With the use of manga's visual language, Yoshihiro Tatsumi revolutionized comics storytelling over four decades ago by telling raw, literary short stories about daily life. As the "pioneer of Japanese alternative comics," he has influenced countless artists. Despite this, his works were not widely available outside of Japan until recently. Abandon the Old in Tokyo is a mesmerizing collection of short stories that showcases Tatsumi's talent for depicting poetry, humor, and deep unease. The Village Voice praises Tatsumi's "fearless" and "starkly beautiful" art style, while Publishers Weekly describes his stories as "marvelously evocative" and "dreamlike." Bookforum observes Tatsumi's ability to depict people on the fringes of society with both empathy and admiration, presenting a world full of lost souls, thwarted ambitions, and surprising redemption.
