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A review by raiuga
The Push Man and Other Stories by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
5.0
An outcast in 1969 Japan pouring all of his feelings, and those of the working class around him, into a compendium of stories that deal with serious issues such as abortion, adultery, disability and sexuality. The sombre tone interwoven throughout all of the stories connects them thematically.
Some of the stories, at times, feel like they make little sense. If you read 'A Drifting Life' - the autobiographical manga about Tatsumi - you will understand the 'gekiga' style and therefore appreciate these 8-page stories a lot more.
Some of the standouts are the horrific 'Bedridden' that deals with the sex slave trade, 'My Hitler' a politically charged story (longest one in the manga) that deals with the fear of bringing a child into the world due to what it may become. 'Piranha,' the opening story, sets the tone for the entire manga. It is wildly dark, fuelled with revenge and deceit... much like the entirety of the manga.
Tatsumi has gone on record to say that not all of the stories are things he entirely agrees or believes in, but rather an honest representation of the working class Japanese man post WWII and also during the 60's. The dark side that we are rarely ever exposed to in Western culture.
Some of the stories, at times, feel like they make little sense. If you read 'A Drifting Life' - the autobiographical manga about Tatsumi - you will understand the 'gekiga' style and therefore appreciate these 8-page stories a lot more.
Some of the standouts are the horrific 'Bedridden' that deals with the sex slave trade, 'My Hitler' a politically charged story (longest one in the manga) that deals with the fear of bringing a child into the world due to what it may become. 'Piranha,' the opening story, sets the tone for the entire manga. It is wildly dark, fuelled with revenge and deceit... much like the entirety of the manga.
Tatsumi has gone on record to say that not all of the stories are things he entirely agrees or believes in, but rather an honest representation of the working class Japanese man post WWII and also during the 60's. The dark side that we are rarely ever exposed to in Western culture.