WORK

As part of its 100th anniversary programming, NHK (Japan’s national public broadcaster) launched their “80 Years Since the Pacific War” project to explore and reflect on Japan’s wartime history. This VR film, created within the project, is set in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped.

Told from the perspective of the late Mitsuo Kodama, who miraculously survived the bombing while many of his fellow students lost their lives, the film allows viewers to relive the events of that day through his eyes.

Since its release, this VR film has been actively used in educational and peace-learning settings. At Hiroshima Kokutaiji High School, Kodama’s alma mater, “storytellers” have conducted special classes using the film to pass on his experience. At Seigakuin High School in Tokyo, students engaged in dialogue and reflection after experiencing the bombing through the VR film.

The project has also been presented through a hands-on exhibition at NHK Hiroshima and at the War Memory Museum exhibition at the NHK Archives in Kawaguchi, Saitama. Through such initiatives at educational and public institutions, efforts to pass on the memory of war to future generations are steadily expanding.

BASSDRUM was responsible not only for the overall technical direction of the project, but also for developing the prologue sequence in Mixed Reality (MR), including CG production. In addition, the team created an application for Meta Quest 3 that allows multiple users to experience 360-degree VR and MR content simultaneously.

The story begins with Kodama’s voice, guiding viewers back to the day the atomic bomb was dropped. By utilizing passthrough functionality to connect physical and virtual spaces, the experience creates a sense of immersion, with a CG classroom appearing within a physical classroom. This allows viewers to feel as if they are witnessing the events of 1945 in person.

Rather than being just a video work, the content was designed with educational use in mind. Special attention was paid to details such as video resolution, audio quality, and the movement of CG elements. Every element was carefully crafted to convey Kodama’s wish: “I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did.” The design choices throughout the experience were made to amplify this message as clearly and powerfully as possible.