Grave of the Fireflies on TCM


Isao Takahata’s acclaimed Ghibli film, Grave of the Fireflies, aired last night on the Turner Classic Movie channel. But unlike other Ghibli films that have aired on TCM in the past, only the English dub version of this one was shown. This is one of the few Ghibli films I hadn’t seen before; I was avoiding it because I knew it would be extremely depressing and the kind of movie I would have to psyche myself for. But I finally watched it, and I liked it, though it isn’t one I would want to watch over and over, not because I don’t think it’s a masterpiece, which it is, but because it’s such a tragically sad story.

The movie starts off sad and ends even sadder. The only characters we’re really focused on in the movie are Seita and Setsuko. The whole movie follows their struggle to survive during WW2, but what makes it so sad is not just the movie’s war-torn setting, but the fact that Seita and Setsuko’s strong sibling bond is so well-developed throughout the movie, only to have them both die in the end, is what really makes GotF so tragic. I think the part that really tore at my heartstrings was when Seita was caught stealing crops and was beaten and dragged away to the police by the farmer. The whole scene where he’s begging the farmer to let him go because his sick sister needs him, and Setsuko watching helplessly and calling his name as he’s forced away from her nearly had me in tears 8_8 But really, the whole movie is one big emotional trip.

So you’re probably wondering, if this movie is so darn sad, is it even worth watching? Well it is, because, like pretty much all other Ghibli films, it’s so well made and it gets its point across so perfectly, that you can’t help but be in awe of it and how it’s able to bring out your emotions so brilliantly. The animation is very good for a 1988 anime movie, and the slow, monotonous music fits the melancholy mood of the film very well.

Another thing to note about GotF is that, unlike other Ghibli films, there’s no fantasy or whimsical elements at all. It’s a completely true-to-life story. But like other Ghibli films, there isn’t one main villain; even though GotF depicts the terrible events of WW2 Japan, neither America nor any other country is portrayed as the true enemy(we don’t even see or hear any Americans in the movie.) The main antagonist is simply war itself and the horrors it brings upon unoffending children. But in spite of this universally sad theme and all the tragedy that Seita and Setsuko have to face, sprinkled throughout all their hardships are little glimmers of fun times that they share; playing at the beach, eating fruit drops, laughing and singing together, and of course catching fireflies. The fact that during such a terrible time, they’re able to have many cute and intimate moments together, helps add at least a bit of hope to one of the saddest movies I’ve ever seen. Despite living in such hard times, they lived their short lives to the fullest and were able to find things to laugh about and ways to have fun. I think in addition to the terror of war, the theme of GotF is that there’s always things which can help make life a little less tragic if you just take the time to look for them =)

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  1. Haruhai says:

    Oh no! I haven’t seen this one as well.

    I knew I shouldn’t have opened the review, I knew it!

    ***grumbles***

    Your reviews are sooo tempting though.

    ***sigh***

    I guess I’ll watch this one when I am super happy then. Hehe!

    By the way, I only read up to this part “only to have them both die in the end,”.

    No need to read more eh? (scared of more spoilers) (-_-“)

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