Grave of the Fireflies (2-Disc Collector's Edition)  

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Rave Reviews (25)*

• 1) Transcends Anime to be one of the saddest forms of any media

  by Ian Krupnick on January 11 2004
    300+ helpful votes

  I generally don't cry at movies. I love any movie that can move me enough to shed a tear or two. Grave Of the Fireflies is not one of those movies. In those movies even though I'm sad the final scenes leave me with a residual hope that while some tragic event has just occured the charecters involved will grow and live better. Grave of the Fireflies doesn't do this. There is no hope or possiabilty of things getting better. This is Life at it's cruelest. Life that will never get better. This movie doesn't move you, it shatters you.

  Seita And Setsuko (the boy and His little sister) aren't Heros and their abusive aunt isn't the villian. Neither for that matter is either side of the war protrayed as good or bad in these movie. This is just a story of people being people. some kind, some indiffrent and some compleatly harsh. Seita makes mistakes that many children in his position would.

  Although fifteen years old this film is still very beatiful. The images it portrays are quiet and subdued yet elegent. The final scene is something that shall forever be burned into my brain. It's touching and heartwrenching finality should break most people.

  Well I love Grave of the Fireflies. I Love it for it's unflinching look at war and life, It's graceful bueaty as it portrays a young girl playing amidst Fireflies, and for what it does to me at the end.

  Why must fireflies die so young?

• 2) Emotionally powerful, hauntingly poetic, anti-war anime

  by Lawrance M. Bernabo on February 06 2003
    210+ helpful votes

  "Grave of the Fireflies" ("Hotaru no haka") is one of the most powerful anti-war films I have ever seen, which means that it has no competition when it comes to emotional impact in terms of animated films. The death of Bambi's mother was a traumatic shock, but nothing like the sense of despair and grief that overwhelms you by the end of this film. The film begins with the spirit of a young boy showing us his death in a train station, after which we follow the fireflies into the past to see his story. At the beginning of the original movie of "Brian's Song" we were told: "All true stories end in death. This is a true story." So is "Grave of the Fireflies" because I have no problem granting the legitimacy of "truth" to fiction.
  
  In the last months of World War II an American fire bomb raid destroys the port city of Kobe, where almost all of the buildings are made of wood. Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi/J. Robert Spencer) is a 14-year old boy who survives along with his 4-year old sister Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi/Rhoda Chrosite). They were separated from their mother during the raid, which spares them from her fate. Their father is a navy officer serving in the Imperial Navy at sea, and the two kids go off to live with an aunt. With both his school and the war factory where we worked gone, Seita does not know what to do. So he tries to take care of his sister. But his aunt constantly berates him and after trading his mother's kimonos for rice that she stingly shares with the children, Seita decides to take Setsuko and live in a couple of caves dug for bomb shelters. For a while their live remains idyllic, but then there is nothing left to trade for food, and no food to be bought for money. Seita has to steal food to survive while Setsuko is getting weaker and weaker from hunger.
  
  This film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel written by Akiyuki Nosaka, which won the Naoli Prize, the Japanese equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. Like Seita, he survived the fire bombing with a younger sister, who died in his care. Obviously the story stems from a sense of guilty and I believe telling this story was confessional rather than cathartic for Nosaka. Writer-director Isao Takahata turns this tragedy into what can only be described as a poetic experience, achieving a cinematic lyricism that could never have been accomplished in a live-action film (e.g., the way the fireflies have a counterpoint in the pieces of ash that drift on the wind after the fire bombings). There is a quietness to this film, a sense of contemplation that emphasizes important and small moments alike, and makes scenes linger as the heart-rending story plays out to its fatal conclusion. The voice work by both of the young girls playing Setsuko is extremely effective; I have a slight preference for that done by Ayano Shiriashi simply because it is much more naturalistic than what you usually find in anime depicting children.
  
  "Graves of the Fireflies" is an unforgettable film, one which will reduce most viewers to tears if not outright sobbing. Watching it is a painful experience, but then a film depicting the horrors of war and showing what happens to young children is supposed to have that effect. Viewing it a second time makes the experience even more intense (you probably will not catch what Setsuko's last words are the first time through, but be prepared for what it will do to you when you watch the film again). You will never, ever forget this film and you should be very, very careful about showing it to younger children, because it will change forever what they think about animated films. It will do that for you as well.

• 3) Profound look at the other casualties of war

  by David J. Huber on September 04 2000
    50+ helpful votes

  First off, to get this out of the way, you should be watching this movie so you can know how beautiful and incredible animation can be - this is a visually gorgeous and lush movie.

  Beyond the animation, Grave of the Fireflies is truly in the top of perfectly written scripts. The subject matter of the film is war and death, but specifically how war affects the innocents. This is Japan in the end months of WWII during the firebombings, when food was scarce, and children without parents were left to die.

  This story is incredibly sad, but so important to hear and see it - not like a mainstream Hollywood sad movie that might make you cry while watching, but otherwise has no power to alter your perceptions of life. This is truly sad - the young kids die, and they die very horribly - sickness and starvation. The whole process is so well-written, you'll feel the hunger and the sickness yourself, and the animation adds to the effect.

  It is so welcome to have a movie that doesn't turn out all right in the end, but turns out awfully darn depressing, because a lot of times, life just plain sucks and isn't fair, if not for me, then for many other people. It is good to remember that not everything always turns out okay, and nothing is wrong in showing this realistically in a movie. Would I show this to young kids? Hell yes - I think young kids would identify very strongly. And if we can get our young kids to see the ridiculous nature of war at an early age, mayhaps we shall finally have a generation that doesn't feel a need to kill each other over irrelevant philosophic, racial, genetic, geographic, etc., BS.

  This movie and the story has not left my mind since I saw it - a point of proof that this is an incredible movie. But do be prepared to feel amazingly sad. I saw this movie in the winter. Then about 5 months later, in the summer, when I saw my first fireflies of the year, I was overcome with an incredible sadness. That's how powerful this movie is.

  I will be using this with my youth groups, probably for many years. It has so much worthy of deconstructing and analyzing - this is truly artwork, for it does all things that art is supposed to do - it has the power to change you, and the power to not let you forget the story. Excellent all the way around!

