Tsuyoshi Takahashi, a 6th grader, lived in eastern Kobe with his parents and younger brother. Tsuyoshi was very ambitious and hoped to enter a prestigious private school, so his days were filled with study. Whenever asked by anyone for a favor, Tsuyoshi resented having to give up his free time. In the early morning hours of January 17, 1995, a massive earthquake rocked Kobe City. Tsuyoshi and his family managed to escape from their shattered home and evacuated to his school. The problems of communal living and rationing, as well as the selfless example of the many volunteers, are lessons the children are soon to learn. (Source: Eleven Arts)

Toshiko Ei and her family are residents of Tokyo. Her father is a respected and skilled glass craftsmen so the family makes a good living. However, the Ei family soon finds itself having to suffer through many tragic hardships as a result of World War II. (Source: ANN)

On the 6th of August, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. A young boy, Shigeru, left home for his job as a building excavator that morning, carrying a bento made by his mother, only to never return home again. Before long, his mother managed to find Shigeru's remains, and she noticed the completely black and carbonized bento box next to them. This is an anime adaptation of the original book, "Makkuro na Obentou (The Charred Lunchbox)" written by Kodama Tatsuharu and illustrated by Kitajima Shinpei. The bento box that becomes the focus of the story is actually on display in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. (Source: AniDB)