For young Japanese who have known only peace, an animated portrait of an ordinary woman's wartime life has brought the devastation of war and nuclear weapons close to home.

Based on a manga by Hiroshima native Fumiyo Kono, "Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni" ("In This Corner of the World") draws on historical records to tell the story of a newlywed woman living in Kure, a naval port just over a range of hills from the city of Hiroshima, which was devastated by an atomic bomb 72 years ago.

"Raw scenes of destruction from the bombings might seem like another world to people nowadays ... but this film lets us know that this indeed happened in our own world, to ordinary people who were just like us," Miga Sugimoto, a 23-year-old student, said after seeing the film in Tokyo.