  And make sure to get one that is letterboxed, to get the whole movie (why are movies even released without being letterboxed? People are stupid...). And get a copy that is in Japanese with subtitles (unless, of course, you speak Japanese). You really, really have to hear the original Japanese, and the original actors. Amazing movie. A billion stars.

• 4) a perfect specimen of cinema/anime as an art form

  by Anonymous on November 09 1999
    30+ helpful votes

  Towards the end of this excellent and unparalleled anti-war and very human movie, right when the Japanese declared their defeat, Galli-Curci's rendition of the standard Home Sweet Home came on, and all the hitherto untapped well of emotions in me (and others who've seen it) broke lose. The scratchy sound of the LP, Galli-Curci's quavering and sorrow-filled voice (I rushed out and buy the CD), and the harrowing feeling in the face of the young protagonist's courage and the unfeeling violence around him all combined to create a truly unique moment that turns art into life itself. Like some of the other reviewers, I rarely if ever cry during a film, but this film did it, it makes me cry everytime I watch it: the music, the animation, the storyline are very powerful.

  It's hard to describe the emotional impact it has on me and on everyone I've recommended it to (and I've recommended it to everyone I care about). I once showed it to three of my nieces (ages 10-13) on their visit and three years later, they were still talking about it and asking to see it again and again: such is the impact of this once-in-a-lifetime film. It's very organic, not preachy at all, yet its anti-war message is so clear, and it zeroes in on the human in all of us instead of trying to manipulate emotions from the outside.

  All in all, one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Watch it with someone you love, be it your brother or sister or parents or children or boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse. It's very harrowing yet uplifting at the same time; watching it is an experience to be savored and shared with a loved one for a long time to come.

• 5) A touching, depressing story of love and endurance.

  by Mary J. Alderdice on May 28 2002
    30+ helpful votes

  For those who insist that cartoons of all forms, and particularly anime, are for children, I present you with Grave of the Fireflies. This amazingly well-done anime has some of the most touching, most depressing scenes I've ever seen on a screen, regardless of format.

  This film is set in Japan near the end of World War 2. Seita and Setsuko live in Kobe with their mother, whom they adore. When the air raid sirens sound, Seita and Setsuko run ahead to the bomb shelter, leaving their mother (who has a heart condition and cannot run) to follow. Seita is obviously not happy with this situation, but the early teen youth cannot carry both his toddler sister and his mother, so he agrees, sure his mother will join them at the shelter.

  From here begins the long, sad tale of the losses that Seita and Setsuko suffer through together. This is very much the story of a young man forced into the role of provider, protector, and nurturer years ahead of time, and of his little sister who adores him. Seita struggles to provide for himself and for Setsuko, and refuses to surrender himself to despair, regardless of the obstacles he is presented.

  I feel that this movie is all the more heart-wrenching for the way that the hurt and the pain and the fear are interspersed with the moments of joy and lightheartedness. For much of the movie, it is almost possible to believe that Seita and Setsuko will come out of this together. Of course, since the movie opens with Seita dying, alone, you know that your hope is misplaced, but you want them to survive. The love they share, and the joy they take from one another make you root for them.

  The characters in Grave of the Fireflies are remarkably well acted. Seita, standing strong, doing whatever is necessary to take care of his little sister. Setsuko is the perfect toddler. Happy one moment, crying the next, unsure of why anything is happening, but sure that Seita can fix everything. The childrens' aunt, a cold, sarcastic, bitter woman, taking every opportunity to ensure the children, especially Seita, is aware of how much they impose upon her and her patriotic family.

  In addition to the quality of the story and the caliber of the actors, the beauty of the artwork is just incredible. The facial expressions, the landscapes, the atmosphere. It's all wonderful, drawing you into the story. I found myself checking to see if the prone form of Setsuko was breathing as she lie ill, then realizing that wait, this is animation.

  This provocative, compelling tragedy is based upon a true story. The original author, Nosaka Akiyuki, wrote a novel based upon his real-life experiences at the end of the war in Japan. This story was then turned into a manga (Japanese comic book), and the story became very popular and well-known.

  Trivia buffs might be interested in knowing exactly how this movie made it to the screen. A director by the name of Hayao Miyazaki was working on a project named "My Neighbor Totoro" but the production company was worried that nobody would be interested in the tale of two little kids and a monster living in rural Japan. Therefore, they decided to make a movie they felt would draw viewers based upon the familiarity of the tale and for the educational value of the story, and make it a double-feature with "My Neighbor Totoro", billing and packaging the two movies together. Those who are familiar with both movies find the concept of packaging or viewing the cheery, light-hearted romp that is Totoro with such somber, depressing fare as "Grave of the Fireflies" mind-boggling, but the tactic seemed to work, though Totoro has become far more popular and well-known of the two movies.

  I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is a poignant story of the love shared by a pair of siblings in the worst possible conditions. And you'll never look at fruit drops the same way again.

• 6) My 2 cents worth: Should be Required Viewing

  by PokeMac on May 05 2003
    30+ helpful votes

  With nearly 300 reviews in the queue, I'm not sure anyone will ever read this.... BUT, if you do, then know that this movie can't be recommended enough. If you've read any other comments, then you know that this is a depressing film. Oh yeah. I actually read the script about a year before I ordered the movie. And I broke into tears reading the script!! We're talking powerful stuff. Now, we've all seen war movies and gory movies and we read the newspapers with the horrors of our modern life, so you'd think this would be nothing. I think the brilliance of this movie is that by presenting it in anime form it disarms the mind, and allows us to really become the characters. Since they aren't real, we transpose ourselves into their roles, and their roles are heartbreaking. Alone, and betrayed by adults both familial and strange : adults who ought to know better. But this is real life. We know it. We know that this is how adults turn on others, and how they turn on the weak, and become selfish. The children symbolize the weakness and helplessness of man in a modern and indifferent world. In a sense, we are all children, and we are all abandoned. If you have a heart, if you have intellect and a mind willing to listen and see, then you will not fail to be touched by this movie. Now, I will say that this is not necessarily an anti-war movie. I mean, on the other hand, is anyone really pro-war? This movie tries to merely speak some truth. War is a reality, and in some cases a sad necessity, but in my view the real point of the story is to show how thin, how very thin, is the veneer of civilisation.

