"These stories get under your skin and invite rereading."" --BookForum
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"Abandon the Old in Tokyo "is the second in a three-volume series ... read full description
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"Abandon the Old in Tokyo "is the second in a three-volume series ... read full description
reviews
Dec 17, 2009
Clare
rated it: 
I'm a relative newcomer to a lot of comic books and graphic novels so I can't really comment on how this fits in with the whole genre. However, this collection of short stories is really excellent. Perhaps the most eye-opening thing for me was the society portrayed. We tend to think of Japan in it's most modern incarnation but these stories point to a period after the war where Japan was at a very interesting point in terms of deciding it's identity. The stories are extremely elegant - an em
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Dec 06, 2011
Vim
rated it: 
This is one gem of a manga. It shows a gekiga story telling style (alternative, underground, not mainstream) which I really appreciate because I've been a follower of alternative comics published in the U.S. Now that I found out that they have these kinds of mangas has broaden my reading choices.
Furthermore, I agree with Adrian Tomine ( a well known alternative comics writer) during his interview with Mr. Tatsumi in the question an answer portion in the book, that a lot of people have More...
Furthermore, I agree with Adrian Tomine ( a well known alternative comics writer) during his interview with Mr. Tatsumi in the question an answer portion in the book, that a lot of people have More...
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Sep 03, 2011
Yuliani
rated it: 
Ini graphic novel pertama yang saya baca sampai selesai. Buku ini sampai di tangan saya lewat seorang teman yang berkomentar: betapa menekan dan kelamnya watak manusia yang ditampilkan buku ini. Persis demikian, ceritanya menampilkan sisi kelam manusia dengan cara yang membuat depresi. Imajinasi seksual yang liar dan menyimpang, hidup dalam selubung kepura-puraan. Getir tanpa ampun. Kita ingin menolak tapi sekaligus terpaksa memaklumi.
Tokoh ceritanya adalah orang-orang biasa dalam h
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Feb 16, 2009
Andrew
rated it: 
This is probably the godfather of such graphic novels as "Watchmen". Well, maybe it's more of a drunken great uncle that used to work for Disney but then things started to come out about what he does on the weekend, where he goes, which stores he is seen going into, that kind of thing.
My wife picked this up for me on a library trip (we've stopped buying books, that economy will get ya!) and I really enjoy the deep human emotion mixed with that intrinsic messed up-ness that I More...
My wife picked this up for me on a library trip (we've stopped buying books, that economy will get ya!) and I really enjoy the deep human emotion mixed with that intrinsic messed up-ness that I More...
Jun 06, 2011
Dis
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 11, 2010
Scott
rated it:
in Tatsumi's autobiographical A Drifting Life, him and his brother have many conversations about what manga is, and Tatsumi's own experimentation. Tatsumi’s brother’s criticisms can be seen at work here. In The Push Man most stories are 8 pages long, but each panel is packed with significance. Here, the longer stories seem to sometimes languish in their openness. Maybe Tatsumi’s wish to be more cinematic hinders him somewhat, as the stories don’t seem as tight, or even as meaningful. That isn’t
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Jun 13, 2009
Lars
rated it:
Tatsumi is growing on me. This collection of tales from the seventies is even darker and bleaker than 'The Push Man,' if that's possible. Tatsumi is a master of the dark and the bleak. It's interesting that he says he is unfamiliar with Crumb and other American underground pioneers in an afterword interview with Adrian Tomine, because he certainly shares an affinity for what seems autobiographical (despite his protestations), and for frankly examining perversity. Where Crumb goes over the t
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Jun 11, 2009
Adam
rated it:
a volume of collected works produced in '70. Herein the stories seem to tend towards the barriers between people. The art stylings feel less cared for than the '69 works, but not quite to the at first off-putting, but ultimately compelling 71/2 works. Tatsumi's work is easy to get sucked into, read an entire volume in a day. Highly recommended to force yourself to put the book down after a couple stories and come back another day. Even w/ the volumes themselves, space it out. The proximity of re
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Aug 17, 2011
Hard to rate, as the stories are quite divergent. I would not recommend it to a general audience however, simply for the fact that it includes the story "Unpaid" which is depraved.
I was glad for the interview with Tomine at the end, which gave me some perspective, and context to put the work into. It helped to know for example that some of the work was published in a adult magazine, which at least lets me know the intended audience for "Unpaid".
