Orphan presents a new version of the 1988 TV special, Natsufuku no Shoujo-tachi: Hiroshima, Shouwa 20-nen 8-gatsu Muika (Girls in Summer Clothes: Hiroshima, August 6, 1945). Unlike most anime about the atomic bombings, which tell their story through survivors, Natsufuku no Shoujo-tachi lets the dead speak for themselves, through their diaries, their journals, and the memories of relatives. It packs a punch all outsize to its 35 minute run time.

Natsufuku no Shoujo-tachi focuses on three first-years girls from Hiroshima First Prefectural Girls’ School: Okutsu Hitomi, Oshita Nobuko, and Morikawa Yoko:

They walked to school together, in formation, as preparation against air raids. They endured air raids and privation together. They enjoyed the arrival of summer together, although shortage of fabric meant they had to make their summer dresses from old clothes, and white dresses were forbidden as too visible to airplanes:

And they died together, along with all of their classmates, in the explosion or its immediate aftermath.

The show alternates animated recreations of the Spring and Summer of 1945 with live-action “present day” (1988) recollections of parents and other relatives. See this blog entry for more details.

This release, and all Orphan releases, are available for direct download from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.