Review of "My Air Raid Shelter": The Shadow of War and the Light of Youth

My Air Raid Shelter - A moving story about war and family ties

■Overview of the work

"My Air Raid Shelter" is a TV special that aired on TV Asahi on August 13, 2005. It is based on a fairy tale by Nosaka Akiyuki and the art was by Kuroda Seitaro. It was directed by Takeuchi Hiroo and produced by TV Asahi and Shin-Ei Animation. Set in wartime Japan, it is a moving story about the bond between father and son that is formed through an air raid shelter.

■ Story

Yusuke Kasamatsu, an old man standing in a park in midsummer, was remembering his childhood over 60 years ago. When he was called Yu-chan, during the war in Japan, his house was here.

In 1943, the military encouraged citizens to build air raid shelters. Yu-chan helps her father, Tetsuo, build an air raid shelter under the floor of their house. When the draft notice arrives, her father completes the air raid shelter that he will never enter, and then goes off to war. Building the shelter becomes her last memory with her father.

Eventually, they began taking refuge in the air raid shelter. One day, after her mother went up to the house to check that the enemy planes had left the sky, her father came out from the wall of the shelter. Surprised, Yu-chan and her father passed through the wall of the shelter and found themselves in the desert. When Yu-chan and her father reached the trench, they spotted numerous tanks and soldiers advancing from the enemy camp in front of them. Yu-chan's father began firing a machine gun at the enemy and asked him to go and report the enemy's advance, so he returned to the direction he came from, but was woken up by his mother in the air raid shelter.

One day, Yu-chan received a letter of his father's death in battle. Returning home from fishing with his friend Yohei, Yu-chan couldn't believe it when his mother told him, so he ran into the air raid shelter and cried out for his father. Then, from the other side of the wall, his father appeared in a fighter plane, and with Yu-chan in the cockpit, they passed through the wall and took him into the sky. The fighter plane engaged in a fierce gun battle with a battleship on the sea, and brilliantly swung away from the battleship. Yu-chan was woken up by his mother, and he was convinced that he could see his father anytime from inside the air raid shelter.

Mom goes with Yohei's mother to a farmer to get some food. While she is away, Yu-chan goes into the air raid shelter and goes on a reconnaissance mission with Dad, pushing his way through the jungle. They encounter enemies in the jungle, but Yu-chan is saved by Dad, who reliably defends them from the rear. He wakes up at home to Yohei's voice calling for him. As he climbs up the stairs, he is told that Mom has been hospitalized with an injury, so he rushes to the hospital. Yu-chan wants to make sure Mom is safe, so he informs his dad and runs out of the hospital. Yu-chan calls out to Dad from the wall of the shelter, and when Dad comes out, he tells him the situation. Dad tells him to hang in there, as Mom is the only one he can rely on. When Yu-chan asks Dad to come again, Dad encourages him, saying he'll always be by his side.

Then came the day the war ended. People were happy that the war was over, and Yu-chan went to the air raid shelter to tell her father. Her father appeared and told her that the war was not over for him yet, but that if she wanted to see him again, she should come to the air raid shelter and call him. He then went back to the other side of the wall.

Yu-chan and her mother were taken in by her uncle's house, and when he came to pick her up, he noticed an air raid shelter in the house and started filling it up. The shelter kept filling up. Yu-chan was sad that she would not be able to see her father again, and thought that if the war continued and she could be put in the shelter, she would be able to see her father again.

Sixty-odd years have passed since then, but Yusuke believes that his father may still be fighting the war on the other side of the underground bomb shelter walls. Yu-chan still wants to be with his father.

■Explanation

At a time when the military encouraged the construction of air raid shelters, Yu-chan's house also had one that she built with her father. One day, while taking refuge in the shelter, her father, who was deployed to war, suddenly appeared on the other side of the wall. Surprised, she passed through the wall and found herself on the battlefield. Yu-chan fought alongside her father. She always woke up in the shelter. So, even on the day the official notice of her father's death in battle arrived, and the day the end of the war was decided, she was able to see her father any time in the shelter...

