Sukippara no Blues

Published in *Weekly Shonen King* in January 1975 as the second part of *Kami no Toride*, the story takes place after the war ends, when a severe food shortage emerges. Osamu Tetsuro begins a new struggle for survival, stealing potatoes, sketching portraits for occupying soldiers, and trading them for candy as small income. Amid daily hardships, even death becomes a distant concern. The tone balances humor with a realistic depiction of post-war conditions, reflecting the author's likely personal experience from that era. Tezuka originally intended this to be part of a trilogy, but the final installment was never completed.