We learn about World War II from our textbooks in school, but how much do we really know about the war from the point of view of those who were our enemies? Japan has released several projects dealing with the war to end all wars from their point of view. The manga series Adolf discussed the war from Japan’s side of things dealing with the alliance between Japan and Germany and the soldiers who fought it. That series will be reviewed here in the future, but I never thought any telling of the war could top that series until I saw Graveyard of the Fireflies. You better bring a tissue.
The date is September 21, 1945 Kobe, Japan during the Allied firebombings of the city. As the war closes firebombings have intensified killing many. The movie begins with the movie's final scene, showing 14-year-old Seita, a shell of his former self, lying in a subway station, dead and unnoticed. This is almost a metaphor for how the regular citizens weren’t even noticed as America dropped the Atomic Bomb. The tale picks up as Seita’s spirit is discovered by his four-year-old sister, Setsuko. Both embrace, and Seita feeling relief from a barrage of feelings find forgiveness in death, and this is where the story begins.
The firebombings lead to the death of Seita and Setsuko’s mom. Seita soon discovers his father has been killed in battle and he and his sister must move in with their aunt. However, their aunt turns out to be a horrible person who feels she is a hero for taking the two siblings in and seems to want a reward and not the responsibility of taking care of two children. Eventually, Seita takes responsibility of his sister, but with no job and no help, the two face tough times together. The tale continues as things get worse, Japan surrenders and the struggles the brother and sister went through seem in vain.
This is just one of the most emotionally charged animes I have ever seen. The characters are very real. The drama of the war and the bitter taste of destruction is all too troubling to view. However, despite all the destruction going on around them, the relationship shared by the brother and his younger sister is genuine, authentic and heartwarming. Their sweet moments, including the catching of fireflies and Setsuko’s experiences with death are just hard to swallow. You can’t help but shed a tear for what war does to children.
I can’t say enough about this film. Wonderful animation, very intelligent writing, perfect voice acting, and a real history lesson you will not get in any textbook. This is a definite must-have for any anime fan or war movie buff. I promise that tears will be shed by even the strongest of men as the film progresses. This war movie is an epic, like those who lost their lives during the war, will not be forgotten.
