I enjoyed the graphic novel Japan's Longest Day (picked up at Tsutaya Books in Daikanyama), despite the noticeable repetition of many words and phrases that a proofreader could have easily fixed. The graphic novel provides more background information than the 1967 film of the same name and illustrates, sometimes disjointedly and confusingly, the chaos of the final 24 hours before Emperor Hirohito's speech ended the war, including bombings in Tohoku, ongoing fires in Tokyo, and air raids in other regions of Japan. It also suggests that the Emperor might have been partly (or more) to blame for initiating the war, tied to historical conflicts between imperial lineages dating back to the time of Emperor Go-Daigo in the 14th century.
I also watched the film adaptation of journalist/researcher Soichi Oya's account, which was star-studded, intense, and well-shot. Both the graphic novel and the film portray the madness leading up to the Emperor's speech, including the near coup d'état. Both are very similar, both dialogue-driven, with some "shots" appearing almost identical, but each is compelling in its own way.
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