Brett Rogers · From fps #9 · October 23, 2006 | Barefoot Gen has not had a lot going for it until now. Outside of Japan, the film has been largely ignored and unfairly overshadowed by Grave of the Fireflies, an almost universally cherished anime film with similar subject matter. Barefoot Gen is 23 years old, its character design is dated, its content is difficult to watch, and its first release in North America was a slipshod product. A résumé like that would doom even the most soul-stirring classics to obscurity.

Barefoot Gen Directed by Mamoru Shinzaki Animation production by Madhouse Studios Distributed by Geneon Entertainment Originally released theatrically in Japan in 1983 83 minutes Barefoot Gen 2 Directed by Akio Sakai and Toshio Hirata Animation production by Madhouse Studios Distributed by Geneon Entertainment Originally released theatrically in Japan in 1986 85 minutes Shop for Barefoot Gen & Barefoot Gen 2 DVDs and more: Amazon.ca Amazon.com

Enter Geneon, which has paired Barefoot Gen with its lesser-known sequel in a beautiful re-release, prepared with the care and respect due this important film. The print looks sharp and bright and the dubious English dub of the film's earlier release has been mercifully excised in favour of Japanese dialogue with subtitles.

Based on a loosely autobiographical manga by Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen follows a family of five struggling to survive in Hiroshima in 1945 and the experiences of the remnants of that family after the atomic bombing.

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You'll find it and many other articles in the October 2006 issue of fps, available for only $1.49 US.