Review of the special animated film "Mother Who Became a Kite" for the anniversary of the end of the war: conveying the emotion of a fairy tale about war

Special animation for the end of the war: A collection of war fairy tales to share: "Mother Who Became a Kite"

■ Public Media

TV Special

■ Original Media

novel

■ Broadcast period

August 15, 2003 - August 15, 2003

■Broadcasting station

ANB

■Frequencies

60 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Written by Akiyuki Nosaka, illustrated by Seitaro Kuroda

■ Director

Hiroo Takeuchi

■ Production

Shinei Animation, ANB

■Works

©K2/Shinei

■Explanation

In the summer of 1945, incendiary bombs dropped by B29s turned the city into a sea of ​​fire. People fled in panic... Meanwhile, Katchan's mother managed to take him to a nearby park. However, the fire gradually crept up on them, and Katchan's body became parched from the heat. Katchan complained that he felt hot and lost consciousness. His mother tried to keep Katchan hydrated with her own sweat and tears, but after giving him all the moisture in her body...

This anime is based on Akiyuki Nosaka's war fairy tale collection "Mother Who Became a Kite" and is a moving work that depicts the misery of war and the bond between mother and child. It was produced by Shin-Ei Animation and aired on TV Asahi. This work, which was made to convey the horror of war, touched many viewers as a special anime aired on the day of the end of the war.

The story depicts Katchan and his mother desperately trying to survive in a city that has been turned into a sea of ​​fire by incendiary bombs. The scene where Katchan's mother sacrifices her own life to protect him deeply touches the hearts of viewers. This work, which simultaneously depicts the cruelty of war and the dignity of human beings, has given many people a new recognition of the tragedy of war.

This anime is also valued as an important medium for ensuring that memories of the war do not fade away. This work was created to convey the voices of those who experienced the war to the next generation, and its content makes viewers reconsider the importance of peace. In particular, the fact that it was broadcast on the day of the end of the war provided an opportunity for many viewers to look back on the history of the war and renew their feelings about peace.

Furthermore, while faithfully recreating Nosaka Akiyuki's original work, this work also has the visual appeal of anime, taking advantage of its expressive power. Director Takeuchi Hiroo has realistically depicted the horrors of war while warmly portraying the bond between mother and child, deeply moving viewers. Thanks to the efforts of animation director Ichiki Tsuyoshi and art directors Nishida Minoru and Iwaki Mariko, among other staff members, beautiful visuals and realistic depictions were achieved.

In terms of sound, under the direction of sound director Akira Okuma, sound effects that realistically convey the horror of war and gentle music that evokes the bond between mother and child are used effectively. In particular, the nursery rhyme "Ashita" (Tomorrow), used as an insert song, is an important element that conveys both the misery of war and hope.

The cast is also impressive, with the voice actors, such as Okubo Shoutarou as Katchan and Orikasa Ai as the mother, making the story even more moving and profound. Sato Ai, who was in charge of the narration, also captivated viewers with her weighty voice as she spoke of the history of war.

This anime depicts the horrors of war, but also the bond between mother and child and the dignity of humanity, making it a deeply moving work for viewers. By being broadcast on the day of the end of the war, it provided an opportunity to look back on the history of the war and renew our thoughts about peace. It is a work that we hope will continue to be watched by many people as an important form of media to ensure that memories of the war do not fade away.

■Cast

・Kacchan/Shotaro Okubo・Mother/Ai Orikasa・Father/Ryo Kamon・Ichiro/Seiya Miyamoto・Ichiro's mother/Masako Katsuo・Teiko/Satomi Koorogi・Narration/Ai Sato

■ Main staff

・Based on the original story by Akiyuki Nosaka, "Mother Who Became a Kite (War Children's Stories, NHK Publishing)" by Akiyuki Nosaka ・Illustration by Seitaro Kuroda ・Planning by Junichi Kimura, Yoshio Kato ・Producer by Kenji Ota, Sojiro Masuko, Kumi Ogura ・Director by Hiroo Takeuchi ・Chief animation director by Tsuyoshi Ichiki ・Art director by Minoru Nishida, Mariko Iwaki ・Director of photography by Kazuhiro Sasaki ・Sound director by Akira Okuma ・Insert song by nursery rhyme "Ashita" by Chiaki Ozaki ・Production by TV Asahi, Shin-Ei Animation

■Recommendation

"Mother Who Became a Kite" is a moving work that depicts the misery of war and the bond between mother and child. This anime, which was broadcast on the day of the end of the war, provided an opportunity to look back on the history of the war and renew our thoughts about peace. It is a work that I hope many people will continue to watch in the future as an important form of media to ensure that memories of the war do not fade away. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the history of war and the importance of peace. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy beautiful visuals and a moving story.