An understated and moving portrait of what it means to be an artist in an industry that runs on overtaxing its creators and burning them out. This story centers on the manga industry and those who have moved on or are barely clinging to the medium and the business despite all the mental and physical hardship it beats upon them. Matsumoto’s minimalist approach to the page, his willingness to focus on the isolation of figures standing on a barren city block, makes the emotional core of this story come alive. Matsumoto is writing about the experience of making manga in Japan, but the story is not so different in the West. Artists are exploited and give all they have—their passion, their soul— to a business that cannot love them back. How do you move on from there? This volume provides no answers but offers a series of portraits of the many ways people cling and move on to the art form they once loved.

This was beautifully written and drawn. The illustrations were some of the best that I've seen in a manga. I loved how this story was paced as well. Some might call it slow but I think it was a purposeful meandering that really makes it stand out among other manga about similar subjects.

This is an interesting book. The cover is gorgeous and sometimes the artwork is also stunning and sometimes it is not so pretty, but this manga is attempting realism and real life isn't always pretty.

This is an interesting look at the "man behind the curtain", or even seeing how the sausage is made. Our MC is disillusioned with his passion of creating manga, seeing the art form denigrate into crass consumerism, being written and drawn for sales and not for heart, for soul, for ART.

He retires, blaming himself for the failure of the last publication he worked on, but he can't seem to let it go. (I was legit holding my breath when he was going to sell his massive collection of manga. The entire time I was thinking, "No no no no no no no, you will regret it, don't do it!")

He seems to be shooting for one more opus, the ultimate tribute to the work that he loves, his passion making him hopeful that the art and the desire for it, is still out there. Almost a "if you publish it, they will read it" hope. Not a lot of action happens in this, it's very cerebral and almost French in the black and white color scheme, the moodiness and the "talking" bird, but it sits with one long after it has been read and the cover is closed.

As I type this review, I realize that it sat with me longer than I thought it had. I didn't always agree with the characters in this and sometimes I didn't really follow what they were saying and the meanings behind what they said, but it stuck with me.

4, unexpectedly grabbed me and will stay with me longer than expected, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.

Please see my full review in Booklist for a full analysis of this work. Thank you! I appreciate the opportunity to review this manga professionally.

Tokyo These Days, Vol. 1 (1)
by Taiyo Matsumoto
Rough in its art work. most of this edition is in black and white, with only small portions in color. The images are more roughly drawn then Manga. Although it talks about Manga and the change in the writers of Manga. The retirement of Manga artists. It has many conversations about the importance of continuing the practice of the art work.

The art was absurdly good, the manga is worth reading for that alone. Thankfully the story held my interest as well. I'll gladly read the next volumes of this.

Already in the running for most interesting book I will read in 2024, Tokyo These Days is a cinematic, engrossing, reflective book. It asks the reader to think about what one's life is really for, where is the line between work and art and how do the two tie together. Shiozawa's journey has a profound affect on the lives around him as he strives to make sense of his 30 years editing manga when he thinks he's reached the end of the road.

This book is incredibly easy to read and also deeply introspective. I read reread certain sections to better absorb the broader implications to the world around Shiozawa and how everyone he comes in contact with finds themselves unpacking the themes he introduces. Truly the work of a great artist, Taiyo Matsumoto immediately made a new out of me and I cannot wait to read vol 2. In the mean time, I'll check out more of their award winning work.

This digital ARC was obtainable via NetGalley for an honest review!

As a manga reader, "Tokyo These Days", was a fresh read for me. I usually don't go for the serious type manga but I love the truth being portrayed in this volume. When we read these stories from our beloved mangaka we do not always take into account that these are real people with real lives. This perspective on the publishing industry is eye opening. It is sad to see that some people will stop doing what they love because of expectations or lack of strength to carry on. Thank you, Taiyo Matsumoto, for leading me to ponder about my own expectations.

Tokyo These Days is laid out like an indie film. The summary for the title sounded interesting enough but I was still not sure where the story would go. I did enjoy the flow of the story overall. I also enjoyed Matsumoto's art style; I love it when I read a book and it plays out like a movie in my head. There's a second volume, and I would read it given the chance, but at least the first volume does not leave one on a cliffhanger, which would not fit the themes or mood of the book.

with an eclectic cast of nuanced characters in the world of manga, tokyo these days is a slow-paced character study into the authors, illustrators, and editors of the piece. the art style was unlike anything i've encountered in contemporary manga, and the mundanity of the plot helped to really highlight the character's struggles. sometimes, a narrative with little action at all gives us the most insight on the lives of the people it highlights. if you like action, this isn't the one for you, but if you prefer to witness the ennui of everyday living, you may enjoy this one.

