introduction to grave of the fireflies 1988
I'm writing my review of Grave of the Fireflies after watching it for the first time, and I don’t think I will ever be ready to feel that heart-wrenching sensation again. Still, I chose to share my perspective with that feeling because it motivates me to do so.
This movie will make you curse all wars, even those fought by your country or in the name of freedom. It is always the people who suffer the most from war, with civilians becoming victims and children enduring its devastating effects. Oppose all wars unless they are solely for the protection of all humanity.
Do the governments of countries have some flaw that forces them to cause this terrible suffering to their sons, children, elderly, women, and men? Is there a reason that drives you to operate killing machines to take human lives? Do you realize the danger you face so that you decide to wage this cursed war?
I'll tell you something: your ambitions and pride are what push you toward war. It's your desire for power and the ability to destroy others. The price is paid by the people who just want to live peacefully, and by children who don't even understand what war means. So screw you too.
The psychological pain I felt after seeing the grave of the fireflies is unmatched by any physical pain. That pain seeps into every part of you, destroys your feelings, and halts your heartbeat. The suffering of these two children acts as a message to all humans, urging them to pressure their governments to end this so-called filth. During war, they hide behind fortified walls stained only by the blood of innocents.
All kinds of pain, suffering, and fear of fate were embodied in the grave of the fireflies. I even screamed at the moment of the child’s death to wake everyone in my house. No pain swept through my soul like it did then. I imagined myself in her brother's place, who had nothing to save her, and I realized that the best thing was for her not to have to wait even a moment in this hateful world.
Why don't people unite in solidarity against their governments to make them realize that our destinies are in our hands and not toys they control? Let this be a call to all of humanity—why not? Let's choose a day known to everyone worldwide, when everyone steps outside their homes, united under one banner that says, “Stop all wars immediately.” Governments' tyranny must end because the Earth is heading toward destruction, and there will be no human beings left. This is a vision I see clearly now.
It's no surprise that wars are widespread today, but try to imagine your children after your death—what they might face or endure during a war. Do you realize the amount of terror, pain, and suffering that will inevitably come their way? Therefore, we must protect our children from this exposure. In my opinion, there is no other solution than to stop the wars, and that will only happen if people of all backgrounds come together willingly.
Grave of the Fireflies is unquestionably the greatest animated film ever and everyone should watch it to grasp the scale of the impending catastrophe.
A serious warning: No heart patient should watch this. Let someone tell you, as that's definitely the better option.
Events and details of the movie "Grave of the Fireflies".
Disclaimer: Grave of the Fireflies is based on a true story and directed by the talented Isao Takahata.
The first scene shows a child sitting on the ground in a very miserable condition, with people passing by and wondering if he is dead. Then the child leans over and falls to the ground, calling out Setsuko’s name. A cleaning worker approaches to check on him and finds that he is dead. The worker then takes the candy box beside him to throw it away, and ash falls from it. Suddenly, a little girl appears, surrounded by bright fireflies. She looks at the child and is almost moved to approach him with passion, but a hand stops her. She looks at its owner and sees it belongs to the child, who then gives her a box of candy. He takes her hand, and they walk to board a train. As they sit quietly, they watch luminous swarms in the sky until the scene is filled with light and transitions to another scene.
The movie begins with a boy named Seita and his sister Setsuko living in Japan with their mother during World War II.
It was one of the usual raids, and they were about to leave their home for the shelter. When their mother went ahead of them, the child and his sister found themselves caught in the middle of the raid and bombing. He didn’t know where to go, especially when he saw the houses around him burning and people running in every direction. So, he started running randomly until he got a little farther away, when the raid subsided and the rain began to fall.
Seita decided to return, but he was shocked by burning houses and dead people everywhere. Until they met a neighbor who told him that his mother had been hurt. He went to see her and found that she was near death. He returned to his sister, confused and in pain. When she asked about their mother, he told her she was injured. She would recover quickly and was in a hospital near their aunt, where they would go. She looked sad and unconvinced, as if she sensed what had happened to her mother. She said she wanted to see her, but he told her it was too late. He grew silent afterward, and she started to cry. He tried to distract her, but it didn't work.
