Abandon the Old in Tokyo
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- Create Date：2021-04-03 14:57:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Yoshihiro Tatsumi
- ISBN：1770460772
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Summary
Abandon the Old in Tokyo continues to delve into the urban underbelly of 1960s Tokyo， exposing not only the seedy dealings of the Japanese everyman but Yoshihiro Tatsumi's maturation as a storyteller。 Many of the stories deal with the economic hardships of the time and the strained relationships between men and women， but do so by means of dark allegorical twists and turns。 A young sewer cleaner's girlfriend has a miscarriage and leaves him when he proves incapable of finding higher-paying work。 When a factory worker loses his hand on the job， the parallels between him and his pet monkey prove startling and significant。
Reviews
Alexander Pavlikovsky
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"The more people flock together， the more alienated they become。" "The more people flock together， the more alienated they become。" 。。。more
Kasey Futurama
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My first 'gekiga。' Explained in the Q&A with Adrian Tomine at the end of the novel， a gekiga is a darker， more realistic style of cartoons depicting real life。 'Abandon the old。。。' is a realistic and depressing look at postwar 1960s Tokyo when economics were thriving and the class divide was increasing。 Looking forward to reading more Tastsumi and gekiga。 My first 'gekiga。' Explained in the Q&A with Adrian Tomine at the end of the novel， a gekiga is a darker， more realistic style of cartoons depicting real life。 'Abandon the old。。。' is a realistic and depressing look at postwar 1960s Tokyo when economics were thriving and the class divide was increasing。 Looking forward to reading more Tastsumi and gekiga。 。。。more
TheNuisance1
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I understand that it was during the 70s but I just think the art was rather too simple and each stories were half finished just because it's the sake of story collection。 I just think each stories had potential to be good if the author tried！ I understand that it was during the 70s but I just think the art was rather too simple and each stories were half finished just because it's the sake of story collection。 I just think each stories had potential to be good if the author tried！ 。。。more
Jake Nap
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I figured Tatsumi would grow and mature from the already excellent “Push Man” collection， but I didn’t expect him to hit his stride this hard。 This collection of stories takes the silent， blue collar， melancholy short stories Tatsumi was telling in the previous volume and perfects them while also sprinkling in some curveball stories。 Basically every story here was a stand out， but the story this collection is named after takes the cake for my favorite。 It’s the best version of what I’d call up t I figured Tatsumi would grow and mature from the already excellent “Push Man” collection， but I didn’t expect him to hit his stride this hard。 This collection of stories takes the silent， blue collar， melancholy short stories Tatsumi was telling in the previous volume and perfects them while also sprinkling in some curveball stories。 Basically every story here was a stand out， but the story this collection is named after takes the cake for my favorite。 It’s the best version of what I’d call up to this point a typical Tatsumi story。 。。。more
Mickey Bits
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Very dark， very grown up。 He focuses on the banal parts of life。 Fascinating glimpse of life in Japan after the war。
Stephane
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Abandon the Old in TokyoYoshihiro TatsumiLonger stories than the previous volume， perhaps a bit more polished， but decidedly in the same vein; vaguely misogynist male protagonist， drifting， barely able to engage with their surrounding let alone to have any agency on it， all damaged in some ways。 Lost in the crowds， lost in the world， often voiceless， unable to understand social interactions or to have any type of introspection。 While there are underlaying themes， maybe it is best to say a few wo Abandon the Old in TokyoYoshihiro TatsumiLonger stories than the previous volume， perhaps a bit more polished， but decidedly in the same vein; vaguely misogynist male protagonist， drifting， barely able to engage with their surrounding let alone to have any agency on it， all damaged in some ways。 Lost in the crowds， lost in the world， often voiceless， unable to understand social interactions or to have any type of introspection。 While there are underlaying themes， maybe it is best to say a few words about each stories。OccupiedA comic book artist learn that his children series is cancelled by the publisher。 He must end it against his will。 Drifting， he is approached by a adult magazine editor who "has been watching him for a while。" But what will making the leap from children book to porn will do to his psyche？ For some reasons， reminded me of Houellebecq。 A bit of dark humor， obscenity and a general disdain。 Fantastic， really （5）。 Abandon the Old in TokyoA man must care for his invalid mom who lives with him。 Unable to get on with his life， and facing the patient persistence of his girlfriend， he finally decides to find an apartment for his mom。 But is he trading a prison for another？ Does he have a handle on what he truly wants？ Suffocating tale。 Also fantastic （5）。 The WasherYou see interesting things when you wash the windows of high-rise buildings。 Sometimes， things you might not wish to see。 