Anime unlike any other anime

Rating: 10/10 (15 February 2009)

There is a possibility of minor spoilers in the following review, but I didn't tick the box, because I'm not sure if they pose a problem or spoil the movie for you.
I have yet to find another anime that is similar to this title. And for the record, that's meant positive. I'm a fan of anime, and I don't care what some might think of that, but this is a movie I recommend to anyone. So to those that hold prejudgments to anime, be it because you really don't like it or because you just don't know better, watch this movie.
From start to finish, Hotaru no Haka intrigues everyone that watches it. The opening scene has been criticized a lot, but to me it was done brilliantly. Based on a novel, Isao Takahata had a urgent need for a proper narrator in his film. And when you think about that, you even marvel at the first scenes more, for he has found the perfect way to present the story he is going to tell. Though it is true some scenes were perhaps to long and to sentimental, they didn't bother me. If you were drawn inside the story from the beginning (that is meant to happen), you would barely notice and those scenes would give you some time to reflect about what you just saw.
Having seen this with subtitles, I cant say anything about the English voice-actors, but the Japanese have put together a splendid cast in this one. Many inexperienced seiyu have given their all, most notably the youngest (Setsuko) who was but five at the time. But the most important thing in this movie is the story, and the meaning behind it. How difficult is it for humans (let alone teenagers) to swallow their pride? Thats watch it's about. You can easily sympathize with Seita (age +/-13) and you could feel at that very moment you could've done the same. But when you think of it later on; Was it the right choice? Was it OK for him to step outside the system?
It is clear where I'm taking this I guess. If you are an anime-fan you should've already watched this. If you aren't watch this and keep possible prejudgment about anime aside, for they do not apply. That said, Grave of the Fireflies manages to present a realistic war-torn Japan in which two children try to survive outside the system. Just the fact that there isn't a single trace of humor (don't confuse it with pity and other emotions) and virtually no violence alone, make this movie worth a view.