Studio Ghibli has produced some of the most amazing, animated features including Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Wind Rises and more recently The Boy and the Heron. In 1988 Studio Ghibli co-founder the late Isao Takahata stepped into he director’s chair for the film Grave of the Fireflies. The film is based on the personal accounts of survivor Akiyuki Nosaka and has been hailed as one of the most stunning contributions to animation and cinematic history.

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Gave of the Fireflies follows 14-year-old Seita and his 4-year-old sister Setsuko are left to fend for themselves in the devastated Japanese countryside when an American air raid kills their mother in the final days of World War II. After falling out with their only living relative, Seita does his best to provide for himself and his sister by stealing food and making a home in an abandoned bomb shelter. But with food running short, the siblings can only cling to fleeting moments of happiness in their harsh reality.

 

I had never seen this film, I’m always eager to check out anything from Studio Ghibli but this wasn’t anything like I expected. The films always offer a deep story with heft and heart, but always with some whimsy and magical elements that make it like a fantasy. This film is something altogether different. It offers the same heft. Heart and even laughs, but there is reality here that is not always fun to watch.

 

It comes as no surprise that the animation and art are as beautiful as ever. They have done a brilliant job of creating this time period and all its detail with an environment that is inviting but terrifying as well during wartime. Following their journey is simple and isn’t overly exciting, but it isn’t trying to be. It’s life and a tragic one at that. It isn’t afraid to pull you to