In a nutshell: If you like contemplative, character-driven stories that explore the complexities of burnout, (dis)passion and the enduring desire to create, this is the story for you.

This was a well-paced, slice-of-life manga that provided a quiet exploration of the complicated relationship between artists and their industry. Each character had a distinct, interesting personality that was well-developed through purposeful dialogue. From the editor who is paired with a difficult artist, to a rejection-sensitive artist that struggles as a newbie creator, to older mangaka who have settled into different lives outside the manga-sphere: all of them are struggling one way or another with the bittersweetness of working in a creative industry. While the manga explores themes of burnout and artistic compromise, Shiozawa’s relationships with the other characters simultaneously reveals the enduring inner passion and love of manga that drives these characters to create.

I adored the art style, which was heavily background-detailed and relied on pen and ink for values rather than screentoning. The freestyle linework and the way the characters were less stylized and leaned more towards realism matched the down-to-earth tone of the story well. One interesting detail was that a lot of the living spaces of the characters were small, humble, with a normal amount of clutter (proportionate to the character’s personality). You could tell that the artist was drawing from reality: a reoccurring theme throughout the manga.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a professional or creative rut, this story will resonate. However, if you’re looking for action-packed escapism, you will not find it here.

Great start to a pensive and atmospheric series about a retired Manga editor seeking a new project he didn’t know he needed or wanted.

A charming and immersive read about those involved with the manga industry and one manga editor's last job. The pacing was a little slow but the characters are well rounded and interesting to get to know.

The art treads the line between detailed and slightly sloppy in a endearing and deliberate way.

I received this volume as an ARC on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I actually have much to say about this release. It was different than I was expecting. I thought it would be a closer look at how the job of a manga editor works, and to some extent it does show that, but it focuses more on the various characters' (both manga creators and editors) struggles with the current manga industry. They feel disconnected from the stories they tell, disillusioned by the publishing world, and some of the characters are previous manga creators who have quit all together. Like the main character, a previous manga editor named Kazuo Shiozawa, they try to completely cut off their connection to manga, to the extent that one of them won't even step into a place that carries it. A few tried to create manga that were closer to what they really wanted to do, but sales plummeted despite everything. Others once had that passion and managed to find great success, but now they drift through their current life and work in a creative rut, making works that feel thin or hollow in comparison.

Rather than a story about how manga is published, it is a closer look at the feelings of artists and editors who have hit a bump or low point in their work and lives. As someone who enjoys making art myself, I could relate to their frustrations when it comes to not being able to find the motivation or inspirational spark you once had. The world can sometimes wear you down or take the joy of creating out of you. That's even more of the case when you're making art for a business that's all about the profits. It's difficult to keep your head above water and write from the heart when you have to worry about breaking even at the very least, and trying to keep a connection with readers over the years. People's tastes change. They seek out something fresh and exciting. Perhaps you can't always keep the attention of the same readers regardless of the work you truly want to create. For some artists, that can breed a sense of resentment.

How does one push past both the suffocating world around them and the criticism of their readers and their editor in order to make a breakthrough? I think this series will show that it takes a strength of character, incredible passion, or maybe just a whole lot of stubbornness to not give up. Most artists are sensitive and sometimes eccentric people (I say that as someone who likes to draw/write, but is also surrounded by others who do, as well) who can get stuck in their heads or on a very particular vision they have in mind. The relationship between an editor and a mangaka is meant to assist in improving their storytelling and illustrations so that their work can truly shine. Other times, however, an artist's work can be muddled down by the redirected focus of "this is what will sell the best right now" even if it's not the story they actually wanted to tell. It is a line that must be hard to walk in order to find a happy medium in this industry.

It seems like I had more to say about this manga than I thought. As I wrote this review, I realized that I had been affected more than I previously believed. I bumped my rating up from a 3/5 to 4/5 the more I wrote about it. I will probably continue to think about Tokyo These Days in the future, even if my expectations going in were different than what I received.

If you're a creative person, or even someone who has been feeling as if you're stuck in limbo with your current job or life in general, I think Tokyo These Days is worth reading. Of course, if you love all types of manga, this is also a series that you should try picking up. Even as Shiozawa and the others try to escape manga, they can't help but return to it, for they love it too much, and that shines through everything else. Manga has become part of their lives, and isn't something they can easily leave behind.

I loved this mangaka's art style. It's stunning and you can really feel their passion through the page.
The story is about someone who works in manga who feels incredibly burnt out and dispassionate with their work. They decide to retire from their job early at their magazine company that publishes manga. With support from their talking bird, they decide to ask their most trusted friends to help them with a manga that will be fully their story (and their last work).

Thank you Netgally and Viz for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A wonderfully deliberate and meditative work. Matsumoto does an excellent job of displaying the exhaustion of passion.