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Hotaru no Haka
Grave of the Fireflies
By Sam Vankhaurr
It is undeniably one of the most heart wrenching and
emotionally powerful anime that I have seen till now!
A masterpiece. Yes, I had read about it- an anime movie; critically
acclaimed; a tragic war story, by Studio Ghibli, which has come
out with classic anime feature films. I was hesitant to see it.
I’ve always been hesitant to see movies or anime with sad
endings. But I steeled myself to watch it, and here I am,
overwhelmed by its brilliance. I can easily say that Grave
of the Fireflies is the most profoundly human animated
film I have seen. It’s one of those films which will move
you and stay with you for days after.
It is undeniably one of the most heart wrenching
and emotionally powerful anime that I have seen till
now. It is not well known simply because it came out in
Japan. It definitely beats Schindler’s List and many other
mainstream movies of the west that portray the effects
of war and other similar activities. It came out in 1988
and it forced a rethinking of anime in the minds of people
who considered anime as cartoons for little kids (How can
you???!!!).
This is not exactly a war movie. It is the story of two young siblingsa brother and his little sister, whose life changes because of the
war- a story of their struggle and their love for each other. You
know the ending- they die, and this isn’t a spoiler, because this
is the first scene of the anime. And then the flashback begins.
Few movies can boast of making a story so moving when the
ending is known.
The anime was written and directed by Isao Takahata, and is based on the
1967 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka.
Apparently, he has always had a guilty conscience about his sister’s
death, and this gives even more depth to the story. Hotaru no
Haka tells the story of 14 year old Saita and his 4 year old
sister, Setsuko. Their father is away, serving in the Imperial
Navy of Japan, and they live with their mother in the Japanese
port city of Kobe. The World War II is raging on, and the city
is firebombed by American bombers and almost completely
destroyed. Their mother is severely burned and dies sometime
after she is brought to the hospital, leaving the two children
orphaned (there is no news about their father) and left to fend
for themselves. And thereafter, their struggle for survival and the
breaking apart of the lives of innocents is portrayed in a stunningly
realistic manner.
Anime Reign | Issue 2 | 2013
Page 36