Synopsis
Based on a children's picture book, the story takes place on December 5, 1965, when a U.S. aircraft carrier travels from Vietnam to Yokosuka, Japan. During drills 80 miles off the coast of Okinawa, an A4 strike aircraft accidentally drops a B43 hydrogen bomb, which sinks to a depth of 16,000 feet. The narrative is rooted in real events involving the USS Ticonderoga, which arrived in Japan two days later on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The accident and the presence of nuclear weapons were concealed, breaking agreements between the U.S. and Japan. The plane, its pilot, and the bomb disappeared, and the incident was not disclosed until 1989, causing outrage in Japan and inspiring this environmentally themed anime. The deliberate misspelling of "Ticonderonga" may distance the story from reality, shifting attention to Ashika, a boy from a coastal fishing village who can communicate telepathically with whales, which show him visions of terrifying sea creatures. It makes one wonder whether a whale would prefer nuclear contamination or conversation with Japanese fishermen.