Post by Sushi on Apr 21, 2006 16:15:08 GMT
Review of Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka)
“September 21st, 1945. That was the night I died.†With those words I was drawn into an anime that has engrossed me like no other anime, film or even novel has before. Never have I become so emotionally involved with a story or characters, and even now scenes flash before my eyes.
The anime comes from Studio Ghibli being directed by Isao Takahata, which already gives it credibility, and rightly so. It is set in Japan during World War II, but despite this there is very little action, which lays its strength. The focus is instead on the home-front with a teenager Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi) and his little sister Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi), who are left to fend for themselves with their father away serving in the Imperial Navy, and their mother killed in the fire bombing of Tokyo near the end of WW II. In a society struggling due to war, Grave of the Fireflies depicts the necessary detachment of others to the situation of Seita and Setsuko, and places the viewer in the same situation initially by showing Seita and several children like him together. It is only until we actually live through what has happened to him that his problems become our own.
The quality of the animation is not as high as those of today, but the poetic pacing of the scenes is where Takahata shines never resorting to Hollywood dramatics. Instead, he often employs slow paced scenes creating atmosphere and allowing the viewer to reflect. It is within such instances that we witness several heartfelt intimate moments between brother and sister. It is hard not to become emotionally attached to the characters, especially the situation of Seita, being a child himself, and having to ensure his sister’s survival as well as his own.
Grave of the Fireflies should be watched at least once by anime fans, and to those who doubt it as a valid form of entertainment. I would like to say that the anime is not for the faint of heart, but it is they who will truly feel the full impact this anime has to offer.
5/5
“September 21st, 1945. That was the night I died.†With those words I was drawn into an anime that has engrossed me like no other anime, film or even novel has before. Never have I become so emotionally involved with a story or characters, and even now scenes flash before my eyes.
The anime comes from Studio Ghibli being directed by Isao Takahata, which already gives it credibility, and rightly so. It is set in Japan during World War II, but despite this there is very little action, which lays its strength. The focus is instead on the home-front with a teenager Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi) and his little sister Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi), who are left to fend for themselves with their father away serving in the Imperial Navy, and their mother killed in the fire bombing of Tokyo near the end of WW II. In a society struggling due to war, Grave of the Fireflies depicts the necessary detachment of others to the situation of Seita and Setsuko, and places the viewer in the same situation initially by showing Seita and several children like him together. It is only until we actually live through what has happened to him that his problems become our own.
The quality of the animation is not as high as those of today, but the poetic pacing of the scenes is where Takahata shines never resorting to Hollywood dramatics. Instead, he often employs slow paced scenes creating atmosphere and allowing the viewer to reflect. It is within such instances that we witness several heartfelt intimate moments between brother and sister. It is hard not to become emotionally attached to the characters, especially the situation of Seita, being a child himself, and having to ensure his sister’s survival as well as his own.
Grave of the Fireflies should be watched at least once by anime fans, and to those who doubt it as a valid form of entertainment. I would like to say that the anime is not for the faint of heart, but it is they who will truly feel the full impact this anime has to offer.
5/5
