Grave
of the Fireflies
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Format Viewed - Sub and Dubbed DVD |
This will be a very emotional
review for me because this is a very emotional movie. Grave of the Fireflies
will make you cry, be warned. Even if you think you are a tough, macho
guy (I know I’m not, I like expressing my emotions) you WILL cry by the
end of this movie. Grave of the FireFlies takes place during World War
II, in Japan, from a Japanese perspective. It is 1945, a little bit before
the war ends, and the story follows Seita and Setsuko, an older, protective
brother and a young, innocent sister. In the beginning of the movie, they
lose their mother to bombings (not with bombs but with sticks coated in
oil and set on fire and dropped from bomber planes… well, these sticks
burn down entire cities and their mother is caught in a shelter when it
happens). Seita tries to hide this sad fact from his sister and does for
a time. When they go to live with their aunt though, who is cold and distant,
she tells the young girl, who seems not to have a reaction. The aunt, treating
them like street trash, eventually finds they are moving out, where they
go to live in the wilds (not necessarily WILDS.. it’s more like a shelter
on the side of the road they have all to themselves). Eventually, however,
food runs low, no one can give or wants to trade them any… and Setsuko
gets very sick… the ironic part? She dies the day Seita gets food to feed
her and the day he learns that Japan has surrendered. This is where it
gets very emotional. You see, at the start of the story, you see Seita
die… in fact, the first words uttered are “September 21rst, 1945…
the day I died.” At that moment, you know that this is not a story of happiness
or where everyone lives happily or even where there is comedy… yes there
are a few sparkling moments that are not tragic and make you feel sick
to your stomach with sadness but for the majority of the film, you will
either start to cry or feel sadness wash over you. At the end, you see
Seita and Setsuko sitting on the hilltop that Setsuko was cremated on,
looking out over the city they once called home, now made modern, together,
forever. All right, so you know the story is probably one of the best told
using this media, but what about other stuff? First off, the artwork is
topnotch. It’s in the league with Akira, Ghost in the Shell, but it’s realistic.
There are a lot of manga type scenes (still high quality art) but if you
notice, they DO move ever so slightly. It’s a very realistic touch that
brings Japan right into your home. There is NO repeated art, as there shouldn’t
be in a theatrical presentation. I have seen both the Sub and Dubbed versions
and voicing for both parts is just about equal, though I did like Setsuko’s
voice a bit more in the Subbed version. No line is forced nor frivolous.
In fact, when Setsuko dies and Seita says “She never woke up” you will
probably start to cry as I did. I had to get up, stop the DVD player, and
walk away for about fifteen minutes and have a good cry. The movie really
makes you think about war, about how it doesn’t affect those who bring
it upon each other, but the civilians that the war is fought “for.” So
the voicing is VERY strong. Music is NOT a low point either. The musical
score is both humable, memorable, and emotional. It fits the mood perfectly.
Sound effects? Just listen to the bull frog and you will start thinking
they are really in your house… they are that clear, that ambient. This
movie scores high marks all the way around… probably the first and only
anime you will see me give this score… but it scores a perfect.. possibly
only one other movie could score that but I have to watch it again to see.
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