Grave of the Fireflies

Synopsis:

As we all know, World War II was a grim time and everyone was affected, even Japan. After a firebombing air raid, siblings Seita and his younger sister Setsuko are left homeless after their home is burnt down and their mother is a victim to the fires and passes shortly their after. With no place to go the two move in with the only relative they know, an aunt in a nearby city who glady takes them in. Even though Seita sends letters to his father in the Japanese Navy to come get him, his cries for help go unanswered and as time moves on Seita's main concern of caring for his sister becomes more of a burden as he tends not to help out around the house and doesn't provide any income and starts to seem more of a freeloader than anything else. Tired of the constant ridicule from his aunt, Seita and Setsuko pack up and leave to try and survive on their own in the harsh reality of a worn-torn country that shows no mercy.


Reviewer: Endosanity


Review:

Grave of the Fireflies has a really good premise and it immediately tries to get the viewers sympathy towards the main characters of Seita and Setsuko but as the series drags on you feel like that you want a refund for emotions wasted. The film shows the overall hardships that affected Japan in World War II by putting two kids in a harsh reality that they have no choice but to accept. The only problem is that Seita is of age that he should know what he has to do to survive but he comes off as lazy and resorts to petty theft, sponging off his dead mothers remaining earnings, and even looting during bombing raids as a way to provide sustenance for his sister and the spite he has towards his aunt is almost uncalled for as she is in the right that Seita should work and assist with household chores and help with income for food and shelter. It's a great tragic story but you almost can't help but feel that the overall outcome is his own fault, true... it's a harsh reality during that time but then again you need to do what you can to survive even if it means using some elbow-grease and not looking for the easy man's way out. Worth seeing at least once but it's easily forgettable... in other words, rent it first.

Grave of the Fireflies (trailer)

Recommendation: |Low|