Originally serialized in Comic Baku in 1985-1986, The Man Without Talent follows the semi-autobiographical account of Yoshiharu Tsuge’s attempts to jilt creative disparity and remove himself from society. After quitting his career as a comic artist, the protagonist of the comic turns his focus not to retirement, but to another career: selling rocks out of the Tamagawa River in Chōfu, (which is about as glamorous as it sounds.) As a result, he navigates the everyday struggles of a poverty and lackadaisy-stricken man, from a creeping malaise to growing resentment from family and himself.