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The 1980swere a fertile era for anime, sometimes referred to as the medium's "Golden Age". This was the era of films like Akira, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and Barefoot Gen. In terms of TV, it saw the rise of several legendary franchises, from the mecha drama of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam tothe world-changing battles of Dragon Ball Z....

Be it aesthetic elements, like the awe-inspiring swordsmanship of the samurai, or legends and folklore that often influence supernatural anime, traces of Japan’s rich history and cultural legacy can be seen all over the medium across anime genres and settings. Anime that actually dives into Japanese history and portrays the events of the past accurately can be hard to come by, with bona fide historical fiction being a scarce and underrated genre.

The history of Japan features thrilling events and compelling narratives in plentitude. While few in numbers, some incredible anime take on the challenge of bringing Japanese history to life, giving the audience a peak at a tantalizing past – from bygone epics of warriors and empires to the recent history enriched through fiction.

Related10 Best Underrated Historical Anime, Ranked

Historical anime bring the past to life, offering rich stories for history-loving fans.

Sengoku Basara Turns Japan’s Most...

Anime, or animated film and television projects produced in Japan, cover the entire spectrum of genres and tones. As effervescent and joyous as anime movies can be, they can also be absolutely dreary and melancholy, depending on the story. The award-winning animation production company Studio Ghibli excels at this juxtaposition, with their acclaimed and beloved films celebrating life's wonders and tragedies in equal measure. When anime movies lean in for sadder moments, they do so with heart-rending effectiveness that can leave audiences shaken long after the credits roll.

Simply put, as long as there's been anime movies, the medium has embraced the possibilities of using it to tell tragic stories. These can be films with an absolutely downer ending to movies that tap heavily into melancholy themes, even if the main characters eventually come out okay. There's just something about a true anime tearjerker that hits differently than their western animation counterparts.

Quick Links Madhouse Studios Historical Masterpiece is the Perfect Addition to Any Grave of the Fireflies Fans Watchlist Barefoot Gen: A Chilling Glimpse into the Bombing of Hiroshima The Controversy Surrounding Animes Most Popular War Dramas

Grave of the Fireflies is Studio Ghiblis soberest story, yet it harbors a dedicated fanbase, and I have just found their watchlists newest addition: Barefoot Gen. Aside from the fantastically-captivating action, romance, and horror genres of anime, the humbling realities of war and international conflict are also tackled in Japanese media. Some series are outwardly aimed towards anti-war or pro-Japanese themes. However, others are more subtle, masking a clear agenda within a fluffy exterior.

For example, my favorite Studio Ghibli film, Howl's Moving Castle, contains inspiration and reflections from both its director and the source material's author. The films release date was in 2004, following the invasion of Iraq by the United States. The film...

Director Takashi Yamazaki's next project might be an adaptation of the manga series Barefoot Gen, hinted at by industry veteran Toshio Okada. Fans anticipate a follow-up to the successful Godzilla Minus One, with Yamazaki expressing interest in continuing core characters' stories in a sequel. While Takashi Yamazaki has not confirmed a sequel to Godzilla Minus One, he envisions dating the story in real-time in relation to the previous film.

Takashi Yamazaki, the director behind the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One, has reportedly found his next project. Godzilla Minus One was a triumphant return to form for the iconic kaiju franchise, as the rampaging monster returned to its origins in post-wwii Japan. The film is considered the best Godzilla film in years, if not of all-time, and fans cannot wait to see what Takashi Yamazaki has in store.

The news comes from industry veteran Toshio Okada, an anime producer and film...

Nakazawa's famous historical manga Barefoot Gen entered the Will Eisner Hall of Fame this year, acknowledging the series' powerful and heartbreaking story. The manga, which is based on the events of World War II and how Japan was affected in the conflict, has been praised for years, and has received an animated film adaptation. The recent progress made in the Western comics industry to recognize the significance of Japanese manga artists is a positive shift for the industry on a large scale.

Japanese author Keiji Nakazawa has been posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame. This is both a recognition of the artistic importance of Nakazwa's magnum opus, Barefoot Gen, and further proof of how Japanese media has been gaining traction in the West as both a form of entertainment and artistic expression. Nakazawa was previously nominated for induction in recent years, before his acceptance in 2024.

As reported by Anime News Network,...

