Three trailers for the animated feature film "Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise," based on the manga by Kazuyoshi Takeda about the young people who lived on Peleliu Island, a fierce battlefield during the Pacific War, have been released on YouTube. The film will be released as an animated feature film on December 5, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the end of the war.
The "Historical Edition" depicts the battle between 10,000 Japanese troops and 40,000 American troops that took place on Peleliu Island, said to have the largest airfield in the Orient, at the end of the Pacific War. At the end of the video, the protagonist, Hitoshi Tamaru, is heard saying, "I'm going to finish what I started with you."
The "Harsh Battlefield" episode depicts the fierce battle on Peleliu Island, surrounded by beautiful nature. Repeated attacks by enemy air forces and tanks turn the spectacular sea into a sea of bright red blood, and soldiers are shown falling one after another. There is also a scene where Tamaru's partner, Yoshiki Keisuke, blurts out, "There was no chance of winning from the start."
The "Friendship" chapter focuses on the strong bond between Tamaru and Yoshiki, and depicts the young soldiers always encouraging each other, holding hands, and surviving together, both in and out of combat.
The story is set on Peleliu Island, a fierce battlefield during the Pacific War, where 10,000 Japanese soldiers were sent and where only 34 survived for two years, unaware of the end of the war. It depicts the lives of young people 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 Goro Kuji, known for "Madou Seihei no Slave," and produced by Shin-Ei Animation, known for "Doraemon" and "Crayon Shin-chan," and Fugaku, known for "Dog Signal." The original author, Takeda, and Junji Nishimura will be writing the script.
