Grave of the Fireflies [DVD]

This is a film apart from any other Ghibli film I have seen. Where as Miyazaki films (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) are fantastical, this film is very much grounded in the gritty reality of our resent past. Set at the end of World War II it is the harrowing story of 2 children facing life in a war-ravaged Japan. Make no mistake, this film is not typical Ghibli escapism. The grim realities of war are never sugar coated, this film pulls no punches.

The characters are just as grounded in reality as the setting. There is no idealised hero here. Seita is a boy struggling with responsibilities no child should face, he strives to look after his sister as best he can in a situation beyond his means to control. This film is all the more powerful because of the real characters. The cold reaction of people to the children's misfortune is uncomfortable to watch, but probably more real than we would care to admit.

Even with such a grim subject matter it still manages to be beautiful and even magical in places. I'd be lying if I said this was my favourite Ghibli film, but very few animated films have emotionally affected me as much as Grave of the Fireflies.

Recommended with a sad heart.

After seeing the 'ghosts' at the beginning of the film, you assume that effectively knowing the end is going to spoil it in some way - but it doesn't. The film fills in the gaps and brings the very human story of two siblings fighting for survival during the Second World War in Japan.

This isn't a film for very young children as the message would probably get lost, and some of the imagery might be a bit distressing - it's meant to be. This is a film with a simple story, but dealing with complex relationships and politics. You long for young Seita and his sister Setsuko to triumph in a situation beyond desperate, and though many of the scenes are very emotional - it doesn't stop them from being tremendously beautiful.

This is one of only a handful of films I've seen set during a world war where the 'other side' has been shown. It's important to remember that there is suffering on all sides during a war, and that children often suffer the most. The two children at the focus of this film could be of any nationality - and that's what is important.

I had to force myself to watch this through to the end - not because it's a bad film - but because it's so good. It really affected me emotionally and I watched most of the last thirty minutes with tears in my eyes. The little girl really reminded me of my youngest daughter and even now when I think back to the film I start to feel quite emotional. It's not often that a film hits you like this one can - this isn't one of the best films I've seen recently, this is one of the best films I've seen ever. The moment I realised what was in the Fruit Drops tin which was tossed aside as rubbish at the beginning of the film, my heart sank and I burst into tears.

In a nutshell: The waste and futility of war has never been to beautifully told. The horrors of international politics contrast against the innocence of two children who lose their mum and have to fend for themselves in a world with quickly diminishing resources . The sad thing is that this isn't entirely fiction, it is based on an autobiographical account of a young man's experience during the war. Even if it were fiction, it probably sounds the echos of hundreds of individual true stories, each as heart-breaking as this one. This is without doubt an unsung classic cinematic work of the twentieth century that deserves to be watched by everyone.

EVERY summer we watch this film on TV in Japan, adults, students, old folks, kids, everybody, because we do not want to forget the WW2. Every time when I watch this film, I cry, but I feel satisfied that I watched, and make me to think someting deeply, in many ways, each time is different. This film is very sad one, compared to Totoro, and I do not recommend you to watch this film when you are not happy/ready, but at the same time, it is the right time for you to give you some strength. My grandparents, and my mother, who had experienced WW2 in Japan, they say it was worse than the film. To me, it's is still enough! My mother was a little girl so she does not remember most of it, but she remembers she once had lost her mother during an air raid on a city, but luckily they both found each other later. This film is more than anime, surely it gives you something for your life. For adults? yes. For kids, yes, even they don't understand or gets bored, but if you make a time to sit down with your kids to watch the film, and hold their hands, they will catch something from the film, I think, as I did when I was younger. No words needed to them. Then if they ask you questions, and when you are not sure anything about the WW2 in Japan, it is ok, just be honest and tell them, "I don't know, and I'm not sure, but this could have happened anywhere in the world."