Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Toho Company | Release Date: July 26, 1989
8.6
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 156 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
136
Mixed:
14
Negative:
6
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
naldosborgesOct 15, 2021
Animação que mostra o caos trazido pela guerra e isso mostra o porquê não glorificar ou idealizar guerras.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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10
alejandro970Sep 5, 2020
The saddest, most painful work of Studio Ghibli. In Japan at the end of World War II, two children seek to survive without a home, without parents and with few resources to eat. If you didn't cry during or at the end, or your heart didn't getThe saddest, most painful work of Studio Ghibli. In Japan at the end of World War II, two children seek to survive without a home, without parents and with few resources to eat. If you didn't cry during or at the end, or your heart didn't get crushed, you should see a doctor. An anti-war play that everyone should see.… Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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10
clem666Mar 5, 2021
What a poetic feature. I count this movie amongst the ones about war I can witness without fear to be exposed to extreme violence and a large amount of blood. Yes war certainly is violent and extreme but 'The Grave of the Fireflies' managesWhat a poetic feature. I count this movie amongst the ones about war I can witness without fear to be exposed to extreme violence and a large amount of blood. Yes war certainly is violent and extreme but 'The Grave of the Fireflies' manages to show us how insidious its damages can be on people and especially children and teenagers. How hard it is to be uprooted when the only thing you need is love, security and wamrth.

With such a original score, an environment such as Japan and a level of animation not far from excellence Toho Company had everything to produce a touching and moving movie. It is easy to have empathy for almost all the characters if you manage to get into the constant war atmosphere.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
BromareoDec 10, 2021
Masterpiece of fiction. Nothing more should be said, watch it, especially if you can enjoy a really well written movie.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
Ali677Apr 27, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When I watched this movie, I steeled myself for a traumatic experience, based on every review I'd ever read of it, which usually include phrases like "don't watch this if you're suicidal." Instead, if I had to pick a single word to sum up the movie I saw, it would probably be 'beautiful'.

Certainly it was sad, and arguably depressing, but I've read this movie compared with 'Saving Private Ryan'. That's ridiculous. 'Grave of the Fireflies' is gentle and poetic more often than it's violent, and it's remarkably restrained in its anti-war message. It simply tells a story : there's very little at all in the way of moralizing or polemics. Why would a story like this need such heavy-handed tactics?

I've also read it argued that the movie is robbed of any suspense or impact when it's revealed in the opening scene that the main characters are dead. I have a quite different view of that device.

Firstly. the beginning of 'Fireflies' is, for all intents and purposes, a 'happy ending'. This is such a non-linear plot development that you could fail to notice it, and thereby only see the movie's gloom. The moment where the ghostly Seita takes the ghostly Setsuko's hand and nods to her is not only a happy moment, it signifies that the suffering - which is yet to come, as far as the viewer is concerned - is over, and they are together again (albeit still without parents).

As for a character revealing that he is dead in the first line of the movie, this is a device which has been used in centuries if not Milena. The crucial thing here is that 'Fireflies' isn't _about_ tension. It tells a story whose ultimate conclusion you already know (a legitimate narrative approach), and everything which happens during that story is emotionally infused with a foreknowledge of its ending. You find yourself hoping that things will go right now for Setsuko and Seita, and then the knowledge that ultimately it won't undercuts you with real emotional power. You know the characters are going to die, but you hope things won't be so bad in the meantime. It doesn't take much of an effort to make that an analogy for our own lives, which makes us all fireflies.

Perhaps what might make someone feel disappointed or cheated by this film is simply that it's so damn honest. I mean that: it's one of the most honest, artifice-free movies I've ever seen. It doesn't even really try to ram an anti-war message down your throat there is very little overt violence, and if there are some scenes of corpses and suffering, it's never gratuitous, and it's over quickly. Compare this with 'Private Ryan', where you have to suffer through 40 minutes of the most horrific blood and guts, only to reach a conclusion which, after much blood and thunder, signifies very little.