The final two are the best, " More...
I was glad for the interview with Tomine at the end, which gave me some perspective, and context to put the work into. It helped to know for example that some of the work was published in a adult magazine, which at least lets me know the intended audience for "Unpaid".
The final two are the best, " More...
Oct 10, 2010
Emilia
rated it:
In fine form, Tatsumi. A little bit less completely bleak and more satisfyingly narrative than The Push Man, worked in some feelings about art and family in along with the regular sexual messy barfing drunk stuff. In some ways, one could say he's got a very bleak view of Japanese post-war life, but in some ways, it comes off also as just a very humanizing effort. Everyone is flawed and flailing, everywhere. Tatsumi can't forget it, and neither should we I suppose. Also, the more I read of him th
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Sep 19, 2011
Sam
rated it:
"Abandon The Old in Tokyo" is Tatsumi's second collected edition from Drawn & Quarterly and shows a marked shift in tone from the dark, satirical humour in "The Push Man" to a much darker worldview in this book. The first thing to notice is that the pieces are longer this time around. Tatsumi uses this length to go deeper into the minds of his protagonists and the Japanese society of this time.
The title story is about a young man, torn between a life with his fia More...
The title story is about a young man, torn between a life with his fia More...
Dec 31, 2009
Josephus
rated it:
Some of the stories ended a little too obliquely for me to follow what the intent was (Forked Road, The Washer, to a lesser extent Beloved Monkey). The generic working class character face got to be a little frustrating after a while, giving the impression that you were reading the same story again and again. But those are pretty minor complaints in the big scheme.
The under-conceived female characters could be significantly frustrating though. A wife and scarred woman in "Th More...
The under-conceived female characters could be significantly frustrating though. A wife and scarred woman in "Th More...
Apr 27, 2008
Jason
rated it:
A little more tame than the previous book, The Push Man and Other Stories, this installment is still perverse and pervasively sad. The abruptness of each ending reminds me of Raymond Carver, but it's hard to describe the content. Every story involves an isolated man; every story involves some kind-of sexual perversion. Some are just so strange, like nothing you've ever read before. I'm very tempted to give this book 4 stars because of how affecting it is. And the same with The Pushman, but
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Aug 13, 2007
Amber
rated it:
This installment was another great one with art that you just had to sit and drool over for a moment before getting on with the stories. it was certainly on par with the last one beyond that a lot of these stories were more involved and deeper. a few took a bit of time to fully sink in...
The title story was, I think, the most disturbing. I think the main thing about these stories is that they don't just -think- about doing something, they go ahead and do it. maybe many people wou More...
The title story was, I think, the most disturbing. I think the main thing about these stories is that they don't just -think- about doing something, they go ahead and do it. maybe many people wou More...
Sep 29, 2011
Maureen
rated it:
I can appreciate these stories on a certain level- they were created far before their time, and helped to form indie Japanese comics into what they are today. There is a certain dark humor present in them, and the drawing style is cartoon-ish without being childish, which can be difficult to pull off. Tatsumi is definitely a talented author, and stories like "Man in a Hole" were haunting and thought provoking. Yet, too many of them were inconclusive, too dry, or lacking structure. This
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Apr 03, 2009
narajaponesa
rated it:
A classic must-read for lovahs of the graphic novel format. Tatsumi's 1970s gekiga (dramatic, more realistic cartooning) are presented stunningly in this volume edited by Adrian Tomine. Fascinating, depressing, shocking. The sexual perversities portrayed here rocked me so hard I had to stop reading it. Still, this isn't your average depiction of Japan, and the stories are beautifully told, which I totally appreciate.
May 08, 2008
Marissa
rated it:
Similar to The Push Man in tone and subject matter, although I think this one's introduction probably does the work better justice than Tomine's. I am slightly suspicious that this author has suddenly come into vogue in America, although I understand why. The stories recall the bleak, misanthropic, and deeply masculine works of other hipster favorites such as Bukowski, Crumb, and Kafka. On the other hand, I appreciated the introduction's comments about these works being very Japanese and specifi
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Jan 26, 2010
Northern
rated it:
Yoshihiro Tatsumi single handedly spear headed the underground comic movement in Japan. In fact, he was really the only artist of his kind for roughly forty years. He never knew of R. Crumb or Art Speiglman until relatively recently, interestingly enough.
