Grave of the Fireflies (Japanese: 火垂るの墓, Hepburn: Hotaru no Haka) is a 1988 Japanese animated war drama film written and directed by Isao Takahata, and produced by Studio Ghibli. It is based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical short story Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka. This anime film leaves a very compelling impact on your soul.

The story follows the heartbreaking journey of Seita and Setsuko, siblings struggling to survive in the aftermath of World War II.

The Plot

The movie starts with Seita dying in a train station while the words  ‘September 21, 1945…That was the night I died’ can be heard. After his death, a janitor finds him and a candy tin can, which he throws away without giving it much thought. We can see this through the eyes of Seita's soul while he reunites with his sister's soul and boards a train to their past to reminisce about their bitter-sweet life before dying.

The story of Seita and Setsuko begins with the bombing of their Kobe neighborhood and their joint escape. They are forced to move in with their aunt in order to survive after they become separated from their mother during the bombing, who later suffers injuries and passes away. For a while, Seita and Setsuko live with their aunt while keeping the death of their mother a secret from their younger sister. During this time, Seita takes special care of his sister to ensure her happiness and safety. 

As the story goes on we can see that their aunt would verbally abuse them and make them feel like a burden. So they left for a previous shelter bunker to live there. One of the most heartwarming scenes of this movie is when they catch fireflies to light up their bunker. But fireflies have a very short life span so the insects died and the next day Setsuko buries them while saying "Why do fireflies have to die so soon" portraying her mother's death that she is also buried in a graveyard. This heart-touching moment brings tears to eyes, how a four-year-old thinks about death as she has been through this war and shelter probably every day of her life.

As time went on Japan lost the war and Seita came to know his father died in the war. Setsuko falls sick cause of malnutrition and slowly died due to starvation while her older brother cries in agony. After the loss of his sister, he kept her asses in the candy tin can, and as told in the beginning of the story began he died at the train station.

What I think

As time goes on people forget about the two orphans and others who suffered during this war which is the sad truth. I think what sets this film apart is its ability to evoke a profound sense of empathy. You find yourself deeply invested in the lives of these children, their joys and sorrows becoming your own. The ending is particularly devastating, serving as a stark reminder of the human cost of war.

References

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies

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