History Manga / BareFootGen

In the chaos that follows the blast, Gen loses most of his family, and his mother gives birth prematurely. In the following weeks, they struggle to find food and shelter. Japan surrenders, the American occupation begins, and criminal gangs and the black market appear in force. Radiation sickness takes its toll. Gen, Kimie, Koji, and Akira must learn to survive in this changing world.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[CoversAlwaysLie A cheery tale, right?]] ''Notice the word "[[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki Hiroshima]]."'']]

And then, Little Boy drops. What follows are some of the most horrifying images put to paper.

''Barefoot Gen'' (''Hadashi no Gen'') is a manga by Keiji Nakazawa (1930-2015), based on his experiences as a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It was serialized in several magazines from 1973 to 1987, initially being published in ''Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump''[[note]]This might seem surprising for modern readers, but the {{shonen|Demographic}}[=/=]{{seinen}} distinction wasn't really a thing at the time, and "shonen" magazines frequently featured series that would be considered unfit for them nowadays[[/note]] for the first year and a half of its run before moving to the magazines ''Shimin'', ''Bunka Hyoron'' and ''Kyoiku Hyoron''.

* AbusiveParents: While not justified, the manga is one of the very rare examples where the reader sympathizes with both the abusive parent and the children. Gen's family is ostracized, harassed, and attacked by their neighbors and the police because of the family's stance on the war, their mother Kimie is sick from malnutrition and suffering a harsh pregnancy, extreme food shortages (to the point that they can count the individual rice grains in their watery gruel) has everyone on the brink of starvation, the corrupt city official make everyone work and drill for hours, the family's garden (their sole hope for extra food) is burned and destroyed, Gen's father Daikichi is taken away by the police and subjected to brutal beatings for days for being a suspected traitor -- even before the bombing, the situation is horrific. Small wonder that Daikichi snaps and lashes out at Gen and Shinji: Daikichi is shown multiple times punching the boys into the wall, leaving them covered in bruises, when the boys express their own anger, hunger, and hopelessness over the situation.

''Barefoot Gen'' (''Hadashi no Gen'') is a manga by Keiji Nakazawa, based on his experiences as a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It was serialized in several magazines from 1973 to 1987, initially being published in ''Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump''[[note]]This might seem surprising for modern readers, but the {{shonen|Demographic}}[=/=]{{seinen}} distinction wasn't really a thing at the time, and "shonen" magazines frequently featured series that would be considered unfit for them nowadays[[/note]] for the first year and a half of its run before moving to the magazines ''Shimin'', ''Bunka Hyoron'' and ''Kyoiku Hyoron''.

''Barefoot Gen'' (''Hadashi no Gen'') is a manga by Keiji Nakazawa, based on his experiences as a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It was serialized in several magazines from 1973 to 1987, initially being published in ''Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump''[[note]]This might seem surprising for modern readers, but the {{shonen|Demographic}}[=/=]{{seinen}} distinction wasn't really a thing at the time, and "shonen" magazines frequently featured series that would be considered unfit for them nowadays[[/note]] for the first year and a half of its run before moving to the magazines ''Shimin'', ''Bunka Hyoron'' and ''Kyoiku Hyoron''. The manga was later adapted into a live-action drama, three live-action films, and two anime films.

Compare ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'', which is about the air raids and officially [[Creator/StudioGhibli Ghibli's]] most depressing movie, and ''Film/Godzilla1954'', the movie that inspired Creator/IshiroHonda and Creator/{{Toho}} to create the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' series' roots through the aftermath of Hiroshima and the Lucky Dragon 5 incident 9 years later.

!!These works contain examples of:

* AbusiveParents: While not Justified, the manga is one of the very rare examples where the reader sympathizes with both the abusive parent and the children. Gen's family is ostracized, harassed, and attacked by their neighbors and the police because of the family's stance on the war, their mother Kimie is sick from malnutrition and suffering a harsh pregnancy, extreme food shortages (to the point that they can count the individual rice grains in their watery gruel) has everyone on the brink of starvation, the corrupt city official make everyone work and drill for hours, the family's garden (their sole hope for extra food) is burned and destroyed, Gen's father Daikichi is taken away by the police and subjected to brutal beatings for days for being a suspected traitor -- even before the bombing, the situation is horrific. Small wonder that Daikichi snaps and lashes out at Gen and Shinji: Daikichi is shown multiple times punching the boys into the wall, leaving them covered in bruises, when the boys express their own anger, hunger, and hopelessness over the situation.

