Sensou Douwa: Boku no Boukuugou

Sensou Douwa (War Tales or War Fables) was a series of TV specials by Shin-Ei Animation that ran annually from 2002 to 2009. In chronological order:

• 2002    Umigame to Shounen (The Boy and The Sea Turtle)
• 2003    Tako ni Natta Okaasan (The Mother Who Became a Kite)
• 2004    Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi (The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Fell in Love with a Little Submarine)
• 2005    Boku no Boukuugou (My Air Raid Shelter)
• 2006    Yakeato no, Okashi no Ki (The Cake Tree in the Ruins)
• 2007    Futatsu no Kurumi (Two Walnuts)
• 2008    Kiku-chan to Ookami  (Kiku and the Wolf)
• 2009    Aoi Hitomi no Onnako no Ohanashu (The Tale of the Blue-Eyed Girl)
  

Orphan has already released The Boy and the Sea Turtle, The Cake Tree in the Ruins, The Mother Who Became a Kite, and The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Fell in Love with a Little Submarine. Today, we're releasing Boku no Boukuugou (My Air Raid Shelter). Saizen has already done Two Walnuts, so we're in the home stretch.

Boku no Boukkuugou is, like most of the Sensou Douwa specials, based on a short story by Nosaka Akiyuki. It is set in Midori Ward, Nagoya, during World War II. The Kasamatsu family, consisting of father Tetsuo, mother Tomoko, and only child Yusuke, are a typical Japanese family, hard-working and patriotic. As the war situation worsens, the government urges citizens to build air-raid shelters, so Tetsuo and Yusuke build a strong, roomy shelter under the house. Then, Tetsuo is drafted and sent to the Kwantung Army in China, leaving Yusuke, who is probably seven or eight, as the "man of the house."

In late 1944, after the fall of Saipan, American B-29s begin bombing Nagoya, targeting the Mitusbishi Aircraft Works as well as other industries and the port. Although the loss of life is far less than in Tokyo, the repeated raids put great stress on Yusuke. The boy retreats to the shelter and imagines that his father is there, comforting him and urging him on. Whether his father is killed in China, Yusuke refuses to accept it, clinging to the image of his father in the shelter. Eventually, his world collapses. Sixty years later, as an old man, when he sits in the park where his house and the shelter used to be, he still feels the trauma from those days.

The voice cast is small:

• Orikasa Ai (narrator) made her debut in Shoukoushi Cedie. She played the title role in Romeo no Aoi Sora, Fee in Planetes, Seguchi Touma (the record company president) in Gravitation, Quatre in Gundam Wing, and Ryouko in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. She also played Carrie in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Sara in Eien no Filena, Toryune in Al Caral no Isan,  Katchan's mother in Tako ni Natta Okaasan, and young Mars in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases.
• Kiyokawa Motomu (Yusuke as adult) played Kouzou in Evangelion and Norman Burg in The Big O.
• Ookubo Shoutarou (Yusuke as child) was 10 years old when he appeared in this show. He played Katchan in Tako ni Natta Okaasan and Takaya in Lupin III: Kiri no Elusive.
• Nobuo Tabita (Tetsuo) played Lumial in the Angelique franchise, Ken Wakashimazu in the Captain Tsubasa franchise, Randy in Fake, Sinistra in Kiddy Grade, the title role in Locke the Superman, and Dayon in Osomatsu-san. He appeared in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Condition Green, and Eien no Filena, all Orphan releases.
• Hisakawa Aya (Tomoko) has had a prolific career. She played the title roles in Mamono Hunter Youko, Voogie's Angel, and Iria: Zeiram, Skuld in the Ah! My Goddess franchise, Cerberus in Card Captor Sakura, Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon franchise, Yuki in Fruits Basket, Haruka in RahXephon, Youko in The Twelve Kingdoms, and Storm in X-Men. She starred as Mishima Misako in Yume Tsukai, Shana in Al Caral no Isan, Sonia in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, and Koneko in Ear of the Golden Dragon, all Orphan projects.

The director, Takeuchi Yoshio, also helmed the Oishinbo TV series and specials, as well as Botchan, Gorillaman, Harlock Saga, Shin Megami Tensai: Devil Children,  Night Head Genesis, and several of the Sensou Douwa specials.

As he's done for all the other Sensou Douwa releases, kokujin-kun translated Boku no Boukkuugou. Yogicat timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. Uchuu also researched the locale and the background to the bombings. The raw is a 480p webrip from UNEXT. Unfortunately, there's an onscreen text for the entire running time. The text is simply the series name and the episode title.

Boku no Boukkuugou is a little less of a gut punch than some of the other Sensou Douwa episodes - no children are killed, at least on screen. Nonetheless, it sensitively explores the terrible costs that war imposes on children, even if they emerge physically unscathed. You can get the show from the usual torrent site, or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.