"You can trust the American military" – that's when I knew it wasn't going to be a happy ending.
I have to admit, there were a few times when I thought this one ran a little too long, or possibly I've just watched too much Tadashi Imai in a short space of time after watching Revenge the other day.
However, this is pretty good, almost very good. The Americans are moving in on Okinawa but despite the fact they're getting closer and closer we never see them. Instead, as you would expect from a war film by Imai, this is all through the eyes of regular people. Students, nurses, and wounded soldiers who all experience traumas whilst fleeing and, ultimately, surrendering.
And that ending. Brutal.