DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| The saddest anime I've seen. Amazingly powerful. |
Mirai, zura~!  |
| Made me tear up. And it kinda made me depressed. Feel really sad for Setsuko.She's too young to die :( |
  ★━━─ 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺? |
| First movie I've seen from Ghibli and it's was honestly disappointing. The aunt was a bitch but her actions were understandable to an extent. Setsuko was an annoying brat the entire movie so didn't even care when she died. Didn't feel a single watching this, by the end of the movie the only thing I felt was that I wasted an hour and a half watching this. 5/10 |
| I'm a sucker for tearjerkers and depressing stories like this, so... yea. This is the best anime movie I've seen. Had the biggest emotional impact of them all so far, and I value that highly. Lots of crying, especially near the end. Oh and it's also the first Ghibli movie I've watched. I might just go with a 10/10. |
| Rip setsuko |
| Until the very last moment I hoped for even one positive bit in the story, even knowing both the brother and the sister die, but this was never the aim, I see. Maybe the point is that some lessons need to be driven in just that hard. Maybe rightfully so. |
  |
animeguy17 said: I think a huge part of their misfortune was not going back to live with their Aunt. Seito chose to be prideful over food to live...that's just dumb honestly considering the outcome. And while I think his Aunt was cruel at times, she did make a great point that Seito never got a job or did any work while he was staying with her. He should have been able to do SOMETHING, then maybe she wouldn't have nagged on them as much. same. And he had the money in the account the whole time (which wasn't necessarily worth much by then). In hindsight you can say "why did his sister have to starve first"... They're just kids though and it still really affected me, just a bit less than it used to. NB The whole point is the author's guilt at failing his sister like Seito did. |
BlackoutingFeb 26, 2016 10:03 PM
| I read some comments, and I just want to say, that what may seem like Seita's pride, is just Seita's will to make his sister happy. The whole movie that is what was behind every decision he made. He didn't want Setsuko to learn about their mother's death, he didn't want to stay at their aunt's because Setsuko wasn't happy there - he tried to do many things to make sure his sister stay happy and cheerful and innocent even during the harsh reality of war, starvation, being homeless and being orphans. He tried to protect his sister's childhood the best way he could, it was storngly important for him to be storng for her and just be there for her. I think what really "killed" them was everyone's apathy toward them. Everyone around them saw their situation, but no one helped. I think thats also the moral of the story, the criticism in the movie. Also, clearly, I liked the movie. |
 |
| i started watching this bcz of World War II tag , i am disappointed.This is not a war movie like other said , it's just story about children's orphans |
 |
| I guess I am not a fan of this kind of work. I felt Grave of the Fireflies was a generic movie about typical characters trying to survive World War II. Setsuko's crying, whining, and fits made me kind of angry. I suggest watching Tokyo Magnitude, it has that same feel where an older character is trying to help a young brother and sister out but is done in a less generic way, though still didn't bring much new to the table and would probably not hold up well to this day as it probably did when it came out, it still may be alright for one watch if you can, if you like stuff like that but after that, it can just sit on the shelf, collecting dust. |
| Numbuh 3, you've got to get off the couch, you cannot sit in that tree house, girl you like Rainbow Monkeys so grab your little shit and then swing! Hand tracks be tracking me to different doorways. In a maze, and I don't know what to do. Guaranteed though, Ima find the emeralds. |
| It's based on someone's real experiences during WW2, what were you wanting |
Blackouting said: It's based on someone's real experiences during WW2, what were you wanting I wasn't expecting anything but I like more original stuff which doesn't have a lot of crying in them. |
| Numbuh 3, you've got to get off the couch, you cannot sit in that tree house, girl you like Rainbow Monkeys so grab your little shit and then swing! Hand tracks be tracking me to different doorways. In a maze, and I don't know what to do. Guaranteed though, Ima find the emeralds. |
