Grave of the Fireflies, a film directed by Isao Takahata for Studio Ghibli, is said to be one of the most forceful anti-war films ever made. It was released in 1988 together with “My Neighbor Totoro,” and paints a stark picture to the latter’s awesome fantasy feeling. Grave of the Fireflies shows through vivid photos the human cost of the war, depicting its effects on helpless civilians, victims of war’s terror; focuses on the events of WWII in Japan.
Based soundly on a short autobiographical story with the same title by Akiyuki Nosaka, the film is an exhausting, eloquent portrayal of two children’s fight for existence after the firebombing of Kobe, Japan. There are plenty of war movies showing sabers clashing, generals arguing over battle maps, and tactical planning. However, the heart of Grave of the Fireflies lies in its civilians affected by war and especially children or young teenagers who had to grow up in a very aggressive atmosphere.
Synopsis
This is a story against the backdrop of Japan at the end of the Second World War where Seita, a boy aged fourteen, and his sister Setsuko, just four years old, form the central characters in the piece. We are informed from the beginning of the film that Seita dies from starvation at a train station. We see him as a thin ashen figure, ravaged from hunger where he recalls memories of the past and the rest of the film shows how he got to that point.
As the film starts, Seita, and Setsuko reside in Kobe where severe air bomb raids are happening, courtesy of the American army. As a result of the bombings, their mother suffers severe wounds and they are entrusted to the care of an apathetic and hostile knew aunt. The children must look after themselves as their father is away on a mission with the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Not long after, their mother succumbs to serious burns and Seita decides not to tell this to Setsuko in order to prevent causing her even more grief. As seeks to present itself, this is the first instance that marks the beginning of a downward plummet as the two children find themselves under great poverty, starvation and misery. As they are living with their aunt, Seita does his best to cover the trauma, but the aunt becomes more spiteful every day towards them, especially the children, as they consume all the food. She chastises Seita for not helping out enough and trades the mother’s clothes for food which she gives the children in minute quantities.
Fed up with all the humiliation and mistreatment, Seita moves out with Setsuko out of their aunt’s house vowing to provide for his sister himself. They manage to locate an empty bomb shelter in the countryside where Seita attempts to make a shelter to say the least for them, fishing and foraging for food. It looks to be quite a short reprieve from the harshness that supplemented their former lives. They run after fireflies, jump around the woods and attempt in trying to forsake the prevailing war.
As the war progresses, food becomes a scarce commodity and Seita cannot manage to feed himself together with Setsuko. That leads to Setsuko showing signs of malnutrition, extreme lowering of strength and appearing to have some rashes as well. Seita strived to get food even stealing; however their position continues getting worse. It is heart wrenching when, at one point, Setsuko, thinking that the marbles are rice balls, tries to eat them, showing the extent of their suffering.
One of the scenes in the movie that has stuck with many viewers involves Setsuko first putting fireflies into their place to light the area, and coming back the next day to see them all dead. This becomes a metaphor for both the loss of joy and the risk of death that is omnipresent in their world. Seita on the other hand is more disturbing to watch as he only shakes his head in grief bathed in despair when he sees Setsuko feed rice to mice and sticks to her mouth. He goes to a bank to take the last family out but realizes that Japan has surrendered and his father was probably dead. After that, he decides that there will be no more salvation coming for them so he goes back only to find Setsuko in a dazed condition gathered around mud cakes and uttering gibberish. She soon beside him succumbs to hunger and passes away leaving Seita shattered.
The point of view is that of Seita, the protagonist, and the two siblings are gone and they are now united, observing the spirits of Japan that the two have witnessed suffering during wartime. This is the general perspective.
Cast and crew core members
Director: Isao Takahata painstakingly reconstructed the events surrounding World War II to tell the world about the suffering of a time when people lost their loved ones, homes, and splendor. He started and finished this important work, now regarded as a part of global cinema at his studio Ghibli, which is now headquartered in Japan. The vivid colors of the world are what depict the anime and draw more people toward it than Hazuki’s works as seen in Howl’s Moving Castle. In this essay, I discuss what can make a life more dramatic – Duality.
