Hadashi no gen 2 (Barefoot Gen 2)

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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."