Tatsumi

Tatsumi is a celebration of the life and work of the Japanese manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. In occupied Japan straight after the war, Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s passion for the strip cartoon will eventually become his means of supporting his family in need. He will be published as soon as he is in his teens and his meeting with his idol, Osamu Tezuka, the well-known manga artist who is compared to Disney, will be a source of inspiration to him. “Tatsumi” is going to challenge the manga which only offers children scenarios and drawings with foolish, sickly sentimental content. In 1957, he will invent the word gekiga (meaning, literally, dramatic images) thus developing a new type of manga destined for an adult audience. Highly influenced by themes in neorealist films, Tatsumi gives us a vision of post-war Japan.

“His life story has always inspired me. I was extremely moved by the love and passion he has for his art and by the ordeals he has had to face in order to accomplish it... I adore Mr Tatsumi's characters because they reflect daily life and reality. There is something dark and sad in his work, but at the same time beautiful as well.” Eric Khoo