• 7) so sad

  by J on August 22 2006
    30+ helpful votes

  it makes you think about children of the WWII. No way to describe. Just need to watch.

• 8) Never has animation captured human suffering & joy so well

  by Amos Kwon on March 01 2001
    30+ helpful votes

  I watched this movie ten years ago when I was in college. I had forgotten how truly remarkable a film it is. There is something about the music, the animation style, and especially the story and characters that touch the deepest parts of the heart. I was mesmerized by how much it made me feel for both Seita and his sister, Setsuko. Yes, the movie is set in war-time Japan, but this is more a story of a brother's love for his sister and of childhood lost in human suffering. I would find it hard to compare a movie (animated or otherwise) that would compare to the depth of this film. You have to watch this with subtitles to really capture the breadth and depth of this movie. Setsuko's innocence is only communicated well through the original Japanese dialogue. The animation is nothing to sneeze at either. The attention to detail is remarkable--watch the ants, flys, and of course the fireflies. This movie is one that everyone should watch. Amid all the garbage that you see these days coming out of Hollywood, this is a gem that will do something to you once you have seen it.

• 9) Sad story of war and it's aftermath

  by Plain Jane, on August 20 2006
    30+ helpful votes

  I think this was one of the saddest war movies I have ever seen. I think everyone should see it, if, for nothing else but to get a another perspective on war.

• 10) jesus

  by Matthew T. Shelley on January 02 2006
    20+ helpful votes

  im a diesel mechanic working on buoy tender ships in northern michigan, where its negative 30 degrees. i have a full sleeve tattoo, and a jagged scar on my face. my wife is ex military and a lumberjack's daughter. we bawled at this movie.
  
  i canNOT express how good this was.

• 11) A real heart mover.

  by Anonymous on January 09 1999
    20+ helpful votes

  I cried. This was the first movie I've ever cried over. Yes, I am female and presently I am 16 years old and a junior in High School. Anyway, this film is very moving. It's about a boy, Seita, who seems to be no older than 14, who is forced to raise his little sister, Setsuko (about 4), after the tragic death of his mother in an air raid during World War II. After being rejected by their distant aunt and their father being away in the Japanees navy, the two move into an abandoned bomb shelter. It's about all the hardships they face, and how something as simple as a box of fruit drops can make some of the pains of war go away for both of them. It is a very moving story, I think it beautifully expresses some of the many hardships that the Japanees people went through, after their government started a war that they failed win. It is a well writen story, with amazing characters. You'll never feel the same about war after you've seen this movie. It's funny to think how much two little kids really do need their parents and how strong the love between a brother and sister really can be. If you have any questions about this movie, mail me, or just buy it. It is definetly worth buying. I think everyone should atleast view this movie once.

• 12) I wish I had watched this long time ago.....

  by Anonymous on June 03 2003
    20+ helpful votes

  This is one of the most beautiful, touching but also most painful films I have ever seen. While this film may bring actual pains to your heart, I highly recommend this great masterpiece. You feel pains because you are a human.

  This beautiful animated film gives you a totally exceptional film experience and insights into human natures. If you love anybody, your partner, family members or friends, you will realize how important they are to you after watching this film. If you are a father or a mother, you will feel you need to hold your children in your arms.

  It is a war movie. But it does not play cheap politics of putting blames on "enemy" or appeal to nationalistic romanticism. The movie is set in air raid struck Kobe in wartime Japan. But Americans have almost no face here. The film subtly but definitly depicts a society that failed to save lives of its youngest members. A society where everybody was desperate for their survival, adults forgot their roles and children were left unprotected. As a Japanese, I doubt if any Japanese viewer will have any specific emotion toward Americans after this film. This film only makes us face ourselves.

  I saw strength and courage in Seita, a older brother. Also I could see weakness and irresponsibility in him too. I saw childlike innocense in Setsuko, his little sister. In cold adults, I could find fear and selfishness. These characters are so human and I can identify all the elements like these in myself too. Everybody is so believable and real and this makes you wonder what you would do in their places.

  Again, this is a very sad but beautiful and touching movie. Animation is breathtaking, characters are very human and story is powerful. I think (I hope) that everybody can appreciate this work in his or her own way.

  My parents told me that my grand mother watched this film and cried for hours in her room later. She may have projected images of her own "Seita and Setsuko", neighbors and friends in this film. Now that she passed away long time ago, I could only wish that I should have talked with her about this movie.

• 13) No less than five!

  by Anonymous on May 22 2005
    20+ helpful votes

  This isn't as much a review on the movie as a comment on the reasons behind any reviewers' dislike of this film. This movie deserves every star possible, and whether you like it or not, that is that.
  
  1. "They make no mention on the fact that the Japanese were the ones who brutally tortured and killed so many British and American POWs!"
  
  What do you expect? I'm sorry, but I doubt if an isolated fourteen-year-old boy, his mother, his sister, or even his aunt would know about much the POW camps. After all, few Germans knew of Aushwitz, and few Americans knew much of the detention camps they set up for their own Japanese-American citizens.
  
  And by the way, it's funny that all the western films on the war never seem to mention the fact that so many Japanese-Amercians died in the detention camps in horrible conditions, yet they complain about a Japanese film.
  
  And it's funny that all these Western films glorify the soldiers, while this movie glorifies the innocent ones who did not kill anyone.
  
  Therefore this reason is - BlAH - plain dumb.
  
  2. "They show us Americans as bad guys! They show us as killers!"
  
  This is so immature. Well, I have two words to say. TOO BAD. GROW UP. DEAL WITH IT. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that this is quite true. The Amercian bombers indeed killed harmless people in Japan. Face the facts, people. War hurts. Just being on the American side does not free you of the crimes you have committed (murder). If you killed a Japanese person, you are still a killer. Besides, this movie never mentions the word "American", just " the Enemy". I see nothing wrong with this: after all, that's what Americans called the Japanese at the time.
  
