I think the main issues with the constructive criticism is, this story is based on the Author's life. Saying his mother should have died at a certain point didn't fit with what happened in his life. Its not just a story made up for entertainment, its a story based on the life experiences of the creator. While the points made could have made a better told story for entertainment or drama, it doesn't mirror what happens in real life.

@thewholecircus

6 ай бұрын

I think he means from a directing sense, not literally in his lifespan, build tension or worry, or even joy, through choices like music and lighting, and maybe even chronological timing of the scenes, although I agree it would have to rush some things that may be emotionally relevant

@1800mexicano

6 ай бұрын

But it IS made for entertainment like what do you mean

@SaturnGrl

6 ай бұрын

The story being made into an animated film isn't just for the sake of entertainment. Keiji Nakazawa wanted to tell a story about the hell he survived through after the Hiroshima bomb. People don't just share their life stories just to entertain people. More or less, they want you to see and understand what they experienced and how you can either overcome or avoid the same fate. @@1800mexicano

@BrandonWhatTheF

5 ай бұрын

​@@1800mexicanoI think what the OP meant is that yes, while it is "meant" for entertainment, the creator considered that secondary to just telling his story. And if it's "less entertaining" as a result, the creator wouldn't care so much. That was a secondary goal.

@DatBoiOrly

4 ай бұрын

it's made for entertainment purposes even if the creator moved stuff around all of his story it's all still there & doesn't change the conclusion, personally what i think happened is it was like this from the beginning as Steve describes but at the last minute the Manga creator wasn't happy with the order of events & asked for them to be put in the same order as in his manga. the reason i say this is because it's happened a ton of times in manga to anime adaptions especially the older ones when things were more chaotic.

I think these kids made songs that sounded cheery out of their trauma as a way to cope. It's something many people who have been through traumatic events do to try and make light of the situation in order to emotionally handle the pain. It's especially going to be common with these children considering they don't really have any adults to turn to.

@alexandreutiyama547

8 ай бұрын

This is a cutural thing in Japan, instead of showing saddness (a sign of weakness) you show happiness. Look the lyrics for many old japanese soldier's songs like Yuki no Shingun, it sounds like a nostalgic happy song but the lyrics are about soldiers dying of cold in Korea/China. The japanese are experts at burying emotions, just look at extreme cases like suicide, japanese tend to have "hidden" deaths, alone in their flats or at hidden spots in the woods, in contrast to americans who usually (in extreme cases) go for the "loud" option, suicide via police, mass shooting etc.

@whitedragoness23

8 ай бұрын

I don’t know, sometimes when your a kid you say things but you don’t really know what it means. Or you say it but you see messed up stuff so often that it easy to put it into a song and just sing about it when it’s a daily thing

@DBswag_

8 ай бұрын

This is sometimes referred to as Gallow's humour which has been known to be common in times of war & other traumatic situations. It's basically a coping method for dealing with trauma.

@ramirop4023

8 ай бұрын

@@alexandreutiyama547 Look up the hearse song. It was popular in WWI and the lyrics are quite depressing

@ButterscotchMcBean1995

8 ай бұрын

Yes.

A lot of the emotional whiplash and the jolly "dark" nature of the kids is something I find neat. My grandparents were kids in Korea when the communists invaded. They remember losing family, watching their villages burn, and the third world conditions they faced. Despite that, there is a strange sense of nostalgia when they talk about it. They talk about playing with loose ammunition, yelling at soldiers, and begging for candy. I suppose its a childs way of processing the difficulties. I think the movie did a good job in that way.

@senritsujumpsuit6021

8 ай бұрын

yeah through the whole video I just thought that's a basic part of being a human epically children I mean Steve says it himself with the carrying scene

@ATTENTIONseekinggaming

5 ай бұрын

every cartoons is mid pc master race better

I really like Historically accurate films like this, they show just because the country was recovering doesn't mean everything is better, infact some of the damage to both the city and it's residents is still there.

@happyfridge1

8 ай бұрын

its not that accurate, the US didnt drop nukes. just fire bombs.

