Barefoot Gen
Alternate Titles: Hidashi no Gen
Original Japanese Release Date: 1983
Episode Length/Run-time: 83 minutes
Summary:
Gen lives with his mother, father, and little brother in Hiroshima 1945 =. It has been 3 years since the conflict with the U.S. began and the trials of the war have begun to take their toll on the country of Japan. Despite the scarcity of food and other necessities they work to make their lives happy and the best they can. However on the 6th of August 1945 everything changes with the dropping of the first atomic bomb in human history. Gen’s fight for survival begins in the tattered remains of what once was his normalcy.
Review:
Barefoot Gen began as a 10 volume manga running from 1983-1984. It was later produced into a feature film in 1983 with a sequel in 1986. There have also been a number of novels and live action movies and TV series paired with the series.
I think what makes this movie so impacting is it’s creator: Nakazawa. Nakazawa is a survivor of the atomic bombing himself and produced this manga to tell his story and the story of all those who lost their lives and who had to live through the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Knowing this the anime becomes all the more impacting. However, also knowing this you have to understand that the anime is being told from the experiences of a survivor who made it through but this is going to add a spin to his story.
The story doesn’t really begin until the bombing. While it starts the day before this acts as a set-up for everything which is to come. When the bombing happens gen is separated from his family and what ensues is a grotesque and historically accurate series of images. People’s flesh melt off, their eyes boil and pool from their eyes, their clothing burns away in an instant. Those that do survive are left as wandering corpses desperately thirsty for water and aid. The scenery changes in an instant to a hellish landscape where everything is destroyed. Gen navigates through this back to his family only to see his house ablaze. Only his mother escapes and they watch in horror as his little brother and father burn to death before their eyes. They attempt to sleep, but cannot rest, haunted by the screams of the injured throughout the city.
Gen’s mother, pregnant, gives birth to a baby girl prematurely. Since no midwife or doctor can be found Gen must attempt to aid in the delivery of the baby. The baby is delivered and now Gen must look after himself and his mother and newborn sister as the patriarch of the family.
This movie is one heartbreak after another. Just when things seem to be going good they crush you again. The overall hopelessness hangs over the viewer and character like a dense haze that cannot be lifted. What likely makes it even more unbearable is the fact that it is historically accurate on many levels.
That is not to say though the movie is perfect. Sometimes it does seem sensationalized. This anime is never uttered because of the fact that it just doesn’t stand up in production to other WWII anime such as grave of the fireflies and took significantly longer to see a DVD release. The music is lacking and the animation shows its age clearly.
That being said the content and commentary alone is enough to put it on anyone’s must-watch list. The overall message, despite the sorrow, is one of the perseverance and strength of the human spirit. Leaving the viewer on a hopeful note compared to other films and works. This sometimes is criticized for seeming unrealistic but in my opinion it is a powerful message to a good movie.
[starrater]