Heartbreaking, Upsetting, Beautiful, Brilliant.

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2006)

To describe the emotion of this film in words is like trying to describe how food tastes to another specie, it just cannot be explained without experiencing it yourself. This movie will literally bring you to utter sadness within minutes and will continue to do so for 90 more. It will bring out a range of emotions throughout the film but most of them being heartbreaking scenes of turmoil and complete shock towards the events that unfold. But it is just beautiful in its delivery. The animation and dialog of both Seita and Setsuko makes you feel so much for them and this is why this film works so much. It will move you like no other movie and to that I applaud it. The animation is superb, beautiful landscapes, masterful drawings and an incredible use of color to which it is a visual masterpiece.
The story tells of a brother andhis small sister in a fight against poverty during WW2. It is most definitely anti-war, but it does not point fingers, because it doesn't need to. It does not want the viewer to feel anger towards the circumstances of the war, it wants you to feel strong emotions for the consequences and effects it had on people DURING the war.
This is an unforgettable piece of film that shows the sheer honesty Japan has towards the past events and I recommend it to anyone.
Powerful, heartbreaking, upsetting, beautiful and utterly brilliant.
Amazing.