Grave of the Fireflies

aka: Hotaru no Haka
Japan 1988, 88 minutes
Dir. Isao Takahata
In Japanese with English subtitles
Rating: [M]
Genres: Cult, Family / Anime, War

Topics: Studio Ghibli.

Aroview: Modest 'classic' of Japanese anime that tells the story of two children caught up in the devastating fire-bombing of Kobe in WW2.

Amid the civilian chaos, bereft of home and family, they try to eke out an existence with relatives, then by living in a cave and scavenging for food. Told as an intimate drama of suffering innocence, this has been hailed by some(including Roger Ebert) as a great anti-war statement.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-2 of 2 member reviews.

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5 stars (Exceptional) Caught me completely off guard. Never has a movie made me grieve before. Beautifully patient and powerful, with carefully crafted images and characters. ~MatPat
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3 stars (Good Enough) Disappointing that contrary to listing I received only one dvd which was not the original version in Japanese but an English language version with (rather inappropriate!) American accents ~Anon