Byakkotai
TV Movie: Byakkotai
Romaji: Byakkotai
Japanese: 白虎隊
While Shintaro spends his time like any other rebellious young man that bullies his parents and disrespects his neighbors, he is in for quiet a surprise when his Grandmother shows up out of the blue and yanks him up by the ear. Refusing to put up with her for three days, he along with his best friend Yusuke escape to the one place she'd never look for them. Her home town. While there, the two accidentally end up at the Byakkotai Memorial grounds... and as they wander around killing time... they learn a few things about their ancestors that unexpectedly leave them in a very quite and reflective mood.
OAL: I write this from the point of a genealogist, which happens to be my second job. Any time I research any person from any war my heart cries, they are more than dates and places to me. This movie effected the same emotions in me, it made them especially difficult to reign in due the age of the squad involved. I made comparisons like, 1868 is just after the American Civil War, where children were also fighting for which ever ideal they upheld. It portrayed well every angle of war, not just the men's, not just the women left behind, and while it is told from the Aizu point of view, you still see all sides. The beginning was slow as the set up for the war had to be done to put the rest into context. The modern framework seemed tacked on, but I guess it is necessary to relate to people 140 years after the incident, I do not seek out any war movies, due to how they effect me, but I watch this to complete my Yamapi watch list. I do not think I will ever watch it again, but it is now in my memory and I learned yet another important part of Japanese history.
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