly more

[@greeblepleeb]

I think the new diversification of your content is a good direction for your channel, you already had a good voice for narration so the video essay format works quite well for you

[@sptony2718]

I really loved the subway fight scene and how it just shows the car sliced wide open with Togata's adversary gutted and impaled. It's exactly the exaggeration I love to see.

[@marcuso.530]

Fire Punch has consistently been the only manga I've gone back to read multiple times. Something about its world and characters always brings me back to it. And the message it wishes to convey has stuck with me even to today.

[@kemolucha7050]

Agni apperance also correlates to his purpose, when hes flamed on hes more like the unstoppable force people belive jim to be qhen he could be just as devastating without the fire if he wanted. withiut the fire he tries living in normalacy, hunting, eating, sleeping, shitting, but only up until he realized what HE wants yo be, is when hes truly freed from being forced to be one or the other. hes given a reset. the glames were WIPED from his body, clearing his appearance for all to see who he truly was and for him to accept himself as he is.

[@9r7g5h]

1) I liked that there was no music. It made it very easy to listen to you since sometimes the audio levels aren't done well and I can't understand what people are saying over the music. 2) I enjoyed you giving a rundown of the plot. It made it easier to understand your points later, so I think doing plot summaries first is a good thing! 3) Just a good video overall!

[@zog6940]

"skipping over an uncomfortable chapter" Thank GOD. That chapter almost made me stop reading. It was so messed up and disturbing. Which makes sense for the fucked up world of Fire Punch. But, God DAMN. Mr. Fuji Motors has a real talent for writing some messed up stuff in the middle of amazing stories.

[@specificdisc568]

So glad more people are finding this story as it has a bunch of everything and nothing all at the same time. This story genuinely had me taken back for what a story is even supposed to be. Overall though just a strange work of fiction from one of the most creatively inspired people (Tatsuki Fujimoto) to make this sort of thing.

[@deathdemo3252]

Taking burning calories to a whole other level

[@HowdyBepple]

I really really like the "The X that Y (In a good way)" naming theme for the manga videos so far!

[@WIZArdheretic]

I remember reading it for the first time, I couldn't breath after reading the ending for a moment.

[@chris-qf6hu]

Years ago I found this manga on Viz and after reading the first few chapters for free I immediately spent the $2 for the membership and read the whole thing, it remains one of my favorite manga ever and it was so good that I continued my membership for months after even though I had nothing else to read there. It truly is a brilliant work and I implore everyone to read it, especially so if you are a fan of the authors other works. I.E. Chainsaw Man. Mr.Das, this is an amazingly well put together video.

[@plopcornmachine2375]

End of Evangelion vibes the entire time.

[@danielhacker7206]

You channel my love for this manga 1 - 1. Subbed.

[@antori11]

Please do more manga reads! Make video on Oyasumi Punpun

[@Krakain]

Guy edged the title for the first minute

[@mahwiiiife408]

If I read fire punch when I was 14 I would have fizzled out after the Behemdorg Seige. With a fully developed prefrontal cortex I can appreciate the things deeper than fire man punches things.

[@Hammerheadcruiser]

I remember fire punch. One of those really good manga that gets super weird and that I rarely finish. Like battle angel alita, which also ends with tree nonsense.

[@prehistoricblackroast]

Daszombes back to his anime arc with Fire Punch you love to see it

[@rap7771]

i saw 4 minutes of this video then i closed it re-read fire punch placed it in my top 3 came back

[@DoomDog619]

this story kind of reminds me a bit of how david lynch wrights storys with balance of light and dark, also loved it keep it up

[@lordjuk1759]

Im not watching the video cus i wanna read the manga but from what i did see of it i have to make the comparison to Tsutomu Nihei`s works with the frigid and almost unlivable envireonment and people who posses a random power, which really reminded me of Abara or Aposimz, not to mention that Fujimoto has very noticeably taken inspiration from him for Chainsaw man at least. Thanks for showing us this Manga as i probably wouldnt have found it myself!