Toshio Suzuki produced the film produced by Ghibli’s studio co-founder. Given the circumstances and the apparent imbalance in the aim of two films, Studio Ghibli decided to make this decision and release the films at the same time. This media included children’s content focused on drama and violence themed content. The idea and theme of creating two big features at the same time is something many have attempted. The production of the first one aims as a form of advertisement while the second one struggles against a torrent of negative reviews. According to many studio reviews, this impact seems insane.
Voice Cast (Japanese):
Suntomu Tatsumi plays Seita the trauma teenager soldier who had to shield his sister and himself in a war ravaged globe and the lead male in this film.
Ayano Shiraishi portrays Setsuko, Seita’s sister whose innocent and kindhearted character starkly stands in contrast with her suffering from progressive famine that ultimately collapses her immunitary system towards the final sequences of the film.
Yoshiko Shinohara performed the aunt – a multi-layered female who embodies the notion of self-preservation, ruthless disregard for one’s compassion towards others, which however conceals deeper motivators for her actions in the Risako’s storyline.
Themes and Symbolism
The film demonstrates the ramifications of conflict, such as the effects that war had on combatants, civilians, and particularly children, throughout the history. Life frailty is one of the foremost motifs of the film, symbolized by the fireflies that Seita and Setsuko play with while residing in their quarters. Like most of the fireflies, which are in existence for a short period and are lit, the nurselings’ happiness and life during war is transient.
Furthermore, the film depicts the disintegration of innocence. War ravages the childhood of Seita and Setsuko. As children who knew a world of warmth, affection, and family, they eventually came to witness only famine, desolation, and death. The film is realistic in its portrayal of the struggles for survival, illustrating how wars dehumanize individuals and coerce them into making savage, egotistic decisions.
Although it deals with overwhelming trauma, grave of the fireflies also tells the story of love and strength. Seita loses all faith, but it is love for Setsuko that makes him fight the impossible battle. The drive to stay hopeful and fight is limitless and for brothers and sister, their time spent together even if happy spans for only a short period is absolutely emotional.
Elements of Art and Animation
In Grave of the Fireflies, Ghibli created the most beautiful animation. Every frame contains intricate detail which the studio is known for. In the film, the serenity of rural Japan is overwhelmed by human suffering caused by war and conflict. Anguish is conveyed with intense accuracy with scenes where buildings are burning and the sky is filled with smoke due to firebombing. In contrast, the beautiful meadows and gardens visited by seita and setsuko in an attempt to find peace represent the world they had and their childhood innocence which they seek to go back to.
The film is able to gain emotional strength through the cinematography, especially through the use of light and shadow. The fireflies illuminate for short periods of time, only to die like the characters in the film. Takahata’s emphasis on little details: Setsuko contentedly playing with fireflies, or Seita for the first time shedding tears in silence, deepen the emotional experience of the scene and throughout the movie.
Grave of the Fireflies has an overwhelming IMDb rating of 8.5 which only some may find surprising given that it is one of the most highly respected and well liked animated films ever created. The artistic and professional observers of the movie as well as the ordinary people recognize its emotionalism, historical background and the structure of the narrative. It is often called one of the best films related to wars, not only amongst animated films but in the general context of world cinema as well.
There will always be people who feel why such a film about World War II that includes pictures of death is even needed. Uneasy things of the world — critically acclaimed — are often painful. Yet it is these painful things that have a unique impact, one which allows a wide array of themes, particularly the consequences of suffering by civilians during war, to be explored in an intricate discussion around a great film that will forever remain a classic.
Conclusion
Grave of the Fireflies is an emotionally shattering and intriguing movie that goes beyond the borders of animation and presents a touching and heartbreaking story of love, loss, and the devastation caused by war. The depiction of the aftermath of war especially with children still resonates today just as it did back during its debut. Grave of the Fireflies with its stunning animation, moving plot line and unforgettable characters will always be a film which leaves a mark on its audience. It is a stark reminder of the impermanence of human life, how hard circumstances cannot break the spirit of the soul.
Watch Cartoons on Kissasian
