I’m going to start with a rhetorical question… Do we all know the story of Anne Frank? I assume so… And if not, then there you have the perfect excuse to watch this Japanese anime film about a real-life drama that took place in the context of World War II, under a Europe dominated by the yoke of the Nazis. In fact, the film is set in 1942, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, during Germany’s occupation of the country. And we become witnesses to the narrative presented by the film.
The events unfold in a linear way. Little by little, we witness the fundamental and profound changes taking place within the political context of the time. Let’s not forget that the very concept of resistance that today we might so easily demand from those who had to endure that war machine simply would not apply. And all of it due to the domination of the Nazis at that precise moment in European history. Anne, her family, her friends, her acquaintances, and almost anyone who shared the same religious faith, overnight became “Enemies of the State”…
I know that handling and understanding these terms is not exactly appealing when it comes to making a story in Japanese animation, but Madhouse, the studio responsible for this film, very faithfully recreates the diaries that Anne’s father, Otto, kept after the end of the war in 1945. The story follows a plot that is faithful to the historical diaries. In fact, from a strict point of view, it is basically an animated biopic. And this is precisely what makes the film both fascinating and uncomfortable. It feels very real. The animation focuses on showing the harshness of living for almost three years cramped inside the hidden back section of an apartment building in central Amsterdam, during the persecution of the Jewish community across Europe.
Visually, the style of the film leans more toward the classic. Although it is clearly made in Japan, the respect for the original events is so evident that the elements of existentialism and introspective study, which are typically associated with Japanese anime, are barely noticeable. That said, it does not lack depth or meaning. In fact, within the vast number of productions about World War II across anime, manga, series, and films, very little is portrayed from the European perspective of the conflict. And Anne no Nikki is one of those rare works that have been preserved and have reached us today, 30 years later.
There is no doubt that this film is made with evident care for literary detail, as it is entirely based on The Diary of Anne Frank, but it also preserves the charm of Eastern animation. It is impossible not to be moved by it, but above all, it teaches several lessons about humanity… It doesn’t hurt, in these turbulent, difficult times filled with conflicts and struggles for power across all continents, that art (anime) reminds us that not long ago we were capable of inflicting immense (unnecessary and avoidable) pain on millions of people for absurd reasons… Anne no Nikki is simply exceptional and a must-watch recommendation within the biopic and war genres, both Japanese and Western. Trust me, it’s worth watching.
