by Sophie (Nov 13, 2004)

It is 1945, and Japan is on the verge of invasion by US forces. Incendiary bombs dropped by American bombers set fire to the paper towns of Japan in an attempt to demoralize the Japanese people. 14-year-old Seita is not afraid. His father is an officer in the Japanese Navy, and his mother and sister, Setsuko, are safe on Japanese soil. But when the incendiary canisters begin to fall on his town, his attitude changes.

His mother, badly burned in the firebombing, dies from her wounds and Seita must take care of his little sister. With only the scant possessions he could salvage from the ashes of his home, Seita travels to a nearby town to stay with his aunt. However, the loss of his mother and the difficulties of trying to take care of his sister begin to wear him down. Seita becomes depressed and shows no interest in working, only spending time with his sister.

This begins to anger his aunt, and eventually Seita takes his 4-year-old sister with him as he leaves his aunt's home. This marks further decline in their lives. The Americans are not frightening to Seita, but starvation and illness are. He has run out of food and is forced to steal to feed himself and his sister. Setsuko begins to show signs of severe illness. There is no one to turn to, no one to help them.

" Grave of the Fireflies " is an excellent film with frank portrayal of the impact of war on children.

 The animation is superb, from the flying Stratofortress bombers to the simplicity of kimono cloth, there is delicate precision of the animator's craft.

 Colors are muted and were designed to create an almost dream-like, translucent quality to the images. Character movements are realistically and excellently animated as well.

However, a word of caution : this is a really, really depressing film. Unlike most American films which seem to have an ending that at least offers some hope, there is no hope in this one. The tragedy unfolds slowly, and while there are brief moments of joy at the simple pleasures of life, much of it revolves around a worsening existence for Seita and Setsuko.

The American attacks are only a small portion of their suffering, as more of it is due to the actions of their own people. Starvation and impending invasion have made the citizens of Japan selfish and greedy, their own survival the only goal. Heaven help those who need help and cannot assist themselves.

Seita and his sister, too young to form a new life, too old to fully accept the kindness of relatives, become the cruelest casualties of war...the casualties of neglect.

All I have left to say is that you have to see this movie. It's the most powerful movie I've ever seen... It's painful to watch but still you have to see it... I believe it is necessary to see it at least once because the film does carry a very important message of how war affects people.

If you've never seen " Grave of the Fireflies ", you're missing a true classic.

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