Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly Powerful for Anime
Review: How does one begin to express how he may feel about "Grave of the Fireflies"? There is so much to this movie that there really isn't one single aspect that makes the movie great. There is a perfect combonation of a well-written storyline, historical accuracy and exquisite artwork that make the movie what it is.14 year-old Seita and his 5 year-old sister Setsuko are left homeless after a bombing raid that devistated thier home and killed thier mother. With the father serving in the Japanese navy, they take refuge with thier aunt who chastizes the two non-stop for thier lack of effort in the household work. Feeling smothered, Seita packs up and takes Setsuko to live in a bomb shelter where all is well, but not for long. Setsuko begins suffering from malnutrition, and cannot be helped due to the lack of food and supplies Seita fails to offer. Now, they realize the hardships of the war with no food and nowhere else to turn to. My only complaint about the movie was the voice-over for Setsuko. I for one prefer subtitles, but I do give the dubbing a chance since both can be done on DVD. While all the other voice-overs were well-performed, I feel that the actress supplying Setsuko's voice was awful. Sounded like a 45 year old portraying a five year old girl. This movie's power is so bold, it really tugs at the heartstrings. If you do not feel emotionally moved in any way, then you either were not paying close enough attention, or you have no heart.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: This is not your typical movie. Though it is anime, you come to feel what the characters are going through, seeing the harsh reality of what happens to children in a war torn nation. It definitely deserves five stars but it's not for everyone. This film can leave you emotionally drained like the first 10 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, wondering about humanity. It's difficult to describe and yet I think everyone should watch this film. Children of war are innocents tossed into hell to fend for themselves. A well told story.
Rating:
Summary: great movies
Review: Hayao Miyazaki-san is the greatest anime producer of all time. If you do not have all of his movies go out and buy them right now. his first movie was castle of caligostro. it follows the story of lupin the 3rd.after this he released nausicaa ofthe vally of the wind the tale of humans vs pollution. next was castle in the sky, a tale of magic and excitement. after that he made totoro, a story of strange creatures named totoro, and at the same time he made grave of the fireflies, a sad story of a boy and his sister after there parents have died. next was kiki's delivery service a story that appealed to the women of japan. then there was porco rosso an adventure of sea plane pirates over the adriatic. his next release was princess mononoke, a tale of spirits and adventure. then there was spirited away, the story of a young girl in the spirit word trying to make her way back to the human world. his last american release movie was the cat returns, a story about a girl who saves a cat then must go to the cat world as a "reward". these are all great animes and are my favorites aside case closed(detective conan) and dragon ball.
Rating:
Summary: Truth
Review: This is animation at it's best.
I 1st saw this movie in 1999, I'm the type that cries at sad movies & then tries to hide the tears by pretending to clean my glasses, but this movie made me cry so hard i cannot hide the tears.
There's no hope in this movie. Everyone dies, that's the tradgedy of war.
I recommend that if you are a person who cannot handle the truth not to watch this movie, it makes you want to rush to the person closest to you & hold on for dear life!
Rating:
Summary: More than 10 years later, I still cry when I watch this film
Review: I first saw this movie when I was about 11 years old. It stayed in my mind as being the saddest movie I had ever seen. A few years ago, I bought the DVD remembering this was a very good movie and watched it with my husband. I cried probably harder than I did when I was a child.
Other reviewers have given the plot overview, so I won't go into that. Grave of the Fireflies is, indeed, an elegant film that transcends genre. This isn't a mere anime film. Let's remember that anime is an industry in Japan, so there are anime that covers all sorts of topics. Here in the US, however, cartoons are strictly for children. This, however, is a war drama -- probably the most memorable, heart-warming, and gut-wrenching war movie I've ever seen.
What I loved about this film is it's simplicity and purity. The star of the show is the story and the characters, not the flashy animation or the history behind the war. In too many other war movies, the focal point of the show isn't the characters, it's the war. In this film, however, the two children are definitely the main characters. Unlike many American animated films, the animation itself isn't the main attraction, either. The art is beautifully simplistic and elegant. It shares the same style as Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away (these films all shared the same director as Grave). I've seen all these films, and I still think that GotF is the best out of all of them.
I cry at movies, I'll admit, but movies lose their emotional impact after the first time. There's only so many times you can get misty-eyed over what you've already seen before, but Grave of the Fireflies defies this rule, not just for myself, but for many people. In an interview on the bonus disc, Ebert admits to being moved nearly to tears watching this film. Even though it's been well over a decade since I first watched it, this film never fails to move me to tears. What's so amazing about this film is that the heartbreak isn't intentional. It just portrays what happens when two children pay the price for war, so the plot itself is the mechanism that fuels the emotions -- there's no need for gimmicks.
With some films, you get the feeling that the only reason certain bits were added was because the filmmakers wanted to tug at your heartstrings intentionally. Perhaps what makes this film so poignant is that it's just going about its story and not purposefully trying to be "sad." This is a very honest, simplistic, elegant film that makes a huge emotional impact on its viewers. It's easily not just the best anime film I've ever seen, but one of the best movies, period, I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
Rating:
Summary: Let the Truth be known
Review: Honestly, i never cry while i'm watching a movie, but Grave of the Fireflies is the first film that made me cry in front of ALL my friends. I can't believe how sad and touched this film turly is. I actually cry EVERYTIME when i watch it. I can't believe how good this film turly is. Loves it!! It's gonna be your lost if you don't but this!
Rating:
Summary: A soaring achievment in anime.
