Midnight Fishermen: Gekiga of the 1970s

The stories strip away the gloss of the Japanese Economic Miracle to reveal the stresses, desires and angst of the millions of young people who flocked to the cities where life was not what it was promised to be. Compared to Tatsumi's earlier stories, this collection paints a much more pessimistic world. The stories run on a different beat. The banality of modern life and its values bleed through. Yoshihiro Tatsumi plumbs the depths of the lost Japanese youth of the 1970s. Today, 'youth' of every age group appreciates Yoshihiro Tatsumi. They are attracted to him because they connect with the struggles and the darkness of modern life which he portrays.