Una vita tra i margini

First off, don't read this book expecting a fast paced, high energy read. This is a book about a man making manga and not a book of manga. That distinction needs to be kept in your mind at all times while reading this book. There are no wide-eyed, big tittied manga babes in short skirts. There are n Leggi tutto

The book starts in 1948 where the author is 13 years old and embarking on single panels of manga and sending it into magazines, and finishes in 1960 when the author is 25 and a successful author of manga and a new style he created, "gekiga". The book is autobiographical, taking in details of Tatsumi Leggi tutto

First of all, while this is by a legendary mangaka (manga artist), this is not a work of fast paced, action packed manga. If that's what you're looking for, I would not pick this massive volume up. Rather, this is an artist's odyssey from a young kid obsessed with reading manga to a visionary artist Leggi tutto

currently about 100 pages in...gah, boring. hopefully it gets better. i mean, he never goes in to what DRIVES him to draw. as a kid, was he really ONLY about drawing? ugh, what a childhood. he just talks about how he slowly got published- blah. i'll give it another 100 pages in a few days but he bet Leggi tutto

A wonderful memoir following Yoshihiro Tatsumi's early career, from his childhood's infatuation with short, funny manga to the short but exciting experience with the Gekiga Workshop. A Drifting Life follows the artist through all the different phases of his work as mangaka, as he tries to refine hi

Fictionalized autobiography of a manga-creator who's apparently a pretty big deal. Covers 1945-1995 or so. There are some interesting sections every chapter or so where they highlight popular cultural artifacts/events of the time. Highlights artistic struggles, invention and innovation of form, publ Leggi tutto

This update follows a read of two anthologies of the short stories that brought Tatsumi fame, and cements my view of this work and its author as not worth the time. Largely tracing his life from post-WWII middle school manga enthusiast to 25 year old struggling author, this roman-a-clef reads like a Leggi tutto