Now Viewing: hadashi_no_genTag type: Copyright はだしのゲン The title translates to Barefoot Gen. It is an iconic dystopian historical war drama anime/manga created by Nakazawa_Keiji. The story is semi-autobiographical with the main character Gen being based off of his childhood self. The manga ran from May 22, 1973 to 1987. It has been adapted into multiple novels and series of live action films, and two anime movies. The first live action film was released on January 24, 1976, and was the start of a trilogy of films all directed by Yamada Tengo. Main character Gen, however, was played by a different actor each time. The first anime film was released on July 21, 1983 and was animated by Madhouse and directed by Mori Masaki. The second anime film was again animated by Madhouse, and was directed by Hirata Toshio, although the rest of the cast and crew remained mostly the same. Finally, it has been adapted into a short live action drama that ran for two days, August 10 and 11, 2007. The manga was preceded by a short prototype manga titled Ore wa Mita, which was a more explicitly autobiographical version of the story. After reading it, Nakazawa's editor told him to create a longer version of the story and, after changing the characters' names and expanding on the original's narrative, Hadashi no Gen was born. The series begins during the final stretch of the second World War. Nakaoka Gen is a young boy who, along with his family, struggles to make ends meet in Hiroshima while Japan is losing the war, contending with minimal food rations and constant air raids. His father, Daikichi, is unusual amongst his peers in being openly critical of the war, which has led to their family suffering discrimination. His mother, Kimie, is heavily pregnant but, due to the lack of food, often suffers from malnutrition. Still, Gen manages to retain a sense of optimism towards life in spite of the circumstances, and is close to his family members. But Gen finds his life changed forever after August 6, 1945, the day when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city. . . The series is notable for its highly realistic and graphic depiction of nuclear destruction and is firmly anti-war with Nakazawa openly hoping that the series would teach children to fear and reject the atomic bomb. At the same time, the series, especially the original manga, is also openly critical of many aspects of Japanese society and the government. This aspect of the series has led to it encountering controversy. In 2013, copies of the manga were removed from elementary and junior high schools in Matsue because someone filed a complaint about the series depicting the Imperial Japanese Army committing war time atrocities and said complaint insisted that those events did not actually take place. Nevertheless, the series was highly successful, both critically and financially. The manga sold 10 million copies worldwide and the first anime film won the Oufuji Noburou Award. The first live action film won the Best Director Award at the 1976 Karlovy Vary International Film Award. Other Wiki Information Last updated: 09/04/19 1:37 PM by jojosstand This entry is not locked and you can edit it as you see fit. |
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