Amusing.
Being a conscript soldier who doesn't really understand what the war is about, the majority of Japanese soldiers in the war knew little more than that his own country was at war. They were young men, not unlike any other, who just happened to be born at a country that was an Axis power at the time, and had been fed with war-time propaganda like ANY nation had done during the war. As conscripted soldiers, they earnestly believed their own nation was in trouble, and did what they had to do.
But being born on this side of the Pacific, an Axis-Japanese soldier, makes their personal efforts of bravery and valor unworthy of respect?
What makes you think your own American movie depictions of SBD divebombers or TBM Avengers busting the hell out every Japanese naval vessel in the sea, is emotionally any different from that animation film?
Do you ever raise questions when your own films depict massive destructions of Axis soldiers in battle? How the ex-Axis militarymen would emotionally feel, or would ever appreciate such massacres being depicted?
...
If there is anything to be criticized from that animation film, it is to be done on grounds of political correctness. In that film, "Cockpit", director Matsumoto's depictions of an individual pilot's emotional distress touches dangerous grounds, since the notion of the 'kamikaze' itself is already highly controversial. Does that film purposely intend on glorifying the old Japanese militaristic attitude? I don't think so. But it does have certain dangers as his aesthetics insist on portraying each deaths as purely heroic and self-sacrificing.
However, once you people start making this personal, objectivity is thrown out the window. Civilians and soldiers on this side of the Pacific suffered everybit as as much as your own servicemen and civilians did. They both did what they had to do. On answering the call of duty they were required to go out there and kill enemies with any means possible. That's what you call a "WAR". Those things happen in wars. That's why people should hate wars, remember?
If being "personally offensive" is reason enough to put down a certain version of protrayed history, then there are a lot of people still alive today who'd not exactly 'appreciate' what the American soldiers did during those years, or how Hollywood loves to capture spectacular scenes of Japanese soldiers being blown to bits, as well.
So keep the 'personally offensive to ex-servicemen' criteria out of this. It's a dead end for conversation.