pinkarray said: Blackouting said: It's based on someone's real experiences during WW2, what were you wanting I wasn't expecting anything but I like more original stuff which doesn't have a lot of crying in them. It's widely called one of the saddest movies ever made. Setsuko's a starving orphan, and like, 4 years old. You might expect some crying. |
| This is a great movie that reflects the attitudes and experiences of people in that time. Though we might see Seita as prideful I believe its meant to represent the pride Japan felt that ultimately cost it to lose the war and empire that it had. The aunt was mean but represented a reality that was cruel I think, after the war there was no more need for innocence and so it died just like Setsuko. The fireflies I think was symbolic of the power of Japan, at first it awed them but it quickly dies and leads to defeat. The final shot is probably one of the best I ever saw in which we see them sitting on the bench overlooking the modern Japan of the 80's. It shows the end of war and also the end of an era of tradition that was followed by modernisation, Japan might have become a technological giant but it also lost its soul. But thats just my opinion. |
| I've been here way too long... |
| God that was heavy. T-T I wasn't super thrilled with the plot or characters but I definitely enjoyed it and can appreciate the amazing directing. Everything flowed really well. There were a lot of nice thought-provoking little touches that really made this movie I think. One of the most moving was when Seita died and we see four other corpses. It reminds you that this is just one story. Those rich girls returning home was another nice one. It seemed as if their greatest loss was not listening to their favorite music and missing out on the great view for a bit. It's kind of unsettling to think that their "great view" included literal dying children. Another was seeing people like those kids and workers carelessly destroy or toss Seita and Setsuko's valued belongings, including Setsuko's ashes. Another thing I think that drives home the point that their story wasn't particularly "special". They have been completely forgotten by time and nobody gives a shit... ...except there was that stranger at the beginning who gave Seita a riceball. I don't exactly know why but I really liked that they took the time to show that. I mean throughout the whole movie it's easy to wonder "Why won't somebody fucking help these people dying of starvation" even though you know why. Everybody is looking out for themselves (understandable), but even so, there are still those who take the time to do selfless things like that and not look at others' situations with such apathy. But yeah quite nice 8/10. TheConquerer said: This is a great movie that reflects the attitudes and experiences of people in that time. Though we might see Seita as prideful I believe its meant to represent the pride Japan felt that ultimately cost it to lose the war and empire that it had. The aunt was mean but represented a reality that was cruel I think, after the war there was no more need for innocence and so it died just like Setsuko. The fireflies I think was symbolic of the power of Japan, at first it awed them but it quickly dies and leads to defeat. The final shot is probably one of the best I ever saw in which we see them sitting on the bench overlooking the modern Japan of the 80's. It shows the end of war and also the end of an era of tradition that was followed by modernisation, Japan might have become a technological giant but it also lost its soul. But thats just my opinion. That's a really interesting analysis. You really have to question some of Seita's decisions, but when you look at it like that, it makes a lot of sense. |
mintkatApr 13, 2016 1:20 AM
| setsuko's voice just broke my heart, like shatered in pieces! |
 |
| i see everyone here stating they cried or were hit by "feels" am i a bad person for not feeling anything except anger toward seita? |
 |
| A difficult movie. I appreciate the realism in which it was portrayed but in the end it was quite underwhelming. I was always expecting something surprising to happen that would get more invested and eventually sad, but it never happened. The characters weren't interesting enough and didn't have much personality to begin with, except for maybe Seita because I feel like he developed PTSD overtime (flashbacks, etc), but I wish they had explored that more. The aunt was probably the most realistic character of the bunch, maybe too realistic at times... Nonetheless the subject matter is a heavy one, but I felt the execution just wasn't that great. Granted it's an old movie so maybe it hasn't aged that well. It was beautifully made considering how old it is. |
