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Reviewed by Dan Polley Yohihiro Tatsumi’s work is something that manga fans should make sure they check out, at least some time. In “Abandon the Old in Tokyo,” the second Tatsumi volume of visual short stories published by Drawn & Quarterly, sees the author take a bit of a departure from his previously published volume, “The Push Man and Other Stories.” And while fans can be upset when their favorite artists veer onto another path from their previous work, they cannot do so in Tatsumi’s case. The volume is comprised of eight different short stories in which the main character can look the same from piece to piece, but is actually quite different in each story. Tatsumi’s work is not so much about the individual characters—although some of them can be quite the literary works. It’s more so about following along on the roller coaster of everyday life, from the glorious peak of happiness, to the dire pits of depression. The shining stars of the volume are “Abandon the Old in Tokyo,” after which the volume is titled, and “Beloved Monkey,” although the other six stories are certainly must reads. The story “Abandon the Old in Tokyo” is endearing and frightening at the same time. It’s a story about redemption, but mainly a story about mistakes. It follows the path of one man as the reader tags along and is able to see up close just how ugly human nature can be. “Forked Road” is an interesting story. Tatsumi’s characters, at least the main ones in each story, tend to go nameless and are generally very quiet, a literary device that helps the reader ease in to that character’s shoes. But in this story, the author decides to name both of the main characters and give a first-person perspective through the story, something he does not do in other stories. One important thing to note about Tatsumi is that his work stands the test of time. “Abandon the Old in Tokyo” was first published in Japan in 1970. And because Tatsumi focuses his stories on raw human emotion, they have been able to stay fresh over the course of nearly 40 years. The art and stories are simplistic, sure, but that’s a good thing. It’s almost like getting a supper with just a little bit of food on it, but once you take a bit into the food, you find out that it’s far more filling that your eyes accounted for. That’s the beauty of Tatsumi’s work: They’re small, delicious entrees, but they carry enough substance between the panels to fill you over for quite some time. Comment on this review of Abandon The Old In Tokyo on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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