History YMMV / LettersFromIwoJima

* NightmareFuel: If you had nightmares from ''Film/FlagsOfOurFathers'', you ain't seen nothing yet. The most horrific scene? Some of the Japanese soldiers commit suicide by holding ''their active grenades to their bodies.'' while you are almost yelling, "Idiots, your commander told you ''not to do this!''"

* HeReallyCanAct: Did you know Saigo is played by Kazunari Ninomiya of the ''boyband'' Arashi?

%% Bring CompleteMonster examples to this thread before adding any: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=6vic3f9h1cy5qivsenw8llok&page=1. Check the FAQ first to see what would qualify characters for the trope, and if there has been previous discussion on the work.

* FridgeHorror: The American soldier, "Sam", wounded by Colonel Nishi then brought in is clearly scared shitless. He would have no doubt heard stories (all of them true, unfortunately) of Japanese soldiers brutality towards POW's (or seen the results first-hand), but FreezeFrameBonus reveals he is also a ''flamethrower operator.'' In the Soviet-German and Japanese-American theatres, extraordinarily few flamethrower-men were ever taken prisoner [[SarcasmMode for some strange reason]].

* NightmareFuel: If you had nightmares from ''Film/FlagsOfOurFathers'', you ain't seen nothing yet. The most horrific scene? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsIMbhDJ7k Some of the Japanese soldiers commit suicide]] by holding ''their active grenades to their bodies.'' while you are almost yelling, "Idiots, your commander told you ''not to do this!''"

* FridgeHorror: The American soldier, "Sam", wounded by Colonel Nishi then brought in is clearly scared shitless. He would have no doubt heard stories (often true, unfortunately) of Japanese soldiers brutality towards American POW's (or seen the results first-hand), but FreezeFrameBonus reveals he is also a ''flamethrower operator.'' In the Soviet-German and Japanese-American theatres, extraordinarily few flamethrower-men were ever taken prisoner [[SarcasmMode for some strange reason]].

* FridgeHorror: The American soldier, "Sam", wounded by Colonel Nishi then brought in is clearly scared shitless. He would have no doubt heard stories (often true, unfortunately) of Japanese soldiers brutality towards American POW's (or seen the results first-hand), but FreezeFrameBonus reveals he is also a ''flamethrower operator.'' In the Soviet-German and Japanese-American theatres, extraordinarily few flamethrower men were ever taken prisoner [[SarcasmMode for some strange reason]].

* FridgeHorror: The American soldier, "Sam", wounded by Colonel Nishi then brought in is clearly scared shitless. He would have no doubt heard stories (often true, unfortunately) of Japanese soldiers brutality towards American POW's (or seen the results first-hand), but FreezeFrameBonus reveals he is also a ''flamethrower operator.'' Given the horrific death inflicted on soldiers at the wrong end of them, it's no wonder he's terrified of retribution.

* FridgeHorror: The American soldier wounded by Colonel Nishi then brought in is clearly scared shitless. He would have no doubt heard stories (often true, unfortunately) of Japanese soldiers brutality towards American POW's (or seen the results first-hand), but FreezeFrameBonus reveals he is also a ''flamethrower operator.'' Given the horrific death inflicted on soldiers at the wrong end of them, it's no wonder he's terrified of retribution.

* NightmareFuel: If you had nightmares from ''FlagsOfOurFathers'', you ain't seen nothing yet. The most horrific scene? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsIMbhDJ7k Some of the Japanese soldiers commit suicide]] by holding ''their active grenades to their bodies.'' while you are almost yelling, "Idiots, your commander told you ''not to do this!''"

** Near the ending where Saigo cried when General Kuribayashi committed suicide, after telling him that Iwo Jima was still considered Japanese soil.

** Near the ending where Saigo cried when General Kuribayashi committed suicide, after telling him that Iwo Jima was still considered Japanese soil.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Lt. Ito: The film makes him look like a DirtyCoward, but the real soldier he was based on was genuinely trying to ambush a tank but was disabled by sunstroke while playing possum.
** Some people feel it looked like that in the film too--he did have explosives strapped to his chest while he was lying there, after all.

** This troper lost it when Saigo cried when General Kuribayashi committed suicide, after telling him that Iwo Jima was still considered Japanese soil.

* CompleteMonster: Iwo Jima's summit is captured on Captain Tanida's watch, resulting in the [[FlagsOfOurFathers iconic flag raising]]. What does he do when Kuribayashi orders him to fall back? Obey him and take his men down hill to fight another day? Disregard Kuribayashi's orders and take the fight to the Americans on the hill as a last act of spite for raising a flag there on his watch? Nope. He lies through his teeth to his own men about the General's orders and [[MoralEventHorizon commands them to pointlessly kill themselves]] [[ValuesDissonance out of an insane sense of self-flaggelation for disgrace]].

** The entire film, when it's not being horrifying and realistically depicting WarIsHell, has the air of inescapable tragedy as most of the main characters come to terms with their situation, mortality, and the ultimate futility of everything.

* TearJerker: The whole thing. The main theme music also works, and there's the "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K5QzJ6J9Bo Song for the Defense of Iwo Jima]]", sung by the children of Nagano. Even General Kuribayashi [[ManlyTears sheds a few tears]] listening to it, not to mention the audience.

* NightmareFuel: If you had nightmares from ''FlagsOfOurFathers'', you ain't seen nothing yet. The most horrific scene? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsIMbhDJ7k Some of the Japanese soldiers commit suicide]] by holding ''their active grenades to their bodies.'' while you are almost yelling, "Idiots, your commander told you ''not to do this!''

** Some people feel it looked like that in the film too--he did have explosives strapped to his chest why he was lying there, after all.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: If you had nightmares from ''FlagsOfOurFathers'', you ain't seen nothing yet. The most horrific scene? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsIMbhDJ7k Some of the Japanese soldiers commit suicide]] by holding ''their active grenades to their bodies.'' while you are almost yelling, "Idiots, your commander told you ''not to do this!''

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: If you had nightmares from ''FlagsOfOurFathers'', you ain't seen nothing yet. The most horrific scene? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsIMbhDJ7k Some of the Japanese soldiers commit suicide]] by holding ''their active grenades to their bodies.''

* TearJerker: The whole thing. The main theme music also works, and there's the "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K5QzJ6J9Bo Song for the Defense of Iwo Jima]]", sung by the children of Nagano. Even General Kuribayashi [[ManlyTears sheds a few tears]] listening to it, not to mention the audience.