Anime Impact. Chris Stuckmann
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books include the seven-volume Dragon Ball Culture series, Dragon Soul: 30 Years of Dragon Ball Fandom, and Dragon Ball Z “It’s Over 9,000!” When Worldviews Collide. You can find him at thedaoofdragonball.com
Hadashi no Gen
— Chris Stuckmann —
Note: This article discusses the gruesome depiction of the bombing of Hiroshima as seen in Barefoot Gen.
Barefoot Gen was a title I’d heard of for something like fifteen years. Whispers in the corner of the comics store, fleeting mentions on those early message boards, and before long, I received a copy of it in my PO Box from a generous viewer (thank you!). Clearly, the film had made an impression. Sitting down to watch it, I had a snack and a drink, and had no idea what I was getting into. It didn’t take long for the nausea to settle in. To say that Barefoot Gen floored me would be a legitimate understatement. This film scarred me. I’ve seen a lot of disturbing things in movies, but nothing quite like this. This is partially because I decided to watch the film blind, having no preconceived knowledge of the plot.
We follow young Gen, an optimistic boy living in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. He lives in a small house with his brother, sister, and parents. Money isn’t just tight, it’s virtually nonexistent. The ongoing war has taken food and workers from the city, and left those remaining families on the cusp of starvation. Gen’s mother is pregnant and very weak, as she requires energy for not just herself, but the child she’s carrying. Gen and his brother often spend their days scavenging around the neighborhood for food, working with their father in the fields, and roughhousing like all kids do. Being awoken in the middle of the night by sirens is so common that Gen and his brother feel comfortable making jokes about it. “It’s probably just another spy plane,” Gen often says, dismissing the warnings.
From what we see in the first half of Barefoot Gen, it’s clear that Gen and his brother are relentless in their pursuit to help their family. In one touching scene, a neighbor suggests that carp is the best kind of fish for their mother’s health. As a result of this advice, the boys sneak into a wealthy man’s garden and swipe a carp from his small pool. When they’re caught by the man, they stand up to him, saying that he can hit them as many times as he wants, if they can just keep the fish for their mother. It’s early scenes like this that make Gen’s unrelenting spirit and idealistic confidence work later on. His passion for protecting his family is apparent, and it’s one of the most beautiful aspects of the film.
Before long, the day comes. August 6, 1945.
I had become so attached to this loving family and their struggle for survival that I was dreading the inevitable. I’ve seen many films about nuclear war. The horror of it, the pain, the loss. But truthfully, I’ve never seen it depicted this explicitly. In one devastating sequence, Barefoot Gen goes from what appears to be a G-rated family film, to a hard R, possibly even NC-17. Before the violence though, it’s the serenity, the silence of Hiroshima that’s captured so heartbreakingly. Everyone in the town is going about their business. Children are in school, men and women are working in the fields. And then, one lone plane flies over the town and unleashes hellfire in the form of a single bomb and obliterates everything they ever knew. A young girl lets out a shrill cry, her balloon she’s holding explodes, and we watch in sheer horror as her eyeballs melt in her sockets, her body slowly turning to ash. A dog writhes in pain as it implodes, a mother kneels to shield her baby from the blast, their bodies fusing together like a grotesque wax sculpture. Gen had bent over to pick something up, partially obscuring his body from the blast. He stands up, and looks for his friend he was just talking to, a young girl who now lies in a crumpled pile, her body shredded and burned. In one instant, Gen’s entire life is altered for the worst. Suddenly, all that matters is his family. There is nothing else anymore.
The remainder of the film doesn’t shy away from the after-effects of the bomb’s devastation. People emerge from the smoke, stumbling forth like zombies, their skin melted and scarred. Women suffering from malnutrition no longer have breastmilk for their young. There’s no attempt to censor the disturbing nature of this tragedy. Men, women, children, and yes, even infants were wiped out instantly. But the filmmakers knew that wasn’t the extent of what the bomb did to Hiroshima. The aftermath of the explosion caused years of sickness and death, and this is all detailed with terrifying scrutiny. I’ve seen Isao Takahata’s disturbing and powerful Grave of the Fireflies—another anime about the pain of war, and perhaps a better film—but I simply wasn’t prepared for this movie. I had to pause the Blu-ray a few times to take a breath. “Holy shit,” I declared aloud to no one. It’s not an easy watch, in fact, I’m sure many will skip this recommendation in favor of something more uplifting. I wouldn’t blame you.
As of this writing, we live in a climate that hasn’t been this aware of nuclear threat since the days of the Cold War. Our conversation about it is sometimes mistakenly humorous. I’m reminded of Gen’s initial dismissal upon hearing the air raid sirens. “It’s probably just another spy plane.” I encourage everyone reading this to watch this film. It’s been released on Blu-ray for the first time, and it’s more readily available than ever. Mori Masaki’s film pulls no punches with its anti-war message, and that message has never been more timely.
Bāsu
— Brian Ruh —
Animation has been described by the director Charlie Kauffman as “a series of still images put together to create the illusion of movement.” Although this is a rather simple way of putting it, sometimes it’s a good thing to keep the basics in mind when approaching an animated work. Every image, every angle was put there by a person working within a complex division of labor in order to generate the finished product flashing by on our screens.
In the best animated films, the story, narrative, and visuals come together in order to create a work that is not only visually sophisticated, but gains more depth upon repeated viewings and reflection upon its themes. However, sometimes a piece of animation is most notable for the animation itself. Such is the case with Birth, an OVA (Original Video Animation) from 1984 that is a standout when it comes to the craft of animation, but unfortunately falls short in the storytelling department.
There’s certainly something to be said for a work that imparts the kind of visceral thrill that Birth does, even though it’s far from the slickest or most meaningful production. However, it’s a film in which you can really sense the skill of the animators. Although it was directed by Shinya Sadamitsu, this really feels like Yoshinori Kanada’s film, as he was the animation director and character designer. Kanada’s dynamic style would go on to inspire and influence a generation of animators, as well as artist Takeshi Murakami. Other key collaborators on Birth include animators Hideaki Anno (future director of Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Mahiro Maeda (future director of Blue Submarine No. 6, on which Kanada would serve as a key animator). It also features a great 1980s synth soundtrack from frequent Hayao Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi.
In its pre-title sequence, Birth begins on a rocky, alien world, focusing on a small blob-like creature fleeing from a larger example of the native fauna. It then takes refuge atop a spacesuit-clad girl on a hover scooter, who’s later chased by a large black sphere. Unfortunately, such descriptions do not do justice to these scenes, which convey weight and movement so impressively. The camera makes full use of the variable terrain, in constant movement and motion through the chase scenes. Such animation is made all the more remarkable when one remembers that such scenes are rendered by hand, with none of the CG work that would be used if one were trying to replicate something similar these days. It’s a fantastic use of perspective and flow that really showcases the kind of work possible in the medium of animation.
From this initial introduction to the central world of Birth, we then venture into space where we’re introduced to Bao and Kim, who are in their run-down