--- product_id: 11610733 title: "Abandon the Old in Tokyo" brand: "yoshihiro tatsumiyuji oniki" price: "₱2789" currency: PHP in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.ph/products/11610733-abandon-the-old-in-tokyo store_origin: PH region: Philippines --- # Abandon the Old in Tokyo **Brand:** yoshihiro tatsumiyuji oniki **Price:** ₱2789 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Abandon the Old in Tokyo by yoshihiro tatsumiyuji oniki - **How much does it cost?** ₱2789 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ph](https://www.desertcart.ph/products/11610733-abandon-the-old-in-tokyo) ## Best For - yoshihiro tatsumiyuji oniki enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted yoshihiro tatsumiyuji oniki brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Abandon the Old in Tokyo ## Images ![Abandon the Old in Tokyo - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61-BFwqzeiL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Boundary-breaking comics that explore mass humanity at its depths... *by E***K on Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2015* Comics. Traditionally, that word conjured up puerile images of fuzzy bunnies or birdies bouncing into harmless cute mischief. Many thought that only children should read such banalities. Few, especially in the Unites States, where comics "grew up" relatively late, could imagine that this often simply drawn art form had the capability of dealing with deep existential or even starkly morbid topics. Cute comics definitely have their place, but they do not exhaust the entire medium. Enter "gekiga," a term coined by Japanese artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi to describe a comic genre aimed largely at adults, or at least at mature audiences. This untrodden path led to murky unexplored corners of human society and psychology drawn in unforgettable imagery that provides an often disturbing portrayal of the alienation of modern life. Never extremely popular, perhaps for obvious reasons, the stories nonetheless made their way into print in mid-20th century Japan. For decades they remained nearly unknown and ignored until comics around the world evolved and others realized that a certain artist in Japan may have actually foreshadowed the future. By the first decade of the 21st century, collections of "gekiga" appeared in comic stores, compliments of "Drawn and Quarterly," who published many never before seen classics in English. Three volumes in particular celebrated the work of Tatsumi. This series' second volume, "Abandon the Old in Tokyo," though its stories were written around 1970, still resonate in today's industrial workaday world, in which many people find themselves lost, abandoned or simply confused. Tatsumi's work doesn't offer any consolation or answers, but, merely by acknowledging this less visible side of "civilization," readers may find themselves attaining some kind of emotional catharsis. These stories will stick in the consciousness. Maybe in the way they push extremes they manage to offer some type of release.The very first page of the book's very first story, "Occupied," outright defies expectations. Here a man sits on a public toilet, looking suspiciously over his shoulder as if he knows someone watches him. This man soon finds out that his career in children's manga has run dry and that his now former publisher's promise that "we'll contact you again soon" rings hollow. His hopeless situation leads him to vomit, again in a public toilet and he discovers some extremely salacious artwork scrawled inside the stall, prompting another vomiting. A quick but slightly naughty encounter with a "hostess" leaves him extremely cold. Finally, another publisher offers him a spot in "Rude Magazine" drawing adult comics. The idea slowly grows on him and he decides to make his own contributions to the bathroom stall. Unfortunately, someone catches him in his artistic pursuits. Someone else yells "call the cops." He seems trapped by his own salvation. The sting of the word "pervert" in Japan fully comes to life in this story's final panels. Unforgettable."Abandon the Old in Tokyo," the second story, tells the grim tale of a young betrothed man caring for an old sick nagging mother. After his fiancee shows a passionate interest in "staying over," he finds inspiration in a news article about senior citizens found long dead in their apartments. After implementing his plan he has horrified second thoughts, but his mother may have decided to take things into her own debilitated hands. This story's brilliant ending wafts in that ineffable part of the brain that contemplates the temptingly unthinkable and its consequences. "The Washer" finds a window washer spying on a woman, a secretary, having an affair with a company president. His co-worker thinks the man has "a thing" for the secretary, but he's not aware of their very special relationship. Then one day he sees her moaning with pain and clutching her stomach through the window. "Beloved Monkey" explores society as horror. Those who seem like friends and compatriots may in fact rip you to pieces when encountered