The year is 1945. Japan is being bombed by the Allies and the Second World War is drawing to an end. In a little Japanese village, people are hurrying to the bomb shelter, and Seita, a teenage boy and his little sister, Setsuko, are among them. Their father is in the navy fighting the war, and in the confusion of an air raid, they lose sight of their mother. Seita soon finds out that she has been horribly injured in the air raid, and Seita must take Setsuko with him to stay with distant relatives. When it doesn’t work out for them there, they make the decision to strike out on their own. But with severe rationing in force, malnutrition and disease take a toll on their young bodies. It’s no spoiler to say that the results are tragic, as the first line of the movie, narrated by Seita, is “September 21, 1945. That was the night I died.”.

Even though I had wondered fleetingly about the extent that an animated film could elicit emotions from an adult, I was very soon won over. Within minutes I was holding back tears, and I was reaching for the tissues long before the movie ended. The device of having the deceased Seita narrate the opening and having him look on as his living self sat in the train with his dead mother’s ashes, gives an extra layer of poignancy to the story. As for the interlude with Setsuko among the fireflies, underlined as it is by a hauntingly lyrical score, there is a magical quality to it, and the heartbreaking tenderness between the siblings is at once beautiful and devastatingly sad.

Seita may only be 15 years old, but his courage, poise and dignity come across from the very beginning, as does his tenderness towards and his determination to protect his little sister. The first time we see him lose his composure and cry (and this boy has seen his mother horrifically disfigured before she died) is when he sees Setsuko burying a heap of fireflies (there is a brief flashback to his mother being dumped and burnt in a mass grave). Setsuko asks, “Why do fireflies have to die so soon?”, and lets on that, despite Seita trying to protect her from the truth, she knew that their mother was dead. The second time Seita cries is when he’s brutally beaten for stealing fruit and potatoes, a serious crime during war rationing, but he only stole in desperation, when Setsuko’s ill and he’s run out of options. And the only time he gets angry is when Setsuko is diagnosed with malnutrition and the remedy--food--is unavailable.

Author Akiyuri Nosaka lost his little sister to malnutrition during WW II and intended Grave Of The Fireflies to be a cautionary tale, citing Seita/his younger self’s pride and poor judgment. No doubt, he's still consumed by guilt for what he took to be his mistakes that led to the death of his little sister. However, the story transcends race and time, and Setsuko, with her disarming little girl idiosyncracies, seems to me to be the personification of innocence, and representative of the legions of innocents who, in the history of ‘civilized’ mankind, have been and still are sacrificed in the name of war. Yes, Japanese soldiers butchered countless millions in WWII, but as Grave Of The Fireflies shows, there are innocents on all sides.

Arguably one of the finest anti-war movies ever made, Grave of the Fireflies should be compulsory viewing in school. It’s not suitable for very young children, but when they’re old enough to learn about war in history class, then it’s time for them to watch this full-length anime feature. It’s devastating to watch, but necessary, I think, and for older children, this is a great introduction to the horrors of war and will open up a dialogue that is as timely now as it has ever been.

Fireflies’ lives are bright but brief, like the lives of children with the misfortune to be living in a country torn by war. The answer to Setsuko’s very valid question is perhaps that we never seem to learn from our mistakes. So, in honour of Seita and Setsuko and countless others like them, watch Grave Of The Fireflies.

Lest we forget.



NB: I first watched Grave Of The Fireflies in the original Japanese version with English subtitles, then watched the English dubbed version several days later. I have to say that Seita’s character is dubbed extremely well in both languages. As for Setsuko, I much prefer the Japanese voice--you’d swear it’s a real-life 4-year-old talking, giggling, and laughing, and you’d be right! The English voice sounds a little whispery and not nearly as convincing. As I understand it, the Collector’s Series DVD includes bonus DVD features that include interviews with the director Isao Takahata and author Akiyuri Nosaka, as well as an interview with film critic Roger Ebert. Historical perspective commentary and trailers are also included.






Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older