| A very sad and depressing movie, it leaves the viewer with a bad mood. it greatly portrays the children sufferings in the war, no surprise since it was made by studio Ghibli. Technical Score: 8.3 Story+Characters: 8.7 Enjoyment: 8 Overall: I liked it and enjoyed it, though i think the story value is better than any other Ghibli movie, but i enjoyed Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke and more simply because the other movies had an amazing Technical Value in addition to being extremely creative. Grave of the fireflies was easily the movie with the best story value, however anime isn't just a good story, it is a visual storytelling medium and ART and Animation are also important, and in movies case creativity and entertainment is also important, thats why i still consider Spirited Away the best and Mononoke Hime the second best. Nevertheless, this movie did its job very well. My Rating: 8.5/10 |
| I'm crying so hard. Good thing I have tissues near me. It's all this hideous aunt's fault. Couldn't she give them food. It was their rice bought with their mother's kimono. She can't deny them what is theirs. |
If you are going to disagree with me, don't bother talking to me. I will seriously hurt you! |
| jesus christ idk what I expected. I'm full of sadness after watching this. It was very good nonetheless |
| Very touching and moving anime...especially because it is based on true events. |
 |
on 
| It's depressing and not suitable for repeat viewing due to this reason, but it is very, VERY powerful and deeply moving with gorgeous animation and music. Yes the characters aren't very likeable except for Setsuko, but that's how it's supposed to be! Seita was young and foolish and the auntie was selfish and surviving for herself and her family only. Tough times. Anyone who gave Grave of the Fireflies a mediocre review or hated it obviously has no heart. It's one of Ghibli's best. |
| Really love it. . . This movie presented how the war affected people physically and mentally very well. . . |
"People who don't see that anime has changed are either wearing "glasses" or watching only a certain type (and or era) of anime" "Having a low mean score doesn't necessarily mean one doesn't enjoy anime. Rating system is not a school grading system." "Elitist is people who think he is superior than others. Not necessarily ones who insulting/critisizing your favorite anime or people who enjoy a certain type of anime" "Fanboy is people who translating "your favorite anime is shit" into "you are shit". "Being a fanboy is an indication of elitism" |
| Holy hell, that escalated really fast, at first I thought it would just be a few flames. Then entire town's were burning down and then we see his mother completely burned and from the looks of it barely alive. I like how Setsuko put the three remaining pieces of candy back and just taking the smaller pieces. (Knowing food is scarce) Man, this movie was as depressing as it could be, the moment Setsuko was about to die and actually did die ... my heart couldn't handle it :( Can't help but give this movie a 10/10 |
 |
| Oh man dem feels, the movie holds it's reputation for being very emotional. However i couden't help but think why just why? Why diden't Seita just followed the advice of that old gardener, and just go back to his aunt, he could have saved himself and his sister by just going back to his aunt. She gave them food, shelter, basically everything they needed to survive. Why did he even leave in the first place? Because she asked him to go work and do the dishes c'mon that's not a reason to put the life of yourself and your sister in danger. I know he is just 14 years old, however i think that at that age you should be able to see that staying at your aunt's house was the right decision. Also why diden't he cry when he saw his mother burned? I know he wanted to appear strong for his sister, but considering he had a good relationship with his mom he should have cried on the spot when he saw his mom like that. When he told his aunt that his mom died she was like oh well i'll send a letter to your dad, she showed 0 emotions like diden't she care at all? Overall this movie was definitely not a "bad" movie, but sadly some things made me go "meh". 6/10 |
| The most overrated anime ever,the whole tragedy could be avoided if he listen to that oldman advice and return to his aunt ,apologised to her and looked for job,but i still feel sorry for setsuko because she has the worst and most selfish brother in the world. |
 |