Seita and Setsuko went to their aunt, and he initially didn't tell her about his mother’s death because he didn't want his sister Setsuko to find out. Later, he quickly told her, and she asked him to write to their father to inform him.
Seita tried to spend quality time with his sister, Setsuko. They had fun for a while and chased the bright fireflies. They also went to the sea. He gave her sweets she loved, and she was very happy about that.
All Seita wanted was to make his little sister happy and to push away any thoughts that might make her sad. It was a great feeling for a child growing into a man early, and the memories of their home with their mother and the sense of security they lived in stayed vivid in his mind, until things started to change little by little. Their aunt began to ask him why he wasn't working, and she also started selling their mother's belongings in exchange for food, which greatly angered and saddened Setsuko. She was still unaware of their mother's death. The cruelty showed itself when their aunt decided they would eat alone, and that this would be their share in exchange for the sale of their mother’s possessions. Their mother's things, and Seita was asked to write to his relatives on their mother's side, but he didn’t know their address.
Seita bought cooking supplies and started preparing meals for himself and his sister. He also bought some provisions for both of them, but they were few and barely enough. In one scene, a touching moment occurs: his sister wanted to eat, so he gave her a box of candy. Inside, there were sticky pieces of candy and some crumbs, so she ate the crumbs and saved the healthy pieces for another time. They had begun to cut back on their food consumption in all its forms.
However, their aunt was always harsh with them, calling them useless. Setsuko had started to hate living with her, especially when she once told them to go live in the cave next to their village. To Sieta, it seemed like maybe that would be the solution—to escape her aunt's harsh words and behavior. She began to prepare what was needed to leave and make that cave her permanent home.
What was strange and sad was that their aunt didn't care where they were heading, as if she had been waiting for that moment, as if her heart were made of stone.
Despite this, Seita didn't care, and he and his sister went to the cave and settled there. It was dark at night, so they started catching bright fireflies to light up the place. The idea worked, but it didn't last long because the fireflies were dying quickly. Setsuko dug a grave for them and buried them in the morning, telling Seita she was doing this because she learned from their aunt that their mother is dead and is now in her grave. Then Seita couldn't hold back his tears.
He was clearly feeling pain and brokenness, but he quickly regained his composure and told her they would visit her grave soon. Then the time came when there was nothing left to trade for food, so he asked one of the farmers for some. The farmer replied that he had nothing but what he needed for himself and advised him to go back to his aunt, so he thanked him. Then he said he would ask someone else, when suddenly one of the enemy planes attacked them, causing him and his sister to fall to the ground. After the plane passed, he saw a few tomatoes on the trees in front of him, so he picked some and ate with his sister, then took the rest with him. Hunger had made him so desperate that he stole without caring.
The innocent Setsuko started to suffer from diarrhea, and Seita was trying to steal food again until the farmer who was taking his land caught him one time. The farmer discovered the cave where the food was kept and saw his sister as well. Seita begged him to leave him alone for the sake of his sick sister, but he was merciless. The farmer then took him to the police station, but the policeman, seeing his miserable appearance and apparent suffering, wisely decided to leave the little boy. Seita came out of the police station and found his sister waiting for him. She ran up to him and hugged him, and he began to cry intensely. Then came the painful moment when she asked whether he was injured or if she should bring him a doctor. At that moment, she was like a mother, trying to reassure him and take care of him, which made him suffer greatly. Finally, he embraced her with great love.
Setsuko's illness worsened, and her brother desperately tried to provide food and warmth for her. This led him to rob houses, risking himself by sneaking into homes during air raids to gather what they needed—food, clothes, and towels. One day, he returned to find his sister lying on the grass, her innocent face pale, and he was filled with terror. He couldn't believe or expect her to die.
The most heartbreaking ending among the films
The poor man carried his fragile sister in his arms and took her back to the cave. On his way, he paused to give her a piece of ice and asked her, “What do you want to eat?” She answered him with innocent childishness that she wanted meat, fish, and fruit for dessert. He told her that he would withdraw his mother’s money from the bank and buy something. She has everything she wants, and she said to him while crying that she did not want anything, and that she only wanted him by her side and for him to never leave her. So he promised her that; she looked at him comforted, then sighed and fell asleep in his arms.
