Japan - World War II Animated Films

Numerous animated films have been made surrounding the horrors and struggles Japan went through during and after World War II. Most of them, since that are made by the Japanese, take a sympathetic view of the children and families that suffered directly from the attacks made by America, including firebombing and the atomic bomb. Japan as a whole refuses to acknowledge the atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II and they refuse to accept that the atomic bombs that ended the war resulted in significantly fewer American and Japanese casualties. The clear historical bias is to be expected of revisionists like the Japanese, but the films usually offer a very good insight into what it was like for the people who had to live with the effects of such attacks. I have chosen a few of these films to write about and recommend that you watch them.

Barefoot Gen was animated by Madhouse in 1983, based off of the 1973 manga of the same name. The story is loosely based off of the life of the creator, Keiji Nakazawa, who experienced the 1945 Hiroshima bombing and lost most of his family, with only him, his two brothers that were absent, and his mother surviving. As you can imagine, the film shows the experiences of a young boy during Hiroshima's bombing. It's very straightforward and not surprising for anyone with some history knowledge. Due to its art style and content, Barefoot Gen is the most child-appropriate World War II film, however, parental supervision is necessary because the atomic bomb scene is particularly gruesome and brutal. Of the films listed here, this one is my least favourite due to how it matches well enough with the accounts of people who were there, and so the necessity of it is diminished. The same story can be learned from reading a history book or watching a documentary. There is little historical value in this movie compared to actual history.

Grave of the Fireflies was animated by the legendary Studio Ghibli in 1988 and was directed by Isao Takahata, known for his character driven films, compared to Hayao Miyazaki's plot driven films. The film begins with a scene of the protagonist dying, so there's no surprise what sort of experience you're in for. Of the listed films, Grave of the Fireflies is the most real. It doesn't directly relate to Hiroshima, instead focusing on the victims of a firebombed village with few resources. The purpose of the film was to make the viewers feel guilty for what was happening on screen and to make them feel as though they should have done something. In this regard, the movie excels beyond any other. It's an hour and a half of non-stop suffering and you know there can be no happy end because the start of the movie already showed us what will happen. This movie has great historical value because it chooses to show a child's responses to what was happening and doesn't shy away from showing the terrible situation that many children across Japan were faced with. One negative about Grave of the Fireflies is that it is emotionally manipulative and uses particular writing and directing techniques to make the audience uncomfortable. My view is that showing confronting material can be a beneficial thing, but manipulating the audience to have a certain response is an unnecessary way to make people feel stronger emotions, and thus remember the movie well. I respect and appreciate this movie for what it is, and acknowledge Isao Takahata's excellent work, but I cannot accept this movie as my favourite due to the emotional manipulation.

Giovanni's Island was animated by Production I.G in 2014. It is the most artistic of the films and my favourite of them. Instead of the premise of Japan being attacked by America, Giovanni's Island shows the occupation of a small island in the north of Japan by the Soviet Union. This film has significant historical value because it tells a story that is not well known. The island featured in the movie, Shikotan, is still disputed territory to this day. Similarly to Grave of the Fireflies, it focuses on two siblings trying to live through the post-war time and deal with Russians taking over their island. There is a greater focus on friendship and relationships in this film than the others, with many heartwarming moments between the Russian and Japanese children. The story takes interesting twists and turns that you can't get from the others, yet the emotional impact is just as heavy. It's not as accessible as Ghibli's movie since Ghibli is a cultural mammoth, but it's more worth your time if you have some understanding of history. Unlike the other two films, this one has a proper ending. Barefoot Gen stops and Grave of the Fireflies finishes where it began. Giovanni's Island has a concluding act to it which, after the tragedy, is fantastic catharsis and will leave you with a bittersweet feeling.

One film I neglected to talk about is In This Corner of the World, animated in 2016 by MAPPA, because I have not had the chance to see it yet. I expect it to be as worthwhile as the aforementioned films.