“What a tough read.
It’s an interesting bit of history, seeing how Japanese forces were living and fighting. And this is a great example of a book for those who have a low opinion of “those backwards graphic novels” (by which I mean read right-to-left, not so much as a racial thing. Although maybe I’m misinterpreting the criticism?)
What’s sort of bizarre about the whole thing is that it does make me question how effective Japanese forces could have been as WWII went on. They were outnumbered and stuck on islands, but there was always a fear that the Japanese would dig in and be almost impossible to beat, and the only way to break through would mean great loss of life.
However, this book makes me think otherwise. Because when given the choice between retreating to the mountains and engaging in guerrilla warfare or making a suicide charge, the leadership elects to make the suicide charge. And when some of the force fails to make the charge, their leaders commit suicide and the rest of their troops are ordered to make a second, re-do suicide charge. It’s a bizarre way to fight a war, in my humble, 2013 opinion. Or maybe it’s a western viewpoint? Either way, I can’t wrap my head around the idea of putting some version of honor above the possibility of success when it comes to winning a war. Because let’s face it, dropping the bomb was effective, successful. But as honor goes, I don’t know that it’s exactly a noble act or anything. I guess one of the most undervalued resources in wars has always been the willingness to abandon the moral high ground.
Oh, and by the way, as most books regarding war, this one definitely proves that the whole thing is really, fundamentally stupid. I mean, just a mind-blowingly poor way to resolve anything. I’m not calling the soldiers stupid or anything like that, but the very concept of war is such a bizarre, ridiculous leftover from a time long past. “