Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, moving, a testament to our time
Review: Like just about all of Miyazaki's works, this film proves to be fulfilling, emotional, and touches your heart through its simplicity. Today, a great deal of anime (and animation in general) is a big load of crap for various reasons. "Hotaru no Haka" (Grave of the Fireflies) is not only a pleasant break from all the flash, but a wonderful feature in itself. One unique thing about this film is the fact that it was animated at all -- there were no special effects to speak of, yet it was animated nonetheless. The animation is beautifully and simplistically done, all the time with a sort of "back-then" feel to it. Although Grave of the Fireflies is not exactly the most charismatic anime film, the soul of the film will be what draws you in and keeps you there. Heart-wrenchingly true to life, this will not be a disappointing purchase.Oh yes, and if you don't have even a little bit of moisture in your eyes after the film is done, you do not have a soul. *^_^*
Rating: 
Summary: A moving anti-war film...
Review: This film tells a disturbing tale of a teenage boy, and his little sister who struggle for survival after their mother is slain. The US firebombing of Tokyo during WWII was indeed devastating, leaving thousands homeless and starving. Seita and his sister are shown indifference and scorn by relatives and neighbors in this rather dismal tale. The rather silent indifference the malnourished brother and sister encounter are perhaps the most disturbing, and reflect a very sad chapter in Japan's defeat -- as neighbors struggled against each other for limited resources. The animation is lovely, and one can not help but shed a tear while watching this realistic story.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best movies I've seen in awhile
Review: This movie is rather emmotional. It's about a Japanese boy named Seita and his little sister Setsuko. They live during World War II. After their mother was killed in an air raid the two children are forced to live with their aunt. They don't like living with her because she nags at them too much. They decide to live in an abandoned bomb shelter. They run out of food and Setsuko gets sick. But I won't tell you the end, but I'm sure you can probably guess it. I own it. I love it. But it's not the kind of movie I like to watch too often. It's just to too sad.
Rating:
Summary: The only anime that made me cry.
Review: This was an excellent anime I saw it about 4 months ago and was blown away.It was truly cinema most anime and movies out today are meaningless crap.I highly reccomend this to everybody. I cried for this movie it was touching. Rent buy or watch this movie asap.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Great
Review: Some people might dismiss this film just because it is Japanese and anti-war. They might say, "Of course, it is anti-war. They lost." This is indeed very much Japanese and very much anti-war, but this is much more about the human conditions that apply to all humanity. It is about young children's love and need for their mother. It is about helplessness of the weak and the vulnerable under the harshest circumstances. It is about reluctant indifference and selfishness we display when we are forced to choose between securing our own survival and helping others in need. My heart broke again and again while I was watching this movie, but I wasn't being force-fed those emotions. The end result was a deep satisfaction one feels after watching a truly great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Best Anime out there, probably the best movie as well.
Review: Grave of the Fireflies is simply one of the best movies ever created, animated or not. Rated as one of Roger Eberts "Top 100 films of all time", this movie is both emotional and beautiful. Though the DVD version of the film suffers from a few technical problems (blurring, etc), the picture quality is still excellent. The story involves the lives of two orphans who have lost their mother and home to the firebombing of WWII. Although the main characters end is revealed from the beginning of the film, the story is a gripping and emotional ride the likes of which I have never seen before. Not long into the film, you forget that you are watching an animated film. The characters, their emotions and their lives seem much more real that most live action films. The film's main theme is pride - the pride of Japan and the pride of the main character. His pride eventually leads to the death of his sister and eventually his own. The death of his sister was simply one of the most heart wrenching scenes on film. Regardless of wheather or not you have an interest in Japanese animation, you simply must see this film. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Very attractive
Review: Grave of the fireflies is one of the most compelling anime movies I've seen, it was a touching story of what it was REALLY like for the civilians of Japan during WWII. The story of a teenage boy, Seita and his sister Setsuko is very amazing and touched your evey emotion. An amazing writer and director have certainly been involved with this movie since they seemed to be able to satisfy everyone, even someone who is not a big fan of anime.
Rating:
Summary: A very memorible moment
Review: I can gladly say that this was the first movie I cried at. Everytime I am in some way reminded of it I come to tears. My friends, family, and I have seen it and can all agree heart gripping tale. It makes you realize things you have never thought of before. Seita and Setsuko move the screen. A movie worth your time!
Rating:
Summary: An Elegiac and Riveting Drama
Review: Orphaned and homeless from a fire bomb in the post-war of Kobe, Japan. A boy and his younger sister set out to survive on their own. This film had me glued and teared to the screen. A must see for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Who cares if the DVD is bad when the film is this good?
Review: I admit there are a lot of problems with this DVD. Lame extras,average picture quality (the widescreen picture is made from aslightly dirty theatrical print, and is inexplicably shifted towardsthe bottom of the screen) and the general [poor quality] of the Englishdub version are not enough to lower this disc to four stars. Grave ofthe Fireflies, in its original Japanese version, is one of the bestand most powerful movies of any kind ever made. It shows us theaftermath of war with shocking clarity and depth, and the use ofanimation does nothing to make it any less believable or gripping.Really, I don't think live action could have carried this story. Arethere any four-year-old child actresses out there who could accuratelyplay the role of Setsuko? But the choice to use animation has,however, had a negative effect-- for the most part, the only Americanviewers who end up discovering this masterpiece are anime fans, whomay be disappointed by the lack of giant robots and slimy demonrapists. Nobody else knows about Grave of the Fireflies, and a lot ofpeople wouldn't be interested even if someone tried to tell them howgreat it is. This film belongs on any serious list of the 100 bestmovies of all time, but nobody knows about it. And I think that'spretty sad.
| 
