Barefoot Gen is a Japanese manga about a family living in
Japan during WWII. It shows us what life was like during the war, and we see
the effect of the atom bomb when it was dropped on Hiroshima. This book is
similar to Persepolis in how it shows the childhood of someone as they grow up
during a war, and the effect that they have on said childhood. They also both
deal with the governments and their decisions during these times of war.
Being a fan of anime and manga, I was able to really enjoy
this novel for what it was. It was also interesting seeing a manga based on
real life events, as that is something that one doesn't see often in anime or
manga. This is something I really have to admire Barefoot Gen for doing, and
for doing so in a realistic way.
The manga itself got really sad toward the end after the
bomb is dropped, and Gen, being one of the survivors, finds his father and
siblings trapped underneath the ruins of their house, and is unable to get them
out before one of the fires reaches the house.
Overall, I found Barefoot Gen to be both very well done and very moving, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes war stories.
