The Most Devastating, Tragic Animated Film, yet Most Honest

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2016)

I didn't know about this film even though I am a Ghibli fan since this is so underrated. I quickly decided to watch as soon as I found out about the title and immediately I know the reason of the title.
To summarize it, the whole film is trying to show the audience what it was truly like to live in an era of war. The fear of siren in the middle of night and the painful truth that can't be simply revealed to loved ones.
I cried through the sadness and the rage of our young protagonist, through his effort to survive after the death of his mother, through his wounded heart upon realizing that his aunt hated him and her sister's presence in the house but slyly took whatever she could, through his hardship to live alone with his sister, through the truth that in the end, he couldn't even protect his sister and ultimately, himself.
This is so unbelievably sad, I even got a bit teary while writing all this.
I think people need to be reminded of the price of war and this is a good reminder for that.