Around this time last year, Barefoot Gen creator Keiji Nakazawa was among those nominated for the Eisner Hall of Fame. While the late manga author didn't end up getting into the 2023 class, he's officially in this year as part of a group of 19 total automatic inductees. Other automatic inductees for the 2024 Eisner Awards Hall of Fame include Kim Deitch, Creig Flessel, A.B. Frost, Billy Graham, Gary Groth, Albert Kanter, Warren Kremer, Oskar Lebeck, Frans Masereel, Don McGregor, Noel Sickles, Cliff Sterrett, Elmer C. Stoner, Bryan Talbot, Ron Turner, George Tuska, Lynn Varley and James Warren. Related: Barefoot Gen Creator Keiji Nakazawa Among 2023 Eisner Hall of Fame Nominees Keiji Nakazawa—who passed away in 2012—was also nominated in 2020. Barefoot Gen is one of a handful of manga he authored to depict the first-hand experience of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Following his I Saw It manga in 1972, Barefoot Gen ran...

Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies is a strong contender for one of the most emotionally tragic animes of all time, but when it comes to depicting the horrors of war, it’s hard to achieve the same level of despair as Mori Masaki’s 1983 masterpiece Barefoot Gen. Adapted from Keiji Nakazawa’s (who also wrote the screenplay) acclaimed manga of the same name, Barefoot Gen is unique in the sense that it actually comes from a Hiroshima survivor, with the author mercilessly channeling details from his own childhood memories to portray a story that is both historically authentic and packed with gruesome detail. While it never garnered the attention or success as Takahata’s own masterwork, Barefoot Gen still ranks among the greatest anime movies of all time, and an essential entry into films that depict the devastation of the atomic bomb.

This article contains references to trauma, death, conflict and bombings.

There is no shortage of comic book movies in today's media, however, there are some non-fiction comics that were made into films. The first comic can be traced back to 1837, which was written and drawn by Swiss cartoonist, Rodolphe Töpffer, and called The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck (via The News International). However, it was not until 1941 when the first true adaptation of a comic made the big screen with the release of Adventures of Captain Marvel. There are plenty of great comic book films, but very few are of the non-fiction genre.

The non-fiction comic gives new life to true stories, bridging mediums of storytelling and giving audiences a newfound appreciation of stories about war, culture, and personal experiences. This is because a comic book allows for beautiful artwork to immerse the reader in the story that is written,...

Barefoot Gen, an animated Japanese film, offers a horrifying depiction of the bombing of Hiroshima through the eyes of a young child. A Compassionate Spy explores the story of physicist Theodore Hall, a Soviet spy who leaked information on the atomic bombs, presenting a different perspective on the bombings. Threads, set in Sheffield, England, depicts the aftermath of a nuclear bombing and provides a shockingly realistic portrayal of the devastating consequences.

Oppenheimer has reignited interest in the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan, and here are 10 other movies about the horrors of these weapons of mass destruction. The atomic bomb has been the subject of all kinds of films since they were dropped in August 1945, with Japanese cinema, in particular, reminiscing on the tragedy. Oppenheimer is arguably one of the most popular films on the topic, but it is far from the first. So, here are 10 other movies that...

Oppenheimer ignited interest in the creation of the atomic bomb, but there are other films, like A Compassionate Spy, that explore different perspectives on the topic. A Compassionate Spy focuses on Theodore Hall, a physicist who was also a Soviet spy during the Manhattan Project, and delves into his story. Despite being discovered as a Soviet informant, Theodore Hall was never charged with treason due to various reasons, including the cracked Venona code.

Oppenheimer is one of the most successful movies of the summer, but as it turns out, it isn't this summer's only must-see movie about the creation of the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer has taken the world by storm, with the tale of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the creation of Los Alamos and the Trinity nuclear test being one of the most popular stories of the summer. However, there is much more to the story of the...

Kenneth Welsh, a prolific Canadian character actor with more than 200 screen credits, died Thursday evening. He was 80 years old.

Actra, the Canadian film and television union, confirmed the news on Friday. “Ken was one of Canada’s all-time great performers, with hundreds of memorable roles spanning decades,” Actra wrote in a statement. “He will be greatly missed. Our condolences to his loved ones.”

Actra Toronto is extremely saddened today by the passing of Kenneth Welsh. Ken was one of Canada’s all-time great performers, with hundreds of memorable roles spanning decades. He will be greatly missed. Our condolences to his loved ones. pic.twitter.com/SqcV3Wmhqk

— Actra Toronto (@ACTRAToronto) May 6, 2022

Welsh is best known to American audiences for his role as Windom Earle, the crazed FBI agent in Season 2 of the groundbreaking television series “Twin Peaks.”

In his native Canada, he was a consistent figure on television, frequently starring in TV films.

This review of “Sumer of ’85” was first published following the film’s appearance at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival.

