Rating: 
Summary: the best anime and one of the best movies i've seen
Review: This is an exceptional movie. For any genre. It just happens to be anime. The story is simple, set near the end of World War II in Japan. A young man and his little sister are orphaned during a U.S. bombing of their home town. Their mother is killed and their father is in the Navy. They go to live with a relative, but she quickly begins to feel they are ungrateful. We see the siblings slowly starve to death throughout the film. They have a wonderful relationship, but the lack of the ability to acquire food slowly drains them of life as the older brother tries more and more to get food for his sister. This is a very sad movie to watch, but it is simply excellent. One of the best movies of any year. In the past, when I have thought of an anime movie, I thought of a story that borders on the fantastic. Perhaps with futuristic or magical settings. Grave of the Fireflies has a realistic and historical setting and tells a story that surely many Japanese had to live through. While not an indictment of war, the movie does show the horrors that will be visited on the civilian population during a war. A painful, superb movie.
Rating:
Summary: Best Film I've Seen, Ever
Review: Many have already described the plot of this movie, so instead I will describe how I felt watching it the first time. From the first few minutes into the film, you knew the fate of the brother and his little sister, but I could not stop watching. Throughout the movie, I kept telling myself that I should stop watching because the sadness I felt while watching was just going to increase. In some ways, I was hoping that somehow things will be alright at the end. I kept feeling so much wanting to help them out of their situation. So many instances where I felt happy and and so many instances where I felt sad. It is a movie about the most innocent casualties of war, the children. It is a movie about pride. Seita had to much pride to go back to his aunt as the Japanese government had too much to surrender the war. Like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the main character's pride clouds their judgement. But while Elizabeth realizes her mistake, Seita does not, resulting in the death of the person he loves most. It is a movie about one of the purest form of love, the love between siblings, the unconditional love between a little girl and her older brother. It is a movie about so much more. There were many poignant and emotional moments for me in the movie, but three that really stood out: 1. When Setsuko reveals to Seita that she knew their mother was dead, while during all this time Seita did want to tell her to spare his little sister the pain.
2. When Setsuko offers Seita the mud rice balls she made.
3. When Setsuko was so hungry that she was sucking on a marble because it was like the jelly candy she so loved.
4. The montage of scenes of Seita at the end, where she is sweeping the shelter, where she is fanning the fire under the rice cooker and gets distracted by the butterfy, etc. Notice I did not say Best Animated Film because it is simply the Best Film I've seen, Ever.
Rating:
Summary: Best Film I've Seen, Ever
Review: Many have already described the plot of this movie, so instead I will describe how I felt watching it the first time. From the first few minutes, you knew the fate of the brother and his little sister, but I could not stop watching. Throughout the movie, I kept telling myself that I should stop watching because the sadness I felt while watching was just going to increase. In some ways, I was hoping that somehow things will be alright at the end. I kept feeling so much wanting to help them out of their situation. So many instances where I felt happy and sad. It is a movie about the most innocent casualties of war, the children. It is a movie about pride. Seita had to much pride to go back to his aunt as the Japanese government had too much to surrender the war. Like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the main character's pride clouds their judgement. But while Elizabeth realizes her mistake, Seita does not, resulting in the death of the person he loves most. It is a movie about one of the purest form of love, the love between siblings, the unconditional love between a little girl and her older brother. It is a movie about so much more. There were many poignant and emotional moments for me in the movie, but three that really stood out: 1. When Setsuko reveals to Seita that she knew their mother was dead, while during all this time Seita did want to tell her to spare his little sister the pain.
2. When Setsuko offers Seita the mud rice balls she made.
3. When Setsuko was so hungry that she was sucking on a marble because it was like the jelly candy she so loved.
4. The montage of scenes of Seita at the end, where she is sweeping the shelter, where she is fanning the fire under the rice cooker and gets distracted by the butterfy, etc. Notice I did not say Best Animated Film because it is simply the Best Film I've seen, Ever.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic movie to love and hate
Review: As much as I love movies by Miyazaki and the bunch at Ghibli Studios, Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies just didn't grab me. While the story may have had a deep meaning, I just couldn't enjoy the movie because I was annoyed by the two main characters! They were such brats! The movie was very depressing but it does a great job depicting civilian life during the wartime. The video quality was acceptable for such an old movie and fortunately, it was presented in its original widescreen format. The audio was also acceptable. Being a 2 disc release, there are plenty of extras. Tons of interviews and other production notes to keep you busy after the film. Recommended (at least rent or borrow it) because the film has such a great story that everyone has to watch it at least once.
Rating:
Summary: Fireflies Dark Tale
Review: The beautifle story of a brother and his younger sister.The story takes place during Japan in WW2.It's really amazing to watch and see the two of them in their live adventure.I thought that the Aunt didn't really understand Seita and nore that I think she ever tried to.It's amazing to see the resbonsiblty he takes for his younger sister Setsuko.
If he was my son I know that I would be proud of how much he loved Setsuko and tried his best to provied for her.
I love all the scenes with the Fireflies and with the gentel music that swarms the scene.
Despite the dark nature of the movie.There is a purity and warmness that I think most viewers will beable to undertand.
