A new year, a new Orphan release about the atomic bombings in World War II. This time, it's the 1993 NHK TV special Hiroshima ni Chiban Densha ga Hashitta (The First Tram Runs to Hiroshima). It's short - only 30 minutes - but like Natsufuku no Shoujo-tachi, its short length strengthens rather than vitiates its impact. Its another fine addition to Orphan's catalog of anime movies and specials about World War II. It centers around the Hiroshima tram system, which dated back to 1910 and was a vital transportation system for the city. By late in the war, middle-school girls had been drafted to take the place of male conductors, who had been sent to the arm or war factories.
The story focuses on three schoolgirls: Yayoi, a homesick girl trying not to run back to her mother, who works at an inn; Tsuki, the tallest and most mature; and Tae, a cheerful girl who believes in "first come, first served."
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The girls live in a dormitory near the tram yards and attempt to mix work and schooling, but they're always too tired to stay awake in the classroom.
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Life is fairly routine. There's never enough food or sleep, but they're basically living normal lives... until August 6th.
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The atomic bombing flattens much of Hiroshima and kills 100,000 people, or more.
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108 of the 123 trams are destroyed or damaged. 185 employees of the tram company are killed. The girls suffer representatives fates: one killed, one burned, one untouched and plagued by survivor guilt. Yet three days after the bombing, the tram system is partially restored, and the first trams began running, a symbol of the hope for Hiroshima's recovery.
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Two of the trams that survived have been restored and are still running today.
Like many atomic bombing narratives, Hiroshima ni Chiban Densha ga Hashitta skips lightly over the bombing itself and the brutal human cost, when many of the survivors succumbed to radiation poisoning. This airbrushing of the horror is common in media portrayals. The Japanese didn't want to scare their wartime population, and the American occupation authorities censored or prevented accurate reporting for six years. For that reason, the best way to understand what happened is not anime or movies, but the printed word: John Hersey's 1946 understated and devastating book, Hiroshima. Even eighty years later, its impact remains undiminished and undeniable.
The credits for this show are very sparse. The voice actors appear to be a mix of anime seiyuu and live-action actors, and the roles they played are not specified:
- Yoshida Rohiko played the title role in Majokko Megu-chan and Maicchingu Machiko-sensei, Monsley in Future Boy Conan, Maria Grace Fleed in UFO Robo Grendizer, Michiru in Getter Robo, Clara Sesemann in Alps no Shoujo Heidi, Rosalie Lamorliere in The Rose of Versailles, and Kurama in Urusei Yatsura. She appeared in numerous other World Masterpiece Theater series, including Anne of Green Gables, Honoo no Alpen Rose, Katry the Cow Girl, Shoukoushi Cedie, Lucy May of the Southern Rainbow, Marco: 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, Perrine, and Pollyanna. She played Holy Mother in Gude Crest, Sozu in Nayuta, Takako in Sugata Sanshiro, Deborah in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, and Diaochan in the first Sangokushi movie, all Orphan releases.
- Chiba Shigeru played Megane in the Urusei Yatsura franchise and Nezumi in later GeGeGe no Kitarou movies. He played the title role in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call and appeared in Ai no Kusabi, Akai Hayate, Bagi, Condition Green, Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai: Tsuyoshi no Time Machine de Shikkari Shinasai, and Yamato.
- Ohara Junko was a singer.
- Yoshimura Miki was a model and actress.
- Ohara Jouko was a film actress.
The show was directed by Hirata Toshio, an industry veteran who started at Toei and then worked at Mushi Pro. Hirata directed two Unico movies, Barefoot Gen 2, Hi no Tori: Yamata Chapter, Natsufuku no Shoujo-tachi, and Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori. The last two are Orphan release. It was written and produced by NHK and animated by Madhouse.
Perevodildo found the DVD ISO, translated, and timed. Paul Geromini edited. I QCed and typeset. Uchuu also QCed. The encoder wished to remain anonymous but left these notes:
The source is very good, with only very minor anti-aliasing, dehaloing, derainbowing, and chroma noise removal applied. VFR to preserve smooth motion of the intro/outro scrolling credits. I've also tightened up the DVD chapter timings as well.
Despite it's brief runtime, I thought the storyboard for this feature was well structured, giving near equal time to both the Before and After periods of the pivotal moment, allowing each to breathe. The production studio also made conscious efforts to render in the ruins of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall (Genbaku Dome) as it still stands until now.
With lawless warlords running rampant around the world, including in my own country, Hiroshima ni Chiban Densha ga Hashitta is a timely reminder of what's at stake when war and destruction are unleashed. It's short and on point. It has a guardedly hopeful ending, but that hope built on a mountain of dead. You can get the show from the usual torrent site and, until January 31, 2026, from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.
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