It's as good as you've heard

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2005)

There are few movies which not only hold your interest throughout, but can stay in your mind for days later. 'Grave of the Fireflies' (GotF) is one such film. Among war films, it's one of the few which can convey its message without stating that there are good guys and bad guys, or heroes and villains, or "our side versus the enemy". Instead, the enemy is the indifference that war causes, and the pride which can blind people of their humanity. It's more of an anti-war film, since the opponent is the war itself.
14 year old Seita is the main character, who is suddenly tasked with caring for his 5 year old sister Setsuko during World War 2 in Kobe, Japan. In the opening scene, we see Seita's last moments of life, right before he joins the ghost of his sister. Seita's eyes don't have the youth, energy, nor enthusiasm which often goes with the age. His first words give the date of September 21, 1945, followed by "that was the night I died" before breathing his last. The rest of the movie is a flashback as to exactly how he got that way.
If you've ever seen Spielberg's classic "Schindler's List", you already know what sort of movie to expect. But since GotF is Japanese animation instead of being a live action Hollywood film, it's not as well known. And that's a shame. Many adults have likely seen the movie box when browsing for new titles, before judging it as an unworthy time waster for their children, when the story is really too powerful for many adults.
With a budget of $6,000,000 to produce, it's unlikely that a World War 2 era village could have been built, pyrotechnics could have been used to simulate the firebombing, special effects and stunt crews could have been set up and paid for, with all the other expenses involved in recreating the vital scene, with funds left over for everything else. (And if they did, that scene might end up having more screen time than the story actually needs.) Also, writer/producer Isao Takahata doubted that he'd be able to find child actors talented enough to pull off such a challenging role, and he was probably right.
In short, this isn't a great anime production, or a great war movie, or a great anti-war movie. It's just a great movie.