Review: First off everything said in the other reviews is absolutly true. If you don't see this movie you are doing yourself a great disservice.
Getting that out of the way I want to adress the one thing that botherd me in GOTF and that is the entire absence of jokes relating to farts and feces. I'm sure that in a war torn city feces would be everywhere, AND YET THIS WASN'T USED FOR COMEDIC USES! Also it would have added to the emotional impact of the film if the little girl would have farted in the cave causing the fireflies to drop dead. I have some other ideas as to where farts could have been used but I don't want anyone stealing my ideas.
Why must fireflies die so young? BECAUS YOU FART TOO MUCH! HAR HAR HAR! That never gets old.
Rating:
Summary: Tears for the children.
Review: There's something terribly wrong when the most helpless and innocent among us suffer not only violence from their elders, but indifference. Such is the case during wartime. Pre-teenage Seita and his four year-old sister Setsuko, are orphaned in war-torn Japan when their mother is killed during an allied bombing raid. It makes no difference who started the war or why for the reality obscures reflection when the necessity for survival is paramount. Seita is old enough to comprehend their desperate situation and his responsibility to his sister as older brother. He struggles to maintain for her the illusion that everything is ok, supressing his own pain and torment for her sake, but as food becomes scarce, the reality becomes clear. GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is both beautiful in its portrayal of the magic of childhood and horrific with its images of destruction. There is a distance between the adult world that eschews childhood games and that of the children; helpless victims struggling to maintain sanity with the only weapon they possess: childhood. There is a poignant and beautiful scene in the film where Seita catches enough fireflies to light the inside of their refuge and both children fall asleep as under a blanket of magical stars. In the morning all of the insects are dead, and Setsuku laments, "Why must they die so quickly." By the end of GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES all of us share in Setsuku's lament, but our tears are for the children.
Rating:
Summary: stand up and applaud
Review: Was this actually made in 1988?! It's understandable for one to mistake GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES as contemporary 'anime' (Sailor Moon, Gundam, etc.) with a quick glance at the cover. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could be farther from the truth. Normally, the medium deals with fantastic or non-realistic issues and stories. GOTF is a sobering story of two young Japanese children whose lives are shook to its foundations when 20th Century warfare impedes whatever hapiness and comfort they might've known.
It's evident right from the start that it's not going to be a happy ending which lets the viewer focus on the journey to that black conclusion. Seita, a fifteen year old patriot, is forced very early on to grow up quick and take care of his very young sister Setsuko when a series of unfortunate events claim their parents. Ever present is the backdrop of the enemy (never mentioned who it is) and the constant barrage of air raids and bombs. In the forefront is Seita's drive to maturation and desperation for survival for him and Setsuko.
While the story is straightforward and compelling, it is the attention to detail that really set the movie apart. For an animated feature, the 'acting' is leagues better than most live-action movies being spewed out of Hollywood lately. In addition, if you listen to the Japanese language track, the voice acting is flawless. Visually, there is much to see and you may come to appreciate a lot of little subtleties that would've been too easy for the creators to dismiss as unnecessary.
The DVD is a two-disc set. The first is the main feature complete with the standard menu options. The second disc is a generous choice (compared to the usual content of anime releases) of interviews and discussions on the matter of the film. A class package through and through.
It's important not to find blame or any political agenda. It would be missing the point. The motivation of this movie to me is the harsh realities endured by blameless civilians when armies go to war. It is not a feel-good film but a must-see by all means. Five stars easily.
Rating:
Summary: Full of Realistic Touches
Review: Grave of the Fireflies is not a lighthearted cartoon. Although the characters are animated, the story is based on real events taking place in Japan at the end of World War II when Napalm firebombs were dropped onto Japanese dwellings that were essentially kindling.
The movie is apolitical. There is no mention of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, or of the nuclear bombs that ended the war. There is only the reality of the war, and our character's efforts to deal with it. It is not difficult to say that the film is "anti-war" because the intense suffering and hardship occurs as a direct result of the war, but it is also a movie about doing what you have to to survive in times of extreme hardship. It's about friendship and the kind of bonds that exist between family members - and about how those bonds are stronger the closer you are.
The entire movie is about a young boy - too young to be a soldier, but too old for an orphanage when his mother is killed in an early firebomb air-raid. It is also about his much younger sister - probably about kindergarten-aged.
Dad is away serving in the Navy when Mom is killed in the early moments of the film. Brother and Sister go to live with an Aunt who at first shows them the courtesy that family members would receive, but grows resentful that she is having to shelter and feed her niece and nephew when her own family is working for the war effort and starving as well. Her comments become increasingly harsh and critical until the boy decides to move out with his sister to an air-raid shelter.
This is not a happy story. It becomes increasingly grim - you see in the opening moments the ghost-spirits of the brother and sister reuniting after the brother dies, so you know to expect a harsh ending. The way this movie arrives at this conclusion is full of grace and elegant, poignant moments. Brother and Sister repeatedly make noble sacrifices and gestures for the benefit of the other.
We watched this DVD in a room full of a half-dozen teenagers and adults. Over and over the comment I heard was along the lines of "that's so SAD!", but at the end "I loved it!" It's a movie like that. The small touches make me appreciate the realism. The brother rescues a small tin of fruit drops early in the film, and he rations them out to his sister until they run out. At one point there are 3 left and he pulls them out - they're all stuck together and he has to pull one apart. A few slivers of fruit drops are on his hand and she takes just one of the slivers - she has learned to ration as well.
The movie makes you sad, but it encourages me to know that the world includes the kind of people who would make a movie like this.
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