12 Animated Movies And The Real People And Events That Inspired Them

Based on the short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, the film is about two siblings, a boy and a girl, surviving the final moments of World War II, specifically the fire bombings of Kobe. While the work is not directly autobiographical, it is inspired by the very real life of Akiyuki Nosaka, who lived through the very real events that inspired the film.

When Kobe was firebombed, Nosaka's adopted father was killed and his mother was badly injured. He ran away with his infant sister, but she died as well. He landed in a juvenile detention center for stealing where many of his fellow classmates died of starvation. He uses the power of storytelling to share his experiences with us through his short story which became the animated film.