Rating: 
Summary: One of the most powerful films I've ever seen
Review: Truly magnificent film. I've only seen it once; it was actually so moving that I haven't been able to sit through it a second time. Saving Private Ryan and the end of Schindler's List came close to it in emotional impact, but the plight of these two children hits you on a much deeper level. A masterpiece in animation and film in general.
Rating:
Summary: When All Else is Destroyed Only Survival Remains
Review: I saw this anime alone - my wife could not take any more than the initial 20 minutes - so I could find no consolation in the company of others.When survival is in question, what help can one give to those who cannot fend for themselves? Seita and Setsuke's love and affection made me sob throughout the movie, for ultimately, their love only made their passing more humane. Their love did not prevent them from dying of starvation. The eye of the 'camera' in the movie is completely neutral, not condemning nor glorifying any of the characters in the story. The grave of the title is no more than a child's solemnity to the death of hundreds of fireflies which lighted the underground bunker Setsuko and Seita eventually make their home. The grave of the fireflies can easily be seen from inside the bunker, serving as foreshadowing to the viewer and reminder to the two central characters of where their mother has gone, and where they themselves may yet go. Watch this movie - with someone, hopefully, its message is powerful and more easily shouldered between two or more people - I will not describe it further: it can only be felt. Author's Note: Isao Takahata also made the poignant and beautiful Pom Poko (which has not yet reached the U.S.) about the plight of tanuki-badgers trying to fight progress and, ultimately, simply survive in the wake of human development. Its recurring theme is also survival at all costs. If you have the opportunity, watch this beautiful film as well.
Rating: 
Summary: More manageable than I expected
Review: With that said, I was slightly disappointed with this anime title. I expected to be reduced to a blubbering mass of emotions like with my personal favorite The Fox and the Hound or with Watership Down or even Mulan, but in the end, I just wasn't. I didn't feel the magic I felt with all my favorite animated movies. I couldn't stand the fact that I knew what was going to happen all throughout the movie. There were only a few parts I found geniunely shocking. However, I still thought it was a good animated movie, one that everybody in the entire world should see at least once. It is better than a lot of animated movies, but it's no Princess Mononoke.
Rating:
Summary: Profound look at the other casualties of war
Review: First off, to get this out of the way, you should be watching this movie so you can know how beautiful and incredible animation can be - this is a visually gorgeous and lush movie. Beyond the animation, Grave of the Fireflies is truly in the top of perfectly written scripts. The subject matter of the film is war and death, but specifically how war affects the innocents. This is Japan in the end months of WWII during the firebombings, when food was scarce, and children without parents were left to die. This story is incredibly sad, but so important to hear and see it - not like a mainstream Hollywood sad movie that might make you cry while watching, but otherwise has no power to alter your perceptions of life. This is truly sad - the young kids die, and they die very horribly - sickness and starvation. The whole process is so well-written, you'll feel the hunger and the sickness yourself, and the animation adds to the effect. It is so welcome to have a movie that doesn't turn out all right in the end, but turns out awfully darn depressing, because a lot of times, life just plain sucks and isn't fair, if not for me, then for many other people. It is good to remember that not everything always turns out okay, and nothing is wrong in showing this realistically in a movie. Would I show this to young kids? Hell yes - I think young kids would identify very strongly. And if we can get our young kids to see the ridiculous nature of war at an early age, mayhaps we shall finally have a generation that doesn't feel a need to kill each other over irrelevant philosophic, racial, genetic, geographic, etc., BS. This movie and the story has not left my mind since I saw it - a point of proof that this is an incredible movie. But do be prepared to feel amazingly sad. I saw this movie in the winter. Then about 5 months later, in the summer, when I saw my first fireflies of the year, I was overcome with an incredible sadness. That's how powerful this movie is. I will be using this with my youth groups, probably for many years. It has so much worthy of deconstructing and analyzing - this is truly artwork, for it does all things that art is supposed to do - it has the power to change you, and the power to not let you forget the story. Excellent all the way around! And make sure to get one that is letterboxed, to get the whole movie (why are movies even released without being letterboxed? People are stupid...). And get a copy that is in Japanese with subtitles (unless, of course, you speak Japanese). You really, really have to hear the original Japanese, and the original actors. Amazing movie. A billion stars.
Rating:
Summary: An incredibly realistic and moving story.
