A harrowing and intense film about the devastating consequences of the Hiroshima's bombing as seen through the eyes of a boy. Hiroshima 2 (1986) by Toshio Hirata, is the follow-up to Hadashi no Gen (Hiroshima) (1983) by Mori Masaki ; again with an anti-war vibe, set three years after the dropping of the first atomic bomb, it stars Gen, his mother, and his adoptive brother Ryuata, who try to survive in the devastated city where hunger and disease take a deep toll on its inhabitants due to the ravages caused. It is partially based on the manga, by the author who personally suffered the chaos caused by the dropping of the first bomb.
In order to relate what Hadashi no Gen 2 (1986) (Hiroshima II) is about, it is unavoidable to describe the plot of Hadashi no Gen (1983) (Hirossima I): After almost four years of war in the Pacific, Gen, his family and the rest of the citizens of Hiroshima are accustomed to seeking shelter when Allied B29 planes fly over the city. Focuses on the peaceful and naive life of a happy family in the country, when is suddenly destroyed by nuclear war. In reality, they have never been heavily bombed... until August 6, 1945. Based on real events, Barefoot Gen I and II are two stories of courage, fight, survival and moving experiences.
A magnificent Anime idetailing strongly and crudely how a group of children have to survive by any means among a city completely annihilated by the atomic bomb. A thoughtful and thought-provoking anti-war film, this is a cult anime that tells, from a child's point of view, the devastating consequences of the nuclear explosion. After almost four years of war in the Pacific, Gen, his family and the rest of the citizens of Hiroshima are accustomed to seeking shelter when Allied B29 planes fly over the city. Focuses on the peaceful and naive life of a happy family in the country, when is suddenly destroyed by nuclear war. In reality, they have never been heavily bombed... until August 6, 1945.
A n excelleny animated feature dealing with a poignant, sad, and just a big scary plot. Based on Keiji Nakazawa's manga of the same name, the film offers very brutal images, showing the horror of a nuclear explosion, faithfully detailing a complete apocalypse until reaching a strange and beautifully hopeful ending. It is a powerful film to watch, in which your heart sinks due to the terrifying spectacle that we see. The cartoon images are made in traditional style , an almost primitive and naif drawing , but is enough agreeable and charming . Narrating life at the Hiroshima location where civilisation has been completely destroyed, showing how the local people try to survive without even the most basic utilities and skills . The imaginative and colorful animation is at its best and the film most effective during the sequences of their reminiscences, when the daily round of their past lives is seen as a delight in the ordinary and in a history which is not just forgotten but literally obliterated. But the slow degradation of the family is almost unbearably moving. The only note of hope is that it might just get through to some people who have a say in such matters. An enjoyable and sensitive film not for squeamish or the faint-hearted people.
This movie was part of a cycle of movies in the Seventies and Eighties about nuclear war and the risks of nuclear energy. Other movies included: The Ultimate Warrior (1975), Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), The China syndrome (1979), When the Wind Blows (1986), Silkwood (1983), Testamentl (1983), Threads (1984), War Games (1983), The after day (1983), The atomic cafe (1982), Whoops Apocalypse (1982), Special Bulletin (1983), Ground Zero (1987), Hiroshima (1983), Rules of Engagement (1989), Dead Man's Letters (1986), Memoirs of a Survivor(1981) and Danger: Chain reaction (1980). The motion picture was well directed by Toshio Hirata. He was a director and assistant director (1938-2014) known for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Jetter Mars (1977) , The Fantastic Adventures of Unico (1981), Natsu e no tobira (1981) and Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl (1989).
In the films Hadashi no Gen I (1983) by Nori Masaki and Hadashi no Gen 2 ( 1986) by Toshio Hirata, everything happens in an overwhelming way, it is impressive and perhaps some may find what is told and shown to be excessive. But it was a reality, as the film proclaims, that should never be repeated. The films stir consciences and stomachs, squeeze the tear duct and shrink the hearts, being two films necessary to see and totally essential, and so it was because history will say that the atomic bomb made Japan surrender to the USA and ended the Second World War, but without this feature film it is difficult to feel a minimum part of the suffering endured by those who were exposed to the bomb itself.