'Fireflies', OTOH, has far more beauty than gore. This is what really surprised me about it. Probably two thirds of the movie takes place in gorgeously drawn, tranquil rural or urban settings, with an almost pleasant dreamlike quality - even when the American bombers are flying overhead at one point there is a surreal, almost serene sense to it - and there are plenty of moments of happiness to offset the undeniably sadness and frustration of other scenes.

Perhaps best of all, Setsuko is one of the very, very few (if not the only) animated 4 year-old I've ever seen who actually _behaves_ like a four year old. I'm so sick of seeing preternaturally smart, sassy, sophisticated and precocious children in Hollywood movies. Setsuko's emotion and behaviors are _exactly_ right for a completely normal four year-old, and recognizing this lends many scenes incredible poignancy. Similarly, Seita is a teenage boy who behaves with the sort of mixture of pride, compassion and hubris which you'd expect of someone his age. He still believes that Japan will win the war he thinks it's up to him to take care of his sister with their mother gone and father who knows where. This leads him to make mistakes: possibly the most obvious one being where he fails to take the farmer's advice, swallow his pride and ask his nasty aunt to take them back in again. You would probably have to say his decision not to even try - to go it alone instead, was a very bad one, but - hello, people - here is a character who makes mistakes because he's actually human: a believable teenage boy in an extraordinary situation, who doesn't miraculously save the day, because his best judgment just isn't good enough.

Of course, his aunt may well have knocked them back anyway. Who knows?

Don't go into the film expecting tension, drama or even a tirade against war. It's a movie about the beauty and fragility of life and youth. If you think Japanese animation is all giant robots and superhuman schoolgirls, this could be the film which changes your mind. It's slow, poetic, beautiful and sad, and extraordinarily honest.
I must be the only person who didn't cry during this film (and I mean, I get choked up during some Disney movies).… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
junkcrabNov 2, 2020
This is my favorite Studio Ghibli film, it is so heart-wrenching and sad, it will make you cry. The animation is great as any Ghibli movies, and the story is simple but very effective
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
acebadgerNov 4, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie on top of being beautifully animated (it's Ghibli so duh) is a profoundly impactful and emotional movie. This film has a strong anti-war narrative behind it; but instead of doing it in the way many American/Western studios would do it, a more slow and gradual pace is chosen.

