Barefoot Gen 1 & 2 (1983/1986) coming from Diskotek Media

Senior HTF Member

I don't see much love around here for anime and it's a pity because there are many great films to discover.
One of them is Barefoot Gen, which is coming along with its sequel on bluray.

Barefoot Gen 1 & 2 coming to DVD and Blu Ray in December. This will include the original English dub for the first movie. Japanese language with English subtitles for both movies.

Hiroshima, August 1945. Gen is a cheerful elementary school student living in Japan during World War II. After years of living with difficult wartime rationing and impoverished conditions, Gen and his family have managed to maintain a relatively normal and happy life. All that is about to change when an atomic bomb destroys their city in an instant. While Gen and his mother manage to survive the attack, the rest of their family is not so lucky. In the face of adversity, Gen manages to maintain his cheerful spirit and never loses hope that things will get better for him, and for the entire nation of Japan. Based on the world renowned manga 'Barefoot Gen' by Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen captures the spirit of a nation struggling to redefine itself and gives us encouragement to overcome strategy and cherish human life. This collection contains both Barefoot Gen films. Both movies include the Japanese language with English subtitles, and the first movie also includes the original English dub!

I loved the first film more than the more "popular" Grave of the Fireflies.
I definitely wouldn't suggest this for kids, as it has some shocking and powerful images. I myself was a bit shocked when I first watched it.
Tha manga itself has autobiographical elements, so that adds to the realism of the story.