| This marks my 5th Ghibli movie and favorite mid-post war film~ Grave of the Fireflies nailed its depiction of the horrors of war towards the mass public, especially the youth that didn't deserve to go through such hard times. If anyone was thrown into his situation at that day and age, they wouldn't have known any better. That aunt was an apathetic bitch, I must say. They lost everything and more, then she goes on leaching the profit from their mother's possessions while treating them as a burden. Seita could've worked harder and not descend into thievery as well. No one's perfect, I guess. Seeing Setsuko with all those afflictions was agonizing. Her delusional final moments consisted of trying to feed her brother rice ball rocks and finally getting something to eat. The feels and shock harmonized at that moment when he suddenly said that she never woke up again :'( Turns out at the very beginning of the movie which was the end of the story, what the cops actually threw out into the grass was his sister's ashes. Seeing other kids croak right beside him shows that there are multiple stories simultaneously happening at the time. The rice ball that one dude gave Seita was reminiscent of the scenario where help is delivered but it was all too late. |
 |
| It was my first Ghibli movie and I felt terribly sad throughout the watch :( Setsuko's gradual worsening of health due to malnutrition was the hardest part to watch. I teared up when Seita had to hold her in arms to feed the food ;_; While I really felt bad for their situation, I was partly mad too at Seita's decision to live alone with Setsuko in the shelter. Had he swallowed his pride and at least contributed to some work, this would have not happened. |
FinalFlash18Jan 13, 2017 8:43 AM
 |
| @FinalFlash18 The author felt guilty for his little sister too, he had chosen in several occasions to eat rather than to feed her, and the novel adapted here was a way to atone. (the story being based on his experience) |
| It should be noted that Akiyuki Nosaka (Seita in the film) the author of the semi-autobiographical novel didn't die during the events of the film, however his sister died unfortunately. I wondered why the author had chosen to kill his character at the end of the film. I think he did this because he is angry, he is angry with himself. He hates himself for all the bad choices he made at that time It's because of this that the film is extremely sad, the author chose death in the film as a repentance for what he did to his little sister. |
Eterna71Jan 24, 2017 12:41 PM
| I cried. Quite a few times. At least they were together in death. |
 |
| If I were to rate this movie by the first 15-20 minutes, then I would easily give it a 10/10. But the following parts with their stay at that bitch's house and after that at the shelter very mediocre at best. Add to that the many bad decisions made by Seita, even the eventual death of the Setsuka was underwhelming, it gave the impression that Seita didn't care all that much about his sister. Overall 6/10. |
"At some point, I stopped hoping." |
| I think it's REALLY important to realize Seita's intentions was to make his sister happy. Even though it was dumb to not get help or apologize and go back to his aunt, he was also trying his best to look out for her, in the best way he knew how. Seeing the places you used to live/work/go to school be demolished one day would make anyone feel very lost. On top of that, his mom died. I think once Setsuko got really sick he should have went back to his aunt. But he was also asking for help from the farmer, the doctor, etc and other people refused to help them because they already had problems of their own. His aunt should not have treated them like a burden and tried to guide him in the right place to find work or explain to him why she was frustrated. It was a complete mess. She really didn't care that he just left one day -- if she did, maybe Seita would have eventually returned. This isn't the best tragedy I've ever watched, but I think it's important to see at least once. It puts your life in perspective. I think it's a stronger ghibli film than others around that time -- Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, which I gave a 6/10. I think this one is more philosophical and a rightful tearjerker at 8/10. |
LycanFeb 26, 2017 11:11 PM
 |
| That was really sad movie, i almost cried too. Its a pity they had to die especially how Setsuko died of malnutrition, that really hit me hard from the part she said thank you before she died. You are right though i thought too they would explain how Seita died but i guess he also died of hunger. Damn war is a curse and makes people who are indirectly involved suffer especially women and children. |
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove  |