Rating:
Summary: Emotionally powerful, hauntingly poetic, anti-war anime
Review: "Grave of the Fireflies" ("Hotaru no haka") is one of the most powerful anti-war films I have ever seen, which means that it has no competition when it comes to emotional impact in terms of animated films. The death of Bambi's mother was a traumatic shock, but nothing like the sense of despair and grief that overwhelms you by the end of this film. The film begins with the spirit of a young boy showing us his death in a train station, after which we follow the fireflies into the past to see his story. At the beginning of the original movie of "Brian's Song" we were told: "All true stories end in death. This is a true story." So is "Grave of the Fireflies" because I have no problem granting the legitimacy of "truth" to fiction. In the last months of World War II an American fire bomb raid destroys the port city of Kobe, where almost all of the buildings are made of wood. Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi/J. Robert Spencer) is a 14-year old boy who survives along with his 4-year old sister Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi/Rhoda Chrosite). They were separated from their mother during the raid, which spares them from her fate. Their father is a navy officer serving in the Imperial Navy at sea, and the two kids go off to live with an aunt. With both his school and the war factory where we worked gone, Seita does not know what to do. So he tries to take care of his sister. But his aunt constantly berates him and after trading his mother's kimonos for race, Seita decides to take Setsuko and live in a couple of caves dug for bomb shelters. For a while their live remains idyllic, but then there is nothing left to trade for food, and no food to be bought for money. Seita has to steal food to survive and Setsuko is getting weaker and weaker from hunger. This film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel written by Akiyuki Nosaka, which won the Naoli Prize, the Japanese equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. Like Seita, he survived the fire bombing with a younger sister, who died in his care. Obviously the story stems from a sense of guilty and I have to think the story was confessional rather than cathartic for Nosaka. Writer-director Isao Takahata turns this tragedy into what can only be described as a poetic experience, achieving a cinematic lyricism that could never have been accomplished in a live-action film (e.g., the way the fireflies have a counterpoint in the pieces of ash that drift on the wind after the fire bombings). There is a quietness to this film, a sense of contemplation that emphasizes important and small moments alike, and makes scenes linger as the heart-rending story plays out to its fatal conclusion. The voice work by both of the young girls playing Setsuko is extremely effective; I have a slight preference for that done by Ayano Shiriashi simply because it is much more naturalistic than what you usually find in anime depicting children. "Graves of the Fireflies" is an unforgettable film, one which will reduce most viewers to tears if not outright sobbing. Watching it is a painful experience, but then a film depicting the horrors of war and showing what happens to young children is supposed to have that effect. Viewing it a second time makes the experience even more intense (you probably will not catch what Setsuko's last words are the first time through, but be prepared for what it will do to you when you watch the film again). You will never, ever forget this film and you should be very, very careful about showing it to younger children, because it will change forever what they think about animated films. It will do that for you as well.
Rating:
Summary: * * * * * * (Additional Stars)
Review: As clearly stated by almost 300 reviews, Grave of the Fireflies is the poetic tale of to children who tries to survive the aftermath of World War 2 in Japan. As their family are wiped out and food is scarce they find that the world has no room for them, and being children they simply lack the abilities to make it on their own. They are doomed from the beginning and their inevitable demise are tragically apperent. Their deaths will leave you sick to your stomach at the thought of war, the patriotism and propaganda flashed during wartime becomes meaningless and evil, put short, any political views you might have on bombing and modern warfare are in serious jeopardy when you view this film. The impact it has on you are simply amazing, and you end up feeling that you have just seen a deeply personal, yet powerful epic. The movie is almost flawless, and altough it has a rather short runtime, the end titles sets a natural punctuationmark 88 minutes after the intro. Seeing the movie without crying is like spending an entire day in "Water World" without access to a bathroom -- Quite possible, but physically painfull.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Anime on Earth! Nothing compares
Review: As I said above, nothing compares to this awesome anime! It is the most emotional movie I have ever seen. My grandma who hates animated (even Disney) movies even enjoyed it! The animation is classic but it doesn't take away from the terrific story. If you don't cry at least once during the movie, YOU ARE A HEARTLESS PERSON! I recommend this movie to anyone who likes anime or movies about struggling children in tough situations.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Bests... really!
Review: The main reason I had purchased this was because I had heard it was done by one of Hayao Miyazaki's animators, it is though. Yoshifumi Kondo had done work on such pieces as, KiKi's Delivering Service, and Princess Mononoke! This movie is really touching, and depressing though! It's about two children Seita (14) and Setsuko (4) struggling to keep themselves alive, while the US is air raiding Japan. It really is sad, but should be seen by all!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best films I've ever seen, bar none!
Review: Before this fim there was yet to be an experience in life that is so profoundly sad, that it has prevented me from shedding even a single tear. This film changed that. A very moving story, that tugs at the heart of anyone who can imagine the horrors of war, and its effects on civilians as seen through the eyes of a young man and his younger sister. This movie is a hallmark film; one that everyone deserves to have in their collection. One that will haunt your dreams for weeks. Even now, I do not have the courage to load this one up in the DVD player for the way it makes me feel.
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