We see a brother and sister displaced after their home is destroyed by firebombing, then briefly after their mother dies having suffered horrible burns all over her body. With their father being in the military the two are basically left to fend for themselves. It is so draining to see the brother try in vain as the story progresses to cheer up his little sister, provide for her, etc. The two are more or less just victims of circumstance and although they fall at odds with their aunt, she isn't necessarily a villain or a bad person. It's a complex situation given that it's wartime Japan, people wouldn't be likely to act in the same way they would during peacetime. There are multiple times throughout the film where I found myself tearing up, which is not to say that's the mark of the quality of a film. However, this film hit me deeply and will stay with me for years to come. I highly recommend anyone who's not seen this yet watch it.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
DrGrisaMay 11, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An amazing movie showing how hard it was for civialins during the war, all i gotta say is that it really made me cry when for example: when he was trying not to say it in front of her, but she finds out and mentions it when she's burrying the fireflies, it was the moment of realization, and the end made me cry the most, when he's the only member of the family left, so in short this is a must-watch movie and i give it a 10/10.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
FmabJun 12, 2021
Saddest movie ever made. I cry a lot during watching this movie and also felt a lot of pain. I never cried that much after and before watching this movie
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
Gamzguy17Aug 21, 2021
A story about young pride being put to the test in a war torn country.
 With the raised stakes and stress that are placed on the people, the food, the shelters, and the economy, the film's beautiful symbolisms and imagery conclude withA story about young pride being put to the test in a war torn country.
 With the raised stakes and stress that are placed on the people, the food, the shelters, and the economy, the film's beautiful symbolisms and imagery conclude with heartbreaking results.
 A commendable achievement, "Grave of the Fireflies" is a heavy reminder for us all to contemplate and understand which actions are right and which actions are wrong.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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7
thenarrator024Nov 4, 2021
loud and clear: this anime will hurt your feelings so bad like you will never become yourself again.still had one of my top experiences as a human being watching a master piece.my advice:watch it as soon as you can other way you really missedloud and clear: this anime will hurt your feelings so bad like you will never become yourself again.still had one of my top experiences as a human being watching a master piece.my advice:watch it as soon as you can other way you really missed a master piece that can force you to think deeply about life meaning. love allways Rastin… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
ScriptedBlazeDec 3, 2021
Saddest Movie I've ever seen in my life If u don't cry while watching this movie, ur cold hearted like an uchiha.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
Aaryan16Dec 21, 2021
Tried out this movie since it was in Ghibli's catalog. Huge mistake because I'll never be able to see another Ghibli film without comparing it to this one. Also one of those movies that are so good but you just can't watch them again.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
abolfazlvahedDec 23, 2022
the saddest animation you can see. if you have sister or brother its more painful.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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4
pokegod11Jul 24, 2020
Feels very lackluster in comparison to other sad movies but it definitely has its moments that can make you cry
0 of 4 users found this helpful04
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10
kyle20ellisMar 16, 2022
What an amazing film! Very rarely have I been moved this much by an animated film. Watership Down yes, Bambi yes, Secret of NIMH yes, Beauty and the Beast yes, Land Before Time yes, but Grave of the Fireflies is in a different league. A filmWhat an amazing film! Very rarely have I been moved this much by an animated film. Watership Down yes, Bambi yes, Secret of NIMH yes, Beauty and the Beast yes, Land Before Time yes, but Grave of the Fireflies is in a different league. A film that is once seen and never forgotten, a film that is beautiful, haunting and emotionally devastating. It is slow moving perhaps and "depressing" but it is very poignant as well. I find it very difficult to fight back tears at the film's end. The animation is amazingly detailed, the backgrounds and characters are drawn with such care and you just marvel at the detail that goes into it. The music is both haunting and melancholic and one of the main reasons why the film is as it is. The story is harrowing, as it details Seita and Setsuko's hopelessness. The characters are easy to relate, Setsuko isn't precocious or obnoxious, instead she is quite cute, and Seita shows real love for his sister as well as being a strong protagonist. There are many memorable sequences, but one that springs to mind is the one with the nocturnal fireflies, which is something of true melancholic beauty. Overall, a masterpiece, pure and simple. 10/10 Bethany Cox… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
All_ButTrU4Feb 17, 2022
brilliant! i have never seen anything this affecting in my life. it doesn't drag itself but keeps a stellar pace as it unfurls what brought Seito to his death. i would recommend seeing the subtitled version as the original voices evoke abrilliant! i have never seen anything this affecting in my life. it doesn't drag itself but keeps a stellar pace as it unfurls what brought Seito to his death. i would recommend seeing the subtitled version as the original voices evoke a honesty hat the dubbing cannot imitate. his anti-war film broadcasts it's message through subtleties. from the deaths to the starvation that are a cost of war, it's not focusing on the frontlines tragedy but instead the consequence of war on civilians. it is unflinchingly human with it's mistakes and holds no bias in the relationships it tells. this movie is commonly described as the best movie you never watch again and honestly after crying for 20min i wholeheartedly agree… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
DogeGamer2015Aug 21, 2021
Es una conmovedora historia sobre dos hermanos que tratan de sobrevivir durante la guerra; es mi película favorita del Studio Ghibli. ¡TOTALMENTE RECOMENDABLE!
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
Jesus_SavesApr 12, 2023
This is my favorite anime of all time. It is a terribly sad true story of 2 children's attempt to survive in a post war Japan. It shows the Japanese citizens' experiences in this conflict, which unfortunately has been largely ignored by theThis is my favorite anime of all time. It is a terribly sad true story of 2 children's attempt to survive in a post war Japan. It shows the Japanese citizens' experiences in this conflict, which unfortunately has been largely ignored by the history books in the West.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
jamesfhallMar 14, 2022
Grave of the Fireflies is by far the most heart-wrenching film I have ever seen. However, it is one of the greatest ones I have seen.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
spencerWoodyApr 5, 2022
A true masterpiece. Easily deserves to be on any list of the greatest films of all time.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
Emilio200Aug 15, 2023
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