Grave of the Fireflies Review

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2005)

This is my first review on IMDb.
Japanese animation is something that has always been seen as a different expanse from the animation that we get here in America. Not to say that those films are bad, but the things that we see from oversees in this area are getting to be quite impressive. One studio in particular, the Japanese Disney, if you will, Studio Ghibli. Best known as the creative force behind Spirited Away and other Miyazaki films, we forget to see some of the other films that have come from the minds that reside there in. I am talking of Isao Takahata, always by Miyazaki's side, but never really given the credit he deserves. Without this man, there wouldn't be a Studio Ghibli. He is a key character in the development of any and all films to come from the studio, and most likely created the best feature to come forth.
"Grave of the Fireflies" is, quite possibly, the best animated feature of our time. When a film is done without a camera, when acting is without seeing your actors, and when cinematography is but a pencil line, you have to think about how to rate such a movie. Well, this is the standard on which all animation should be based. The movie is subtle in everything it conveys, but subtle in a way where it can't be ignored. You feel for these characters represented on that screen, and it makes you forget that you aren't watching something "animated". The truly beautiful thing about this movie is that as you watch the film, you want to see good things happen to these kids...Yet, as the movie opens, you see the main character, a boy named Seita, die right before your eyes. Immediate and profound. The film opens, and then you have a narration heard over head, that goes like this...
"In 1945, on the night of September 21, I died." You hear this almost omniscient voice as the visual shows a boy, tattered and bone thin, propped against a pillar in a train station. Then, as the narrative comes to a close, the boy slouches over, and says in a final breath, "Setsuko". Not in anyway is this "cartoony" either, his eyes remain open, his mouth agape, and you can just sense that this is the main character of our story. Our "hero" is destined to die, and you have to watch the movie show it as it enfolds. A young child will die, and there is no stopping that from coming, no matter how attached you get to that boy. He will die. How harrowing is that? It gets worse when you see the corpse being riddled of its possessions by a security guard. Welcome to the movie. Like many films, though this has a "G" rating, you have to see where I stand on that. Already this movie is too much for a child to handle or grasp, and that rating will be misinterpreted as something of a children's movie. Though, being animated, it already has that covered. It's sad, in my opinion, that such a good film as this will remain lost to so many because of simple thinking like that.
The movie has you know that all hope you will gain for these characters is futile, that life is never that easy. To keep you realizing this, they have the spirits, or Rei, of Seita and Setsuko (his younger sister) watching on as the events unfold. They appear at times throughout the film where the emotions are high, to keep you in this mold of reality. That means the whole movie is one big flashback, in a sense, but that really doesn't matter. It's the story of two children, lost in the slew of war. People are harsh, and war is unfair. Yoou can't choose who is effected by war, because everyone is, and these are the things that this movie causes you to realize. Other movies involving war have shown this, but it is from the eyes of a child that this gains it's impact. They never lose their innocence, and that is what makes this story so compelling. They are just kids. I'm not going to ruin the events of the story for you all, I wouldn't want to tarnish the way you view this film in the least. I will, however, like to sincerely recommend that you find this film, and that you watch it, with no stereotypes of animation. You haven't seen something like this, trust me. It belongs on the list of great war movies, but also on one of the greatest stories ever told. Compelling through and through, I have bought three versions of the movie. Subtitled is best, as it shows not only the original intent, but the true nature of the films culture. This movie remains one of the focal points in the argument of "anime" being much more than animated movies from Japan. They can be like any other film, and at times they can beat out most other films,and this is the example to prove it. A beautiful movie, and one that should be seen by anyone who respects movies.