We have come to the end, friends, in more ways than one. September 2, 2025 marked the eightieth anniversary of the formal Japanese surrender. Eighty years ago, millions of people watched as Emperor Hirohito signed the peace declaration with General Douglas MacArthur looking on.
And now my series, “During World War Two” is officially wrapping up, fittingly, in the same month the war ended and peace was officially declared. It seems like yesterday that Ari of The Classic Movie Muse gave me the idea for the series, and now we’ve come to the end. Appropriately enough, and completely unplanned, the final number of posts in the series is forty-four, which was also the number of points servicepeople during the war needed in order to earn their honorable discharges.
It was a flawed system and didn’t last long. Read about it more here.
Anyway, I’ve very much enjoyed working on “During World War Two,” and while I usually don’t care for playing favorites, I have to say that it’s one of the most fascinating projects I’ve worked on so far as a blogger. It’s been so cool to go back in time and dig up information and topics that aren’t often talked about nowadays, and bust a few myths in the process.
To be honest, I almost don’t want it to end. I like studying World War Two. I like film. “During World War Two” was a head-on collision between the two and no one got hurt.
It also feels bittersweet, because there are so few Second World War veterans left, and even people who were kids during the war are passing from the scene. With them go their stories, their experiences, and their personal link to a time that is not only long gone, but one that many of us (including me) wish we could have seen firsthand. “During World War Two” always felt a little bit voyeuristic.
Cue that one Sarah McLachlan song.
But of course, again, everything ends sometime. I may revisit the concept again, only on a film-by-film basis. Not sure yet how that will play out, but we’ll deal with it as it comes. And if anyone would like to re-read past posts, or start reading the whole series, for that matter, the “During World War Two” series page can be found here.
As far as what’s going to replace “During World War Two,” I’m not sure about that either, but I’ll think of something. Any suggestions? Leave a comment below.
All right, thanks again, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this series. Another post is coming out next Tuesday, so I hope to see you then…
If you’re enjoying what you see on Taking Up Room, please subscribe to my Substack page, where you’ll find both free and paid subscriber-only reviews of mostly new and newish movies, documentaries, and shows. I publish every Wednesday and Saturday. You can also subscribe to my Club 15 Tier, which gives you at least one extra Taking Up Room post every month for a small fee.
Taking Up Room 