Barefoot Gen 2

Synopsis

Continues the story of Barefoot Gen

It is the summer of 1945, and three years have passed since the war between Japan and the United States began. Gen, a young boy, lives a difficult yet content life in Hiroshima, a city that has oddly remained untouched by the bombings that have ravaged nearly every other Japanese city. Food is scarce, and Gen's family is weakened by severe malnutrition, a condition that places his pregnant mother in danger. With little time to spare, Gen and his younger brother Shinji assist their parents with their work, doing all they can to help the family endure these hard times. Unbeknownst to them, the Americans have something planned for Hiroshima, and on August 6, 1945, their lives are about to be transformed forever.

In this installment

It has been three years since the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, and Gen is now in the fourth grade. The city remains in ruins, forcing Gen to collect scrap metal to earn enough to feed himself and what remains of his family, though some commerce has finally returned. As his mother slowly weakens from radiation sickness, Gen and Ryuta encounter a band of orphans led by a tough, older child, including a girl whose face still carries the painful burn scars from the day of the explosion. An elderly man battling depression also joins their circle, and together they support one another, forming a surrogate family. Yet life remains brutal—many orphans still perish alone, and the haunting reminders of the tragedy are never far away.

Background

Hadashi no Gen 2 was released on DVD as Barefoot Gen 2 by Geneon Entertainment on August 8, 2006. Discotek Media remastered the film and published it on Blu-ray and DVD on December 26, 2017.