Review of Barefoot Gen

War reaps benefit to no one. It does not prove who's right, only who's left. And i understood these sayings even more when I watched this film. Barefoot Gen was an eye-opener, especially to the young generation who had never experienced war. Now, I understand that this is a very old film (as proven by the art on the cover), but if you look past that, you'll see that the story, characters and emotions emitted by each of them are timeless and undying. Not only did it serve as the message that war brings hell on earth, but also showed the reality of history: thatthese events did happen and that people suffered greatly.

But underneath that darkness and despair laid a small ray of hope: that being Gen himself. He emitted so much hope despite living in a relentless environment. When everyone else gave up on life, he was one of those who didn't.

Also, I liked how it did not delve deep into the enemies of the country during that time. It focused solely on the chaos which war brought to the inhabitants, not exactly hatred against the opposing force.

Now I live in Isahaya, a city not too far from Nagasaki. And every time I visit Nagasaki, I cannot believe that it was once the land where an atomic bomb was dropped. It was amazing to see a land once in devastation turn into a city full of hope.

And so I ask: please do not turn your back on this film simply because of the art style. This is a film rooted in history: something you need to watch. Walking barefoot and standing headstrong despite so much tragedy: that's what makes Barefoot Gen so amazing.