“Grave of the Fireflies” cannot be seen in Japan， but receives the highest praise from the world as an “anti-war film” “It’s a wonderful movie． I never want to see it again．”

Grave of the Fireflies, which can’t be seen in Japan, receives the highest praise from the world as an “anti-war film” From September 16, 2024, director Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies began streaming in over 190 countries and regions around the world. Unfortunately, it has not yet been released for streaming in Japan, but how has this work been received overseas?
For example, Roger Ebert, a famous American film critic, said, “Grave of the Fireflies is a powerful emotional experience that makes you rethink animation. (Omitted) It is a film that should definitely be added to the list of the best war films ever made,” and the website The Cinephile Fix wrote, “Let me be clear. Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Isao Takahata and produced by Studio Ghibli, is one of the greatest animated films of all time. “It is one of the most moving, heart-wrenching, tragic stories in the history of cinema, including live-action films,” he said in the release. In particular, many critics have pointed out the film’s thorough realism. “Grave of the Fireflies, based on Nosaka Akiyuki’s story from the end of World War II, uses animation primarily to accentuate its harrowing realism” (New York Times), and “portrays Setsuko’s physical and mental breakdown with compelling realism and a firm grasp of the importance of the everyday” (Slant Magazine). Some have noted that while director Hayao Miyazaki lets his imagination flutter with fantasy, Isao Takahata’s film has a strictly naturalistic touch. There are also many comparisons to Disney films. “If you find Mufasa’s death (author’s note: The Lion King) or Bambi’s loss of his mother too painful to watch, then you don’t understand true grief” (The Cinephile Fix), and “If you thought Bambi and Up were the most moving animated films ever made, then you should definitely see this Japanese masterpiece” (The Guardian). Comparing the realism of “Grave of the Fireflies” to the deformed CG of Disney films, Takahata said, “Director Takahata is not competing with Disney. Some critics have argued that “Reelviews” (2016) is “growing the genre by exploring tropes never before seen in Hollywood animation.” Especially in America, it is clear how one and only Takahata Isao’s directing style is. And few critics would dispute that Grave of the Fireflies is an anti-war film. Looking back, Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning film “Oppenheimer” drew criticism not only in Japan but also in the United States for not including any specific depiction of the devastation wrought in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombings. A debate took place on social media: “It’s an anti-war film” or “No, it’s not an anti-war film.” On the other hand, Grave of the Fireflies is a very minimalist story set just after the end of the Pacific War, about how a brother and sister survive an air raid and what their ultimate fate is. “Having lost both their parents and their home, they are forced to wander, suffering from hunger, American bombings, and the selfish indifference of adults. But it’s not all suffering and despair. There are moments of natural beauty and childlike joy. As The Guardian wrote, “This makes the tragedy all the more poignant,” and it is precisely because the film focuses on their journey that it has such a profound emotional impact on viewers. Its careful portrayal of ordinary people has made it a rare anti-war film. The American movie review site Rotten Tomatoes has two scales: the Tomatometer, which is a rating system by professional critics, and the Audience Score, which is a rating system by general users. Grave of the Fireflies has received high ratings of 100% and 95%, respectively. One audience review written here may, in a sense, succinctly sum up the essence of the film Grave of the Fireflies. “It’s a great movie. “Good, great, amazing movie. Never watching again.” Isn’t that the highest compliment you can receive for an anti-war movie, expressing your desire to never see the horrors of war again?

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