The Eternal Zero (Eien no Zero) 2013
- Apr 3, 2015
- 2 min read
A young man named Saeki Kentaro has been trying unsuccessfully to realize his dream of passing the bar exam. Together, with his freelance writer sister, he begins investigating the circumstances surrounding their grandfather Kyuuzo’s death in a kamikaze attack during the Pacific War. Kyuuzo had an unusually strong fear of death and unmatched will to survive, so why would he volunteer for suicide? They unexpectedly discover that their grandfather’s Navy comrades referred to him as “gifted, but a coward”. The two of them uncover astonishing facts which have been sealed for 60 years.
Diector: Yamazaki Takashi
Stars: Okada Junichi, Inoue Mao, Miura Haruma, Tanaka Min
JDramaMama'sRating: A+
This is a beautiful movie and a very sad one. The horrors of war have been told many times in movies and this is a gem of a story. It is about war but it's also about family, sacrifice and honor. A brother and sister take it upon themselevs to find out if the ugly rumors of their grandfather being a coward during the war are true. The movie starts off with the man they think is their grandfather crying at his wife's funeral. They are deeply touched by the obvious love he had for his wife. They later find out from their mother that the man they thought of as their grandfather was not their mother's biological father but their grandmother's second husband. They look up old articles and letters from the war and track down his comrades. Each one tells of their grandfather's cowardice, except one. The story is told in a lot of flashbacks and the depictions of war, esp. the air raids are so realistic and daunting, it's scary! The war footage starts with the surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese rejoicing at the bombing of the USS Arizona. However, the main character, Miyabe, the grandfather, is disgruntled at the rejoicing because he tells his superiors they didn't destroy ONE US carrier! For this, he gets a slap across the face in front of his comrades saying he is causing low morale. Then, a year later on June 5th, the Japanese are hit hard at the Battle of Midway with the US annihilating dozens of Japanese bomber planes and young pilots. It's a devestating defeat. Miyabe is shaken and angry. Then comes the battle at Guadacanal where they suffer more devestating losses. The entire movie is enthralling and appalling at the same time. Beautiful cinematography but frightening destruction. I won't give away too much more of the movie but just know that you will be in for some positive surprises. This was a beautiful telling of a man who loved his family, country and the young men under his supervision so much, that he made the ultimate sacrifice.
You can view this movie here: http://www.dramagalaxy.com/the-eternal-zero-eien-no-zero-2013
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