Gekiga Hyouryuu
A Drifting Life
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Gekiga Hyouryuu

Alternative Titles

Japanese: 劇画漂流
English: A Drifting Life
More titles

Information

Type: Manga
Volumes: 2
Chapters: 48
Status: Finished
Published: Nov 20, 2008 to Dec 1, 2008
Genres: Award Winning Award Winning, Comedy Comedy, Drama Drama, Romance Romance, Slice of Life Slice of Life
Themes: Historical Historical, Memoir Memoir, Psychological Psychological, School School
Demographic: Seinen Seinen
Serialization: None
Authors: Tatsumi, Yoshihiro (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.901 (scored by 15011,501 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #9822
2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #3161
Members: 6,846
Favorites: 102
7.90
Ranked #982Popularity #3161Members 6,846
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Volumes: /2
Chapters: /48

Synopsis

Over four decades ago, Yoshihiro Tatsumi expanded the horizons of comics storytelling by using the visual language of manga to tell gritty, literary stories about the private lives of everyday people. He has been called "the grandfather of Japanese alternative comics" and has influenced generations of cartoonists around the world. Now the visionary creator of "The Push Man and Other Stories" and "Good-bye" has turned his incisive, unflinching gaze upon himself. Over ten years in the making, "A Drifting Life" is Tatsumis' most ambitious, personal, and heart felt work: an autobiographical bildungsroman in comics form. Using his life long obsession with comics as a frame work, Tatsumi weaves a complex story that encompasses family dynamics, Japanese culture and history, first love, the intricacies of the manga industry, and most importantly, what it means to be an artist. Alternately humorous, enlightening, and haunting, this is the masterful summartion of a fascinating life and a historic career.

(Source: Drawn & Quarterly)

Background

Gekiga Hyouryuu won the 13th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Grand Prize along with Oooku in 2009.

The series was published in English as A Drifting Life by Drawn & Quarterly on April 14, 2009. It was also published in Polish as Życie. Powieść graficzna by Komiksowe as a 2-in-1 omnibus volume in July 2014; and in Brazilian Portuguese as Vida à Deriva by Editora Veneta on December 10, 2021.

Characters


Reviews

Dec 8, 2014
A Drifting Life tells an interesting tale. It falls into many of the pitfalls you would expect from a non-fiction work, in terms of irregular pacing, as well as not having any real arc to the story. However, it still manages to be incredibly well put together despite these shortcomings, and I had fun reading through it.

The tone of the story is often an uplifting and motivating one, with a few darker elements here & there. The whole story seems to work, though, as it feels very realistic. These aren't the trials and tribulations of fictional characters, but actual drama that happened to actual people, ...
Mar 14, 2023
Gekiga is an art form that differs from the fantasy shonens of the time by focusing on everyday life and human experiences. "A Life in the Margins" successfully tells the story of Tatsumi and his collaborators, who created the gekiga trend and followed their passion for comics despite the obstacles.

"A Drifting Life" by Yoshihiro Tatsumi is an inspiring and captivating manga that tells the true story of the author and his quest to create a new genre of manga called "gekiga". This manga offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of Japanese comics, and the challenges authors faced as they sought to expand the scope ...
Jan 6, 2019
Art 8/10
Plain, old, basically classic gageki. Deliberately done in an old fashion style to evoke a feeling of antiquity.
Story 8/10
Just a biography of the life of Tatsumi and the hurdles he went through in developing a new style of manga.
Characters 8/10
These are real people. Although an interesting choice by the author to rename himself and his family as characters, I believe his intention is to create a manga persona and not focus much on his family situation, which was portrayed as bad a the time but somehow fixed itself overtime.
Enjoyment 5/10
Pretty boring at most of the time. The only thing keeping me reading this, ...

Interest Stacks

35 Entries · 23 Restacks
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Recent News


Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Gekiga Hyouryuu Chapter 48 Discussion
linkjoker - Nov 27, 2018
4 repliesby TitanInsane »»
Mar 18, 8:37 AM
A Drifting Life Discussion
DevilishLeader - Aug 10, 2009
11 repliesby Drumbottle »»
Jun 22, 2023 1:15 AM