"Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise" author Kazuyoshi Takeda gives lecture at the site associated with the work

The animated film "Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise" (directed by Kuji Goro, scheduled for release on December 5th) is based on the manga by Takeda Kazuyoshi, which depicts the young people who lived on Peleliu Island, a fierce battlefield during the Pacific War. On August 6th, original author Takeda appeared at the "Public Leader School 2025" lecture held at Ibaraki Prefectural Mito Daiichi High School and its attached junior high school, where he spoke to the students about the thoughts he put into the work.

Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a place closely associated with the work, as it was home to the Mito 2nd Regiment, which was key to the defense of Peleliu Island during the Battle of Peleliu. Takeda spoke about what inspired him to draw the Battle of Peleliu, and through a question-and-answer session with the students, he spent time thinking about peace as a manga artist who continues to depict war.

When asked what inspired him to draw the manga "Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise," Takeda shared an episode from 10 years ago when he saw a news report that the then Emperor and Empress (now the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita) visited Peleliu Island to pay their respects on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. He said, "Even though it's a place that members of the Imperial family visit, I had no idea about it," and became interested in the Battle of Peleliu. He explained that based on an actual story he heard from Hiratsuka Masao, a war history researcher on Peleliu, he decided to write the manga while researching and studying not only the history but also the culture of the time.

When asked what was difficult about depicting "Peleliu," he said, "It was difficult to learn about what happened at the time. It was difficult to learn about the war that actually happened, to learn about what happened at the time from testimonies from survivors, and to learn about the 'common things of the time' that were not depicted." He spoke about the attention to detail that went beyond just the war itself.

He also spoke about the story behind the creation of the characters, revealing that the protagonist Tamaru, who is unreliable but has a kind personality, and his partner Yoshiki, an excellent soldier, were created at the same time. The two characters were born from the idea that "one or the other is not enough; we need a protagonist who fights bravely on the battlefield, and there must also be protagonists who are not good soldiers." In the story, the two young soldiers seem to be polar opposites, but they share the same desire to "return home alive," and so they develop a friendship.

To contrast the two, he felt that he needed a character who thought, "It's okay to die for your country in war," and so he created Shimada, the superior officer. Takeda says, "In 'Peleliu,' the other characters were born from the differences in how each character deals with the war."

"Those who have read Peleliu will understand, but I wrote the characters in a way that makes it impossible not to follow them as you read, as they live and die in the midst of war. I wanted each character to be loved, and for them to feel like a friend. I tried to write carefully so that it would not feel strange to people today and so that they could empathize with the characters. By doing so, I hoped that readers would be aware of the characters' actions in the midst of war and think, 'I have to read this because they are my friends,'" he said, explaining his attention to character portrayal to the students. "As with 'Peleliu,' I always want to write about subjects that are not fun. Problems I feel in society... I write about topics that are not fun while thinking about how to make them enjoyable to read. I like to write difficult things, but I try to make it entertaining."

When asked about his thoughts on war and peace, he began by saying, "I draw manga about war, but I wasn't interested in it as a child. In fact, I felt uncomfortable hearing about war. When I heard about horrific experiences, I felt guilty about living in a peaceful time." He then asked the students, "Can you honestly say that your life and the world right now are peaceful?"

Some of the students shook their heads as they spoke. "When I first started to think about what peace is, and then when I grew up and learned about war, I could understand peace as its antonym. For example, when you turn on the tap, water comes out, you can go to the hospital if you get sick, the police will arrest you if a crime is committed - all of these things that we take for granted today would disappear in the event of war. In other words, peace is not an ideal state, but a minimum state. We have to protect this minimum level of peace. I believe that the long-term future of the world will be one of pursuing ideals. War is a rock bottom state where there is not even the minimum, and we should live our lives towards ideals in a world that is not ideal. When I thought about it like that, I was able to accept the word peace easily."

On the same day, a press conference was held at the Ibaraki Prefectural Government Office, where Takeda, Professor Hasui Seiichiro of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Ibaraki University, Director Kanazawa Daisuke of the Tsukuba Naval Air Corps Memorial Museum, and Toei Producer Ishikawa Kei appeared. Mainly focusing on the topic of "Peleliu," which has a deep connection to Mito, each spoke about their thoughts on the film and the efforts being made at their respective facilities.

Producer Ishikawa recalled, "Toei is a company established after the war, and has a history of making war films such as 'Listen to the Waves' and 'Yamato'. Many people watch them, and it is an important genre for the company. I was thinking about producing a film on the subject of war myself, and I happened to come across ' Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise,' which had four volumes published in 2018.'" He explained his intention, saying, "War films are often watched by older people, but by adapting the cute visuals of 'Peleliu', which is based on a manga, into an anime, I believe that an important significance of this work is that it can be enjoyed by younger generations, women, and others who have traditionally shied away from war films."

In addition to sharing the episode that inspired him to write, Takeda said, "At first, I wasn't aware that I would be depicting war and connecting it to the future. The work started out simply because I wanted to depict it, but as I continued to write and do research, I learned how difficult it is to pass on the memories of war, and how difficult it is to get people interested in it and convey it. Now, having finished drawing 11 volumes of the main story and four volumes of the side story, I realize that I couldn't have done it on my own. It's the same with the movie; I've come this far with the help of many people and am finally able to release it, and I think this also means that the work is not just mine, but belongs to many people."

"Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise" is set on Peleliu Island, the site of fierce fighting during the Pacific War, where 10,000 Japanese soldiers were sent and only 34 are said to have survived. It depicts the lives of young people living on the battlefield from the perspective of Tamaru, a soldier who aspires to be a manga artist. It was serialized in the manga magazine "Young Animal" (Hakusensha) from 2016 to 2021, and won the Excellence Award at the 46th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards in 2017. A spin-off, "Peleliu Gaiden," was also serialized.

The anime will be directed by Kuji, who has worked on "Slave of the Demon Capital," and produced by Shin-Ei Animation, which has worked on "Doraemon" and "Crayon Shin-chan Shin-chan," and Fugaku, who has worked on "Dog Signal." The script will be written by original author Takeda and Junji Nishimura. Actor Rihito Itagaki will voice the main character, Hitoshi Tamaru, a kind-hearted aspiring manga artist, and Tomoya Nakamura will voice Tamaru's reliable partner, Keisuke Yoshiki.