@phoebevaughan5095

8 ай бұрын

​@@happyfridge1They dropped two nuclear bombs. One hit Hiroshima, and the other Nagasaki - both in 1945.

@ordovicianinnova

8 ай бұрын

Me only major irk with the movie and the only frustrating scene though has to be how during the bomber scene, why was there only one bomber flying over the city, in reality "Enola Gay' the B-29 which dropped the hiroshima bomb was escorted by P-51D Mustangs, where are the mustangs in that scene?

@Becqueral

8 ай бұрын

@@happyfridge1 this is why history is so important.... -.-

@alexadamns8115

8 ай бұрын

@@Becqueral It is important but nobody wants to talk about the atrocities japan did during ww2: unit 731, the invasion of South Korea and China, and the massacring of up to 30 million Chinese

"I think the teacher should reconsider his facial hair." Unexpected lmao moment.

I think the humor is also there to remind people that these are children. Children would laugh at moments that for many would be serious. Kids would have moments of joy during bleak periods.

Yeah, I definitely can’t fault Gen for reverting to childhood when he finds out his mother is dying. I think it happens to everyone, no matter how old they are

I think Gen's rushed resolution to keep going is a reflection of Japanese gaman culture. Giving that cultural context, it makes sense why the movie ended this way

@senritsujumpsuit6021

8 ай бұрын

also like Steve said earlier with the carrying scene and with the kids a few times trying to lighten the mood with song an such is pretty understandable for someone to do before your truly strong as wheat act like it first

@aboutashow

8 ай бұрын

@@senritsujumpsuit6021 Yep!

About you wanting Masa to die at the end and Gen taking over as the leader: I've read that in the manga, Masa ACTUALLY betray Gen later on, as it was revealed that the former is a Yakuza member. So yeah, he did in fact led the street gang after all

I had a feeling you’ll eventually cover this one day. After the horrific events of the first film, we see that nobody returned to be what they used to be. It sure shows that even after a war ends, the impact remains. People still lost so many things important to them. Family, home, body parts. It’s something that you unfortunately can’t get rid off. Wars change you, and you can’t comeback from these changes, no matter how you try. It’s something that nobody of us want, and we should indeed make sure to never reach to such horrible times and rock bottom of humanity ever again.

@El_Reno_Ghostbusters

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, it's called PTSD

@baryardeni9731

8 ай бұрын

@@El_Reno_Ghostbusters I know…

@baryardeni9731

8 ай бұрын

@@SimpforUshioAsamiFromBar-uu3kb She's not from the first film at all. I actually don’t know where is she from but I am pretty sure this is NOT something you should post on public! 😖

Our library has the manga. Very much worth the read. Also makes the plot lines make sense. It is semi- autobiographical, as the mangaka was also a child survivor of Hiroshima.

WAIT: there’s a sequel?! Well who knew? Steve did! This, as always, will be interesting

@flufflewarrior

8 ай бұрын

Right? I didn't knew either!

@Blankult

8 ай бұрын

Bruh comment

@williek08472

8 ай бұрын

I didn't either

@SomePerson_Online

8 ай бұрын

Shiii neither did I 😭

@Tirnel_S

8 ай бұрын

Apparently there are three live action films made before the anime was.

In my opinion, The sequel isn't as good as the first one. But it is an interesting take on what life in Hiroshima was like after the atomic bombings happened, Because the aftermath of the incidents especially years later were a perfect example of what living in an apocalytic setting would be like.

@PyroGothNerd

8 ай бұрын

Well, both were adapted from the manga, which was written by a Hiroshima survivor. So in other words, this is what he went through.

@TheCommenterDragon

8 ай бұрын

@@PyroGothNerd Yes I know all about Keiji Nakazawa and that he based the stories of Barefoot Gen off of his own real life experiences from when he survived the Hiroshima bombing.

@eddy_malouempereur_du_cong6536

8 ай бұрын

Remind me of Threads

@MaskedMazter

24 күн бұрын

​@@TheCommenterDragon 🤓

The extremes that they went with the characters to bring them momentarily out of trauma seems beautiful. Realistic even.