As for the book, it's just as uncomfortably voyeuristic and tragic as his other works. Like The Push man, this includes an interview with Yoshihiro by Adrian Tomine.
As for the book, it's just as uncomfortably voyeuristic and tragic as his other works. Like The Push man, this includes an interview with Yoshihiro by Adrian Tomine.
Jan 28, 2010
Molly
rated it:
So, no one really gets a good ending in this collection of short graphic stories, but they're really well-written. A couple of them were just really poignant and striking- I recommend it for the amount of time it takes to read. Beware: there is a sex scene with a dog (yeah, I didn't expect that, either).
Jan 10, 2010
Kate
rated it:
I understand that the point of this genre (that I think Tatsumi helped to create, if I'm not mistaken) is to shock you into feeling something for people doing otherwise heinous things. It's compelling because it makes you feel awful for being unable to put it down. Not much shocks me but this did.
Jul 02, 2009
Janice
rated it:
These stories are unified by the loneliness and desperation of their characters, who are pushed to the very brink in a grim, merciless postwar Japan. The stories are disturbing and one is downright shocking, but they're also fascinating. I'm hooked and want to read more Tatsumi.
Jun 22, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Incredibly dark stories. Not sure I like the way the women were portrayed, but that's really my only complaint. This Drawn and Quarterly edition included a somewhat pointless interview with the author. The answers to many questions were, "I don't know. I'm not sure. I'll check and get back to you."
Dec 09, 2011
ame
rated it:
a good start to learn about Japanese views on their social responsibilities issues, especially in postwar era.
though this book really is my cup of tea, I stopped reading at the third story.
Far too depressing for me.
guess it's the wrong tea time.
though this book really is my cup of tea, I stopped reading at the third story.
Far too depressing for me.
guess it's the wrong tea time.
May 31, 2010
Muriel
rated it:
Een mooi voorbeeld van wat Tatsumi 'gegika' noemde: manga voor volwassenen met een serieus onderwerp (in dit geval het leven van de gewone man, met een accent op de onderbuik van de samenleving). Krachtige kortverhalen, in de vorm van een gestripte strip.
Jul 24, 2011
Ursula
rated it:
I'm open to the fact that maybe I "missed" the major themes or just "didn't get it." Although many have hailed Tatsumi a master, this collection of tales was too disjointed for me. Sometimes the transition from one panel to another, in the same tale, was jarring and distracting. Tatsumi admits to drawing all his main characters deliberately with the same face, but I found the tactic a little lazy and very frustrating since each man was supposed to be unique. I did appreciate
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Jan 05, 2008
Frederick
rated it:
I'm finding that what I want to say will dissuade potential readers of this book.
If you're afraid this book will shock you, I can only ask, "Have you read other graphic novels?"
While this is a collection of stories, the themes are such that there is an effect of unity such as Joyce attained in DUBLINERS. The lives depicted are stunted. There is generally a protagonist who has surface similarities with any given protagonist in any other story in the collection. Occasionally More...
If you're afraid this book will shock you, I can only ask, "Have you read other graphic novels?"
While this is a collection of stories, the themes are such that there is an effect of unity such as Joyce attained in DUBLINERS. The lives depicted are stunted. There is generally a protagonist who has surface similarities with any given protagonist in any other story in the collection. Occasionally More...
May 12, 2010
Hanna
rated it:
Challenging to read. Although it is a book of short stories they all involve different protagonists who happen to be drawn the exact same way. Hmm.
Amusing story on failed children's book author who move on to porn.
Amusing story on failed children's book author who move on to porn.
May 25, 2009
David
rated it:
Nice graphic short story collection. Depressing and dark, but a very interesting approach to telling stories. These were probably much more groundbreaking in 1970 when they were written, but they hold up well now.
Nov 23, 2008
Matthew
rated it:
An ok collection of comics from a rapidly changing Tokyo of the 70s. I was hoping for more insight into a different culture, but it could have been the United States except for a few superficial differences.
Dec 13, 2009
Zena
rated it:
This is actually a brilliant comic, and as the name implies, it is disturbingly dark and depressing. There are several separate stories within it that magnify the same ideas through character and circumstance.
