Search - Going for Broke on DVD

The Japanese-American Veterans of WWII

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 12/19/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It is most important to view the extra features on this disc. After viewing the main documentary, one could naturally ask, "Were Japanese Americans that separate and distant from Japanese nationals?" or "How did Japanese Americans deal with Southern segregation in the 1940s?" The extras answer those questions. Law professors frequently like to exclaim, "Don't play the oppression sweepstakes!!!" However, this segment clearly states that when Japanese-American soldiers saw "colored" or "white" fountains, bathrooms, or seats, they were told to use the "white" resources.



This documentary does not treat Japanese Americans as a monolithic group. It speaks of how those from the Mainland and those from Hawaii had completely different perspectives. The work also mentions that there were Japanese-American women who served in the military as well.



George Takei narrated this work. I love that diverse actors are getting narration opportunities. However, I must say that Takei spoke in a dramatic, extroverted style that goes against the neutral tones that most narrators take. It will seem like you are on the Starship Enterprise listening to Mr. Sulu telling you a story. Further, Takei never mentions that he lived in one of the camps as a child. When the documentary shows him speaking at a Japanese-American event in Los Angeles, he never says, "Hey, there's me MC-ing an event for these veterans."



This work never makes a connection between these Asian-American soldiers and the African-American Tuskegee Airmen or the Navajo code talkers. I think a whole bunch of ethnic studies papers could be written comparing and contrasting these different men of color in the US military.



If you have a soft spot for old people, then your buttons will be pushed here. These brave soldiers are now sweet, old men. They have fancy, beautiful Japanese last names too. It will tug at your heart when you see some of them shed tears."

Legacy for grandson

Nazario A. Gonzales | Los Gatos, CA USA | 06/29/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My son married a Japanese woman 17 years ago, while living and working in Japan. In 2001, he moved back to the States with his wife and two sons, my grandsons. The boys know about the war with Japan, but they did not know anything about the bravery of the Japanese-Americans who served in the 442nd RCT. I wanted my grandsons to know that Japanese-Americans are loyal, brave, and willing to sacrifice their lives for their country. "Going for Broke" is a perfect learning tool for my grandsons."