Review: This was the first anime movie I had watched,and at the time I was at the same age of Seita so it left quite an impact on me.I wont go too much into the story since its already been described in the editorial review.But I will say this:This movie has one of the best characters/character development I have ever seen.An anti-war movie with an emhpasis on the human sufferring side of wars.Two siblings are left alone to face the ravages of World war2,with a sad but somehow expected ending. Grave of the fireflies realistically portrays all the characters and uses them to show the different sides of the war.The kind doctor and his connection to all the people who are injured or have died in the war,the uncaring and selfish aunt who reveals the human instinct to survival with no regards to others,and the same goes for all the fleeing masses. The animation quality is acceptable for this kind of work,as its the story that holds the whole movie together.The music is moving and adds a touch of tragedy and melancholy,sustaining the dark feel of this title. This is a dark tale without a happy ending.I wouldnt advise you to show it to any young children.However,it is a timeless classic that deserves a place in anyones collection.If youre one who thinks that anime is just about screaming girls and brainless fights,you need to watch this movie.It will leave an impact on you like no other.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie for anyone who can handle it
Review: This movie is brilliant to put it lightly. The story is about war, but it is more about how war effects the innocent, and not the battles. The story is amazing, and really uses the characters, and not cheap sex or violence. Everything in this film packs a punch. From the death of the characters mother to their own heart gripping deaths. The film packs a very hard punch. I usually don't like sad movies, but this one really stands out because of the fact that it is more than a sad movie, it is an epic. If you are mature enough and can handle a heart breaking story see this movie as soon as you can. It was made so that even younger children can see it (like from 10+).
Rating:
Summary: animated, but not for young children
Review: This movie is animated, but you soon forget that it is. It is very well done, but this is a dark movie without a happy ending. It is about war and it is pretty realistic. I recomend this movie to anyone over ten. Takahata(the director)made an excellent animated film for anyone, ESPECIALLY young children (3 - 7) My Neighbor Totoro. It is my little girls all time favorite. After viewing the movie, you will know why she called our mini-van a "Bus Cat" for a year.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful.
Review: Grave of the Fireflies is one of those movies that permanently etches itself into your memory. One of the most difficult movies in any genre to watch, it is also one of the best written. Based in part by the director's own life during WWII, this movie neither glorifies nor softens the pictures of war. The movie itself reminded me of the images and the displays at the A-Bomb museum in Hiroshima and the images' effects when I first saw them, even though the atomic-bombings were but a minor part of the story. I was reminded of the feel of the museum, rather than its content. While the vividness of the images fade over time, the impact they made will not be forgotten. Grave of the Fireflies is a movie that you don't want to watch when you're in the mood for anything light or frivolous. Likewise, it's not a movie that you would want to show at an animé fest unless you want to clear the room with everyone in tears. However, it is an excellent movie and is well worth seeing, but at the same time it is not a movie that you will want to watch often.
Rating:
Summary: The Other Side WWII
Review: This is, without a doubt, one of the single most incredible pieces of art--yes, ART--I have ever seen. The background animation blows Disney out of the water (note, no CGI stuff, here, predates it). The foci of the story are a fourteen year-old boy and his four-year old sister, the precious Setsuko. This video pulls no punches about the hardships that the Japanese endured during the war, particularly the children. If this one doesn't touch your heart, you are cold indeed. A masterpiece, this one.
Rating:
Summary: Tragedy to make Shakespeare turn in his pen
Review: Interestingly enough, I didn't notice any technical problems with the DVD sound or picture quality that other reviewers have mentioned. Perhaps the DVD has been re-mastered, or maybe just the tears in my eyes? The color and lighting, except for certain scenes, is somewhat flat and brownish, reminiscient of an old sepia photgraph. However, this is clearly intentional, and the picture was sharp and clear even so. Telling the story in animation allows more freedom than live action could ever hope to accomplish. All the old cliched phrases used in movie reviews - "touching," "wrenching," "powerful" - come to mind, but are simply inadequate to describe this movie. Wonderfully, beautifully done, but an emotional nightmare to watch. My husband and I put a comedy into the player after we watched it, in hopes of being able to sleep soundly. No good, of course, although it did get us to stop bawling. The director ignored the question of which nations were guilty of what, and tells the story of Seita and his desperate attempts to care for himself and his sister. Give the characters a different landscape and names, and they could be children in any time or place at war. Although you come away from the film with some understanding of the horrors of war, the message is not applied with a sledgehammer, but seeps into your consciousness. It was hard for me to convince myslef that I wasn't watching the lives of real people on film. Seita makes mistakes, and isn't perfect, but his mistakes are the result of being forced to make decisions and take on responsibilities that no child should ever be forced into. In fact, this is part of what makes the viewer care for him, and the story so tragic.
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