Grave of the Fireflies: The True Cost of War

Grave of the Fireflies

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Spoilers Ahead!

Hello everyone, today I'll be reviewing another amazing anime movie, and that is Grave of the Fireflies. I've heard from my friends that it is really a great movie, so I could not wait any longer to watch it. I watched this movie with my dad as we were planning to watch something together, and we decided to watch this anime movie.

I didn't want to watch the trailer as I already knew the story. I mean, not the whole story, but I heard from my friends that it is very depressing and can only be seen once because I would be too depressed to repeat it. As I have a habit of forgetting what I've watched, I thought I might rewatch it someday, but my friends warned me about this anime movie. However, I want to show you guys the trailer to help you understand how amazing the animation is. I know it's very old, but it also gives off a nostalgic vibe—a story about a brother and sister and how lovely I thought it would be. Well, will find out after watching the movie.

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The story begins with two Japanese young siblings, Seita and Setsuko. They are living during the timeline of World War II, and an American firebombing separates these siblings from their parents. Now they only have each other, and they have to rely on one another as they struggle for survival. At first, the big brother was taking shelter in the house of a distant aunt in Nishinomiya, but he and his younger sister didn't feel welcomed there. Later, Seita and Setsuko had to leave to survive on their own and eventually moved to an abandoned bomb shelter. In the beginning, everything was good; both siblings were happy, but as time passed, they ran out of food and struggled to survive. The big brother, Seita, tried his best to find food for his younger sister, as she was too young to survive without it. Later on, she became ill because of hunger.

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Everything in this movie, each and every scene, made me tearful; somehow, I could not control my eyes at all. I felt like something was choking me as I could feel the pain in my neck. I cried so many times, and as I was watching this movie with my dad, he never cried before—he doesn't cry at all—but while watching this movie, I could see tears falling from his eyes. To be honest, this is the best movie I've ever watched. It is truly so depressing, as it's a story about reality—what really happens during wars and how people suffer from it. This is the harsh reality, and we don't get the chance to see these types of anime movies often. I can't remember the last time I watched something this emotional. I've explained half of the story, and I'm leaving the rest for you guys to watch. This movie will make any adult cry, and I can bet on that because it is truly emotional.

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This is saddening that this type of war is still going on around the world, but we are unable to do anything about it. This movie depicts the harsh reality of war. People go through more than what we see because those who are facing it can only know the real pain; we can't feel the exact same unless we are in the same situation. But this movie is so beautiful; it has described everything that happens during war. I loved the bond between the brother and sister, how good they looked together, and how happy they were together. If it weren't for the war, there could have been a happy ending.

I would highly recommend to watch this movie once in a life time.

Thanks for reading 🌷