Life of "Barefoot Gen" creator Keiji Nakazawa becomes subject of new documentary

by Chris MaGee

There have been many powerful films made and books written about the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945, but few can match the work of Keiji Nakazawa. You see, Nakazawa was actually there on that horrendous day. Six-years-old at the time, he would see his city demolished in seconds by the first atomic bomb attack in human history. He would take these memories of Hiroshima's destruction and eventual reconstruction and commit them to the page in his manga "Barefoot Gen". Nakazawa's is a truly remarkable story and now a new documentary will give us a unique look at this 72-year-old manga artist and tireless peace activist.

Opening at Auditorium Shibuya on August 6th will be "Hadashi no Gen ga Mita Hiroshima", the directing debut of documentary film-maker Yuko Ishida. The film combines illustrations drawn by Nakazawa with his own personal accounts of that August morning that not only changed his life, but that of the entire world. Anime News Network posted this trailer for "Hadashi no Gen ga Mita Hiroshima", so if you live in Tokyo check it out and then make it down to Auditorium Shibuya next month. If you don't live in Tokyo then do yourself a favour and get the manga "Barefoot Gen" and give it a read.