** Outside of that, Tatsuo and Takeko (the children of Kimie's friend Kiyo) are [[BrattyHalfPint complete brats through and through]]. Not just being utterly hostile to Gen but they plot with their equally mean grandmother to kick Gen and Kimie out of the hosue, mock him for his baldness, pinch his baby sister Tomoko and then [[BullyingADragon proceed to mock him when he expresses anger]], [[TheDogBitesBack prompting him to fight back with a]] MegatonPunch.

* WouldHurtAChild: ''Countless'' adults lack compunctions about physically striking kids, even anyone against the Nakaoka family hurts Gen and/or his younger siblings without a second thought. Reasons may vary from discipline to even straight up malicious assertion of authority.

* BarefootPoverty: Given the setting, even food was hard to come by, much less shoes. It's even in the title!

* GratuitousEnglish: The first film features English dialogue (with Japanese subtitles) from the pilots of the Enola Gay as they prepare to drop the bomb.

** Way earlier, Daikichi breaks into this with his children's teachers and Ryukichi over Eiko's brutal treatment and humiliation at school. In general, he's not afraid to dish it out at people who oppress and harass his family.

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Kimie outlives three of her children. She loses Eiko and Shinji in the bombing of Hiroshima which leaves them and Daikichi trapped under the rubble of their house, with Kimie and Gen unable to get them out before the fire reaches them. Later, she also loses her baby daughter Tomoko (born on the day of the bombing) to malnutrition after her milk dries up and she is unable to breastfeed Tomoko. Gen and Ryuta earn some money to buy powdered milk, but fail to return home in time.

* BreakTheCutie: Subverted in the case of the main characters. Despite all the misery brought upon them, all of them stick together and maintain their hopes of a better life. Gen first and foremost lives through the most atrocious events and never breaks his spirit.

* OrphansOrdeal: Thankfully, Gen still has his mother, but the boy meets several orphans whose parents died because of the war and Little Boy. These children have to fend for themselves and are shunned by society and even their relatives if they are taken care of. Although most would like to go to school, they must live in the streets.

* DoomedHometown: [[ForegoneConclusion Hiroshima]]. It gets rebuilt, of course, but hope for a new beginning is enveloped by bitterness, as many surviving residents suspect--perhaps rightly--that the future Peace Park in the center of town is partly supported by land speculators buying up property which ''conveniently'' has no one left to claim ownership. ''And they sell this manga in the museum gift shop.''
* DoubleStandardViolenceChildOnAdult: Averted. Children beating up adults with sticks or adults punching said children are always drawn and treated with the same casual tone.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Following the incident with Tomoko, this is essentially the relationship between Gen and Amamori. They openly mocked each other, Gen still calls him Crap-amori, but they are
* WarIsGlorious: In the eyes of perfectly healthy and wealthy Japanese war veterans only, that is. Not quite so for the Japanese civilians - and injured and crippled veterans, they are not always at the same book with each other, but Amamori is consistently shown on Gen's side in a friendly term, and Gen praised him from time to time.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Subverted. Several characters don't use shoes but it might be more that they really can't afford shoes, and have simply gotten used to [[ItCantBeHelped "doing without".]]

* CrapsackWorld: Japan, both during-and-post-war, mostly post-war. And it's ''[[TruthInTelevision autobiographical]]''.
** [[AWorldHalfFull At least it got published]]. [[ApatheticCitizens Or maybe it doesn't matter]].
** To detail: during the later stages of the war, Japan's economy begins to dwindle and food becomes hard to get by, and the desperate government and army creates new oppressive policies. The Nakaokas have it particularly hard because they are vocal about their anti-war sentiment. Immediately after the atomic bombardment of August 6th, 1945, Gen witnesses the ruination of his hometown, food becomes nearly impossible to get, and the Japanese begin to turn against each other for the last scraps; moreover, the radiation sickness begins to affect and kill thousands of survivors. After the end of the war, the arrival of the American occupation doesn't improve things. There is still a great food shortage, yakuza clans roam the streets, and radiation sickness still takes its toll.

