Narration Quotes in Hadashi no Gen (1983)

Narration: The black rain began falling on the northwest section of the city. The impact of the bomb's blast had sent dust, debris, and radiation high into the atmosphere, where it gathered in a gigantic, lethal cloud, before returning to the earth in a radioactive rain. The bomb that had fallen on the city detonated with a destructive force of 20,000 tons of TNT, and generated temperatures an excess of 4,000 degrees. Some 60% of the city had vanished, but the damage did not end there. The people of Hiroshima did not know it yet, but the bomb's after-effects, such as the black rain, would bring them many years of suffering.

Narration: The initial explosion of the atomic bomb claimed more than 100,000 lives, but that was only the beginning. The radiation remained, contaminating soldiers cleaning up the city, as well as those relatives of the victims who came looking for them. For years afterwards, these people would suffer leukemia and cancer, part of the collateral damage inflicted by the bomb.

Narration: After the bombing of Hiroshima, the United States issued an ultimatum: calling on Japan to surrender, and threatening to drop a second atomic bomb if it did not. The Japanese High Command ignored the warning. They made certain the full extent of the damage to Hiroshima was little reported. Three days later on August 9th, another B-29 appeared in the sky above the city of Nagasaki. Japan's High Command is convinced at last. On August 15th, the emperor Hirohito, in the first public address ever made by a Japanese sovereign, announced that the war was over.

Narration: Suddenly you realize that everything is over

H.: I'm going away for a while

H.: To London

H.: To Work

Alejandro: That's a good idea.

H.: I can't stay here

Narration: There's no going back.

Narration: You Feel It.

Narration: And then you try to remember

Narration: at what point it all began

Narration: and you discover it started before you thought

Narration: [Child Girl says Hello to the Boy Child. Both Smile] Long Before

Narration: And it's at that moment

Narration: You realize things happen only once

Narration: And no matter how hard you try

Narration: You'll never feel the same again

Narration: You'll never again feel you're three meters above the sky.

Narration: Three meters above the sky.

[Ends]

Narration: The day ends. The end begins.

Narration: All wrapped up in Hoppity, her rabbit, was little Victoria.

Harriet: Victoria, what are you doing to Hoppity?

Victoria: Hoppity is my baby. He's just being born.

Harriet: But, you had it born last week?

Victoria: Babies can be born again and again, can't they.