It was a heartbreaking scene, and it makes you wish you could be there with them to help.
Seita went to the bank to withdraw the money his mother had saved, only to hear that his country, Japan, had surrendered. The war was over, and the naval fleet where his father served had been completely destroyed. He screamed like a madman in condemnation and ran out of the bank in a terrible state of hysteria, filled with anger, sadness, and fear.
He walked back to his sister in the cave, repeating, “My mother died, and now my father is dead.” Despair was beginning to take hold of him, and when he reached the cave, he found his sister lying on the ground with something in her mouth to chew. She had started to become delirious and was nearing death, and when he asked her what was in her mouth, she did not answer. He reached out and pulled it out, discovering it was a piece of marble. When he tried to take some food from his bag for her, he was surprised to see her holding a small rock and saying, “They are rice balls. I made them for you, please take one.” Tears streamed down his face as he began to realize. He tried to feed her a piece of watermelon, and she thanked him. She fell asleep afterward and never woke up.
This scene will definitely make you shake and collapse, and you will no longer find yourself wanting for anything.
Night fell, and Seita laid down next to his sister, holding her in his arms with a sadness that consumed him completely. In the morning, he bought what was needed to burn her body. The scene at that moment felt strange because the war had ended, and life seemed to return to normal. The people around him were doing what they had missed during the cursed war, while he was preparing to cremate his sister Setsuko.
Amid intense creativity and surreal pain piercing the soul, the memories of Setsuko running and playing nearby, her innocent laughter that touches even hardened hearts, her words shared with her brother, and her innocent, childish expressions that made everyone relate to her and love her as if she were your daughter or sister, were vividly displayed.
Seita prepared to burn his sister's body, which was inside a coffin, and placed all her belongings in it. He lit the fire and sat beside it, watching it until night fell, lying there and looking at the sky and the bright fireflies around him.
The next morning, he took his sister's ashes, put them in her candy box, and headed back to the village, but he never went back to the cave.
Words to all humanity
Shame on you, humanity, for watching these moments in children's lives and not acting until your own children and families are threatened. It is heartbreaking to see war destroying everything green and innocent everywhere. You are not immune from this. It will inevitably impact you sooner or later. One day, you and your family will become the next victims.
Let's say the music in this movie fully conveys the event. You can close your eyes and listen, then easily guess what is happening, and its emotional impact is beyond words. It really stands out as one of the movie's remarkable creations.
At the start of the movie, we see the souls of the two children meeting and living peacefully without fear. I believe this shows how harsh and cruel the real world is, and that they are now finding peace in the other world.
Something caught my eye in the movie, and I wondered about it: Why didn't Seita withdraw his mother’s money right after her death, or at least once he ran out of what he was bartering for? He needed to do that quickly, but I don’t think he expected how fast events would unfold, or that his sister wouldn’t tolerate what was happening to her for long. Or maybe he first wanted to use up what he had and barter with it, so he wouldn’t exhaust that money too quickly if he withdrew it.
There is a saying that adversity shapes men, and I saw this truth in Grave of the Fireflies. Despite Seita's mother dying, losing his home, and being abandoned by his cruel aunt, he faced many hardships for his sister Setsuko and was her protector until she fell ill and died.
Sickness and death are solely in God's hands, and all humans will eventually die. However, we should seek to understand the reasons behind this and the circumstances surrounding these reasons. It is difficult to accept the idea of two children dying alone, without anyone offering help or caring about what is happening to them. This is a waste of the good human nature that God created within us.
The movie as a whole teaches us how to be kind to each other, how to care for each other, how to stand together against the scourges of war and disease, and other threats. However, it teaches us this with great harshness until we feel the pain from neglecting these qualities, so we must pull ourselves together and begin. It marks a new stage that honors all those we've lost in previous eras and renews hope for future generations, so they may live in mercy, peace, and love.
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