  3. "Not all Japanese people were innocent of wrongdoing!"
  
  Oh, please, this is SOOOO lame. If Mr. Takahata had wanted to create a document on all the wrondoings in the POW camps, he would have done so. But that's not the point of this movie. The point of the movie is to tell the story of all those that are ignored in the war: the story of the innocent ones who suffered at the hands of their government, and their ignorant fellow civilians. To force anything else in would be an insult to the biy whose story this was based on - YES, it's a TRUE story. Well, partially. The movie is based on the true story of a boy who lost his parents, and had to take care of his younger sister alone. Unfortunately, she died. And the boy did not know anything about the POWs at the time, so SHUT UP! Unlike Seita, this boy survived the war, and wrote a book about himself later on. He always felt that it was his fault that sister died, even so many years later. The poor guy's been through enough - STOP SHOUTING AT HIM!
  
  4. "The aunt supported the Japanese government!"
  
  Yes, and so many Americans support their government.
  
  Most Japanese people were FORCED to serve their government (in this case, it was because the aunt needed food for her family), while most service to Americans supported their government in the war VOLUNTARILY.
  
  5. "Setsuko is such a crybaby!"
  
  Ahem...she's four?
  
  6. "That Seita left his aunt - he could've gone back, apologized to her, and the two children would not have died! He should've done what she said and got a job (to serve his country as his aunt wants him to)! Instead, he left, and had to find his own food. Not finding any, he caused his death as well as his sister's!"
  
  Yeah, right. The aunt was not feeding the children. THAT'S why they left her. Had they stayed, they would've STILL had to find their own food. And Setsuko's final days on Earth would've been WORSE had they stayed with her, because the aunt would yell at the poor little four-year-old. And I agree - Seita should have apologized to his aunt for being 'stiff' to her. But ecen Seita, like everyone in the world, is not perfect, and it was wrong for that woman to stop feeding the children because Seita was being 'stiff' to her.
  
  And get a job? I think that Seita needs to stay home to keep Setsuko safe from his aunt's verbal abuse.
  
  7. "He gave Setsuko candy instead of emotional support to comfort her!"
  
  He isn't an experienced parent, okay? He had good intentions at heart. He wanted to make his sister happy, and the candy seemed to keep her happy. He only wanted the best for her.
  
  
  8. "The movie's so sad!"
  
  Of course it is. That's real life: it's sad. Seita and Setsuko could well be orphans in Iraq right now, and how many orphaned children have died in the war in Iraq? Think about it. It's reality.

• 14) omg the saddest movie I've ever seen in my life

  by Anonymous on July 30 2002
    20+ helpful votes

  This is a traumatizing movie. I can't explain in words how you feel as you're watching it. For one thing it's not one of those movies that are sad, maybe cause you to shed a tear or two, but you realize "it's just a movie". This is not just a movie. It is possibly one of the greatest films of all time depicting war. A war that really happened with people that really suffered in it.

  It begins with the two children escaping to a bomb shelter during an air raid...

  Despite the painfully sad story, it's still wonderful. Yet it's hard to say this when you know that it is about two children suffering. It makes me feel like I'm saying I like that sort of thing, which I don't. Nontheless, this is a anime everone should see. I don't even mean just anime fans, it's something mankind should see to help them think twice about things like war.

  Ok and now to get to the part I was avoiding so much. I did not just cry when I saw Grave of the Fireflies. I was bawling.From beginning to end there was something that completely just ripped my heart in half. The sense of lonliness, the sense of despair, the sense of helplessness, of wanting to give up but knowing you can't... Even after the credits were rolling, after someone else in my family had to take the darn thing outta my DVD player, I sat on the couch and cried. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I cried for at least ten minutes. Ugh I even woke up in the middle of the night and started crying. Yeah I'm the slightest bit emotional but not that emotional. That's just how big of an imapct this movie had on me.

• 15) how many people will have cried by watching the movie?

  by taka(Japanese on December 30 2004
    20+ helpful votes

  Maybe, in U.S.A even the name of Hayao Miyazaki will be known here and there. He made many movies till now, Spirited Away, Totoro etc. But the best work that I was moved very much is this movie, Grave of the Fireflies. In Japan, though this movie have been taken high evaluation from all Japanese, is not known more than other Miyazaki's works like Spirited Away. Maybe the same thing will be said in U.S.A. It is very regretable. For instance, this movie was roadshowed with Neighbor Totoro. Main movie was Totoro, and Grave was sab movie.
  
  If the watchers are children, their favorite work may be Totoro, but in the point of letting us think about more deep things, peace, love, tenderness, the strong bond between brothers or our happiness that can eat many foods, this movie will be more high splendid movie than Totoro. When I watch this movie, I feel that I am getting many things than the age of this movie, especially foods, but in the other hands, I thought that I was losing many things, tenderness for others etc for letting me fllow in daily benefit, money. Ceatainly they had many trouble on surface aspect, but in the mental points, I am inferior to them because they had the strong family bond like never broken even if they were in the severe condition.
  
  This movie is true story on Akiyuki Nosaka's same title novel book. In the movie, the shelter cave where Nosaki and his sister lived actually was re-showed. Nosaka was very surprised to the animation re-creation power.
  
  I was eight years old when I watched the movie first time. At that time, I felt why they went out from their aunt's house and dared to live in shelter cave, should live in the house even if they flattered to the aunt. But as I have grown, the thinking changed little by little. Though the selection might not be clever, they wished to live by themselves and be free.
  
  If there may be opinions that children should not watch the movie. But though I watched the work in my child age, there was never the bad influence, to the contrary even now the movie have strong impact for me on good meaning. Because this movie is on true story, we should not turn our eyes away from the movie. If we gaze to true things, peace will be made too. I do not dare to talk about which countries should have the war responsibility. The most expecting thing is that people over the world can feel the non sence of war by watching the sorrow movie. If war broke on the point of the benefit of countries, we should stop war by feeling the sympathy to sacrifices for absurd wars.
  
  Thank you for reading poor English to last scentence.
  