Who will live with the consequences？ Not the most riveting， but a nice ending （3）。Beloved MonkeyInteresting story of a lonely factory worker and his pet monkey。。。 Of course a book is a silent media but this story is about as close as I ever came， I think， of "feeling" the noise （I can't say hearing， but that might be more appropriate。。。） From the opening pages: the noise of machines overtakes the world as everyone becomes isolated。 The more people flock together， the more alienated they become。 All that noise and you can't hear your own voice， all those people and you can't forge relationship。 Very good （4）。 UnpaidA failed businessman sits aimlessly at his desk， long after the curtain fell on his business。 He will find comfort and solace in the most peculiar way。 Just weird and odd。 Just nah （2）。 The HoleAnother strange tale， set for the first time away from the city。 A man gets lots in the forest and encounter a mutilated hermit。 Nothing memorable （3）。 Forked RoadA bit of a slice of life tale which may end whichever way you want it to be。 The city is a character in this one。 A man gets drunk and end up pass out at the back a bar where his friend works。 Upon waking up， he has a vision of a troubling childhood incident， which sends him back in time。 Hint， this has to do with sex， of course （3）。 EelTypical Tatsumi protagonist， working as a sewer cleaner， poor， disfranchised， voiceless; with a pregnant wife who his constantly nagging him to find a better job so they can afford what the baby needs。 But tragedy strikes and things change。 Nice ending， a bit more substance than the previous stories （4）。Most of the men of those stories are men of another era （they were written in the early 70s） trapped between mechanical/menial labor and the need to fulfill their role as purveyors。 I'll repeat it， they are all failure and mostly voiceless， which might usually lead them down paths of despair， or sometimes violence （although rarely in this volume）， the society is changing faster than they can。 Why read those hopeless stories then？ Because， I suppose， those people do exist， in Japan or elsewhere。 Set in Japan， these stories are both unfamiliar and familiar， and it might also be the appeal。 I enjoyed them， and I will continue to read them， but I can also totally see why someone might not have any interest， and you know what， it's absolutely fine。 。。。more
seriy moon
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Dark， gruesome but poignant and insightful nonetheless
Argaja Mishra
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Dark。 Depressing。 Not for me。
eve
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This is my first time coming across gekiga， which Tatsumi describes as a "darker， more realistic style of cartooning。" A similar style to Junji Itou's collections， although much more disturbing to say least。 This is my first time coming across gekiga， which Tatsumi describes as a "darker， more realistic style of cartooning。" A similar style to Junji Itou's collections， although much more disturbing to say least。 。。。more
Helly
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One has to be comfortable with a perverse representation of the world around us， one that reflects it's darkest and most twisted Psychologies。 The illustrations creep into your mind and stay there for many a day， and after Junji Ito it's Yoshihiro Tatsumi who captures a twisted psyche so perfectly without delving completely into the realm of horror。 One has to be comfortable with a perverse representation of the world around us， one that reflects it's darkest and most twisted Psychologies。 The illustrations creep into your mind and stay there for many a day， and after Junji Ito it's Yoshihiro Tatsumi who captures a twisted psyche so perfectly without delving completely into the realm of horror。 。。。more
Noninuna
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It's a collection of short stories and the main theme in this one is challenging morality and not stuff for children。 Its tone was a bit depressing and it's like the author took readers to see human failures in life。This is out of my reading preference。 Wayyyyyy out， to be honest。 Upon finishing his autobiography last month， I thought I should give his works a try。 Abandon the Old in Tokyo particularly have my interest because it was mentioned in The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service， Volume 1 w It's a collection of short stories and the main theme in this one is challenging morality and not stuff for children。 Its tone was a bit depressing and it's like the author took readers to see human failures in life。This is out of my reading preference。 Wayyyyyy out， to be honest。 Upon finishing his autobiography last month， I thought I should give his works a try。 Abandon the Old in Tokyo particularly have my interest because it was mentioned in The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service， Volume 1 which I read a couple of years ago。 Back then， I was clueless about what the reference was。 。。。more
Andres Eguiguren
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First published in Japan in 1970， Abandon the Old in Tokyo is a throwback to the darker side of late 1960s Tokyo post-1964 Olympics and the introduction of the shinkansen high speed trains。 Tatsumi focuses instead on "everyman" males who are something less than successful， from bathroom graffiti artists to blue collar workers。 This is definitely not Pikachu or Hello Kitty！ First published in Japan in 1970， Abandon the Old in Tokyo is a throwback to the darker side of late 1960s Tokyo post-1964 Olympics and the introduction of the shinkansen high speed trains。 Tatsumi focuses instead on "everyman" males who are something less than successful， from bathroom graffiti artists to blue collar workers。 This is definitely not Pikachu or Hello Kitty！ 。。。more
