Grave Of The Fireflies (DVD)

...With that single sentence begins Grave of the Fireflies, quite possibly the most beautiful film I have ever seen. Movies about human suffering during wars and poor circumstances of life have been made many times in the history of film, but animation is remarkably free of movies dealing head on with the hard-hitting realities of life without descending into a sense that it is just an animation or becoming a highly stylized fantasy. When Grave of the ...
...take ultra-seriously. In that respect Grave of the Fireflies stands in a unique position in Studio Ghibli's output in being the only film to present war in such a mature and true-to-life way. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Nobuo Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies details the survival story of a brother and sister, Seita and Setsuko, after their mother dies in an American firebombing raid on the town of Kobe in 1945, near the concluding ...

berlioz 24.04.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Grave Of The Fireflies (DVD)

...original Japanese language version of Grave of the Fireflies with English subtitles. When Grave of the Fireflies first appeared in the theaters, such was the miserable nature of this animation that it turned away it's intended children audience. Perhaps with symmetry when I first watched it on VHS - as a child - it did not appeal to me to watch it again with haste. I would regret that this original VHS is no longer in our possession but I was given ...
...World War II in Japan, Grave of the Fireflies - based on Akiyuki Nosaka's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name - follows the tragic tale of Seita and younger sister Setsuko whom are left to survive by themselves when their mother gets caught in the fire-bombing. With their father out of contact in the Japanese navy the two children go to stay with a distance relative, but Seita's relationship with this aunt does not go well and they leave ...

scream4bruce 06.03.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Grave Of The Fireflies (DVD)

This film is beyond a doubt Takahata Isao’s masterpiece, and amongst Studio Ghibli’s best films – arguably their best. The movie was released on a double bill with Totoro (at the time, Totoro was considered too hard to market to release on its own!), although the sole resemblances between the two films lie in character style, attention to detail and nostalgic childhood settings. They represent the opposite ways of approaching storytelling concerning ...
...brutal indifference of a cruel reality. In Hotaru no Haka, a teenaged Japanese boy and his tiny sister struggle to survive when the Second World War leaves them all alone in the world. Few films are more affecting; Hotaru no Haka is commonly spoken of (after the example of Roger Ebert) as one of the best war films ever made, regardless of being animated. Indeed, the film would have worked well in live action – there has recently been such a version ...

Adziu 29.07.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Grave Of The Fireflies (DVD)

Grave of the fireflies is a film by Legendary Japanese Animation Studio Ghibli about a 13 year old boy and his baby sister and their struggle to survive as orphans in war torn Japan (During WWII). Unlike many of Ghibli's more famous films (Spirited away, Princess Mononoke) the story is grounded firmly in reality and places it's emphasis on the characters, as opposed to the mystical creatures and epic adventure. The most striking thing about this ...
...emotionally. The character's struggle is heartbreaking to watch, and to see Seita trying his hardest to keep himself and his sister alive really does hit you hard. Without giving too much away, I can easily say that the ending of this film doesn't hold back and, the first time through at least, is truly devastating to watch. I rarely get emotionally affected by any film, but after watching this I found it impossible to hold back the tears. The ...

Bradass 15.03.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Grave Of The Fireflies (DVD)

My God, nobody has watched it yet?! Oh I'm heart broken. This is probably by far my favourite Miyazaki anime, though it's very traditional Japanese, I don't see why any of you guys should miss it. The story is about two young children during post-war Japan, orphaned as their mother died of some illness and their father killed in war, and taken under the care of some relative on their mother side. But misfortune falls on them... The whole film is ...
...reflects how life in Japan really was at that time of an ordeal among common Japanese people. Miyazaki very brilliantly presents the two kids at the beginning of the film as naive, creative, carefree children, even after they were orphaned, but as the reality and harshness slowly sink in you can see the transformation in both kids. Think along the line of Dancer in the Dark by Bjork and you'll get the feel of it. This film makes me cry every single ...

JacquieMinerva 08.10.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Grave Of The Fireflies (DVD)