Reviews

A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

brolinreads's review

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

A thoughtful reflection of a great artist’s early days. 

gio_shelves's review

4.0

pretty interesting introduction to how gekiga was born tbh. can't say i cared too much about it besides its historical aspect/value, but it was worth it.

manwithanagenda's review

inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I haven't read much manga, so I had no idea who Yoshihiro Tatsumi was, let alone what to expect in this fictionalized autobiography.

Hiroshi wants to be an artist and first, in competition with his brother, he reaches out to a network of peers and finds success in the industry. Tatsumi reminds readers of passing time asides about big events and cultural touchstones that give insight into the boom of postwar Japan and what day to day life was like..

alexlanz's review

I wish it had kept going into the 60s and 70s, it was so enjoyable.

aughadan's review

4.0

I've read all of Tatsumi's works that have been translated into English at this point (which isn't even a lot) and they always strike a chord with me. This one is no different. I almost always read during my morning train commute, and on the day I started this, I very nearly missed my stop because I so engrossed. Yes, there are shortcomings. The pace is fairly slow, and it doesn't touch much on Tatsumi's personal life, but I loved reading about how he got started writing manga and I can identify with his struggles about feeling unsure and unconfident about his work and talent and how to express his new ideas. I wouldn't really recommend this one to anyone who wasn't interested in Tatsumi in particular; a general interest in manga isn't enough to make it worthwhile.

suggoiai's review

4.0

This was a nice look at the beginnings for manga in Japan as a semi-autobiographical story. Tied in with history and what was going on with the culture at that time, it's a good overview of the time period.

londonmabel's review

3.0

It'll be more interesting for manga fans--I just read it cause I'd heard it was good. I would have liked something a bit more intimate and personal. At the same time, it was very readable and interesting.

thebobsphere's review

4.0

A fascinating account of the development of manga from 1945 to 1960. Tatsumi also includes the economic recovery of Japan. However the only flaw is that the story runs out of steam towards the end and it descends into repetition. If one is reading Tatsumi for the first time, start with his amazing and controversial short comic collections, as A Drifting Life can be too daunting.

bluepigeon's review

5.0

Well, this memoir has it all: world history through the Japanese lens, the pop culture references of the time in Japan, the birth and soaring success of manga, manga publishing wars, struggle of artists to create and produce, to make money and to invent... Tatsumi tells his personal story, which includes his rivalry with his sick, older brother, the money troubles his father always seems to have, his emerging interest in women as he grows older, his friendship with many other manga artists (most of whom are big names now!), in the context of a recovering Japan, the emergence of TV and film. Those who are not interested in the details of manga history and publishing might find some parts tedious. But for the rest, a captivating, interesting read from cover to cover.

ederwin's review

3.0

Basically an autobiography, but also traces the history of Manga (and related forms) and some of 20th century post-war Japanese history. This will probably be of most interest to those who already know some of the characters involved. For me, it was a whole bunch of people I'd never heard of, and too many of them to keep track of. Basically, just not the right book for me.