  

• 16) Heart-wrenching Masterpiece

  by Kaspy on April 30 2005
    20+ helpful votes

  If you haven't seen this movie yet, you may want to be cautious about reading the reviews here because some of them contain spoilers which may ruin the experience. I also highly recommend watching the film in Japanese with subtitles so that all the nuances of the original voice-overs are preserved; it also provides a more authentic feel.
  
  Grave of the Fireflies (Japanese title "Hotaru No Haka") is a haunting and tragic tale of a teenage boy, Seita, and his five-year-old sister, Setsuko, who are orphaned during World War II. After living with their aunt, who becomes verbally abusive, they decide to seek shelter in a nearby cave and struggle to survive on what little they have. The movie is a semi-autobiography, based on the book by Akiyuki Nosaka.
  
  I first saw this movie when I was 15, and remember being deeply overwhelmed with grief. To say that Grave of the Fireflies is moving would be a complete understatement, devastating and heart breaking are more appropriate descriptions. It has some haunting scenes that will remain with me for the rest of my life, the scene showing their mother in bloody bandages being just one of them. It also includes some beautifully touching scenes that are equally unforgettable.
  
  Unlike some viewers, I don't see this as only an anti-war film. I see it as a movie about the love between a brother and sister. While watching the movie, notice all the little things each of them do for each other. In one particularly poignant scene, Setsuko is sobbing gently after being told that they can't visit their mother yet (Seita had lied to Setsuko about their mother being dead to protect her). Although devastated himself, he tries to cheer her up by swinging on a bar and says, "watch me." In another disturbing scene, a weak and malnourished Setsuko kindly offers Seita food she made for him using dirt. Seita looks in horror, and realizes just how sad their situation has become. We also see in this movie how the very little things, like the pretty glow of a firefly can bring such joy.
  
  I think the reason this film has touched so many viewers is that, thanks to the realistic animation, Seita, and in particular Setsuko, are so easy to relate to. Setsuko could easily be your younger sister, daughter, niece, or friend.
  
  When we find out that they're orphaned, we can't help but feel sorry for them. From then on, we can easily identify with them and feel all the pain and desperation they go through. As a side note, the viewers (and probably the aunt) know that his father, a navy officer, is most likely dead after he fails to reply to Seita's letter. Seita, being just a child, cannot bring himself to believe or even think that his father is dead as well. He is in a constant state of denial until the very end, when he is told that there are no survivors in the fleet.
  
  The overwhelming tone of this movie is loneliness: Seita and Setsuko are two children with nothing but each other. And ultimately, this movie is about how the innocence of these two children was lost.
  
  Grave of the Fireflies belongs in a category all by itself when it comes to emotional impact. It will have you thinking about it for days, even years later. And that's when you know when you've seen a truly great film.
  
  **WARNING: SPOILER BELOW. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE**
  
  The following is an excerpt from an interview with Akiyuki Nosaka (the writer of the original book) in 1987. I found it to be interesting, so I've included it in my review.
  
  "My sister's death is an exact match with the novel. It was one week after the end of the war. At the countryside of Fukui prefecture where I was, it was the day the restrictions on lighting were removed. It must have been the 22nd. It was evening, and I was picking up my sister's bones. I was coming home in a daze when I saw the village lit up. There was nothing like my surprise then. My sister died in my side of the world, and the light was coming back in the other.
  
  Honestly speaking, there was also relief that she died and my burden was gone. No one would wake me up in the night like she did with her crying, and I wouldn't have to wander around with a child on my back any more. I'm very sorry to say this about my sister, but I did have those feelings too. That's why I haven't gone back to my novel (Grave of the Fireflies, published in 1967) to re-read it, since I hate that. It's so hypocritical. It must be absolutely true that Seita must have thought of his sister as a burden too. He must have thought that he could have escaped better if it weren't for her.
  
  There are many things that I just couldn't get myself to write into the story. During composition, the older brother got increasingly transformed into a better human being. I was trying to compensate for everything I couldn't do myself. I always thought I wanted to perform these generous acts in my head, but I couldn't do so. I always thought I wouldn't eat and would give the food to my little sister, but when I actually had the piece of food in my hand, I was hungry after all, so I'd eat it. And there was nothing like the deliciousness of eating in a situation like that. And the pain that followed was just as big. I'd think there is no one more hopeless in the world than me. I didn't put anything about this in the novel."
  
  Excerpt from the English translation published in Animerica Vol. 2, No. 11, 1994.
  

• 17) Grave of the Reviews

  by Regular Chickens on December 04 2003
    20+ helpful votes

  The few people who have a negative perception of this movie base their dislike on the conflict between the boy and his aunt. One person said that much of the city was untouched, and that others could have helped them. But with war, it is always shelter that is easy to rebuild, and food that is hard. Another mentioned that the boy could have apologized to the aunt, and that he could have worked. Again, this person has a delusional perception of the economics of war. You have to realize that the food he brought his aunt was utterly priceless at the time. Really, I was expecting him to get mugged for it. She even makes reference that, "... You can't get this for ANYTHING." And even if the boy had been able to find a job (unlikely at best), he would have been lucky to earn enough to buy one loaf of bread a week.

  The third, and most insultingly stupid complaint about I've heard about the film was that its director made no reference to Japanese agression. You can study history all you like, and you can lend whichever hues please you most to certain politcal positions, but the only heroes and villains of war are those who make decisions. After them, all others are either soldiers or victims. That is what this movie is trying to say. The characters could just as easily have been German, British, French, Russian... you get the point. I hope.

• 18) More than a cartoon...

  by A reviewer on April 09 2005
    10+ helpful votes

  I just finished this movie and I've come online to share my views about it.
  
  The majority of people here seem to have come away with the same feeling as me, namely inexplicable anguish at the fragility of life in war.
  
  This is a brilliant movie. One that (for mine and most people's part,) transcends time and differences in culture. It is a must-see eye-opener that should make you feel pain at how horrific war can be and make you feel glad that you live in a place where such things aren't going on. Because really, for me, the fact that I am fortunate enough to eat well and sleep in a sheltered place are really, some of the only uplifting thoughts I can take away after seeing this movie.
  
