Flight: Tsurita Kuniko Sakuhinshuu

One of Tsurita's two debut one shots, published in the September 1965 issue of Garo.

One of Tsurita's two debut one shots, published in the September 1965 issue of Garo.

A topsy-turvy exploration of a man’s inner thoughts of vigilantism that slowly drive him mad. (Source: Cool Yeah Alright)

Woman explores the challenges of primal nomadic life, not only as an early human but as an early woman and mother. (Source: Cool Yeah Alright, edited)

A young manga artist is visited by a friend who wants the artist to pay back the money he loaned him. The artist refuses, asking the friend to wait until his story sells. The friend is kicked out of the house and vows to come back later for his money. Note: one of Tsurita's two debut one shots, published in the September 1965 issue of Garo.

A fatal accident morphs into a riveting film.

A one-shot published in the July 1967 issue of Garo by avid female contributor Kuniko Tsurita.

A woman with a cold expression goes about her day, ignoring the catcalls of aroused men and the whispers of gossipy women intrigued by her mysterious visage. (Source: The Comics Journal)

1. マダム・ハルコ (1) 悪徳の不幸 (Madame Haruko 1: Akutoku no Fukou) 2. マダム・ハルコ (2) 美徳の栄え (Madame Haruko 2: Bitoku no hae) 3. マダム・ハルコ (3) 宇宙人国旅行記 (Madame Haruko 3: Uchuubito-koku Ryokou-ki) Note: originally published in 1968. A revised version was published in 1970.

A young man wakes up one morning to find himself without a body, and someone else sitting in his bed.

A man faces the death penalty despite being falsely accused.

A dubious fortuneteller and the uncertanties of life.

A man peering voyeuristically at a nude woman bending and stretching alluringly for him. According to Holmberg, the English translator, this one-shot was drawn shortly after Tsurita received her diagnosis of Lupus. This short story can therefore be seen as an allegory for the inevitability of death and equally for the author's deteriorating state.

Set in a bleak medical facility, the protagonist is overwhelmed by the illness and death all around her, while overhearing her doctors discuss “Lupus Erythematosus… gamma globulin …white blood cells.”

Empty streets and lovely weather, a man goes on a walk under blue skies and a single cloud.

Max, a long-haired, black-clad woman, shares memories and contemplations in a desultory manner. She recalls witnessing a trio of ghoulish figures gleefully pouncing on a young man one night and throwing him into the river (“like garbage”), and converses with another woman, her lover, who seems to both encourage and antagonize her. (Source: Solrad)

A man with a deep passion for flying planes is killed while navigating his aircraft through a terrible storm. A few years later, his paramour, a young woman who has struggled to accept his death, discovers something unusual about him while on a trip to Egypt. (Source: Solrad)

A mermaid-like creature breaks the ocean’s surface for the very first time and becomes transfixed by the sight of the distant stars in the sky. Though her obsession with their magnificence eventually leads to her demise, she dies happily as she stares up at them, transfixed. (Source: Solrad)

A beautiful young woman, R, rescued as a baby and raised by an apparently female wizard, becomes a terrible nuisance as she matures. This forces the wizard to cast her out, replacing her with a new and improved version of R. (Source: Solrad)

A dreadful frozen dystopian world and a man willing to risk everything for the love of his doll-like wife. (Source: Solrad)