It’s not a movie but “now and then here and there” is a wild ride.

@jaceshaffer8104

8 ай бұрын

Duuuude that's my favorite anime of all time. Watched when I was probably too young lol. It's a heart breaker but such an amazing story

I’m glad you covered this, because this sort of subject is very important. If you haven’t read the manga, I highly recommend it. I’ve only read parts, but I think the girl with the scars eventually gets a bigger role. In fact, I wish the movies had been able to continue, and cover the rest of the story from the manga.

As horrid as it is you can't deny how deep this movie is for an 80s flick

@frogglen6350

8 ай бұрын

The manga did it better

@doodleboy565

8 ай бұрын

@kaijunasan4497 Not sure what you mean by that. There’s a lot of deep movies from the 80s and earlier.

@YodaOnABender

8 ай бұрын

Deep messages in movies aren’t something that only started existing within the past few years

@YodaOnABender

8 ай бұрын

@@SimpforUshioAsamiFromBar-uu3kb 😐

Wow. I didn't know that Barefoot Gen even had a sequel, until you reviewed it!

In east Asia it’s very common for kids to sleep by their parents esp when she’s dying. It’s again a reversion back to child like ness

7:10 that whiplash is intentional I think, I never had my walls fall in on me or been burned to a scar, but I have simply gotten used to life being shitty in some real ghettos, and learned to ignore fallen porches and broken windows and people dying unless it affected me.

When the mom wasn’t there when they had the beef I was already ready to cry. These movies are amazing and the most sad thing every. Like the movie didn’t need to re- traumatized us

As soon as I saw the unique artstyle I knew that it's either extremely disturbing or really nice .

Some humans are the worst sht that ever happened to this world. And movies like this seem to remind me of the horrors of war and that just reminds me further that the amount of evil humans are capable of unleashing is frightening. But... also there are humans who are kind hearted and are able to sacrifice themselves for the good of others.

@Jm-ki4su

8 ай бұрын

that's exactly what Barefoot Gen is all about: empathy.

@zzodysseuszz

8 ай бұрын

Give any other animal our abilities and they would be so much worse. Look at chimpanzees, far more violent and Cruel than us with none of the remorse. They’ve even gone to war with each other before, keeping the women and children as sex slaves and violently tearing apart the men. Imagine how bad tigers would be if they could declare war and commit genocide since tigers hold grudges a lot worse than humans do.

@Pollicina_db

8 ай бұрын

@@zzodysseuszz I heard once that a hunter got killed by a tiger who tracked him down after the hunter killed his mate.

@seaurchinted

8 ай бұрын

​@@zzodysseuszz animals don't have as complex a concept of morality as people do. they don't understand the concept of really being "above holding grudges". this is especially different depending on animal, it's natural biology/psychology, and its upbringing. A dog, of course, knows right from wrong- even cats do. But a tiger isn't raised with the same classical and operant conditioning as domestic animals. So, a tiger isn't being malicious or evil when it holds a grudge- it is simply a wild animal.

@crushedcan5378

8 ай бұрын

@@zzodysseuszz do you know in which war the soldiers did act like how you describe the chimps? go on take a guess, it happens to be in the same war the bombs were droped

Spoilers for the manga The death of gens mother in the film is actually inaccurate to her death in the manga, as she actually dies surprisingly in her 60s not like what the film suggests.

Oh man these movies are really dark and depressing, but both are sure good to watch

I'm glad that you've finally reviewed the sequel!

Even in times of great sadness and pain, humans seem to have a need to create levity…even if it helps only to survive for another day. Children seem esp adept at finding these moments in amongst the horror. Adults seem to lose this resiliency.

i watched your original barefoot gen video years ago and just got around to watching it this year. then you hit me with a sequel.

Love it! I recently found your channel and saw the barefoot gen u did and it was so high quality! I really thought it was a recent video! Man your reviews are legit AMAZING and your voice tone is so unique! Keep it up u got my sub and likes 4 Eva!