Jay Wilson
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A dark collection of short stories that focus on outcasts of society and the glimmer of redemption that lies within them。 The subjects of these stories are people who are varying portions of poor， destitute， invalid， promiscuous， and sinful， but the goodness and innocence within them shines as well， especially in the ambiguous （though， again， dark） resolutions of these stories。 The questions raised in these stories deal not only with the moral ambiguity of individuals， but of society as a whole， A dark collection of short stories that focus on outcasts of society and the glimmer of redemption that lies within them。 The subjects of these stories are people who are varying portions of poor， destitute， invalid， promiscuous， and sinful， but the goodness and innocence within them shines as well， especially in the ambiguous （though， again， dark） resolutions of these stories。 The questions raised in these stories deal not only with the moral ambiguity of individuals， but of society as a whole， as well as how the evils of an uncaring society shape the decisions of who could otherwise be "good" people。 Despite their brevity， these stories present characters who are complex， relatable， and ultimately human， whose memories outlast the length of their tales。 。。。more
Mateen Mahboubi
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A collection of bleak and dark stories of relatively normal people in the throws of life's challenges。 While not necessarily always relatable， Tatsumi is a master at giving characters that we feel for， despite their many flaws。 Great examples of Tatsumi's gekiga-style manga from the early 70s。 A collection of bleak and dark stories of relatively normal people in the throws of life's challenges。 While not necessarily always relatable， Tatsumi is a master at giving characters that we feel for， despite their many flaws。 Great examples of Tatsumi's gekiga-style manga from the early 70s。 。。。more
Vanya Prodanova
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Втората книга сборник с комикси на Yoshihiro Tastumi се оказа още по-добра и красиво направена。 Определено ще си купя всичко що намеря на него преведено за моята лична библиотека。Този път историите ми се сториха много по-добре подбрани в сборника， рисунките му ме караха да се спирам и възхищавам на отделни сцени， а някои истории така съвършено са свързани с рисунките， че само стоях， гледах и се възхищавах как му е хрумнало да го направи。Истинска комикс нирвана。 Самите истории са разкошни и болез Втората книга сборник с комикси на Yoshihiro Tastumi се оказа още по-добра и красиво направена。 Определено ще си купя всичко що намеря на него преведено за моята лична библиотека。Този път историите ми се сториха много по-добре подбрани в сборника， рисунките му ме караха да се спирам и възхищавам на отделни сцени， а някои истории така съвършено са свързани с рисунките， че само стоях， гледах и се възхищавах как му е хрумнало да го направи。Истинска комикс нирвана。 Самите истории са разкошни и болезнено реални。 Доста хора предполагам， че биха ги намерили за неприятни и крайно депресиращи， но аз им се радвах。 :） 。。。more
May-Ling
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mostly that second star is for the illustration style。 creepy， dark and certainly on the outside of societal norms - it wasn't for me。 mostly that second star is for the illustration style。 creepy， dark and certainly on the outside of societal norms - it wasn't for me。 。。。more
Kyle
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It's reductive and not fair to call this Manga Will Wisner but on the other hand。。。The art in the series is gorgeous as a uniformly plain protagonist inhabits various sad lives in the bottom rung of post war Japan。 A short read and an interesting one for sure。 It's reductive and not fair to call this Manga Will Wisner but on the other hand。。。The art in the series is gorgeous as a uniformly plain protagonist inhabits various sad lives in the bottom rung of post war Japan。 A short read and an interesting one for sure。 。。。more
Jacob
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Having first read Fallen Words by Tatsumi， I was surprised at how much darker this collection of stories is。 And Tatsumi’s art is something that really drew my attention further into the stories。 Also， the interview featured in this edition by Adrian Tomine really sheds light on Tatsumi’s creative process when creating these stories。 Definitely need to pick up again soon。
E。 G。
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Introduction， by Koji Suzuki--Occupied--Abandon the Old in Tokyo--The Washer--Beloved Monkey--Unpaid--The Hole--Forked Road--EelQ&A with Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Nicholas Siebers
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Dark and twisted short stories set in Tokyo， told through manga graphic art。 I was expecting a more cohesive plot。 Some of the stories were a bit disturbing。 I wouldn’t recommend this as much as most graphic novels I’ve read。
Jennifer Drake
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Not for me and probably just because I'm not familiar with the genre。 The short stories are darker， exploring the less welcoming side of human nature。 But there were a few time where I just didn't understand the last page and had to go back。 Still not completely clear on what happened in a couple。 Not for me and probably just because I'm not familiar with the genre。 The short stories are darker， exploring the less welcoming side of human nature。 But there were a few time where I just didn't understand the last page and had to go back。 Still not completely clear on what happened in a couple。 。。。more
