This
film
is
utterly
emotionally
draining
whilst
being
rewarding
at
the
same
time.
The
animation
is
both
realistic
and
stylized
but
that's
not
the
point,
the
main
focus
of
this
film
is
the
character
development
of
the
brother
and
sister
protagonists.
Their
relationship
is
nothing
short
of
beautiful
and
touching.
And
without
spoiling
anything
I
have
to
say
that
this
film
touched
me
in
a
way
no
other
film
has
ever
touched
me
in
my
adult
life.
One
or
two
films
have
upset
me
and
reduced
me
to
watery
eyes
but
Grave
of
the
Fireflies
had
me
in
fits
of
sobbing
despair.
I
was
a
mess!
I'm
talking
total
emotional
breakdown.
Couldn't
talk
without
sobbing!
One
of
the
best
films
I
have
EVER
seen,
animated
or
not.
"September
21,
1945...That
was
the
night
I
died."--
Seita
Reading
war
statistics
and
even
seeing
bloody
images
on
television
does
not
fully
communicate
the
horror
of
war
as
well
as
the
heartbreaking
Grave
of
the
Fireflies,
an
anime
feature
directed
by
Isao
Takahata,
a
long-time
colleague
of
Hayao
Miyazaki.
The
film
tells
the
story
of
two
children,
Seita,
a
14-year
old
boy
and
Setsuko,
his
4-year
old
sister
and
their
uphill
struggle
to
survive
the
effects
of
American
firebombing
in
Kobe
near
the
end
of
World
War
II.
Based
on
the
semi-autobiographical
novel
of
Akiyuki
Nosaka,
Grave
is
a
powerful
experience
that
powerfully
communicates
the
strength
of
the
human
spirit
to
carry
on
against
overwhelming
odds.
Though
despairing,
the
film
does
not
resort
to
cheap
melodrama
to
achieve
its
effect
but
delineates
simple
and
direct
images
that
are
not
watered-down
to
appeal
to
the
children's
market.
It
would
indeed
be
too
sad
for
most
children
under
13.
In
an
interview
with
Cedric
Littardi,
AnimeLand
magazine
from
1992,
Takahata
said
that
he
did
not
set
out
to
depress
the
audience
but
to
show
a
natural
death,
as
opposed
to
a
"scientific"
death,
the
way
most
of
us
view
it
--
behind
closed
curtains
in
a
sanitized
hospital.
Takahata
in
some
ways
softens
the
impact
of
the
tragedy
at
the
outset
by
showing
Seita
dying
outside
a
subway
station
and
his
spirit
reunited
with
his
little
sister
Setsuko.
The
story
is
told
by
flashback
as
the
two
children
are
left
alone
to
fend
for
themselves
when
their
mother
is
killed
in
the
bombing
campaign.
When
their
father
is
also
killed
in
the
Navy,
they
must
struggle
against
starvation,
the
cruelty
of
an
aunt
they
trusted,
people's
general
indifference,
and
their
own
pride.
Though
both
children
eventually
succumb
to
malnutrition
(or
radiation
poisoning),
the
animation
is
so
lyrical
that
it
creates
a
magical,
dream-like
effect.
This
does
not
mask
the
tragedy
but
makes
it
all
the
more
poignant.
Nothing
sums
up
the
message
of
this
film
better
than
the
beautiful
poem,
"I
Come
and
Stand
at
Every
Door"
by
Nazim
Hikmat,
one
of
the
most
important
and
influential
figures
in
20th-century
Turkish
literature.
I
come
and
stand
at
every
door.
But
no
one
hears
my
silent
tread.
I
knock
and
yet
remain
unseen.
For
I
am
dead,
for
I
am
dead.
I'm
only
seven
although
I
died.
In
Hiroshima
long
ago.
I'm
seven
now
as
I
was
then.
When
children
die
they
do
not
grow.
My
hair
was
scorched
by
swirling
flame.
My
eyes
grew
dim,
my
eyes
grew
blind.