in numbers. A man makes this grisly discovery after releasing his pet monkey into a zoo exhibit. Another chilling ending. "Unpaid" features a completely washed up businessman in fervent denial. He still shows up to his drafty office. Seven million yen stand between him and his dignity. The book's most uncomfortably shocking scene comes when he seeks solace in a "Dog Appreciation Club." Here stands a man very near the bottom. The ending doesn't provide a lot of hope that he possesses the will to turn his life around. Whoosh."The Hole" presents a very bleak picture of a woman seeking revenge for the expectations of men. Traps await for men who wander unknowingly into her wilderness cabin. These traps seem to give the disfigured woman extreme pleasure. But perhaps the man who finds himself trapped has dug his own hole? "Forked Road," a coming of age story of sorts, takes place partially in the past. In the fleeting flash of an electric tram, a boy catches a glimpse of adults making love and never quite seems to recover. After a night of heavy drinking, he contemplates the forked tracks of the tram yawning into the distance. "The Eel" delves into a place Tatsumi has depicted before: the sewers. In this extremely inhospitable environment, a pair of eels manages to survive. But when his pregnant wife falls down the stairs and leaves him, while calling him "a loser," he performs a painfully symbolic act that only a single eel survives. He either attempts to restore what he sees as an unjust balance or he seeks revenge on those who can make it even in the worst of times. On some vaguely diffuse level it somehow makes sense, which few would probably want to admit.Tatsumi's stories feature the timeless and nameless everyman. He looks almost identical from story to story, but he serves as a symbol not as a continuous character. He seems to symbolize the mass. The mass of people who society, through circumstance or through intention, have deemed as unremarkable or possibly as unworthy. Though devalued and in some ways exiled, they nonetheless live complicated and remarkable lives full of drama, decisions and consequences. In some ways Tatsumi's stories demand that we not forget these people, these faces that glow from alleys or peek from under manhole covers. They contribute to society and hold unique places not always filled with distinction or prestige, but unique places nonetheless. The places they hold also shape their lives, for better or worse, and possibly lead to poor decisions or just a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps most people who inhabit the modern world fall into Tatsumi's categories? Perhaps the majority of people today can identify in some way with the people in these stories? Similar to his other work, this book contains complicated stratifications of interpretation. Everyone will likely come away with something slightly different. But everyone will come away with something, which makes "Abandon the Old in Tokyo" yet another testament to the power and insight of "gekiga" and its founder. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Great sad, creepy and haunting stories. *by B***. on Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2023* I enjoyed this collection so much that I bought it twice. I read it a long time ago and then traded it away. It stuck with me though and years later I had to repurchase it to revisit that feeling that hung with me after I read these weird and unsettling short pieces. This collection presents disparate works by a master of their craft. Each tale is filled with a similar sense of urban loneliness and alienation with moments of profound oddity, shock and disconnection being their common theme. Cartoony characters exist within dingy, dark realistic environments and face down equally dark and unsavory real-life situations. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Tatsumi in full gear - Simply awesome! *by R***L on Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2011* After a remarkable, if imperfect and monotone, first volume, this second anthology of Yoshihiro Tatsumi short stories, compiling material originally published in 1970, delivers the goods in spades. This is Tatsumi at his prime, in full gear, no holds barred. These eight stories are the work of a master of the short story form at the peak of his art.The presentation is a thing of beauty. A gorgeous hardcover volume, with excellent design and lettering by editor Adrian Tomine. Plus an introduction by Koji Suzuki and an interview with the author. Sadly, D&Q botches another nearly perfect job by re-arranging the panels into a western left-to-right reading order edition, thus damaging the author's original page layout.Recommendation: Buy 2. One for yourself, another to give as a gift to someone with good taste that you want to lure into reading Gekiga. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ph/products/11610733-abandon-the-old-in-tokyo](https://www.desertcart.ph/products/11610733-abandon-the-old-in-tokyo) --- *Product available on Desertcart Philippines* *Store origin: PH* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*