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It’s been years since I first heard about Grave of the Fireflies, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I got around to watching it. I no longer remember who was the one who told me about the film, but I do remember that at the time, my only exposure to anime was what was shown in the local channels and recommendations by my cousin. Unsure of where to get a copy then, I put it in my must-watch list, unknowing that I would postpone watching it for over a decade. In later years, I would hear about reviews, news of a live action series adaptation and personal recommendations of other people, and I would remember that I have yet to watch it.
When Marvin and I consolidated our video library, I noticed that he had an English-dubbed copy of the movie. On a different occasion, I was again reminded of the film when we discussed what would make the most tear-inducing visual marathon from the library, with One Liter of Tears, Koizora, 5 Centimeters per Second, Hachiko, and Grave of the Fireflies making the list.
Written and directed by Takahata Isao, and adapted from the semi-autobiographical novel by Nosaka Akiyuki, the film was released in 1988 by the animation company Studio Ghibli. The film is centered on the siblings Seita and Setsuko, and their experiences during the Kobe firebombings at the latter part of World War II.
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Grave of the Fireflies was unlike any war movie I have ever seen, but ended up as one of the most profound in my must-watch list in the genre. It wasn’t about winning the war, nor was it a story of triumph and hope. It was simply a story of how two children, one in his pre-teens and taking care of the other in her very young age, tried to find a way to live in a time that was harsh to all that lived in it.
The film starts with the knowledge that the siblings would meet their death, and proceeds to tell their story beginning in the midst of the Kobe firebombing. There is a practiced feel to the community’s response to the American attack, with signals announcing air raids, and people stockpiling and rushing to bomb shelters. At the center of everything are the siblings, Seita and Setsuko, who survive the air bombing that led to their mother’s death.
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What follows is a series of events that makes an impact in the siblings’ lives. Trying to find a place in the world without their parents; dealing with their aunt’s growing disdain at having to feed additional mouths; and Seita’s trials with taking care of Setsuko, who was like any other child, prone to emotional outbursts and tantrums. Times of war are never easy, and it is especially harder for Seita, who is not quite an adult himself. Growing hostility with his aunt made him decide to leave her house and live with his sister in an abandoned bomb shelter.
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Despite knowing the tragic ending that awaited the two, I could not help but hope and want for their situation to get better. Had the film focused purely on their hardships, I would not have felt so. Yet, what made the movie more compelling and the investment in the main characters so definite, is the depiction of the relationship between them. In spite of their circumstances, Seita and Setsuko find little pockets of pleasure together. A short trip to the beach, the simple sharing of a good meal, and their twin wonder at small things like the glow of fireflies. It is the strength of their bond that would make their end ultimately tragic in our eyes.
Grave of the Fireflies reminds us that anime is no longer just a form of media for children, nor just relegated to depicting fantasy. It can be as real as any live-action movie, just as gritty, just as tragic, and just as effective in evoking empathy out of its audience.
I can not wish you a happy viewing, for this would invoke less than positive emotions in a viewer. Yet, it is a story worth watching.
And a story worth remembering.
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