*though I think the teacher should reconsider his facial hair.* Instead of fleeing to Argentina, he decided to jump ship to Japan.

I would love to see more movies that handle the topic of life after war and ppl trying to build up a life again

I feel for u Steve x'D I watched all of those disturbing movies or a lot if them when I was 19/21 so good to know that there are ppl as traumatised as me in this world by them xD Greetings from Poland ;)

@MatitaTheCarnotaurus

8 ай бұрын

I came across Barefoot Gen 1 when I was 13. I'm 26 now and still haven't recovered from it, it really is a life-changing (and traumatizing) movie!

@arcaine3907

8 ай бұрын

@@MatitaTheCarnotaurus barefoot gen I found when I was about 19/20 but I saw already many traumatising things back then since I was born in the 90s and internet was wild west back then

Don't make fun of a nuclear bomb....I agree. It's astonishing to think, not only about the massive, gruesome deaths that occurred, but the unfailing strength the survivors had to keep going. Sometimes though, you know crying will get you nowhere and screaming does nothing, so you can only laugh. Remember, those that were mainly affected were civilians...that's the stupidity of war. The higher ups have protection...the "important people". The rest of us are thrown under the bus. Human lives are not pawns.

If you don't know there are 3 live action movies based on the manga as well Barefoot Gen 1976, Barefoot Gen Explosion of Tears 1977, and Barefoot Gen Part 3 Battle of Hiroshima 1980. There was all so a two episode TV drama back in 2007. The 2017 Blue-ray of Barefoot Gen 1 and 2 has both Japanese and English languages.

Hey Steve, knowing how you like going over old forgotten shows often, could it be okay if you discuss In the Night Garden at some point? For those who don't know, In the Night Garden was like this pre-school show made by Andrew Davenport (same guy who co-produced Teletubbies) that lasted from 2007-09. And the overall theme of the show was sleep; the setting was supposed to be a bright, fun and colourful place that a child sees in the moments before they fall asleep. I found myself really endorsed with it as a 4-year-old: I picked up on the characters and themes really well, and I have nostalgic memories of the show now at 15. But looking back, there's been many parents who've felt concerned about the show's absurdity, with many pointing out sex and drug innuendos, and others also feeling unsettled about the show's "sleep" nature. Like, plenty of toddlers and young children loved the show, but many parents found it disturbing

@sandystudios223

8 ай бұрын

I remember watching it as a kid, and there’s no way I found those innuendos at all!

@YeahIDontKn0wEither

8 ай бұрын

Some examples: Upsy Daisy has an inflatable skirt (which is supposed to be a tutu, from the kids POV), which looks very suspicious. Knowing she also carries her bed around with her everywhere, Igglepiggle and Makka Pakka fought each other to get in her bed. Also, why would you name a species of birds out of everything, "Tittifers"? Sounds like something naughty there

@MsSarahJosephine

8 ай бұрын

@ineedsandvich8138 ...probably because Tits are a common species of birds here...? you know blue tits, great tits, long tail tits? Yes it's slang now but... the whole "its secretly messed up on purpose" feels like its grasping at straws in a "Totoro is actually the god of death, The Rugrats were all dead and in Angelica's imagination" sort of way. If anything it feels it's a Sesame Street situation - e.g. there's several of the old plots/episode from the older show (70s and 80s) that they will not show now on tv as they went on to realise they didn't quite instill good messages to kids compared to what we know now - such as big bird being the only on to see snuffluppagus and no one believing he's real as they realised it might make kids think they wouldn't be believed if they tried to tell an adult about abuse.

Love what you do my dude, keep it up.

I would definitely recommend the graphic novel series. It’s still dark and heavy, but you can distance yourself a bit. But it *is* a long series of books, so, expensive. And only some libraries carry the whole series. (Assuming lending libraries are the same in the UK as in the US materials-wise?) I still need three more books.

