Barefoot Gen (1983)

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

Director:

Mori Masaki

Writers:

Keiji Nakazawa (manga), Keiji Nakazawa (screenplay)

Stars:

Issei Miyazaki, Catherine Battistone, Yoshie Shimamura

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Issei Miyazaki	...	Gen (voice)
Catherine Battistone	...	Gen (1995) (voice)
Yoshie Shimamura	...	Kimie (voice)
Iona Morris	...	Kimie (1995) (voice)
Masaki Kôda	...	Shinji / Ryuta (voice)
Brianne Brozey	...	Shinji (1995) (voice) (as Brianne Siddal)
Barbara Goodson	...	Ryuta (1995) (voice)
Takao Inoue	...	Daikichi (voice)
Kirk Thornton	...	Daikichi (1995) (voice) (as Kurk Thornton)
Seiko Nakano	...	Eiko (voice)
Wendee Lee	...	Eiko (1995) (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Eizo (voice)
Michael McConnohie	...	Eizo / Bully / Doctor / Easerly / Milk / Soup / Yama (1995) (voice) (as Amike McConnohie)
Katsuji Mori	...	Seiji (voice)
Dan Woren	...	Seijo / Banzai / Bullied / Enola (1995) (voice)

Storyline

Gen and his family are living in Hiroshima as Japan nears the end of World War II. Gen's father has come to believe that the war is unwinnable, thus earning the wrath of the town officials and, in turn, discrimination from the rest of their neighbors. Shunned by the local merchants and tradesmen, food becomes scarce for Gen and his family. All these concerns soon pale, however, as the American military begins its final assault on Japan with the unleashing of its terrible new weapon.

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Plot Keywords:

based on manga | gouging | glass shard | airplane | air force | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Animation | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was part of a 1980s cycle of films about atomic bombs and nuclear warfare which had started in 1979 with The China Syndrome (1979). The films included Silkwood (1983), Testament (1983), Threads (1984), WarGames (1983), The Day After (1983), The Atomic Cafe (1982), The Manhattan Project (1986), Whoops Apocalypse (1982), Special Bulletin (1983), Ground Zero (1987), Barefoot Gen (Barefoot Gen (1983)), Rules of Engagement (1989), When the Wind Blows (1986), Letters from a Dead Man (Dead Man's Letters (1986)), Memoirs of a Survivor (1981) and The Chain Reaction (1980).

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Goofs

When the boys are about to abandon Seiji, his hands are bare and his feet only partly bandaged. By the end of the scene, seconds later, his extremities are fully covered.

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Quotes

Seijo: You idiot!
[kicks Gen]
Gen: WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
Seijo: What were you trying to do, tear my skin off?
Gen: I try to be careful but those maggots keep getting stuck to the scabs like they've been glued on!
Seijo: I don't want to hear it!
[kicks Gen again]
Seijo: You'll just have to be MORE careful, you little BUZZARD!
Gen: LISTEN HERE!
Ryuta: You think anyone will stop me if I wring his neck?
[...]

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Connections

Remade as Hadashi no Gen (2007)

User Reviews

Grave of the Fireflies, with a Different Flavour

Many compare Grave of the Fireflies with Hadashi no Gen/Barefoot Gen. While there are certainly similarities, such as the timeline taking place near the end of the war with Japan, the main difference is that Grave deals mostly with the inhumanity of the Japanese people toward their own kind, while Gen revolves less on this than it does the overall horrors of the after-effects of the nuclear blast at Hiroshima. The hooks used in the respective animes are thus, quite different. While Grave makes one shake their head and wonder about how humanity is sacrificed on the altar of survival and self-centeredness, Gen rests heavily on the outright horror that the dropping of Fat Man unleashed on an entire population.

Animation styles are vastly different also. Grave was made in conjunction with Miyazaki of studio Ghibli (Totoro), and thus was very polished in appearance. Gen, on the other hand, has a mostly "old-fashioned" anime feeling, reminiscent of the "Golden Age of Anime" in the 80's, using devices that are very manga; overblown representations of runny noses and buckets of tears from characters, for example.

In the end, Hadashi no Gen should be on the shelf of every anime collector. When someone says to them that anime is "just for kids", pop this in the VCR and show them just how in-depth, heart wrenching and thought provoking simple pen and ink cells can become. You will have to watch it twice; it's hard to get all the nuances while wiping tears from your eyes.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

13 June 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barefoot Gen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madhouse, Gen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1