Danielle Austria
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Really wish I hadn’t gotten to one of the stories （UGH）， but good nonetheless。
Soumik Ghosh
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I wish I could be pretentious and say words like "gorgeous"， "well-crafted"， "subtly ingenious" to describe this book， but I just can't。 Maybe I'm not intelligent enough， but I had to read the synopsis of the stories to understand them later on。 I didn't identify with the stories， nor with the characters， and I'm a lonely guy in his late twenties， so I think I fall somewhat squarely in the target demographic of the stories。Maybe it takes a bit of getting used to， Japanese manga。 I've watched a l I wish I could be pretentious and say words like "gorgeous"， "well-crafted"， "subtly ingenious" to describe this book， but I just can't。 Maybe I'm not intelligent enough， but I had to read the synopsis of the stories to understand them later on。 I didn't identify with the stories， nor with the characters， and I'm a lonely guy in his late twenties， so I think I fall somewhat squarely in the target demographic of the stories。Maybe it takes a bit of getting used to， Japanese manga。 I've watched a lot of anime， and I don't think anime manga is like this。 This is supposed to be much more mature， more grounded in reality， and I was really looking forward to reading， and enjoying it。 I still feel like I missed a key element， somewhere which when falls into place will enable me to enjoy this， but until that happens， this will be an unfavourable review。 I hope to revisit this at some point in the future。 。。。more
Jack
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Easy to read in the sense of absorbing the images and words， making peace with the sadness that comes after， more of a process， ongoing。
Vishy
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I got 'Abandon the Old in Tokyo' by Yoshihiro Tatsumi as a present from a friend sometime back。 When I was thinking of reading a graphic novel today， I decided to pick it up。 Japanese writers believe in presenting stories in comic form。 They are pioneers in it。 Comics probably occupies a bigger literary landscape in Japan than regular books - there are probably more readers of comics there than there are readers of other kinds of books。 One of the reasons for this is that there are comics writte I got 'Abandon the Old in Tokyo' by Yoshihiro Tatsumi as a present from a friend sometime back。 When I was thinking of reading a graphic novel today， I decided to pick it up。 Japanese writers believe in presenting stories in comic form。 They are pioneers in it。 Comics probably occupies a bigger literary landscape in Japan than regular books - there are probably more readers of comics there than there are readers of other kinds of books。 One of the reasons for this is that there are comics written for both kids and grown-ups。 Writing comics for grownups was a quintessentially Japanese thing， before others started copying it。 Sometimes these comics weren't just fictional stories but were biographies and memoirs。 The Japanese were much ahead of comics writers from other countries on this front - in presenting nonfiction books in comic form。 Why this long rambling passage on Japanese comics？ Because this book is a perfect example of Japanese comics。 It has eight stories。 It doesn't tell one story in eight chapters。 It has eight short stories told in comics form。 It defies the norm that a comics story should be long， should have a longer narrative arc。 Who defies the norm， who writes a comics short story collection？ A Japanese writer， of course。 The first thing about this collection of stories is that it is not for children。 The stories are on themes which are of more interest to grownups。 One of the stories might make even grownups squirm with discomfort。 The first story 'Occupied' is about a comics writer who loses his job。 What he does when he hears this news forms the rest of the story。 'Abandon the old in Tokyo'， the title story， is about a young man who takes care of his old mother。 His mother is domineering and tries her best to make him feel guilty and hold on to him and not let him go。 Our young man is engaged to a young woman though。 How our young man manages his relationship with the two women in his life forms the rest of the story。 This was probably my most favourite story in the book。 'The Washer' is about a man who washes windows of tall buildings。 One day when he is washing a particular window， he notices that his daughter is inside that apartment and she is having an affair with someone。 What this window washer does about it forms the rest of the story。 'Beloved Monkey' is about a worker in a factory who has a pet monkey。 It is a beautiful story about modern life in a big city in which a person feels alienated and lonely。 It reminded me a lot of the Vittorio De Sica movie 'Umberto D。' 'Unpaid' is the story about an old man whose business goes under and who is hounded by creditors。 This is the story with some shocking scenes。 I won't tell you what they are。 It is a heartbreaking story。 'The Hole' is almost a horror story - it is dark and scary and gripping。 'Forked Road' is about a young man who is always drunk and we are taken back to his past to find out what happened to him which made him be this way。 'Eel' is the story of a young man who works as a sewer cleaner。 