before trying to write a couple word for a review, I bother myself reading other people's review which is pretty amazing, considering some people said sobbing after the ending and the other said this movie is boring and looks a bit dull, this however a movie that if you try to look from different perspective will give you different sensation and interpretation also this movie is not intentionally trying to break people's heart after watching it but its rather intended to show how war looks like at microscopic viewpoint of two children who desperately trying to survive in the midst of chaos, separated from their parents whilst witnessing the true horror of war, pretty much war movie is about bloodshed, bullets flying, explosion, warcry, soldier and etc that closely related to war itself but "Grave of Fireflies" wanted to present the audience, the image of how the terror of war impact the very miniscule level of life despite who causes it what reason behind it, or who win who lose. boring or not, sad or not this movie is more than worth watching not just as entertainment but as a remainder that this kind of situation still happens now and we are still fortunate as the audience not as those "two kids"
I'm going to compare this movie to Empire of the Sun, as they bear similarity, so spoilers for both
The main theme in both of these movies is; suffering. However, in GotF the suffering is mostly by choice. in EotS, Jamie does not choose to suffer and feel alone, he is thrust into a camp and the only choice he is given is to either further his suffering with the chance of reuniting with his parents, or join the pack of other westerners that will most likely lead him down a path of chaos. Seita chooses to isolate himself and his sister from his only living family simply because his aunt did not treat him well, and it ultimately lead to the death of him and his sister. He had a choice to suffer little, or suffer greatly, and he chose wrong. Both of these movies have a different outcome, yet somehow EotS had a more lingering presence in my mind despite the "happy" ending, because you knew he had no choice in enduring what he had to. GotF is still a visually remarkable movie with a dark and depressing story, however I feel as if the choices that Seita made impacted on my enjoyment of the movie. I understand he is only 14 years old and he felt like he could support himself and Setsuko, but everyone has a shitty aunt and if he had just stayed with her he may have survived.
I recommend watching both of these movies close to each other to gain a perspective about both of them, as they are both movies that are great within their own merits.
The war is over before either sibling dies.
I had forgotten that since the last time I saw Grave of the Fireflies. This fact can't help but shape the way I now think about the film. It's not the war that killed them.
Well, the brutality of the American onslaught on Japan ultimately leads to the deaths of Seita and Setsuko, sure, but in the end, this film is as much about the limits of nationalism as it is about the strength of the human resolve and the inherent tragedy of war. What is to be done for those who cannot contribute when the welfare of the state is all that matters?
I feel the need to point out that I'm not saying the film is telling us that Japanese nationalism is solely to blame for deaths of these children. Frankly, the brutality of America's tactics in Japan aren't discussed enough, at least where I come from. It's estimated that more than 400,000 civilians were killed by targeted air raids (that figure doesn't even include the deaths from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). That being said, nationalism, and its emphasis on the state over its people, is very much at the forefront of this film. Seita and his ill sister seem to be invisible to the country around them. More likely, they're being actively ignored because they serve no purpose in the eyes of the state. Seita's corpse is scoffed at by passers by who think he's simply homeless, the siblings' own aunt treats them like dirt because they aren't serving the nation in any way, and Seita's cries for help are routinely dismissed by everyone from neighbors, to doctors, to military officials. It's in these details, I think, where the film's thesis lies. A society is only as strong as its weakest members.
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2023-07-02T22:37:26Z
I love how you can immediately tell by the animation style and storytelling that this isn’t a Miyazaki film. It’s not as conceptual or story driven, instead this is a very mature, emotionally draining character study. Seriously, show this to anyone who thinks that animation is just family entertainment. You could easily accuse this of being misery porn, in fact it’s hard to disagree with that, but I think it’s tastefully done. It’s really a movie about the loss of youthful innocence. There are two very compelling, human characters at the center, both of which are well performed by the voice actors. The animation, filmmaking and score all work in tandem to create a journey that’s dark and heavy, but without ever becoming completely hopeless. A lot of the more intimate scenes are about distracting oneself from the hopeless reality these characters find themselves in. The melancholy is always palpable, but it’s not unrelentingly bleak for the most part. Until the final scenes, that is. While the ending is a touch predictable, the turn it takes is so devastating and depressing that the emotion I felt will stay with me for a long time. Prepare yourself for a tough watch, but one that’s absolutely essential.
9/10