Hadashi no Gen (1983)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Mori Masaki

Writer:

Keiji Nakazawa (writer)

Release Date:

13 June 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Bombing Of Hiroshima As Seen Through The Eyes Of A Boy.

Plot:

A powerful statement against war, Barefoot Gen is a story about the effect of the atomic bomb on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people.

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Atomic Bomb | Bomb | Boy | Barefoot

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Issei Miyazaki	...	Gen Nakaoka (voice)
Masaki Kôda	...	Shinji Nakaoka / Ryuta Kondo (voice)
Seiko Nakano	...	Eiko Nakaoka (voice)
Takao Inoue	...	Daikichi Nakaoka (voice)
Yoshie Shimamura	...	Kimie Nakaoka (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Hidezo (voice)
Katsuji Mori	...	Seiji Yoshida (voice)
Taeko Nakanishi	...	Hana (voice)
Junji Nishimura	...	Boku Pak (voice)
Kôichi Kitamura	...	(voice)
Kôji Yada	...	(voice)
Yasurô Tanaka	...	(voice)
Ryôichi Tanaka	...	(voice)
Masaharu Satô	...	(voice)
Kyôko Tongu	...	(voice)

Also Known As:

Barefoot Gen (International: English title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Chile:14 | Australia:PG | Canada:14A | Finland:K-12 | France:-12 | India:A | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12

Company:

Mad House

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hadashi no Gen 2 (1986)

Here's a little shock and awe for you

If you haven't seen this film, make it a top priority to track it down.

Barefoot Gen, the animated version of the autobiographical manga by Keiji Nakazawa, is an unflinching first-hand look at the result of dropping an atomic bomb on a civilian target. Comparisons to Grave of the Fireflies will abound, but for me personally Barefoot Gen was the more moving of the two. Though it centers on the effects of the atom bomb, the fact is this could be about any war, and any people. It is a story for all of humanity.

Barefoot Gen is filled with its fair share of caricatured mannerisms, but calling it a dramedy is pushing it. There isn't much to laugh at and even when the characters act a little over-the-top, the overall effect hits its mark (strongly). What makes the story even more powerful is knowing it comes from a survivor of the attack, and the honesty with which the film doles out darker and darker shades of life in the aftermath of the bombing (including subtle things one might not think about).

I think this along with Grave of the Fireflies belongs in every collection, even if you will only watch it once or twice, if only to show it to future generations. Its one thing to see a big explosion relating to the a-bomb in almost every other anime, but its another thing entirely to see the reality of it, and its aftermath.

At the risk of sounding incredibly pretentious, it made me want to burn flags. Not just from one country, but from all countries... to put it another way, I wish we could be united by our common humanity.