Along with Clannad After Story and Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, this one counts among the works of art after which I couldnât watch anime for days. It hit that hard, I donât think I could have stood getting right back to the usual slapstick fun most of nowadaysâ anime focus on to some or another extent.
âHotaru no Hakaâ, better known under its English title âGrave of the Firefliesâ, is definitely Studio Ghibliâs saddest tale, even if not their oldest. And it stays true to what Ghibli is; slow but subtle, true to life, successfully realistic; and while most if not all Ghibli movies are touching to some or another extent, this one is absolutely heart-tearing.
Ghibliâs tendency to simple setups shows, of course. That doesnât mean it canât be down-to-earth, however. âGrave of the Firefliesâ shows both the hardships of life and an individual tale, one probably symbolic for a larger number of kids during the war.
It goes without saying that itâs unique. Anime has rarely taken a similar approach, before or after. âGrave of the Firefliesâ is more than that, however; itâs a work of sheer art. Encompassing, relatable, nothing short of beautiful, even more so in terms of story, characters, and emotion than in visual terms. Simply said, it drew me in and didnât let go till it was through, and then for another while.
Of course, as in any Ghibli movie, the characters only help it along. They may be âonlyâ kids, yet theyâre engaging, lovable, and oddly relatable.
Where Ghibliâs usual focus with the characters is the simple innocence of children and young adults, that still-fresh take of the world so-to-speak, thereâs less of all this to be found in here. Itâs still there, but it takes a background seat compared to Miyazakiâs works. âGrave of the Firefliesâ is a film that speaks more of troubled times, of tragedies, of personal regrets, of people being haunted by war, and so on. It may be more solemn than the usual Ghibli movie, but it excels at what it does; being down-to-earth, realistic, full of emotion, relatable, and all the more heart-tearing for all of it. Itâs a film thatâs coming alive as it is watched, characters and story both.
The dialogue is excellent no doubt. The script is Ghibli--it flows well and realistically, it gets the characters and their emotion across, and thereâs no word too much in it. Also, the voice acting definitely doesnât disappoint, especially the Japanese version.
The animation isnât the 2012/13 look, of course. It is pretty realistic for such an old film, but still tends to look ragged here or there--of course it does. While that means I canât give the animation an excellent mark quite yet, it doesnât mean it canât be good. I suppose the technical visual merits are about as good as anime looked back then; and the flaws get balanced out pretty well by the music and art.
The OST in this film is quite outstanding--it always manages to hit the right string, no matter for which kind of atmosphere or purpose. And the art is interesting to say the least, beautiful even in most moments. Studio Ghibliâs trademark character design (those whoâve seen even one Miyazaki movie before will know what I mean); pretty realistic background design; the colouring, outstanding especially whenever thereâs fireflies around; and then, the line-art isnât the classic black but brown, making for another odd but interesting effect.
âGrave of the Firefliesâ doesnât strive for mainstream appeal. Itâs devoid of any action, or slapstick humour. It excels at what it does, though.
Itâs heart-rending--but itâs beautiful all the same; not to mention down-to-earth, and oddly relatable, the combination of which is determined to touch even the most hardened of hearts. Itâs simple on the surface, but itâs pretty sure to make people think; the storyline, and the main characterâs actions, how perhaps he could have changed not the situation but the outcome of it; and last but not least of course the overall theme, how itâs always the children who end up on the losing end of any war.
âGrave of the Firefliesâ is one of the few animes Iâd state as a masterpiece, one of the true and undiscovered gems of the anime world. If you care about emotional movies at all, or those that really get the philosophic gears turning, consider--scratch that, go download this movie. But remember to prepare a tissue box nearby. (
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