@cooperminion825

8 ай бұрын

I think that many US libraries are being shut down bc conservatives don't like that they have books which expand children's minds. They want to go back to the good old days of the Robber Barons and child labor

Hey Steve, I know it's not as dark of a film as you usually review, but will you ever review Wolfwalkers? I think it's an interesting one from recent years

I think I recall reading somewhere children of the bombings had it the worse and some were left to die.

I been waiting for this for a long time

A perfect video on my birthday! 🎂

Thank you for this review! I return to this movie sometimes

Barefoot gen 2 is just like that pacific rim sequel, both have their predesuccesors in the spotlight while they are just sitting in the dark.

@mitrion301

8 ай бұрын

I mean, Barefoot Gen 2 has some issues but is overall still great, Pacific Rim 2 is just kind of shit.

I'm a simple man I see steve uploads... I watch it...

Love your work man! Please do more spanish speaking movies! Latam fan from colombia! 🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴

I just watched your barefoot gen one video earlier didn’t know there was a sequel the first movie was soo sad but I love how literal the writing was in being against war which we all should be ! Human life is worth much more than sovereignty or states and nationalism. (Ukraine and Russia etc etc) people need more love in their hearts and understanding but also respect of borders and differing cultures.

Cheers for the review, Steve! This one's still a little too dark for me though 😅

there's a second one!? i finally got round to watching the first one last night after seeing your vid a while back

I think the problem with the plot is that, unlike with the part 1 they took multipie manga issues and mixed them with each other but did not worked the writing enough to make it smooth. Also, about old man: I am not exactly sure if he has radiation decease or a crippling depression. Also I cringed my ass off at the licking scene.

I remember seeing this film years ago after your video on the first movie

I hope we get in the Future a Godzilla Minus One Review from you i love your Reviews

Thanks for this review. Have never heared from this movie bevor, but now Im interested. It remiends me of: In this corner of the world

I know you mostly cover full-length features but, l would really love to see you review the AS short ‘Opal.’ With the dark elements and the eerily unique claymation, I think it would be an amazing review video. I seriously doubt you’ll see this but, if so. Thx for reading~

There's a BAREFOOT GEN2 ??? DAMN.

But that’s true! Anyone from Hiroshima was turned away and basically black listed (can’t think of the proper word), so then seeing radiation scares and turning her away is real.

@linkLoverAG

4 ай бұрын

Hibakusha is the word you're looking for. It roughly means "bomb survivor"

I had a hard time with the redesign and the pacing so I ended up not finishing it. IDK if the movie was trying to follow how the line of events from the manga hence the awkward narrative. I feel that the kids singing and having cheery moments in between all the hell is them coping with the heavy situation. Plus they're kids, and kids naturally want to have fun.

I didn't even know Barefoot Gen had a sequel. I remember renting the original from the video store back when I was younger. I think I was around 16 years old. I was getting really into anime at that time and basically wanted to watch any that I could find. A couple of my favorites at the time were Akira and Ghost in the Shell. You really didn't see anything like them with American animation. I think that some of them had nudity made me like them as a horny teenager but that didn't change the fact that the stories were engaging enough to keep my attention. I might have to try and find this movie to watch as well.

i never knew there was a sequel

The guy with "Don't make fun of a nucler bomb!" reaction is quite childish. Yes, it may have been a tragic event in his life but the film is made to bring awareness of that dark part of history and educate how to move on and progress society. You can't undo what's been done.

As I saw this on my recommended I screamed “THERES ANOTHER ONE”

He’s back!

Someone else recommended ‘Now and Then Here and there’ and I agree, it’s super underrated.

Wait..there’s a SEQUEL. Welp time to cry and weep yet again while being traumatized

Love how I watch videos like this while watching food. Of all things I choose to is morbid content to eat to lol.

Now Godzilla Minus One is coming out in November, ANOTHER post-WW2 horror movie

YOOO HE DID IT I REMEMBER COMMENTING HIM ABOUT IT IM HYPED

Great video I didn’t even know there was a sequel. You should review an anime called mindori it has been banned in most countries for being too disturbing

I love the first one, especially since it seemed to be a very NEUTRAL stance on the topic. Where it could have easily and justifiably been a FUCKTHEUSA type political movie. To see the second one continues in the same tone, is great. it might be the best FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE on the matter we will ever get. Edit: And to the orphanage comment, yeah; it do be like that, especially when your country is in a civil war. I know that for a fact as someone who spent his first three years as a Romanian orphan from 1988-1991, 80% MORTALITY RATES. I remember some of it.

