Anime like Ushiro no Shoumen Daare

Hotaru no Haka

Also known as Grave of the Fireflies.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

In the aftermath of a World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year-old sister, the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation, hunger and grief, these children's lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring.



Tags: Tragedy , Survival , Orphan , War , Family Life , Historical , Primarily Child Cast , Homeless , Rural , Female Protagonist , Military , Autobiographical , Male Protagonist , Educational

Hadashi no Gen

Also known as Barefoot Gen.

Studio: MADHOUSE , RCC Chugoku Broadcasting , GEN Productions , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

It's the summer of 1945. 3 years have elapsed since the war between Japan and USA began. Gen is a young boy living a struggling yet satisfying life in the city of Hiroshima, that has been strangely spared by the bombing taken in almost every other Japanese City. Food is scarce, and Gen's family is suffering from severe malnutrition, which endangeres his pregnant mother. There isn't much spare time as Gen and his little brother Shinji help their father and mother at work and try to make sure their family survives the tought times. Little do they know, what the Americans have in store for the city of Hiroshima and as of the 6th of August 1945, their lives are about to change dramatically.



Tags: Tragedy , Historical , War , Autobiographical , Body Horror , Gore , Male Protagonist , Primarily Child Cast , Nudity , Educational

Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni

Also known as In This Corner of the World.

Studio: MAPPA , Genco , Animatsu Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

The story follows a young lady named Suzu Urano, who in 1944 moves to the small town of Kure in Hiroshima to live with her husband's family. Suzu's life is thrown into chaos when her town is bombed during World War II. Her perseverance and courage underpin this heart-warming and inspirational tale of the everyday challenges faced by the Japanese in the midst of a violent, war-torn country. This beautiful yet poignant tale shows that even in the face of adversity and loss, people can come together and rebuild their lives.



Tags: Historical , War , Female Protagonist , Family Life , Tragedy , Seinen , Rehabilitation , Drawing , Disability , Heterosexual

Hiroshima e no Tabi

Also known as Journey to Hiroshima.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

To spend the summer vacation, junior high school student Kazuki rides a bullet train to Hiroshima to stay with his aunt. Upon arrival in Hiroshima, his aunt narrates the tragic past of what happened the day the atomic bomb fell. From the aunt, who had to overcome a lot of hardships, Kazuki learns the value of peace and how to have the courage to lose.

Tags: Tragedy , War , Historical , Table Tennis

Pika Don

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

An animation documentary describing the tragic consequences of the A-bomb explosion in Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. The flash of the A-bomb, 100 times brighter than the sun, is called "PICA", and the enormous shock wave which came right after the flash is called "DON". At the time this film was completed, it was the very first attempt in the world to deal with such a sensitive subject of Hiroshima using animation media. Because of this short film, the City of Hiroshima decided to establish the Hiroshima International Animation Festival in 1984, appreciating animation art as an effective medium.



Tags: Cosmic Horror , Tragedy , Historical

Hiroshima ni Ichiban Densha ga Hashitta

Studio: MADHOUSE , NHK
Status: Finished
Genres:

The story follows a girl who works on a streetcar both before and after the bomb drops on Hiroshima.

Tags: Historical

Glass no Usagi

Also known as Glass Rabbit.

Studio: Magic Bus
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Toshiko Ei and her family are residents of Tokyo. Her father is a respected and skilled glass craftsmen so the family makes a good living. However, the Ei family soon finds itself having to suffer through many tragic hardships as a result of World War II.



Tags: Historical , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Tragedy

O-Hoshisama no Rail

Also known as Rail of the Star: A True Story of Children.

Studio: MADHOUSE , ADV Films , Shanghai Animation Film Studio
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

A young Japanese actress remembers her war childhood in Korea. Her father goes to fight, her baby sister Miko dies of typhoid, her beloved Korean maid Ohana is fired due to a mistake which could cost Chiko her life... By and by Chiko realizes that the country is being ruled by the Japanese and the Koreans are persecuted. When the war ends, the Koreans chase the Japanese rule and the roles change. Now Chiko's family is unwanted. But then the Russians come and this is the end. They have to burn all the pictures to avoid all suspicions... even Miko's picture. But when the Russians come to their house, they decide to flee over the 38th Parallel towards freedom. A group of men, women, children struggles along the mountains, led by the light of the North Star. Along the way they meet a Korean man, who is willing to help them to escape the Russian soldiers although his family was killed by the Japanese.



Tags: Foreign , War , Autobiographical , Historical , Tragedy , Fugitive , Family Life , Language Barrier

NAGASAKI 1945: Angelus no Kane

Studio: Mushi Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

August 1945. In a converted theological seminary on the outskirts of Nagasaki, a young doctor works to help his patients, as unsettling news comes of a new weapon used by the Americans on the city of Hiroshima. When the second nuclear weapon is dropped on Nagasaki, the hospital staff must work to save lives in the midst of the concentric circles of death that their city has become.

Tags: Medicine , Historical , Military , Tragedy , Non-fiction , Environmental , War , Male Protagonist

Oshin

Studio: Sanrio
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Oshin comes from a family of poor rice farmers. Her father and brother must work in the fields and her grandmother and mother, who is expecting another child, barely have enough to eat. In order to make ends meet for her family, 7-year-old Oshin gives up school and decides to become a servant in the household of a wealthy family, where she faces trials and tribulation beyond her worst fears.



Tags: Historical , Female Protagonist