Hit Play, Rewind, Hit Play, Rewind, Hit Play...

Rating: 10/10 (11 August 2001)

I consider myself an Otaku, and own a drawer of Anime and Manga, most of which is considered great. I wanted to look for another Anime, so I went on IMDb, and found this at the top of the list. I went out and rented it, not knowing what to expect. However, when I saw it, it was better then any movie I've ever seen, Anime and Live-Action alike.
It had beautiful animation, especially the extremely detailed backrounds, but unlike other Anime titles, the characters' mouths just opened and closed, unlike other Animes where the mouth movements are based on how the voice actors' mouths move.
"September 21, 1945. That was the day I died." You see a young soldier, Seita say this, and then you see his lifeless, barely breathing body lying against a pillar in a subway station. Several people just walk past making comments, but one stops, looks, and gives him a bag of food. He slumps to the side and dies. A Rail worker sees him, and tosses a candy can he was carrying to a field. In the field, you see him rise, in uniform, and then you see Seita's sister Setsuko pick up the can, and take his hand. Then you see thousands of Fireflies rise from the field. You then see Seita and Setsuko on a train, while Setsuko eats candy. The movie then switches to a flash back, where Seita and Setsuko's village is in panic, and you hear people yelling, "Air strike!" as they pack up struff to take with them to a shelter. Seita sees his Mama, and tells her to bring her medicine. She then leaves, and Seita carries his sister while he packs things in a bag like a picture of his father, and other things. Him and Setsuko leave towards a shelter, but the bombing begins, as the fiery sticks down pore. it then begins to rain from all He gets to the school, after the bombing, where everyone has been stationed, and finds his girlfriend who takes Setsuko and tell Seita to go see his mother. His mother is sleeping, heavily wrapped in bandages from severe burns. He then finds that they were unable to find her heart medicine. Later, when he thinks she is being transfered to a hospital, he finds that she passed away. He deciedes to withhold this from Setsuko for the time being, and they set off for their Aunt's house in another village. For the next 45 minutes or so, they must overcome lacks of food supply from the constant bombing, which cannot be smothered out because the oil spreads, along with dealing with people. This is where there story begins from the rest of the movie.
Excellent animation, touching, sad, angering, and something you want to watch over and over. 10/10.