  If that deters you from watching it, then you may well be best advised to steer clear. For other people, I think, as well as opening your mind, that you may also find some beauty and inspiration in the heroic actions of the protagonist. For that is what he is, in every sense. His unfading smile and resolve to literally carry his younger sister on his back, years ahead of his time, make him a hero in my book.
  Some people here have questioned his capacity as a man in ultimately failing to keep her or himself alive. I advise them to either watch the movie again (more carefully?) or to read up a little bit about the situation in Japan at that time (if the movie doesn't paint the picture cleary enough!).
  
  A good book to start with might be: "Embracing Defeat" by the brilliant professor of history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, John Dower.
  
  As to the Korean reviewer here who made the unbelievable comments: "I cannot feel sympathy with the Japanese during that era", "this film tries to glorify and sympathize [with] the sentiments of the Japanese during the war" and even "It literally makes me sick for me to feel sorry the Japanese, considering the horrors they caused and perpetuated for people", I would have to say to that person, I sympathise with what your family went through at the hand of the Japanese in World War II, but if you can come away from watching this movie and still be unable to open your heart and "feel sympathy" for the characters portrayed, then I have to say: you are part of the problem.
  
  This movie doesn't glorify the Japanese political standpoint during the war at all. It is about two children for goodness' sake. Innocent people suffering because of a war they are too young to understand or take any part in.

• 19) This movie will change you, if you dare so.

  by greencalx on September 04 2001
    10+ helpful votes

  Being there already almost 140 reviews for this movie, there's nothing new I can say except what's been said. Despite this fact, Grave of the Fireflies is one of those rare movies I must show gratitude and appreciation towards.

  No other movie (except for David Lynch's "The Straight Story", which I also recommend) has exemplified the importance of love for other people through a powerfully sad story. If I explained any of the specifics to what I'm saying, it will give away spoilers -- that wouldn't matter anyway, the true importance and redemption of Grave Of The Fireflies lies in it's mood and characters' struggles, and those will leave most viewers a changed person.

  One of the greatest movies ever made. Not only do I respect the art of film greatly more than I used to, but I also hold precious my loved ones even more. For those of you reading these reviews but have yet to see this movie, I have 3 bits of advice:

  1) It is anime -- do not hold prejudice against this movie because of it. This is one of the most emotionally-gripping movies I've seen, and it's rare that I cry because of a movie, let alone from start to finish with this movie.

  2) It is drama -- but it is real, and visceral. It is NOT the crappy, low-budget melodrama you'd see on some womens' channel ("Timmy has cancer and his mother's in jail and he wants to see Babe Ruth hit a home run or else Lassie will die of a tumor!"). NO! "Grave of the Fireflies" is what drama was meant to be, I cannot find a negative thing about this movie [except that it made me cry out loud in a room full of people, quite embarassing if you ask me]. It is well written and emotional, and in true Japanese style it uses subtle, quiet, and subdued moments to speak the loudest moods.

  and most importantly, 3) PREPARE YOURSELF. Before you watch this movie, get a comedy video (Monty Python or whatever) on your coffeetable to pop in after you clear your tear ducts when this movie is over. Grave of the Fireflies will stay with you, it will hang on your shoulders and you will remember it the next morning and throughout the next several weeks. So get something happy or whimsical prepared to watch immediately afterwards to help get out of the depression that Grave of the Fireflies is guaranteed to put you in.

  Experience this film.

• 20) Watch it once

  by Baobab on October 29 2005
    10+ helpful votes

  In Japan, this film is on air every August on TV, around the day when we surrendered. So almost every Japanese would have seen it at least once or some watch it every summer. I've recently found that the Koreans decided to ban this film to be released in Korea because "it disguises what Japan did to us in WWII". I was very sad about it, because once you watch it, you immediately know that this is not about who's good and who's bad, who wins and who loses. This is about the universal fact of war.
  
  I recommend you watch it with Japanese voices, as they use the real kids, and to make to real (and also to make it natural for those younger kids who knew little about acting) they let those 2 kids play and get relaxed, and then recorded the sentenses they said, and then made the animation from the voices. That's why the talking are so realistic.
  
  I also would like to note that this is based on a real story - the boy actually survived, and wrote a novel that was made into this film. The boy - now an old man - also admitted that he wasn't as good as Seita. When they only had a little portion of food, sometimes he ate it all without giving it to his little sister. He also said that he couldn't deny the fact that he also felt "relieved" when the sister died, that he wouldn't have to worry about taking care of his little sister. I think this is the reality. Who can blame the 14-year-old orphan who himself was trying to survive?
  
  After watching this film, whenever I'm cooking, I feel like "wish I could give this egg to them... wish they had this meat...". It's hard to think that this very same thing is still going on elsewhere.

• 21) "Why do fireflies have to die so soon?"

  by professional_shizoku on December 23 2003
    10+ helpful votes

  Studio Ghibli is a name that is synonymous with words like, "beautiful," "creative," "magical" and "inventive." The popular Japanese animation studio has put forth works such as, "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Princess Mononoke," "Laputa: Castle in the Sky," "My Neighbor Totoro" and their latest work to be released in America, "Spirited Away." However, perhaps the most well-known (in teachers circles anyway), is Isao Takahata's 1988 masterpiece "Grave of the Fireflies."

  "Grave of the Fireflies" takes place in Japan during World War II, during the last weeks of the war. Brother and sister, Seita and Setsuko, lose their mother during an air raid due to severe bodily burns. They are then forced to live with an aunt who is uncompassionate and ignorant to their situation. Here we begin to see the sad and slow deterioration of their circumstances.

  Their aunt doesn't feel that the siblings have earned their stay at her home; in fact on the first night there she doesn't even feed them. When they trade their dead mothers' kimonos for rice (a valuable commodity), she gives half to them while keeping the rest for her family and herself. She even uses up most of the supplies that Seita brings from his old home, claiming that Seita and Setsuko are ungrateful "brats."

  It is at this point that Seita feels it is time to leave, so he moves Setsuko and himself from the house to an old bomb-shelter nearby. Here they try to make a home; living near a pond that is lit at night by the glow of fireflies.

  Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this movie is that of human circumstance, and animation is the greatest medium for articulating this. No fancy lights. No special effects. There are only a pen and pencil between the writers visions and the screen. It is because of the animation that the true essence of the film is allowed to shine. Takahata is able to build the characters, Seita and Setsuko, up using "little" scenes that are usually cut out of a big-production film. By utilizing these scenes Takahata makes the characters more "human," and therefore more capable of re- and obtaining human emotions.

  There are many underlying themes in "Grave of the Fireflies." Most of them are symbolically embedded in objects, emotions, and events throughout the film. But these are the ones I find most predominant.

  First off is that of the tin can containing the fruit drops. Almost every time the young Setsuko cries, Seita is able to calm her by giving her a fruit drop. The fruit drops hereby abilitating him to comfort her without using the emotion of comfort. Towards the end of the movie, Setsuko begins to fall under the whimsy of malnutrition; which is reflected through her spreading rashes and diarrhea. Little by little, Seita runs out of fruit drops to give her, and by the end of the movie Setsuko begins to suck on marbles. It is only then that Seita begins to realize that he should have invested emotions not "fruit drops" towards Setsuko's problems.

  Secondly and the most importantly is that of ignorance. In "Grave of the Fireflies" we find that the siblings are put into a situation; one that is not uncommon in the world today. Millions of children are left starving and alone, without parents to care for them. Isao Takahata has simply given us a different standpoint to observe the problem of ignorance from. This "ignorance" of which I speak is violently evident throughout the movie. First, is that of Seita's fantasy that Setsuko and he are living well off; until the end of the movie. Second, is that of the aunt's ignorance and illcompassion for the sibling duo; if she had shown more compassion Seita and Setsuko would, most likely, never have moved into the bomb shelter where they met their early graves. Also, there is a scene in the beginning in which the people of the subway in which Seita is sitting pass him by while uttering uncompassionate comments under their breaths . . .

  "These bums are a disgrace. . ."

  And this leads me to the movies' message that seems to be more of a question. What can we do as a society to prevent these types of situations in which young children die? With the use of the movie, Isao Takahata has shown us that children die as a result of ignorance. Leaving us with one undeniable conclusion that if we have not learned that from this movie, then we have not understood our own selves.

  There is one particular scene in the movie in which Seita catches a firefly and gives it to Setsuko who consequently "catches" it to hard and squashes it. Seita playfully responds, "You gotta be more gentle." Our lives are like that of the fireflies; they flicker for a brief moment then go as easily and quietly as they came. If were not gentle enough they'll never get their chance to shine

  SPOILER ALERT:
  At the very end of the movie what may be called the spirits of Seita and a sleepy Setsuko look out over a modern and vitalized city. But a question lingers in Seitas' eyes, "will anyone help us?"

  A good question Mr. Takahata . . . a good question . . .

• 22) An Anime As Powerful, If Not More, Than Any Motion Picture

  by Ernest Jagger on August 14 2006
    10+ helpful votes

  I had heard of this anime for many years, but it was only a few years ago that I finally brought myself around to seeing this deeply moving and sad anime. I am not a big anime fan, and most of the ones I do purchase are for my two young daughters. There are only a handful that I have seen which I truly enjoy. Therefore, it came as a big surprise to me when I finally viewed "Grave Of The Fireflies." This is not only a terrific anime, but one which you will soon not forget after viewing it. It takes quite a film in order for me to feel that sense of deep sadness that I felt after viewing this film. A truly sad and poignant anime. This film does what so many motion picture dramas fail to do in trying to convey a sense of tragedy and sadness. This is one of the reasons I was so surprised at how sad I felt after viewing it.
  
  I own this DVD, and I highly, highly recommend it to everyone. I know that there are many out there who do not like anime films, but this one is completely different. If you do not wish to buy this anime, then when you have the time, I recommend that you at least rent the film from one of your local video stores. There have been outstanding reviews of this anime, therefore I will not repeat what has already been so eloquently written by so many other reviewers. But I will write that this anime is very powerful!!! Up until I saw this anime; no other anime had ever moved or touched me as this one did, and continues to do so. The folly of war; which is always endured upon the innocents that suffer, is truly a universal and tragic condition of the human race.
  
  This anime will be timeless, and eternal. It does what so many films fail to show: Mainly that there are consequences to mankind's actions, and that the 'enemy' is human and suffers too. I have seen countless documentaries on the bombings of Japan, China, Burma, eastern Europe, Germany, Vietnam, Cambodia, everywhere in fact--since I was young, and especially when I served in the U.S. Air Force. I have always thought about those on the receiving end of these bombings. Bombs do not discriminate in their carnage. I liked everything about this anime, because it does not cop-out with a happy ending, but gives the viewer the very essence and nature of war: Carnage and death. A truly sad, sad, anime. It belongs right up there with the great anti-war films of all time. [Stars: 5 plus infinity]

• 23) A powerful and tragic story.

  by S. Hebbron on August 13 2006
    10+ helpful votes

  This is like no other animation you will have seen before. Firstly for it's has masterly and stunningly beautiful animation and artistic quality which, while a signature feature of the studio Ghibli of Japan, is so outstanding it could draw you in to the film in a spellbinding manner in it's own right.
  That said it is undoubtedly the moving and tender story here that is the the pull, a tale of the struggle to survive the ravages of war. It is based upon the autobiographical work of the Japanese Author Akiyuki Nosaka. Written as an intended apology to the little sister he lost at the end of WW2.
  The principal characters are Seito ans Setsuko, a teenage boy and his young sister who are sent to live with a distant Aunt following the death of their Mother in an air raid on Kobe.
  Their Father is away at war in Japenese Navy. Their Aunt is not merely a distant relative but distant emotionally,
  a complaining, cold and intolerant woman and ultimately Seito has to make a decision about how the two children can survive the war, either with bodily sustinance and cruel humanity or chancing their luck in order to maintian a environment of humanity in which he knows his sister will best flourish, a legacy to his lost or absent parents.
  The two move into an unused air raid shelter, besides a stream and amidst an abundance of nature; on the outskirts of town.
  All at first, is rich and freeing to the spirits of the children.
  Both gain a renewed sense of strength from the beauty that surrounds them, they use fireflies to light their dark shelter by night but the agony of the death each morning of hundreds of these enchanting creatures does not escape their notice and both seem acutely aware of their own lives running in parrallel.
  Little Setsuko ritually buries the creatures each day in grateful and polite homage, perhaps also hopng in doing so she and her Brother will spared a simlair fate.
  Will they survive in unending joy or will the impact of war and scant food and trading power force them to face a similair fate to the beautifully free but short lived creatures?
  The story is so grippuing and moving, it speaks of the will to keep alive all that is beautiful as well as mundane and ordinary about the human experience and it starkly examines the futility and impact of war. The loss, the change in humanity and reason and the focus on the importance of the small but nurturing elements of life. Truly stunning and enriching.

