History YMMV / CityOfLifeAndDeath

* TearJerker

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Particularly considering [[BlatantLies the behaviour of certain Japanese politicians]].
** For that matter, it also manages to show how horrifying the events were, while still reminding the audience that not all of the Japanese soldiers were comfortable with it. Considering the one-sided nature of most Chinese WWII films, this is an admirable effort to show a balanced viewpoint.

* CompleteMonster: [[SociopathicSoldier Second Lieutenant Osamu Ida]] is the soldier in charge of conquering [[UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar Nanjing for the Imperial Japanese Army]]. Under his military command, Nanjing is turned into a slaughterhouse where [[RapePillageAndBurn people are raped, tortured and killed in a variety of sadistic ways]], [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgusting even John Rabe, a man affiliated with the Nazi Party]]. After over 500 prisoners are executed en masse and the Nanjing Safety Zone is established, Ida and his men frequently force themselves into the zone to rape more women and [[WouldHurtAChild children]], and uses a collaborator, Mr. Tang, to get information on incapacitated Chinese soldiers, invading the hospital to cowardly execute them when they were unable to fight back; Tang is rewarded by having his [[WouldHurtAChild daughter thrown out of the window to her death]]. Promising to call his troops and destroy everything in the zone if Rabe doesn't give him at least a hundred {{Sex Slave}}s, his soldiers murder some of the "comfort women" in the process, with Ida personally raping and killing Tang's sister-in-law, later executing Tang himself. Sending Chinese soldiers to execution when they were promised to be spared if they turned themselves, Ida allows civilians to claim at least one prisoner for each after an American missionary interfered, but sent a woman to be gang-raped when she tried to save more people.

* MoralEventHorizon: The death of Mr Tang's daughter.

* StoicWoobie: Mrs. Jiang. As well as the poor women who volunteer to be [[strike:comfort women]] sex slaves.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The Japanese soldiers tear down a statue of Sun Yat-sen, plant their flag on the pedestal, and then drag the statue through the streets behind a tank. Suspiciously similar to the way the American troops in 2003 tore down the statue of Saddam Hussein, and drove off with it. [[UnfortunateImplications Unfortunate implications]] about America being like Imperialist Japan.

** And after the events of the film, John Rabe. He returned to Germany and tried to appeal to Hitler on behalf of the Chinese, hoping that his country would be able to rein in their allies, and for his undue compassion towards a "lesser race", was arrested and interrogated by the [[SecretPolice Gestapo]]. Things didn't get any better for him after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, as he was denounced for his membership of the Nazi Party and therefore unable to work. Until his death in 1950, he survived on food packages sent regularly by the grateful survivors of Nanjing. [[SarcasmMode Way to go, karma]].

** And after the events of the film, John Rabe. He returned to Germany and tried to appeal to Hitler on behalf of the Chinese, hoping that his country would be able to rein in their allies, and for his undue compassion towards a "lesser race", was arrested and interrogated by the [[SecretPolice Ge]][[Gestapo stapo]]. Things didn't get any better for him after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, as he was denounced for his membership of the Nazi Party and therefore unable to work. Until his death in 1950, he survived on food packages sent regularly by the grateful survivors of Nanjing. [[SarcasmMode Way to go, karma]].

** And after the events of the film, John Rabe. He returned to Germany and tried to appeal to Hitler on behalf of the Chinese, hoping that his country would be able to rein in their allies, and for his undue compassion towards a "lesser race", was arrested and interrogated by the [[SecretPolice Gestapo]]. Things didn't get any better for him after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, as he was denounced for his membership of the Nazi Party and therefore unable to work. Until his death in 1950, he survived on food packages sent regularly by the grateful survivors of Nanjing. [[SarcasmMode Way to go, karma]].

** And after the events of the film, John Rabe. He returned to Germany and tried to appeal to Hitler on behalf of the Chinese, hoping that his country would be able to rein in their allies, and for his undue compassion towards a "lesser race", was arrested and interrogated by the [[SecretPolice Gestapo]]. Things didn't get any better for him after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, as he was denounced for his membership of the Nazi Party and therefore unable to work. Until his death in 1950, he survived on food packages sent regularly by the grateful survivors of Nanjing. [[SarcasmMode Way to go, karma]].

* CompleteMonster: Commander Ida seems to fit the description perfectly, but maybe his relatively low ''personal'' kill count should prevent him from receiving the title.

* CompleteMonster: Commander Ida, and many of the Japanese soldiers. Ida seems to fit the description perfectly, but maybe his relatively low ''personal'' kill count should prevent him from receiving the title.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The Japanese soldiers tear down a statue of Sun Yat Sen, plant their flag on the pedestal, and then drag the statue through the streets behind a tank. Suspiciously similar to the way the American troops in 2003 tore down the statue of Saddam Hussein, and drove off with it. [[UnfortunateImplications Unfortunate implications]] about America being like Imperialist Japan.
* CompleteMonster: Commander Ida, and many of the Japanese soldiers.
** YMMV is always invoked with that kind of villain, but Ida seems to fit the description perfectly, maybe his relatively low *personal* death score should prevent him from receiving the title though.

* NightmareFuel:
** The Rape of Nanking, from beginning to end.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Particularly considering the behaviour of [[BlatantLies certain Japanese politicians]].

** And after the events of the film, John Rabe. He returned to Germany and tried to appeal to Hitler on behalf of the Chinese, hoping that his country would be able to rein in their allies, and for his undue compassion towards a "lesser race", was arrested and interrogated by the [[SecretPolice Gestapo]]. Things didn't get any better for him after WorldWarII, as he was denounced for his membership of the Nazi Party and therefore unable to work. Until his death in 1950, he survived on food packages sent regularly by the grateful survivors of Nanjing. [[SarcasmMode Way to go, karma]].

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: Oh, god. '''''The Rape of Nanking''''', from beginning to end. No, strike that--the whole movie.
** The later tragedies top this scene, but for sheer horror it's the part where the Chinese prisoners of war are being buried alive in masses. Or the part where the schoolgirls are raped.

** And after the events of the film, John Rabe. He returned to Germany and tried to appeal to Hitler on behalf of the Chinese, hoping that his country would be able to rein in their allies, and for his undue compassion towards a "lesser race", was arrested and interrogated by the [[SecretPolice Gestapo]]. Things didn't get any better for him after WorldWarII, as he was denounced for his membership of the Nazi Party and therefore unable to work, and so, until his death in 1950, he survived on food packages sent regularly by the grateful survivors of Nanjing. [[SarcasmMode Way to go, karma]].

** By the end of the film, the whole population of Nanjing.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: The depressing tone in the rest of movie makes this a nice little moment: when Kadokawa visits the jaded prostitute Yuriko and gives [[JapaneseHolidays New Year's]] presents to her. She expects him to just screw her and leave, when he starts pulling out gifts from his bag. Sake, candy, chocolate cake...
** In RealLife, John Rabe and his family went hungry when the famine hit Germany after World War II. They survived on food packets and money sent to them from China.