On March 16 and 17, 1945, the United States executed a strategic bombing on the city of Kobe, Japan because it would be easily burned to the ground and would cut off the country's largest port with the largest shipbuilding and marine-engine manufacturing as well as damage transportation and business. Unlike the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they didn't just drop a nuclear bomb to wipe out the city in one hit. The American bombers came back six times after the first raid and continued to ensure that Kobe wouldn't recover and help Japan to get back up and win the war.
This is when our anime feature film takes place. I am talking about Grave of the Fireflies.
Being an anime film that has the subject such as the second World War, you could probably tell this will not be a happy film. It is based off of a semi-autobiography of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, and it is the most beautifully tragic piece of work I've ever seen out of Studio Ghibli and that says a lot seeing as how much I love Spirited Away. This is a pure classic done by the studio and I'm surprised it's not as well known as its other films. I will point out that this is not directed by the famous Hayao Miyazaki but rather another important co-founder that has helped to produce many Studio Ghibli films, Isao Takahata. But enough talk, what's the plot of this film that sounds so fantastic?Well along with being set around the Kobe bombings, the story focuses around 14-year-old Seita and his family unfortunately getting caught during the first raid. Although Seita and his 4-year-old sister, Setsuko, survive from being destroyed with their home, their mother is horribly burned and eventually dies from her injuries. Seita is now left alone to protect Setsuko while they live with a distant and cruel aunt while awaiting their father to return home from the war and enduring constant raids.
Now how can this be a tragic film? The first picture I have shows the two main characters looking happy and surviving the war. That's actually the beauty of the film. Seita and Setsuko still have to deal with great struggles like keeping a roof over their heads and malnutrition. On top of which, they're just children. Seita does take a heavy responsibility to take care of his little sister, but he's still just a kid. He's impulsive and self-centered while still being a loving big brother.While this film has its very dark and graphic imagery, there are many moments where you just see pure beauty and moments where Seita and Setsuko are giggling and just having fun despite the tragic circumstances. It shows that even in a seemingly cruel world, there still some sign of hope and happiness if you just look hard enough. It makes way for the most beautiful animation I have ever seen.
There's also a lot of parts in the film where there's no dialogue and you just watch whatever's happening, or it's even just moments where it's pure silence. There are moments of action plus slow moments to provide for absorbing the atmosphere and even developing the sibling bond between Seita and Setsuko. Just seeing them together and play is really touching and sweet, especially seeing as how Seita will do anything to keep Setsuko happy.The one moment that really began jerking tears out of my eyes was when little Setsuko asks this: Why must fireflies die so young?
That just sums up the suffering of the Japanese people during the Second World War. This is why I like the slow and sometimes silent moments of the film. It just gives you time to think that these people were suffering while we just kept bombing them mercilessly. At the time, we had no choice but to fight and not let just let the enemy win and take over our home, but at what cost? We caused the suffering and deaths of millions without giving it a second thought. And this movie is a real eye-opener to see the pain they had to suffer. But it's not like the American bombers were the only source.
Seita and Setsuko also experience neglect and abuse from adults. Their own people. People they would most likely call friends and family turned against them. Everyone is so occupied trying to survive the raids that they won't even look again at two orphans who have little to nothing to live off of. It's a bit of a reality check that there are always going to be people who are just don't give a care about what's going on around them and who's suffering as long as they themselves are happy. But again, it goes back to finding happiness in such a cruel world because Seita and Setsuko still remain happy and together no matter what.
I could go on more and more about this, but I think I may have accidentally spoiled you guys a bit too much.Overall, this is the most powerful anti-war film ever, and it does everything that such a genre of film should do by displaying the horrors and pain of World War II, but also contradicts it with, for a lack of a better phrase, pure beauty. And it is the greatest emotional piece ever done in anime history. Forget the depressing scenes of Clannad, Angel Beats!, Air TV, Elfen Lied, and Spirited Away combined. This will rip your heart to shreds. And don't even try to argue that you don't easily cry. This is the biggest tragedy in film history period.
While it is greatly known as extremely sad, it's still beautiful and is a great classic anime film that deserves more recognition.
