An extremely sensitive and poignant animated film.

Rating: 9/10 (11 November 2004)

This is one of the most touching stories I have ever seen. Everything about it clicked beautifully. It was sensitive and emotional, without feeling sappy or too manipulative.
The contrast between a teenage boy and a little girl trying to live their lives, and the ravages of war around them was a very strong and moving idea.
The standard conceits of anime with large sappy eyes and small mouth movements with short pithy dialog wasn't at all distracting in this.
(Spoiler warning)
One of my favorite scenes is the sequence when Seito gets caught for stealing and is taken to the police, thus forced to abandon his little sister. The officer turns out to be very understanding, and the young teen Seito is quickly released; only to find that his sister has followed him into town, and is more concerned for him than her own well-being. The contrasts and emotions of the scene are very deep and effective. I loved it because it said a lot without being too heavy-handed.
In fact, one of the greatest attributes of this story is its gentle underhanded approach. A few little moments add up to a great deal of philosophical themes, which whole pages of text couldn't really describe.
It's really great to see an animated film deal with a very serious and tragic subject matter, once in a while.