* AbusiveParents: While not Justified, the manga is one of the very rare examples where the reader sympathizes with both the abusing parent and the children. Gen's family is ostracized, harassed, and attacked by their neighbors and the police because of the family's stance on the war, their mother Kimie is sick from malnutrition and suffering a harsh pregnancy, extreme food shortages (to the point that they can count the individual rice grains in their watery gruel) has everyone on the brink of starvation, the corrupt city official make everyone work and drill for hours, the family's garden (their sole hope for extra food) is burned and destroyed, Gen's father Daikichi is taken away by the police and subjected to brutal beatings for days for being a suspected traitor -- even before the bombing, the situation is horrific. Small wonder that Daikichi snaps and lashes out at Gen and Shinji: Daikichi is shown multiple times punching the boys into the wall, leaving them covered in bruises, when the boys express their own anger, hunger, and hopelessness over the situation.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The Nakaokas are despised by their neighbours because of Daikichi's anti-war sentiment, leading to the district chief persecuting them on top of every family shunning them in public, whether out of fanaticism or fear that if they don't join in, they'll be next.

''Barefoot Gen'' is a manga by Keiji Nakazawa, based on his experiences as a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It ran in several magazines from 1973 to 1987, initially being published in ''Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump''[[note]]This might seem surprising for modern readers, but the {{shonen|Demographic}}[=/=]{{seinen}} distinction wasn't really a thing at the time, and "shonen" magazines frequently featured series that would be considered unfit for them nowadays[[/note]] for the first year and a half before moving to the magazines ''Shimin'', ''Bunka Hyoron'' and ''Kyoiku Hyoron''. The manga was later adapted into a live-action drama and two feature-length anime films.

''Barefoot Gen'' is a manga by Keiji Nakazawa, based on his experiences as a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It ran in ''Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump'' from 1973-74,[[note]]This might seem surprising for modern readers, but the {{shonen|Demographic}}[=/=]{{seinen}} distinction wasn't really a thing at the time, and "shonen" magazines frequently featured series that would be considered unfit for them nowadays[[/note]] was made into a live-action drama, and a feature-length anime twice.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[CoversAlwaysLie A cheery tale, right?]] ''Notice the word "Hiroshima."'']]

** A very dark example of this occurs in the manga right after Little Boy detonates, when a group of survivors jump into the Ota River to escape the firestorm on both sides. With all them injured, they are too weak to keep on swimming. So one of them tells everyone else to sing, and to keep on singing. They do, even as they drown one by one.

* BewareTheNiceOne: Ryuta is normally a jovial person, content with living his life fanboying over his favorite Baseball team, running his clothing business, while having fun with his friends/surrogate family. Mess with his family, and he will go as far as taking the life of those responsible for it.

* WarIsGlorious: In the eyes of perfectly healthy and wealthy Japanese war veterans only, that is. Not quite so for the Japanese civilians - and injured and crippled veterans - who suffered from that war.

* LaughingMad: Poor Kimie...

* SceneryGorn: Hiroshima is devastated by the atom bomb and Gen sees the ruined cityscape and many fires engulfing the rubbles.

* WarIsHell: The whole point of this manga/film. The series makes it a point to criticize everything about the war, how the military has brought suffering to not only the Japanese people, but the Chinese and Koreans as well (though it's not the main point), and also how the civilians have to put up with the daily injustice and privations.

* IllGirl: Gen's mother Kimie is of the frail constitution. The constant privations and malnutrition cause her to regularly fall ill, which is a constant source of drama. [[spoiler: The sequel reveals she contracted radiation poisoning three years after the bomb and dies]].
** Eiko as well, most notably in the 2007 drama.