■Cast

• Yu-chan/Shotaro Okubo
• Tetsuo Kasamatsu/Nobuo Tobita
• Tomoko Kasamatsu/Aya Hisakawa
• Tomoko's Brother/Daiki Nakamura
• Akiko/Mami
• Yohei/Kensuke Tezuka
• Ayako/Reina Ebisu
• Neighborhood Association President/Saburo Kamei
• Grandmother / Sato Chie
• Radio announcer/Shinichiro Ota
• Radio voice/Masuda Seiyo
• Wife A/Ayako Nakajima
• Wife B/Yonemori Sei
• Yusuke Kasamatsu/Motomu Kiyokawa
• Narration by Ai Orikasa

■ Main staff

• Original work by Akiyuki Nosaka
• Illustration by Seitaro Kuroda
• Planning: Junichi Kimura (TV Asahi), Yoshio Kato
• Director, scriptwriter, storyboard: Hiroo Takeuchi
• Directed by Hirai Minetaro
• Character design: Shuichi Seki
• Animation director: Osamu Okubo
• Art director: Mayumi Okabe
• Director of photography: Koichi Yanai
• Edited by Hajime Okayasu
• Sound Director: Akira Okuma
• Music by Masae Sagara
• Effects: Akiko Muto (Sound Box)
• Color design: Hiromi Imaizumi
• Producers: Satoshi Kokubo (TV Asahi), Toshihide Yamada
• Produced by TV Asahi, Shin-Ei Animation

■ Evaluation and impressions of the work

"My Air Raid Shelter" deals with the heavy theme of war, but also depicts the ties of family and the pure hearts of children. In particular, the film's production, which blurs the boundaries between reality and dreams through the limited space of the air raid shelter, deeply moves viewers. The scene in which Yu-chan reunites with his father in the shelter and they fight together symbolizes the misery of war and the love of family.

In addition, the scene in which the bomb shelter is filled up at the end of the story symbolizes the end of the war and Yu-chan's growth, leaving a deep impression on the viewer. The scene in which Yusuke, now an old man, reminisces about the past in the park shows how deeply memories of the war are engraved in people's hearts, and makes us think again about the horror of war and the preciousness of peace.

The acting of the cast is also excellent, especially the innocence and strength of Yu-chan played by Okubo Shotaro. The kindness and strictness of the father played by Tobita Nobuo also touches the hearts of the viewers. The devoted love of the mother played by Hisakawa Aya also makes the story deeply moving.

The technical skills of the staff are also highly commendable. Hiroo Takeuchi's direction, script, and storyboards skillfully guide the development of the story and draw the viewer in. Shuichi Seki's character designs and Osamu Okubo's animation direction also realistically express the emotions of the characters, giving the film a sense of visual beauty and depth. Masae Sagara's music also enhances the atmosphere of the story and enhances the viewer's emotions.

■ Recommendation points

"My Air Raid Shelter" is a moving work that depicts the misery of war and the bonds of family. The following points in particular make it worthy of recommendation:

• Deep Theme : Although it deals with the heavy theme of war, it also depicts the love of family and the pure heart of a child, deeply moving viewers.
• A moving story : The scene where Yu-chan reunites with his father in the bomb shelter and they fight together symbolizes the horrors of war and the love of family.
• Great cast : The performances of the cast, including Okubo Shoutarou, Tobita Nobuo, and Hisakawa Aya, are superb and will touch the hearts of viewers.
• Technical Ability : The technical abilities of the staff are highly commendable, including direction, scriptwriting, and storyboard work by Hiroo Takeuchi, character design by Shuichi Seki, animation direction by Osamu Ohkubo, and music by Masae Sagara.

■ Related works

Like "My Air Raid Shelter," the following works are also based on the theme of war.

• Grave of the Fireflies : A war anime produced by Studio Ghibli. It is a moving story that depicts the horrors of war and the bond between siblings.
• "In This Corner of the World" : A work set in Hiroshima during the war. It depicts the effects of war on everyday life.
• "Barefoot Gen" : A film depicting the damage caused by the atomic bomb. It conveys the horror of war and the preciousness of peace.

■How to watch

"My Air Raid Shelter" is available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray. It is also available on some video streaming services. For details, please check the official website of each service.

■ Summary

"My Air Raid Shelter" is a moving film that depicts the ties of family and the pure hearts of children, while dealing with the heavy theme of war. The film's production, which blurs the boundaries between reality and dreams through the limited space of a bomb shelter, deeply moves viewers. The acting of the cast and the technical skills of the staff are also highly praised, and the film makes viewers think anew about the horror of war and the preciousness of peace. Please give it a watch.