Barefoot Gen

Barefoot Gen was the first animated film we watched, and Id been looking forward to this ever since seeing it on the list at the start of term. Its an adaptation of the manga of the same name by Keji Nakazawa, and some scenes were based on the authors own personal experience when the bomb was dropped. It follows the story of a small boy and his family, before during and after the nuclear bomb fell on Hiroshima on August 6^th, 1945. The movie begins as a typical anime film of the time. Very cheerful and happy, the sun shining and the wind blowing through the grass, along with some jump poses that would remind you of other anime of the time, such as Dragonball Z.

 But soon we are introduced to the first of many sad moments of the film. The mother is ill, and through the kindness of an elderly man, the two brothers are able to find their mother a fish for her to keep her strength up, a very rare food to find during rationing. After this the movies mood lightens, aside form the moments with the air raids, signs that the fateful event is getting closer, the single scout plane being the final hint that this will be the last day Hiroshima finds peace for a very long time. After the bomb hits, the mood of the film changes drastically. Were shown graphic examples of what the bomb does to the human body, and to the survivors. The boy's father, sister, and youngest brother, whom he was closest too, die when they become trapped under the rubble of their home and burn to death in the carnage. This is undoubtedly the films lowest point, the family dying, and radiation fallout taking a toll on the peoples health, shown vividly throughout the film. No matter how much you resist it, you grow affection towards the main character, and towards the end, where were shown proof of nature growing again, hinting back to what his father said at the beginning, you feel hope that the he, and his 'new' family will be ok.