| it wasn't seita's fault, sadly, they were victims of the circumstances. the boy just wanted his little sister to be happy and although it was naive of him to try and live that fantasy in that shelter by the lake, he really believed he was doing the right thing. and i really think he did his best given what he had at the time. he felt they were just the two of them against the whole world. a father away in a ship, an aunt that made clear they weren't welcome there, a mother who died horribly and relatives they couldn't find, what else could he do? i don't know... this was a really sad story, but it felt real. the hopelessness and he tried until the end. until he had anything else to live for. and i'm never watching this again. |
  |
| its been a day since i watched Grave of the Fireflies and i can't still move on. the movie made me so HELPLESS when im watching it, im punching myself while crying, covering my face with my shirt while crying and pulling my hair while crying x.x until now im still thinking about this movie saying "IF ONLY SOMEONE HELP THEM" the emotion this movie release from me is too much thats my 5 years tears supply and everytime i think about setsuko weaken scene im starting to cry. i need 2 years of courage to watch this movie again. |
 |
| This movie is a masterpiece and I consider it the saddest movie ever made, not just in anime. It's an important film that shows the true suffering of civilians during war. I like this classic analysis/review by Roger Ebert. |
| Beautifully Depressing |
| “I love heroes, but I don't want to be one. Do you even know what a hero is!? For example, you have some meat. Pirates will feast on the meat, but the hero will distribute it among the people! I want to eat the meat!” - Monkey D. Luffy |
| It's all because he was too prideful and couldn't suck it up. And look where that got him! He starved to death. Not really that it's a bad thing but yeah. He kind of inadvertently got his sister killed. |
| Okay now this as a realistic movie but the guy's pride was really annoying. Also what's with him saving his money till his sister pretty much died. And even then he withdrew 3000 yen and he still had 4000 yen left in the account. which is pretty good sum of money as mentioned by him. But nah he saved it ALL. Great. I am really disappointed in him. He let his sis die just like that and then died himself. Sure he did love her blahblahblah. But if he really did, couldn't he ask people to let him work somewhere? He had a decent build and was healthy but nah, the pride consumed him. And just gonna mention, as heartless as some of you may find the aunt, she's a pretty decent person. Saying she's heartless or insensitive is pretty naive. She let them stay when the condition at her house wasn't particularly good either. It was fair on her part to expect (at least) Seita to contribute. But nah, the dude was too arrogant to apologize and that brought his downfall ultimately. I feel sorry for Setsuko. I am walking away with meh feelings. Doesn't mean the movie is bad, it's rlly well-written. Still 6/10 for me. Didn't enjoy it particularly. |
TragicRomanceNov 30, 2017 7:04 AM
 |
| I think this anime film changed my life. I felt depressed for months. That's the emotional power of Grave of the Fireflies, and I love it for that reason. I see a candy, I remember Setsuko, I almost cry. |
| Well done. It matched with 40's way of thinking about life. |
| And still, Bill will live on. He will befriend the next inhabitants of the earth, beings of light who revere him as a god. And Bill will outlive them all... for millions and millions of years...exploring, learning, living, until the earth is swallowed beneath his feet. Until the sun is long since gone. Until time loses all meaning and the moment comes that he knows only the positions of the stars and sees them whether his eyes are closed or open. Until he forgets his name and the place where he'd once come from. He lives and he lives until all of the lights go out. |
| I didn't bother reading all the comments, but basically this movie tells how much Seita is a dick. He could have saved his sister and himself if he swallowed his pride, but no his ego was too much to handle ! |
| I cried... I cried |
More topics from this board
Poll: » SeitaNeo2425 - Jan 1, 2023 |
29 |
by JoeChip
»»
Oct 24, 9:40 AM |
|
Poll: » Did you cry after you watched this movie? (spoilers) ( 1 2 3 4 )ss4gojetanks - Jul 8, 2011 |
188 |
by aurora_yuuki
»»
Oct 15, 1:25 AM |
|
» Grave of the fireflies is not that much sadIshow_suii - Nov 16, 2023 |
27 |
by onzichtbaard
»»
Oct 14, 7:31 PM |
|
» ArticleGinIonSui - Oct 1 |
4 |
by SoloNecromancer
»»
Oct 5, 3:21 AM |
|
» Rewatch!?!Jai_akash - Apr 22 |
22 |
by imjayhime
»»
Apr 24, 7:55 PM |