Set in the year when writer-director François Ozon turned 18, “Summer of ’85” depicts gay adolescent romance in a sun-dappled, seaside French town. But to compare it to “Call Me by Your Name” makes about as much sense as pairing “Hiroshima, Mon Amour” with the original “Godzilla” just because they’re both about the aftermath of the atomic bomb.

Ozon, adapting the British YA novel “Dance on My Grave” by Aidan Chambers, has a rather different story to tell, and it’s one that fits with many of the director’s favorite themes, particularly the intersection of sexuality and mortality, explored in a manner that occasionally leads to pitch-black humor. It’s even peppered with visual and thematic references to earlier Ozon films, from his international hit “Swimming Pool” to his breakthrough short “A Summer Dress.

Laetitia Dosch is sensational as a lecturer passionately embroiled with Sergei Polunin’s reptilian Russian diplomat

The French-Swiss actor Laetitia Dosch lavishes all her underappreciated star quality on this insouciantly explicit movie about amour fou and erotic obsession, adapted by the director Danielle Arbid from the 1991 novel by Annie Ernaux.

Dosch plays Hélène, a university lecturer in Paris, divorced with a young son, who has fallen passionately in love with an icily sexy, dead-eyed and tattooed young Russian diplomat called Alexandre, played by Ukrainian-born ballet star Sergei Polunin. When he is not driving too fast while buzzing from Scotch in his top-of-the-range Audi and giving Hélène top-of-the-range orgasms, Alexandre has a habit of not returning her pitifully submissive voicemails. He casually leaves her waiting in the midday hotel room where they’d agreed to meet in all her brand new La Perla lingerie, while he disappears back to Moscow to...

New from Arrow Video Us and Arrow Academy Us Zombie For Sale [Blu-ray] (7/7) Black Rainbow [Blu-ray] (7/7) Inferno Of Torture [Blu-ray] (7/7) Hiroshima [Blu-ray] (7/14) Bloodstone [Blu-ray] (7/21) Life Is A Long Quiet River [Blu-ray] (7/21) via Mvd Entertainment Group Arrow’s July Lineup Includes Underseen Classics and Award Winners! Arrow continues to bring the fire this summer with 6 new …

The post Arrow Video Us – July 2020 Release Schedule appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

In the history of civilization, no one has ever been consoled by the thought “Other people have had it worse than you.”

In 2020, the pandemic has been devastating, with deaths, illness, unemployment and economic turmoil. But as we observe the 75th anniversaries of V-e and V-j Day, it’s worth remembering that people during World War II experienced all these things and more — including widespread destruction of buildings, homes and even towns.

Variety in 1942 carried a story about Nazis destroying the Czech town of Lidice. During the war years, Variety reported on wholesale devastation to numerous places including the Republic of Formosa (Taiwan today) and Aachen (aka Aix la Chapelle) to name a few. And while we now complain that we can’t go to movie theaters, at least these venues still exist; on April 4, 1945, Variety said that the 400 pre-war cinemas in Berlin had been reduced to 31, with the rest bombed out.

As part of their release slates for the months June and July 2020 Arrow Academy will release the classic Nagisa Oshima “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence” starring David Bowie and Hideo Sekigawa’s powerful documentary “Hiroshima”

Synopsis for “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence”

David Bowie stars in Nagisa Oshima’s 1983 Palme d’Or-nominated portrait of resilience, pride, friendship and obsession among four very different men confined in the stifling jungle heat of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Java during World War II.

In 1942, British officer Major Jack Celliers (Bowie) is captured by Japanese soldiers, and after a brutal trial sent, physically debilitated but indomitable in mind, to a Pow camp overseen by the zealous Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto). Celliers’ stubbornness sees him locked in a battle of wills with the camp’s new commandant, a man obsessed with discipline and the glory of Imperial Japan who becomes unnaturally preoccupied with the young Major,...

One of the consequences of the BBC’s decision to start up their own streaming service (how dare they) is that a lot of their shows will soon be departing from their competitors.

Britbox, in partnership with ITV, launched in the UK last November, and now the content available elsewhere has started to catch up. Today we’re going to run through the wealth of titles that’ll exit Netflix UK at the end of March. There’s a lot to run down, too. And yes, this is redundant for American readers. You’re more than welcome to stay for tea, though (which is more than just a cultural stereotype).

First up – and probably of most interest – are the BBC comedies leaving on March 30th:

A Bit of Fry and Laurie (4 Seasons) Absolutely Fabulous (6 Seasons) Almost Royal (2 Seasons) Daniel Deronda (1 Season) Extras (2 Seasons) Fawlty Towers (2 Seasons) French and Saunders (6 Seasons...