Ranked #176

Hadashi no Gen (Manga)

I am very proud to say this is the first of manga mangas I will read. It captivated me from the very beginning, and to tell the truth I was at the mere age of nine when I read it. I was shocked to say the least that there was no reviews for this breath-taking manga, so I'll try my best to do its justice.

Like I said I first read this when I was nine, my Mum gave it to me when her regious group's libary was being re-done, they cleared out the books they didn't want anymore and gave them to the people who wanted them. The book was old and battered to say the least, the pages read from left to right instead of right to left like most mangas you find in your local book store nowadays. So at the time I just thought that it was just a normal comic book. It wasn't until years later when I got into anime and manga I realised that it was a manga.

Story.

The story does not just follow what it was like for the innocent people who were hit by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, but of the lifes of Hiroshima living in a country at war and full of hate. The plots follows a anti-military family and the prejudices and hatred their neighbours hold hold for them, though, a couple, are nice to the family.

Art.

The art is not the best to look at. The lines are harst and none of the characters are visually 'actactive'. However, Kenji Nakazawa is a good artist, he is not one of those shoujou mangakas whos art maybe pretty but you find it hard to read. Nakazawa-sensei's art work is simple and easy to read, and no two characters are the same.

Character.

The characters are unique, all character designs are completely different and same goes for their personalities.

Enjoyment.

I loved reading this, I honestly did. I'm forever reading this, and it is most deffinately going to be with me for the rest of my life.

Overall.

A brilliantly visual novel, a must have for any person interested in history, Hiroshima, atomic bombs, and just loves their manga. I highly recommend reading it, I promise you won't regret it. read more

When I was in middle school, we started learning about the second world war in English. The book we studied was the manga, 'Barefoot Gen'

We only managed to cover 1 volume, but I found the story very enticing and intriguing.

The artwork on this book is very detailed for a very old manga and also, there is some comedy, which kept my classmates drawn in throughout the story.

You will definitely feel different emotions, especially at the end of the book, where a tragic incident occurs, just like the nuke that landed on Japan, bringing war to an end.