Hadashi no gen
2 (Barefoot Gen 2)
- Japan 1986, 85 min.
Director:
Screenplay:
- Based on a cartoon by: NAKAZAWA Keiji
Notes:
- On August 6th, 1945, NAKAZAWA Keiji, the author of the
original comic series, survived the atomic bomb explosion
in Hiroshima. Like his hero, Gen, he was then a first
grader in elementary school and lost half of his family.
He could never forget what he witnessed and experienced.
In 1973, he began a comic series, "Hadashi no
gen" (Barefoot Gen), in the weekly "Shonen
Jump", a boy's magazine. Despite the seriousness of
the theme, not in harmony with the nature of the
magazine, the series won much acclaim by critics and the
public. It was also printed as a series of books, and, to
date, nine volumes have been published. The works have
also been translated to eight different languages and
circulated to other nations.
- This film, Barefoot Gen 2, is the continuation of the
first episode made in 1983. The hero, Gen, who lost his
father, sister and brother as a result of the atomic
bombing in 1945, in the first film, grows up to be a
forth grader in elementary school in this film. He helps
his sick mother and plays an active part with his new
orphan friends. Both two films have been based on facts,
much in keeping with the author's own experience.
NAKAZAWA considers the Barefoot Gen series his life work.
"I firmly believe," he says, "that we
should not forget our hatred for wars and such bombs
which ruthlessly destroy the very foundation of our
existence."
Cross reference to Hadashi no gen
(1)