Type: Film
Length: 170
Rating: M

World War II is not an easy subject to tackle. Especially when you are presented with a tragic story like Barefoot Gen. But the topic of who was right or wrong when it came to the bombing of Hiroshima is not the core issue here. Despite the graphic depictions of suffering Barefoot Gen is drama about a young boy’s struggle of survival against insurmountable odds during the aftermath.

Barefoot Gen started its life out as a manga by Keiji Nakazawa in 1973. Soon after it was adapted into a little known live action movie in 1976 and in 1983 Madhouse brought us the first animated version of Barefoot Gen. The story focuses on the six year old boy Gen and his family in 1945 war torn Hiroshima. Gen’s family are considered unpatriotic and traitors because his father believes that Japan has lost the war and that the upper class are just being greedy by continuing to fight. Things are not looking so good for Gen’s family with another baby on the way and no food on the table. Finally the main event comes with America’s B-29 bombers flying in on August 6 to drop their nuclear bomb on Hiroshima while Gen walks to school. From then on Gen struggles against the odds to survive the aftermath.

As tragic and heart wrenching as the story sounds there is still a bit fun to be had. Gen is a very hyper young boy who is up to mischief much of the time with his younger brother Shinji. Even after the bomb is dropped he remains as cheeky as ever. The style and animation is quite good for an anime of its time. Madhouse clearly had high standards for the film. Anime purists will be pleased to hear that there is no English dub for both the Gen films. Do not be put off by this; the subtitles are top notch along with the original Japanese sound tracks.

I mentioned that there are two Barefoot Gen films. You get the original Barefoot Gen from 1983 and the sequel, predictably named Barefoot Gen 2. The second movie is set three years after the bombing and focuses on the continuing struggle of Gen and his family as Hiroshima recovers. There are no special features with these films but you do get both of them on one disc! As much as I think they are important films there is only so much post war Japan I could take before feeling a little odd inside. But that aside Barefoot Gen is a classic anime that should be seen. Three out of Five.