Never knew there was a sequel

I'll love to see you do a video review on Invincible's Atom Eve Special Episode to get ready for the first half of Season 2 coming this November and a video on Sonic The Hedgehog(2020) Vs The Super Mario Bros Movie:Which Is Better?

If these two films don't prove to anyone that animated films can be as dramatic (if not more so) than live-action, I don't know what will.

Man I have a feeling Godzilla Minus One will be kinda like this

I want to ask you again to review Made In Abyss but I don't want to seem like I'm nagging. So instead I'll just say, great review, I love your videos, and I especially love the way you word yourself, it has influenced me a lot.

Not me screaming in pain as I come to find out there is a second move 😭

Everybody is talking about how sad it is but not, 5:31

For your next review of dark cartoons, would you be able to review Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons - a puppet show originally created by Gerry Anderson, who created Thunderbirds?

I strongly recommend that you or anyone reading this comment to go read the manga. It's only 10 volumes long. But you get so much more detail out of it.

@sillyscribbles3

8 ай бұрын

Weirdly enough, I have a German copy of the first one. My high school German teacher knew I was interested in manga and WWII, so she gave me the copy she had laying around. The art itself is enough to make my stomach drop.

I love dark animations and your channel and reviews are always so high quality. Could you review Persepolis if you ever get chance? I think it provides a good narrative to some of the issues faced by individuals living in Middle Eastern societies (especially given the atrocities going on right now) to Western audiences.

I've seen both Barefoot Gen films for myself. The 1st one is definitely darker.

I can recommend reviewing Waltz with Bashir. There are English subtitles, but I don't know if there is a dub.

@williampulfer-melville8536

8 ай бұрын

He actually did talk about it in his list of anti war films, though it would be good for him to do a full review on it

@matveynoname7083

8 ай бұрын

@@williampulfer-melville8536 yeah

5:51-5:53- *screams in Tress MacNeille*

Motivated to review a movie about post-apocelyptic event, due to watching a movie about pre-apocelyptic event, what a time we live in And i love it

Oh god, THERE'S A SEQUEL?!

I'd like to see him try his hand on Made in Abyss

I watched the documentary after I watched the first review that you did on barefoot Gen when the bomb had happened and people were getting sick the doctors had no clue what the heck was going on they had no idea what radiation poison was they were kind of lost and I think that cartoon kind of showed that really well

Honestly kids sing about horrible things irl very cheerfully. Ring around thw rosies is a horrible song once you know what it means. It just seems to be how kids cope with things so it is pretty realistic.

go see "all quiet on the western front" and "when the Wind blow(comic ir the film)"

A second one? Great, more depression.

0:40 the music is so nostalgic iykyk

Why is this movie better than the first one

I have no idea when or why, but I HAVE seen this movie before. Maybe when I was a kid. Now I have to go and rewatch it, I wasn't even aware of the name.

I think that 'redesign' might just be growth.

I wish there was a dub of this movie

I think his Jotaro hat makes him the main character

The main problem is the filmmakers squished together volumes 1-7 of the manga into two films. You lose so much that it’s not even worth the effort. They should have just made the first film as a stand alone.

I don't suppose Steve could do a review on the short Opal next?

I watched this movie years ago but literally blocked it out my memory until now.

Now I want him to review the original Allita Battle Angel anime.

@williampulfer-melville8536

8 ай бұрын

I know that the Canadian dub of the show actually had Eddie Glenn as Allita's love interest the same guy who voiced Thomas in Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Flicker in the British/Canadian animated series Blazing Dragons

Highly suggest In This Corner of the World, it has its dark momdnt but also a lit more light hearted/ slice of life just a story of someone living through a war in Japan and all that it brings

You should review all quite on the western front (1930)