This year marks 80 years since Japan's defeat in World War II.
In particular, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th remain unforgettable history for the Japanese people.

Over these 80 years, the Japanese have strived to convey the horrors of war to future generations through various forms.
One of these is anime.

Numerous emotionally powerful anime works have been created, each vividly depicting how war befalls people and destroys their lives.
This article, marking the 80th anniversary of the war's end, introduces animated works in which the Japanese have depicted war.

"Torn apart by war. Brought together by love": In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に)

Released on November 12, 2016.
Directed by Sunao Katabuchi, based on the original work by Fumiyo Kouno.
18-year-old Suzu marries from Eba in Hiroshima City to Kure City, where she lives through the daily life of a military port city and air raids with quiet resilience, while deepening bonds with her family and neighbors. A slice-of-life drama that weaves together the absurdity and warmth of wartime.

Awards and Recognition
40th Japan Academy Prize - Best Animation of the Year
21st Japan Media Arts Festival - Animation Division Grand Prize
59th Blue Ribbon Awards - Best Director (Sunao Katabuchi)
41st Annecy International Animated Film Festival - Jury Award
67th Art Encouragement Prize - Minister of Education Award

This film shows us how war appeared through the eyes of ordinary citizens.
The protagonist is not a soldier, but just an ordinary person living in Hiroshima.
That's why, unlike other war films, there are few scenes featuring guns, weapons, or combat battles.

Instead, it depicts how an ordinary citizen quietly survives through wartime.
Yet bombs and bullets rain down on them mercilessly.
Daily life is indiscriminately destroyed.
And from the setting of "living in Hiroshima," everyone living today knows what happens at the end.

Depicting a cruel era with gentle artwork.
This is truly a work where you can feel "war as depicted by the Japanese."

Major Streaming Platforms:
Crunchyroll - Extended version "In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World" available from November 2024 (168-minute version)
Netflix - Available in select regions
Tubi - Free streaming with ads in USA, Canada, Mexico, LATAM, UK, and Australia
Beamafilm - Available in New Zealand and Australia regions
Apple TV - Available for purchase or rental (USA, Europe, etc.)
Amazon Prime Video - Available for purchase or rental

Please refer to official sources for viewing availability in your region.

”September 21, 1945... that was the night I died”: Grave of the Fireflies (ホタルの墓)

Released on April 16, 1988.
A masterpiece based on Akiyuki Nosaka's original work, directed and written by Isao Takahata, produced by Studio Ghibli.
Late Pacific War, Kobe. 14-year-old brother Seita and 4-year-old sister Setsuko lose their mother in an air raid. After being coldly treated at their relatives' home, they move to an abandoned air-raid shelter. With scarce food supplies, the siblings support each other, but the harshness of war is beyond imagination, ultimately leading to a tragic ending.

Awards and Recognition
Agency for Cultural Affairs Film Award - Excellence Award
Japan Academy Prize - Best Animation of the Year
Chicago International Children's Film Festival - Best Animated Feature
Moscow International Film Festival for Children and Youth - Grand Prix
Blue Ribbon Awards - Special Award

I think it's a masterpiece that brings inevitable tears.

The story of two siblings depicted by master director Isao Takahata still captures Japanese hearts even now, about 50 years after its release.
On Japanese television, the broadcast of "Grave of the Fireflies" in summer has become such a seasonal tradition.
Just like Suzu in "In This Corner of the World," 14-year-old brother Seita and 4-year-old sister Setsuko are also ordinary civilians.
Like all people living in Japan during this era—or perhaps even more so—they follow a tragic fate brought by war.

Today, this masterpiece can be watched worldwide through platforms like Netflix.
It's a film that makes your heart ache, but it's absolutely a must-watch.

Major Streaming Platforms:
Netflix - Available in over 190 countries (starting September 16, 2024, excluding the United States and Japan)
Hulu - Available in select regions
Amazon Prime Video - Available for purchase or rental

Please refer to official sources for viewing availability in your region.

"Keep living, keep fighting, survive it all": Barefoot Gen (はだしのゲン)

The first film was released on July 9, 1983, and the second on July 26, 1986.
Based on the autobiographical manga by Keiji Nakazawa, who experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, these films vividly depict the horrors of the atomic bomb.
Set in the ruins immediately after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, it tells the story of a boy named Gen who strives to survive resiliently despite losing his family.
The first film depicts the chaos and tragedy immediately after the atomic bombing, while the second film ("Barefoot Gen 2" / "A New Journey") portrays the reconstruction period three years after the war.

A shocking work that vividly depicts what happened directly beneath the atomic bomb at the moment it exploded in Hiroshima at 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945.

The original author Keiji Nakazawa was an atomic bomb survivor (hibakusha) who experienced the bombing in Hiroshima, and invested his own funds to adapt his manga into an animated film in order to depict the cruelty of the atomic bomb.
The work also vividly portrays the prejudice and discrimination against atomic bomb survivors.

The depictions are so cruel that they make you want to look away,
yet these are actual events that happened in Hiroshima 80 years ago.
It seems to sound a major alarm bell for our present day, when the danger of nuclear weapons is once again on the rise.

Major Streaming Platforms:
RetroCrush - Free streaming with ads in the USA
Plex - Free streaming
Amazon Prime Video - Available for purchase or rental (regional restrictions apply)
Kanopy - Free viewing through library services
Fawesome - Free streaming

Please refer to official sources for viewing availability in your region.

In Closing

I believe the 80th anniversary of the war's end is a milestone not only for the Japanese people but for people of all nations involved in the war.
However, at the same time, warfare spreads across today's world, with some countries even openly making threats with nuclear weapons.
It feels as though the messages that Japanese creators have poured their hearts into weaving ring hollow in our modern world.
I pay my respects to our predecessors who have passed down the horrors of war, and I keenly feel that we who live today also bear responsibility for the future.