Death
came
and
turned
my
bones
to
dust.
And
that
was
scattered
by
the
wind.
I
need
no
fruit,
I
need
no
rice.
I
need
no
sweet,
nor
even
bread.
I
ask
for
nothing
for
myself.
For
I
am
dead,
for
I
am
dead.
All
that
I
ask
is
that
for
peace.
You
fight
today,
you
fight
today.
So
that
the
children
of
this
world.
May
live
and
grow
and
laugh
and
play.
--
Nazim
Hikmet
In
our
day
where
our
leaders
are
busily
preparing
for
another
war,
it
is
important
to
remember
the
human
cost
of
these
plans
and
the
untold
suffering
they
will
inevitably
bring.
Grave
of
the
Fireflies
should
be
required
viewing
in
the
Oval
office.
Being
my
first
Anime
review
I
thought
I'd
start
off
with
my
one
of
my
favourite
pieces
of
work
from
who
else
but
Studio
Ghibli.
Ghibli
have
rarely
produced
anime
that
doesn't
fall
short
of
great
but
Graveyard
is
something
different
indeed.
Set
in
the
aftermath
of
World
War
II,
Graveyard
is
focused
on
the
lives
of
a
caring
brother
and
his
young
sister
(Setsuko
and
Seita)
and
how
they
struggle
against
both
the
elements
of
wartime
and
a
depreciating
Japanese
empire.
The
most
striking
thing
about
Graveyard
is
probably
how
real
everything
seems.
The
animation
is
very
unconventional
to
the
likes
of
say
Spirited
Away
or
Laputa
but
in
a
good
way.
The
horror
of
war
is
beautifully
realised
through
the
animation,
whether
it
be
the
American
destruction
being
shown
or
the
bleak
outlook
on
peoples
lives,
namely
the
two
main
characters.
Thankfully
it
earns
every
shred
of
emotion
it
conveys
through
these
two
sympathetic
characters
that
only
the
coldest
of
hearts
wouldn't
warm
up
to.
Avoiding
any
Hollywood
sentimentality,
it
is
often
a
bleak
and
depressing
perspective
depicted
but
all
the
more
brutally
powerful
in
the
process.
With
my
eyes
welling
up
through
the
duration
of
the
film,
it
occured
to
me
just
how
well
the
Director
understands
what
raw
heartfelt
emotion
is
and
how
to
play
the
audiences
heart
strings.
Nevertheless
nothing
is
shown
in
a
heavy
handed
approach,
no
empthasis
is
put
on
the
Americans
nor
is
there
any
special
attention
taken
to
the
war
details.
If
anything
the
citizens
of
Japan
are
shown
in
the
coldest
light
often
giving
little
help
to
the
plight
of
others,
but
demonstrating
furthermore
what
desperate
situation
everyone
is
in.
Takahata
instead
decides
to
focus
on
the
plight
of
it's
title
characters
against
the
background
of
war.
With
the
empire
of
Japan
in
crisis
and
food
shortages
everywhere
it
is
heart
breaking
to
see
a
brother
struggle
to
meet
ends
meet
for
his
sister.
Due
to
the
approach
taken
it
borders
on
being
horrifying
but
fortunately
the
tone
is
changed
with
the
spirit
put
into
Setsuko's
character.
Much
like
'The
Pianist'
the
issue
is
not
the
war
but
the
struggle
and
will
to
survive
in
it.
This
is
clearly
displayed
in
a
plot
that
revolves
around
the
downward
spiral
Setsuko
trying
to
feed
himself
and
more
importantly
the
younger
and
more
vulnerable
sister
Seita.
The
animation
though
detailed
and
indeed
beautiful
in
some
sequences
(namely
relating
to
the
title),
is
not
by
any
means
flashy
but
captures
emotions
and
interactions
between
the
characters
perfectly.
It's
the
perfect
mixture
of
such
animation,
realistic
and
highly
likeable
characters
that
makes
the
whole
film
one
tearful
experience.
Dealing
w
