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Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

 

9/10


Starring the voices of

Tsutomu Tatsumi

Ayano Shiraishi

Yoshiko Shinohara

Akemi Yamaguchi

 

Directed by Isao Takahata

 

Set in the city of Kobe, Japan, the film tells the story of two siblings, Seita and Setsuko, and their desperate struggle to survive during the final months of the Second World War. The heart of this animation lies in the drama that unfolds steadily. You get to witness the power of movie-making as the film transmits the hurt and pain from the screen to the heart. This is one of the best movies you can see and one of the best anime films out there.

The screenplay is written and directed by Isao Takahata, based on a short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. Nosaka wrote the fifteen-page short story as a semi-autobiography about his experience during the firebombing of Kobe in 1945. It was there he lost his sisters and adoptive younger sister.

When you're done watching this film, you’ll agree with its critical acclaim and accept that it can stand up against any present-day challenger as one of the best war movies to see. The tragic tale of two siblings just trying to get by is well-structured in this anime by Takahata.

The animation for this movie was done by Studio Ghibli, but they had no hand in the story or direction of the film.

The plot starts with a tragedy, and we witness all the events that lead to that unfortunate state. Seita is a teenager during World War II, in September of 1945. His sad tale begins with the firebombing of his town, Kobe.

During the raid, Seita's mother told him and his little sister Setsuko to move in with their aunt during the raid and they would meet up later. The raid was deadly, and many people did not survive. It was there that the tragic tales in Seita’s life began. His mother did not make it out. He and Setsuko moved in with their aunt, but that experience didn’t go well for them. Soon, they were forced to venture out on their own and fend for themselves. The anime takes a darker turn from here as we see the struggles these siblings face to eat, care for themselves, and endure even more tragedy.

This 1988 production is still readily available for viewing, and I beg you to take the time to see it. Two live-action adaptations of this anime have been made. I haven’t seen any, but I wonder if they were able to capture the desolation and destruction this anime portrayed so well.

This is a classic.

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