The first trailer 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, has been released on YouTube. The video, featuring the protagonist, Hitoshi Tamaru, conveys his resolve in the fierce battlefield and his determination to protect his comrades. The film was released as an animated feature film on December 5, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the war.
The video begins with Tamaru, who was separated from his comrades when an unexploded bomb left behind along the way hits the Japanese army, waking up and reuniting with his partner Yoshiki Kasuke. Just as they safely reunite amid the pouring rain, the two encounter American soldiers. Yoshiki immediately fires his gun and attacks with a ferocious expression. Tamaru, who has run out of ammunition, takes on the enemy soldiers alone to protect Yoshiki, and a fierce battle ensues. The final scene shows Tamaru, who is under attack by two enemy soldiers and is in a difficult position, pointing his gun at the American soldiers with trembling hands in order to protect them.
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.
