The animation studio Shin’ei Douga, better known for titles such as Doraemon and Crayon Shinchan, releases a new anime on the subject of the Second World War every summer. They call this series Sensou Douwa, or “war tales for children”. Their 2009 offering is Aoi Hitomi no Onna no Ko no Hanashi (“The Tale of a Blue-Eyed Girl”) about a half-American girl named Eiko.
Here’s what the official site has to say about it, loosely translated. And when I say “loosely translated”, I mean you might as well use Babelfish. Seriously, don’t look here for accuracy.
Welcome to the green fields of Tosayamanaka. Due to bloodshed, hatred towards kichikubeiei, a term given to Britain and American forces during World War Two, has taken root here.
A young girl called Eiko transfers to an elementary school in this village from Yokohama. Since her father was American and little Eiko has blue eyes, her classmates torment her without mercy. With the exception of Akiko, the homeroom teacher, both teachers and children are united in their contempt for her.
However, Eiko is spotted by a boy called Kenta. He feels curious about her and can’t ignore this abandoned girl. He helps her search for a pendant which she carried in memory of her father. Classmates think he’s being stupid and make fun of him. However, the lively Eiko takes on Kenta’s friends and shows the boys up. From that day forward, they become friends.
One day, Kenta’s best friend’s father returns home after being wounded while fighting on the war front. At the same time, every house in the village receives a report on deaths during the war. New hatred is stirred up within the villagers. The children have no outlet for their rage and so aim it at Eiko. Kenta tries to shield her, but is unable.
Eiko will be sent to a POW camp as her mother was killed during an air raid and she has no surviving relatives. The military police are approaching and, on that day, Kenta decides to let her escape……
The seiyuu for Eiko is Kuwashima Houko, known for her roles in Fullmetal Alchemist, The Melody of Oblivion and Inuyasha. Kenta is voiced by Komatsu Rika, who also does Bun in Hoshi no Kirby.
