Grave of the Fireflies (G) 7.5

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Hotaru no haka: A tragic film covering a young boy and his little sister's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II. (8.4)

Director: Isao Takahata
Writers: Akiyuki Nosaka (novel), Isao Takahata
Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi

The story examines the effects of the WWII from the Japanese civilians' perspective. We see a brother and a sister, kids of a Japanese navy-man, fall through the cracks of the society; and how they are forced to fend for themselves because of the country's war effort. The storytelling done as a look back is also quite effective. It is emotional to see how the kids have to deal with the life's tough situations. At various times during their journey, people do help them out. However, when they need it the most and when the adults themselves don't have much to give, the most vulnerable members of the society--the kids--suffer the most. Is it an anti-war movie? I'm not so sure. However it shows the price of war in terms of kids' lives. The version I watched was dubbed in English and that perhaps took away some of the emotions conveyed through the native dialog inflections and enunciations. One of the early Studio Ghibli creations with real nice animation sequences. My Rating: 7.5