Oppenheimer has become a huge hit, but it has proven controversial for some viewers because it didn’t show the perspective of the Japanese atomic bombing victims. In response to the Oppenheimer criticism, there has been a renewed interest in the Barefoot Gen anime along with other Japanese films.
Thanks in part to the Barbenheimer phenomenon that dominated the lead-up to its release, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has become a big box office hit, which is quite surprising given that it’s a 3-hour biopic.
Along with its stellar box office numbers, the film has also been praised by critics and general viewers alike for its nuanced portrayal of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.”
Oppenheimer Criticized for Not Showing Japanese Perspective
Although Oppenheimer has been widely praised, certain viewers of the film criticized it for not showing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After all, the film only showed these events through J. Robert Oppenheimer’s eyes.
This opinion has proven to be quite unpopular among many who watched the film. Specifically, many viewers said that the film is more powerful because of its more subjective perspective.
On top of this, another popular take on the Oppenheimer criticism is that there have been many films by Japanese creators that have tackled the horrors of World War 2 from their perspective.
Some of these films include classics like Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies. There’s also the movie In This Corner of the World by MAPPA, which directly tackles the events in Hiroshima during the war.
Though perhaps the film that got the most interest following Oppenheimer’s release is Barefoot Gen, the harrowing anime movie which was released in 1983.
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Barefoot Gen Anime Sees Huge Spike in Interest
Barefoot Gen began as a historical manga series that was serialized between 1973 to 1987.
The manga’s story began during the months before the Hiroshima bombing, and it followed one of its survivors named Gen.
The movie adaptation covered the story of the manga’s initial volumes. Specifically, it showed harrowing animated sequences that depicted the devastation of the atomic bomb and the horrors that followed.
Despite being an anime film, Barefoot Gen is a disturbing anime that’s intended for adult audiences.
Because of how it captures the horrors of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, it has become a go-to recommendation for those who watched Oppenheimer, especially those looking for a Japanese perspective.
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