This second installment of the massive 9 hour plus trilogy of The Human Condition continues to be a heroic struggle against the negative fates of life that one is sometimes given. Kobayoshi not only provides us with expert direction, but the screenplay as well for all three installments of this tragic trilogy. In this segment, we see the stoic Kaji fall from his lofty position in the Japanese work camp to the lowly position of a PFC in the Japanese army. Now separated from his loving wife, he must endure several hardships of war, as the tide begins to turn against the Japanese. Almost as brilliant as the first installment.