Fukushima

177

Fiction #191, Drama #69

Immersive storytelling from the BBC World Service. The home of original drama.

The latest season is Purple Heart Warriors, a time-travelling drama about the Japanese American soldiers who became legends of US military history. Inspired by real events, it’s the little-known story of the 442nd Regiment, decorated for their bravery fighting the Nazi German army in World War Two. Narrated by Will Sharpe and written by Oscar nominee Iris Yamashita, it is told in six-parts.

Also listen to our previous season: Fukushima. This seven-part nuclear drama tells the story of the tsunami which hit in 2011. It follows the heroes who fight to contain the disaster and those whose mistakes led Japan to catastrophe.

Recent Episodes

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Recent Reviews

PK the NP

Love this show!

For any true survivor fan, this show has it ALL including my the behind the scenes planning, fun, and strategy we all crave. Keep it coming because I am NEVER leaving this island!
Sooner2721

Content doesn’t not reflect the title

Please update to Fukushima content.
Jsjfbgxk

terrible accents

so bad. who made this decision? no words. just do a documentary podcast. so obviously a bunch of white people doing absurd and inconsistent impressions of japanese people speaking english
GoGettah F'Sho

There was no Tyranny

With 2500 years of history there was a 4-5 year period of a Democratic republic
Princessredtights

Eh

I would prefer a traditional podcast not a dramatization
Kadelaw.com

Thank you

For someone who left the country after the revolution that set the country back centuries, this was very educational and perfectly delivered. Thank you
CeciGarden

Loved it!

I could picture it all as I listened to the conversations. The Sha, how his wife loved him, how he cared for his Nation, how the youth supported the revolution. It was great how the characters felt personal. Thank you for creating it! looking forward ti more like this.
Martinmer

Great Performance!

I would like to see more podcasts like this!
AA man 209

Disappointed

It is poorly done. It is very entertaining, but pronunciations are poor, difficult to follow voices, historically questionable. I was hoping for better.
Nkigen

Good story but terrible presentation

Didn't even finish the first episode. The story has the potential to told in a much better way. If this podcast is targeted at history enthusiasts who value the content more that the useless theatrics which add no value to the story, you should have toned down the dramatizations.
Chesstiger139

TOUR DE FORCE!!!

A very well produced performance. An incredible point in modern history captured in this pod cast.
Bryan0322

Very Interesting

I found this to be a very interesting podcast. I highly recommend it!
lunaticLion

Gut-wrenching

If tilted towards the Shah. Not terrible.
fattony310

Not impressed

I was expecting a news documentary and got a poorly acted melodrama do not waste your time
IntruderBaby

Not Impressed

I was really disappointed and stopped listening somewhere during the second episode. This was a major event for Iran and the U.S. and turning it into a soap opera trivialized the impact of this period of history. The dramatization was too much for me to listen to for very long. It was a bit amateurish.
SimonHWY

Simple story telling would do

It is awesome for BBC attempting to create a drama/documentary podcast. These voice actors are not that good. Why can’t they follow format of The Assassination podcast. Engaging storyteller and well written narratives are more important.
friendly woods

try it. you'll like it.

I thought this started slow, but now it's one of my favorite podcast. I love the soundtrack, the acting is great.
Mfpaluch

Format works well

This is my favorite podcast of the moment. I encourage bbc to repeat the format for other historical events
radical commie Jesus freak

I appreciate the dramatization

So many podcasts about history become dry and the voice of the narrator takes over from history. By giving the characters their own voices this podcast brings the drama of the history to life and puts us back in touch with the human beings behind history. I am appreciating the first three episodes! I graduated from high school in 1978 and some of my close friendsWere Persian exiles trapped in America by the revolution. The revolution shaped the world we live in an American foreign policy up till this day in countries like Venezuela, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan,… Keep up the good work and look forward to the future episodes
SolomonH21

Great Production

So far this has been a great podcast. I listen to a lot of different audio dramas and such and the BBC’s production is once again even better then what I would think of of average. I did have to listen to the first two episodes twice to really get the nuances of the story but now I’m into and loving it. Keep it up BBC, can’t wait for more. 👍🏻
Gigharbori

why dramatize this

Because it is a seminal event in current world history. Tthe behind the scenes story, if BBC delves into it, will even describe the rise of Donald Trump. It all starts in Persia ......
NYPL user

Terrible

I had been looking forward to this podcast, but why dramatize this event?