A war drama that confronts a serious and tragic subject through an innocent, childlike anime style. Tamaru, an aspiring manga artist, and Yoshiki, a farmer’s son, are Japanese soldiers deployed to defend the island of Peleliu in 1944. As Allied forces attack, the beautiful island is transformed into a hell of bombs, fire, death, disease and starvation. The soldiers are ordered to fight to the death, and of the thousands stationed on the island, only a few dozen survive. Yoshiki and Tamaru make a pact to survive the war and return home at any cost. Far from home and trapped in desperate circumstances, they grapple with questions of loyalty to their country, the ideal of heroism, and the instinct for self-preservation.
Based on the acclaimed manga, the film offers a unique perspective on a rarely explored chapter of WWII, seen through the eyes of Japanese soldiers—some of whom were left behind, struggling to survive far from home and unaware that the war had ended.
Content Warning: In light of the events of the war, some images in the film may be distressing or unsettling
