Reviews

Barefoot Gen Volume 2: The Day After by Keiji Nakazawa

wafer's review

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4.5

It builds and soars from the first volume, maintaining its horror and humanity in all of its ugly truths

oliv6ia's review

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adventurous challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

beththebookdragon's review

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4.0

Still compelling. I can't put it down, even with the horrors of the day after the atomic blast on every page.

nesetzengin's review against another edition

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5.0

Boyalı Kuş gibi 2. cildini de okurken, izlerken tüyleri diken diken ediyor. En kısa zamanda izlenme listesine eklenmesi gereken bir animasyonu da var. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYicqammozc

maddykye's review

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4.0

read for japan in the world.

manga/comics generally aren’t really my thing, but i “enjoyed” this.

the cruelty of other kids though seemed a bit exaggerated.

mrsbooknerd's review against another edition

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2.0

I didn't feel strongly about this graphic novel at all, whether hate or love. I didn't really connect with the characters, not feeling emotional about them or their plight, despite the topic being incredibly hard-hitting and emotional. Was this because of their cartoon design? Perhaps.
But still, not my favourite.

soraia_sumie's review against another edition

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5.0

Que volume difícil de ler. Não por ser chato ou entediante, muito pelo contrário, ele é extremamente interessante. A dificuldade aqui está no tema mesmo.

Neste volume a gente acompanha o Gen e sua mãe logo após o trágico fim do restante da família. Aquela difícil tarefa de aceitar o que está acontecendo em uma situação de total desamparo. Eles se encontram sem família, sem a casa em que moravam e sem comida. Pra piorar, a mãe que estava grávida acaba tendo a filha ali naquela confusão toda.

Gen tenta ajudar a sua mãe e sua nova irmãzinha e sai em busca de arroz. É nesse trajeto que ele vai encontrar as coisas mais horríveis que um ser humano poderia passar. Pessoas que acabaram sucumbindo à loucura; mães desesperadas que se agarram a qualquer superstição maluca para salvar seus entes queridos (como triturar os ossos dos mortos e dar a seus filhos como uma espécie de remédio para que não morram); pessoas ainda vivas com o corpo todo infestado por larvas (a parte em que ele é atacado por uma nuvem de mosquitos é de revirar o estômago); corpos boiando nos rios; pessoas desesperadas por água (parece que a sede é uma característica de quem sofre radiação)e corpos sendo cremados por toda parte.

Se a bomba em si parecia ser o ápice da tragédia, a gente constata nesse volume que há coisas muito piores.

library_brandy's review

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4.0

Mostly as good as the first, though feels weaker in some vague way. Maybe it's the lack of drama in knowing what's coming. It's tragic and powerful, but I hesitate to call it a good comic--the art feels stiff and the writing is forced in places; the whole comic feels like Nakazawa was holding his material--his personal tragedies--at arm's length while trying to humanize the experience. An important story to have read, but not the most enjoyable read.

w9gfo's review

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5.0

Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen is incredible and terrifying. I think it should be required reading for students in high school. I'm not a big fan of required reading lists, but students today are so far from the history of WWII and the dropping of the bombs that it's difficult to understand not only what happened, but how affected people were by one another's actions. Barefoot Gen removes any possibility of someone not being able to identify with the horrors of using a nuclear weapon on a civilian community. Its reality is disturbing and the visuals haunting. As [a:Art Spiegelman|5117|Art Spiegelman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206557373p2/5117.jpg] notes in his Introduction, the quirks and idioms of Japanese comics are different from those in the Western hemisphere, but that doesn't negate the fact that "we think in comics." Though there are some aspects of Kakazawa's work that take some getting used to, it is understandable, relatable, and you cannot tear your eyes away, as much as you would like to ignore the brutality contained within it.

visualradish's review

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5.0

The author managed to communicate cataclysmic horror without overwhelming the reader.

I hope I would contribute beyond my family's self-preservation in the aftermath of a disaster.
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