One common feature across most of the stories is this - there is a young man who lives in a big city which is undergoing major change and modernization， he feels lonely and alienated from others inspite of the hustle and bustle around， he is awkward with women， he is introverted， his life is hard。 This is the central feature of most of the stories。 Alienation and loneliness are key themes in every story。 How the story's central character reacts to this alienation and loneliness is the main part of the story。 It is beautifully and realistically told and sometimes it is insightful， and at other times it is heartbreaking。 Yoshihiro Tatsumi says this in the interview featured at the end of the book， about his storytelling style - "My basic approach was to come up with a 'bleak story' gekiga style that completely eliminated the requisite gags and humor so prominent in mainstream manga。 The gag style defied realism。 Unlike my contemporaries， I felt no need to incorporate humor into serious stories。 I wanted to represent reality。" Yoshihiro Tatsumi's artwork is beautiful - it looks deceptively simple in its quintessential Japanese style and Tatsumi plays brilliantly with light and shade throughout the book。 There is also an insightful one page introduction at the beginning of the book by Koji Suzuki， who wrote the acclaimed 'Ring' trilogy。 I loved 'Abandon the old in Tokyo'。 I discovered that more of Yoshihiro Tatsumi's work has been translated into English， including his memoir。 I can't wait to read them。 。。。more
Randy Pradhana
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Keren pisan
Kelly
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Disturbing exploration of the darker nature of every-day life。 I don't know if I want to read it again， but I'm glad I did at least once。 Disturbing exploration of the darker nature of every-day life。 I don't know if I want to read it again， but I'm glad I did at least once。 。。。more
Prashant Baid
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Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi is as heartbreaking as it gets。 Some of the stories are really harrowing and shows the side of Japan I've never read before。 It keeps getting darker and more haunting and yet I found myself more engrossed after each page。 All the protagonists of these stories are men with a forever frown on their faces。 They speak very little and most of them are working-class men like - a garbage hauler， a window cleaner， a factory worker， a sewer cleaner etc and sc Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi is as heartbreaking as it gets。 Some of the stories are really harrowing and shows the side of Japan I've never read before。 It keeps getting darker and more haunting and yet I found myself more engrossed after each page。 All the protagonists of these stories are men with a forever frown on their faces。 They speak very little and most of them are working-class men like - a garbage hauler， a window cleaner， a factory worker， a sewer cleaner etc and scenes are set in a very Kafkaesque urban dwelling。 What's most unsettling is how women are portrayed in all his stories - evil， conceited， a lot of them prostitutes - who all hate the men in their lives。 Their characters are very caricaturish and lack any depth whatsoever。 After every story， I felt like something was missing。 I thought the copy I was reading from was incomplete。 But it was just me seeking closure which I could not find in any of his stories。 There is no redemption for the reader。 There is only one path and it only leads to more darkness。 。。。more
Rupert Mann
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Yoshihiro Tatsumi （YT） provides a raw look at ancient social roles struggling to live in a modern metropolis。 YT's Tokyo looms as a silent spectre over all the stories。 This portrait of the city is told through the voices of those just managing to keep their heads above water。 The simplicity with which their experiences are presented - succinct dialogue illustrated with simple， non-coloured line drawings - gives the characters dignity。 Each story， regardless of how alien the tales might be for m Yoshihiro Tatsumi （YT） provides a raw look at ancient social roles struggling to live in a modern metropolis。 YT's Tokyo looms as a silent spectre over all the stories。 This portrait of the city is told through the voices of those just managing to keep their heads above water。 The simplicity with which their experiences are presented - succinct dialogue illustrated with simple， non-coloured line drawings - gives the characters dignity。 Each story， regardless of how alien the tales might be for many people， are treated equally in YT's structure。 Tokyo is one of the world's most overwhelming urban spaces。 It's packed with millions， concrete and steel rise everywhere。 On the surface， it's clean and well managed。 But the pressure of life， and the expectations of its culture， force many people into dark isolated worlds。 These stories are insights into that other side， and they tell us important things。YT has clear feelings about what the cost of such rapid and extensive change has been， since the end of WWII， for the people who live and work in Tokyo - many changes， many things gained and many things lost。 。。。more
Codepoetz
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Haunting and disturbing， this novel explores the darker side of everyday people living and working in a large Japanese city。 It seems that Yoshihiro Tatsumi is an older Japanese version of Adrian Tomine。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Abandon the Old in Tokyo
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Abandon the Old in Tokyo&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft