Grave of the Fireflies serves primarily as an anti-war piece, illustrating the effects of war on an entire family. By focusing the narrative on two orphaned siblings, the film is able to uniquely touch on the issue of the lack of charity and concern for others during times of war and hardship. Seita and Setsuko suffer from this first hand, forced as mere children to find a way to survive while others often look upon their misfortune, unmoved and uninterested.
The film also focuses on the effects of the loss of family: frequently we see little Setsuko alone, looking at mothers and daughters and realizing her own loss. Seita too is shown in the film's opening scene, starving on the floor as he dies, alone in the world after Setsuko has passed away. The film's story is truly touching and perhaps one of the most powerful anti-war pieces ever produced. In animation and audio too, Studio Ghibil delivers a superb product. Though done in the late 80s, characters and settings are beautifully realistic and detailed, rivaling even many recent productions.
The soundtrack is wonderfully done: cute, but always a bit eery and unnerving, it captures the mood of the film perfectly. Voices (both Japanese and English) are well chosen for their parts and memorable. Little can be said against the film. It was disheartening to see Seita's pride play a role in bringing about such tragedy, and so if you're like me you may have been watching, saddened yet realistic to the degree of control each person has in determining his fortune. Overall, however, Grave of the Fireflies accomplishes its goal: viewers will be heartbroken by this tragic tale, questioning the merits of war and hopefully more concerned with its awful effects on those involved.
Overall Score: A
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