Grave of the Fireflies

If my friend didn’t tell me that Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru No Haka) is one of the best movies Studio Ghibli ever made, I wouldn’t have the heart to watch it until the end. I mean, how come any person could sit through the animation movie about a little girl left by her mother during World War II. Seriously, I didn’t have the heart to watch it, but I was just sitting through it and fight my uncomfortable feeling. And yeah, my friend is right… big time.

I was having a real sobfest the whole movie. It was both ironic and tragic, but somehow really sweet and beautiful. The little girl, Setsuko bonded with her brother, Seita since her mother died. Their relationship was priceless. I wish I had an elder sibling like Seita. This Seita figure officialy makes me failed in being an elder sibling to my younger sibling.

For the animation technique, well, you never doubt Studio Ghibli. They have great resumes and every year it gets even better. What makes this movie interesting is the story. At the first minutes, you’d love this Setsuko’s character because she was so cute and you’d do anything for her. Then, when the conflict arose, she became a little bit annoying but her brother always tried to cheer her up. That what makes their relationship is priceless. Both of the protagonists were lovable, and you wish you could see them together forever. You could feel Seita’s affection to Setsuko like he realized that he had to protect his little sister no matter what. Also, the scoring supported the story very much. Placed in the right scene and the right time. I’m not gonna lie to you, but I had those sobfest pretty much because of the scoring. And well, mostly because of Setsuko’s dialogue and her innocence, but the scoring was one of the big aspect that affected to the mood of the viewers, though.

After watching this movie, I probably should check other Isao Takahata’s movies. I always thought that Miyazaki was the brightest of Studio Ghibli and never check any movie directed by other director in Studio Ghibili. But, once again, I’m so freaking-deadly wrong. Yeah, since The Secret World of Arrietty, I probably should watch another movie that wasn’t directed by Miyazaki. And for the last, I give this movie 5 out of 5!!! Seriously, you have to watch this movie if you want to test whether you’re sensitive enough… or not.