Tadao Tsuge's 'Trash Market' collects gekiga manga of postwar alienation

Oblomov Edizioni has published 'Trash Market', a collection of manga by Tadao Tsuge (Tokyo, 1941) from the late 1970s. The stories exemplify the gekiga style—a dramatic, realistic offshoot of manga—focusing on the struggles of Japan's proletariat in the postwar era. Tsuge, who worked as a laborer, gas cylinder carrier, and hardware store clerk, draws from his own experiences to depict characters trapped in degrading jobs, haunted by trauma and guilt. The volume includes tales set in Tokyo's slums and red-light districts, where protagonists like blood donors, prostitutes, and factory workers navigate alienation and suppressed violence. Unlike contemporaries such as Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Tsuge's narratives often lack conventional plot progression, mirroring the static, hopeless situations of his characters. The art features thick lines and heavy black fields, enhancing the tragic tone. The title story follows a group of men waiting outside a clinic to sell blood, engaging in futile conversations. Tsuge described his work as 'too gloomy' in a conversation with critic Ryan Holmberg, acknowledging his difficulty achieving success. The book is 264 pages, priced at €20, ISBN 9788885621015.