• 24) Excellent, but you'll only watch it once

  by Joseph L. Petrow on April 24 2001
    10+ helpful votes

  I watched this video about seven years ago. Somehow, I found the strength to make it all the way through. But since then, I have not been able to watch it again. Even thinking about Grave of the Fireflies while writing this has almost moved me to tears. I think I will only watch this movie one more time in my life; when my daughter becomes old enough to appreciate it.

  Grave of the Fireflies is a movie you must see once, but you probably won't have the strength to ever watch it again. Then again, you won't have to, because the message and the images it imparts on you will last a lifetime.

• 25) Heartrendering, moving masterpiece from Isao Takahata, and a triumph for animation.

  by Jonathon Turner on August 18 2005
    10+ helpful votes

  Truly one of Studio Ghibli's greatest crowning achievements, GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is a brilliant masterpiece fully deserving of a place in any of the best movies ever made. Not just an astonishingly great (and, at the risk of coming off as cliché, perfect) work of art, this is a moving, thought-provoking, and ultimately heartbreaking tale about the loss of innocence and the tragedies of war.
  
  Based on an autobiography by Akiyuki Nosaka, the film, set during the bombing of Japan in --of all times-- World War II, centers on Seita, a loving, headstrong Navy soldier's son and his innocent little sister, Setsuko. Their fatal struggle for survival begins right at the start, when both are bombed out of house and home by American B-29s. Mom is seriously wounded and found wrapped in bandages at a hospital, where she dies shortly after. The children move to Nishinomiya to stay with their aunt. Auntie, a cold, bitter, self-serving woman, has no patience with Seita or Setsuko, especially when they would rather chase after fireflies at moonlight, play by the beach, or lounge around the house instead of helping out. After butting heads with Auntie long enough, the children decide to run away, setting up home in an abandoned cave by the lake. Both try by all means to live off of vegetables or whatever food they can afford to trade and/or steal, to no avail....
  
  The outcome of the story is actually showcased at the opening of the movie, where we see a ghostly specter of Seita watching a more malnourished version of himself die a painful, lonely death at a train station. Indeed, as we see how these events came to pass, we find ourselves rooting for Seita and Setsuko to find a way to stay alive, but alas, it is not to be, given Seita's stubborn pride. The overall tone of the movie is of a very tragic nature--even such lighthearted moments as the aforementioned sequences involving Seita and Setsuko playing around the house or gathering fireflies as lights for their cave are all tainted with a touch of sadness, for we know that these brief scenes of happiness will not last.
  
  Who is to blame for the plight of these children? The movie never addresses this question to the audience, nor does it really care to. It would be easy for director Isao Takahata to make this an anti-American movie, but he does better than that. Instead, he aptly conveys that war can spell serious--and deadly--consequences for victims. He also eschews casting any character as a hero or villain, and instead makes this a very human story, with no clear-cut "good" or "bad" characters. The aunt, for example, is not evil; she is merely an angry, desperate woman who is only struggling to survive just as much as Seita and Setsuko are. Atrocious as her treatment of the children is, we somehow never see her as a true baddie, but a very flawed, multi-faceted human being.
  
  Normally one would think of this kind of story as suitable for live-action, but GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES proves that it can be told through the art of animation as well. This is no mindless showcase of gorgeous visuals--although the artistic merits of the movie are, as with Ghibli productions, sumptuous and at times breathtaking--but a display of real characters struggling with very tangible emotions. And the most amazing accomplishment about this movie is how much we grow to care for Seita and Setsuko--their inseparable bond of love and companionship is the heart and soul behind the movie.
  
  There are long stretches of silence on the soundtrack, with music used very sparingly, yet the movie is all the more powerful for it. The most effective moment is where we hear a scratchy rendition of "Home, Sweet Home" over a montage of Setsuko playing by the shelter. It's a simplistic, sweet, yet very saddening moment that not only works in the context of the movie, but on its own as well.
  
  While Disney has released most of Studio Ghibli's other works in the United States, GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is currently available as a 2-Disk Collector's Set from New York based Anime publisher Central Park Media. Presented in an all-new anamorphic transfer, the video quality was apparently remastered, with very pleasing results. Where this set excels, though, is in the amount of extras. In addition to documentaries about the bombing of Japan and the production, we get interviews with Isao Takahata, Akiyuki Nosaka, and even longtime film critic Roger Ebert. Even if you don't read critical reviews, you should check out what he has to say about GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES. His words may surprise you.
  
  I don't normally say this in my reviews, but I would definitely recommend watching this movie in its native language of Japanese for a truly powerful and memorable experience. That's not to imply, however, that the English dub is inferior; on the contrary. It is, in fact, surprisingly good, with an effective lead in J. Robert Spencer and noteworthy cameo appearances by Anime voiceover actors Veronica Taylor, Crispin Freeman, and Dan Green. Rhoda Chrosite's Setsuko is the one voice that doesn't fare so well; she sounds more like an adult pretending to be a young girl, and comes across as strained during most scenes (save for when she is sick from diarrhea). Still, for those who can't read subtitles, the dub is more than adequate (although not as high-profile as others that I've heard).
  
  Even in a genre as multi-faceted as Japanese Anime, there are few films that literally everyone really MUST see. GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is one such movie.