IMDb RATING
7.4/10
555
YOUR RATING
An aunt's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II while caring for her niece and nephew.An aunt's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II while caring for her niece and nephew.An aunt's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II while caring for her niece and nephew.
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Yasunori Danta
- Eisaku Matsui (Motoko's husband)
- (as Yasunori Danda)
Hôshi Ishida
- Seita Yokokawa (Setsuko's big brother)
- (as Hoshi Ishida)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on Akiyuki Nosaka's best-selling novel "Hotaru no Haka (Grave of Fireflies)"
- ConnectionsVersion of Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Featured review
Devastating
"Why do fireflies have to die so soon?"
Between the punitive firebombing of Tokyo by the Americans and the Japanese militarists who were still shouting "Long live the emperor" despite the devastation, it was poor civilians who suffered, many of them children, and this film is a brutal, very sad reminder of that. I liked how it didn't sugarcoat human behavior under such conditions and yet retained a touch of sweetness in the little girl and her brother playing in the moments they could, showing the lives they should have had. It also wisely focused on a single family, without trying to explain the larger context or just how many such people suffered (in Japan or the countries they invaded). It's powerful and heartbreaking, though perhaps a little manipulative and predictable. The quality of the animation and the grace with which such a painful subject was rendered make it essential viewing, but it's a tough watch.
Between the punitive firebombing of Tokyo by the Americans and the Japanese militarists who were still shouting "Long live the emperor" despite the devastation, it was poor civilians who suffered, many of them children, and this film is a brutal, very sad reminder of that. I liked how it didn't sugarcoat human behavior under such conditions and yet retained a touch of sweetness in the little girl and her brother playing in the moments they could, showing the lives they should have had. It also wisely focused on a single family, without trying to explain the larger context or just how many such people suffered (in Japan or the countries they invaded). It's powerful and heartbreaking, though perhaps a little manipulative and predictable. The quality of the animation and the grace with which such a painful subject was rendered make it essential viewing, but it's a tough watch.
- gbill-74877
- Aug 14, 2021
- Permalink
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- Also known as
- Tomb of the Fireflies
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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Top Gap
By what name was Grave of the Fireflies (2005) officially released in Canada in English?
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