August 6, 1945, 8:15AM, Hiroshima, Japan. This day in history marks the dropping of the first Atomic Bomb by the US, which killed hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians, and the radiation from the blast killed many more days, weeks, months and even years after the explosion.
Hadashi no Gen or Barefoot Gen is a manga series created by Nakazawa Keiji (1939-2012) and was published on several magazines including Shonen Jump from 1973-1985. It was loosely based on the author’s own experiences as a boy in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped.
If you’ve ever wondered what it must have been like to be there in Hiroshima on that faithful morning, Barefoot Gen is a good reference. Nakazawa gave horrifying details of the attack through the eyes of the seven year old protagonist Gen.
Manga
Gen’s father encourages them to live like wheat, strong and tall even after all the hardships it has endured. His father reminds Gen and his brother Seiji this regularly to the point the boys grow tired of the saying.
Movie
Barefoot Gen is later to be turned into two anime movies by Madhouse: Barefoot Gen (1983) and Barefoot Gen 2 (1986). The movies and the manga are a little different from each other, which is to be expected, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this films nonetheless.
Witness the horror of the atomic bomb yourself when you watch this movie or maybe even read the manga when you have time and you will be treated to scenes like the one below.
I found the movie a little disturbing, but the horrors of what you will see will only open your eyes to war. I found myself a little scared while watching it because never did I think they would put something like that into an anime that is meant for kids. (Since this is anime, I guess it’s not really exclusively for kids).
This all happened in real life. And it’s because of this fact and the fact that it was based on the author’s own experiences makes it feel even more real.
Here’s some trivia: The pilot who dropped the atomic bomb (code named: Little Boy) is Paul Tibbets and his plane was called Enola Gay, in honor of his mother.
The plot for the first Barefoot Gen movie vividly shows the explosion and the suffering Gen and his mother had to go through to survive, while the second movie showcases the effects of radiation poisoning three years after the attack, and how the orphaned children were being treated badly by those around them.
You can watch the movie even without having read the manga. I myself found the movie randomly on kissanime.com and I am now planning to start reading the manga after reading the summary of the plot from the Barefoot Gen Wikipedia page.
Not only will the films give you a history crash course on what happened in Hiroshima, it will also give you a clear picture of the kind of suffering the atomic bomb gave people and their communities. I can assure you, it was pure and utter hell.
This is why I recommend watching these films, and you’re in luck because you can stream them free online. Just click the links below and happy watching.
Inner Nerd Unleashed 