[@Ragnar_Oock]

I vaguely remeber something about blessings being an old and forgotten about tech that was common place in the world from before the apocalypse the ice witch, but I don't remember it having any real impact on the plot. (thought I don't think I read the manga 'till the end but the pages shown at the end of the video seems familiar so... maybe?)

[@michaeltima5007]

It's time to watch yet another video on one of my favourites.

[@flxsemi]

I forgot the beginning of Fire Punch goes so hard and then meanders in the mid chapters, be it done on purpose to make a statement about stories going on for way too long or not.

[@unseen9834]

“Purpose is how we get to one place to another, but living encompasses the small joys we make along the way.” Didn’t expect such an amazing quote.

[@tadesman2170]

i couldnt help but break into tears begging the characters to not say "Live" and watching this video proves I am going to yell at the screen crying everytime i see them say it

[@Daarvon]

The Rise of Kingdoms ad I saw when this video started had a dude who was drunk, slurring, and getting into his car 10/10 advertising

[@Dyoakie]

The scene in chapter 1 shocked me so bad i got hooked

[@JoltedAlive]

this manga has so much depth to it and god do i not know what the fuck i read

[@HonkieWithaBoomstick]

As one of the channels that honestly made me start making KZbin videos, it's really cool and inspiring too see you branch out from your established Rain World Niche and have even more quality/success, its not always easy to find other things worth making videos about after establishing a niche in an indie game community.

[@st5nky]

(I havent watched the video and im not going to but this is my guess to what happens simply based of going to the halfway point and listening for 3 seconds) He is going to criticize the manga then say "in a good way" right after

[@IeshiAke]

Sounds like you would love Ajin

[@swagsolotl0925]

I've been trying to find a sort of recap to this manga. Thanks

[@PirateKingBoros]

The fact that this manga goes out of its way to not show super messed up stuff kind of works to amplify just how messed up it is cuz it makes the more insane stuff it doesn’t show seem more casual and like a regular occurrence.

[@lePirateMan]

I hecking love Sun, my favorite character

[@Akisukaa]

Holy shit, read this manga recently and i am in aweee. Its so crazy. Im not sure if i want to call it good, weird or bad. Its just so... unique

[@seabassU1]

Let's go new zombers video

[@insertfunnynamehere1673]

I absolutely want to hear your breakdown of Girls Last Tour

[@pamba5561]

FIRE PUNCH MENTIONED 🔥🔥🔥🔥 WTF IS A STABLE RELATIONSHIP 🗣🗣💯💯🔥🔥

[@preworkoutfiend4650]

I like the way you think and explain it’s almost philosophical

[@rking157]

6:48 great idea it really works!!

[@blanketray6050]

i can't believe you skipped over one of the best lines in the entire manga, that being when Agni decides to release the slaves in Behemdolg, (right before the panel at 10:56 in the video) he says "I don't want things to end this way. I don't want to surrender myself to this world." It's one of the few choices Agni makes that seems to be his own, rather than a borrowed purpose from another dead friend.

[@bigdisease8439]

reading this shit had such a profound effect on my soul. I read portions while tripping

[@c.powell8472]

reminds me of the agony in the manga Immortal Rain

[@Higgs3]

i remember this being a strictly rain world channel

[@SpaceGamer07]

It’s kind of funny how the motivations of characters’ parallel to chainsaw man where there’s stuff like wanting to have sex and wanting to watch Star Wars

[@Pseudonym_0]

I’ve heard about this and don’t want it spoiled but this seems great

[@con575]

Finally someone covers fire punch.

[@Temp-nj8rm]

That slice of life part of the manga was pure agony to get through. Such a good manga.

[@kralkralovsky8416]

oh my fucking god i remember reading this firepunch or something i think

[@MerikoFaruk]

You should check Blame! if you like Girl's last tour

[@robot-sensei]

I respect your ability to skip some of the most grusome torment and suffering known to man while summerizing Fire Punch.

[@sunplatedfish8255]

Well this will be bad for analytics that i only watched a minute and dropped it but i had it in my library just never started and now i have to, after BLAME!