jonathanlane

Few movies I've seen can bring me to the brink of tears, and only a handful of those can actually haunt me days after seeing them. Grave of the Fireflies is one of those rare movies I've seen that did this to me. Very few films have EVER made me feel as bad as this one did. Try to think of the saddest movie you've ever seen, Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition), Saving Private Ryan (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition), anything, and this movie blows it out of the water. This film has the power to devastate you, to move you, to bring you to the brinkof tears and then push you over into a chaotic world. This is Grave of the Fireflies. Set during the last days of WWII, while the US Air Force was fire bombing Japanese cities, Grave of the Fireflies is a movie about a young boy named Sata and his little four year old sister Setsico. When their mother is killed in the firebombing of Tokyo Sata is forced to care for his little sister in a nation ripped apart by war and famine. With his father far away serving in the Japanese navy, Sata is the only one who can care for his sister. The love shared between these two siblings is something that will forever leave an impression on me. As an older brother myself I could very easily put myself into Sata's situation. His need to give his sister the very best he can while not being able to provide for her is a very real feeling. There are no heroes in this film, and there are no villains. Sata and Setsico are no heroes; the only heroic things they do throughout the movie are love and take care of one another. And, their aunt, although harsh and unfair, is no villain. At the same time neither side of the war, American or Japanese, is portrayed in a negative light. This is not a war movie and doesn't exist to condemn one side or the other. This is a movie about two orphan children trying to survive while the society they grew up in crumbles to dust around them. Many critics of this movie complain about how annoying little Setsico is. Yes, I can admit, sometimes Setsico can be annoying, but really, what little girl isn't? She's a child, and children can't understand everything that's going on around them. Setsico doesn't understand that there is a war going on and that she can not have everything that she wants, she doesn't understand that Sata is killing himself trying to provide for her. As an older brother I find it absurd when people complain about how annoying little brothers/sisters can act in movies without even realizing that siblings are annoying in real life. Sata is no different. if you read this review, please leave a comment.

jet2r0cks

I like the story. It’s an “us against the world” archetype. I felt like the children in the movie had no luck at all. They experienced everything victims of the war could’ve experience – losing their home, their relatives, and their will to live. You have to feel sorry for them. Although it’s not as good as I thought it would be (meaning I didn’t think it was that sad), it really touched me. While I was born WAY after WWII, I was able to witness how people lived in those days. Knowing the historical basis behind this movie is simply not enough, and I thinkthat’s one of the main reasons why this story was made. The movie was able to capture the essence of what was it like in those days, and that’s what makes the movie so touching and even relatable. One of the good points of this story is that you only get to focus on two fascinating characters, namely Seita and Setsuko. They clearly made this movie. You cheer them on, and you get frustrated because they keep losing and losing. I’m a bit iffy about Setsuko. She’s adorable, but she can be a bit of a brat. I do have to remind myself sometimes that she is a kid, probably not more than 5 years old. On the other hand, I find Seita a bit weird, since he’s not acting the way I want him to. Their mother just died, and he didn’t show that much emotion for it. I guess that’s just him trying to keep himself together and focus on what’s going on at the present. Also, he’s probably thinking that what’s done is done, and crying about it will not accomplish anything. If I look at him that way, he’s actually quite admirable. The closeness between Seita and Setsuko is something you don’t see in siblings too often these days, and it is a bit enviable. I got the chance to check both English and Japanese dubs, and picking the Japanese dub over the English was a good decision. The Japanese dub had more feeling, and the English dub felt somewhat robotic. The Japanese dub fit the characters much, much better. Animation-wise, I have to say I’m impressed. Considering the year the movie was made, you’d think the animation would be of low quality, compared to present anime. It’s actually beautifully made, with wonderful watercolor backgrounds and relatively detailed drawings. I can’t help but think that this movie might have been enhanced or something like that in all these years, but I still think it’s impressive nonetheless. The music is also beautiful. It can be a bit melancholic though, but it is a sad movie, so expecting a lot of upbeat songs in its soundtrack would be a bit weird. I noticed that most of the music was made by using woodwind instruments, but I’m not sure. I think I detect flute sounds or something like that. The music gave off a serene and peaceful mood. The good thing about it was that the creators didn’t hesitate to tell the truth. They didn’t want to show a repackaged, cleaner version of the truth – I felt like that’s how it really was back then. If it was otherwise, I don’t think Grave of the Fireflies would make such an impact to everyone who has watched it.