Grave of the Fireflies finally explained

Tomb of the Fireflies Has a reputation as one of the most depressing animated movies of all time, and its ending explains the cost of war on the people of Japan, especially Seita and Setsuko. Tomb of the Fireflies is a 1988 animated film from Studio Ghibli, the second film produced by the Japanese studio Castle in the sky in 1986. Tomb of the Fireflies is written and directed by Isao Takahata, one of the few filmmakers to produce multiple Studio Ghibli other than Hayao Miyazaki.

After their hometown, Kobe, Japan is bombed and burned to the ground and their mother dies, Seito and his younger sister Setsuko move in with an aunt. The aunt slowly becomes less tolerant of sharing the family’s food, so the siblings leave and start living in an abandoned bomb shelter. Seito has enough money left over from his mother to buy food for Setsuko, But war rationing and limited supplies made It is difficult to get food. Setsuko dies of malnutrition, and Seito shares a similar fate as the siblings’ spirits reunite in the afterlife.

Is Grave Of The Fireflies A True Story?

The movie is actually based on a short story

Tomb of the Fireflies Is Based on a short story by Japanese author Akiyuki Nosaka. The story is fictional, but influenced by his experience growing up during and after World War II in Japan. There was a lot of interest in making Tomb of the Fireflies in live-action, but Nosaka didn’t think it could be done convincingly until he saw the storyboards for Takahata’s animated version. Nosaka’s sister died of malnutrition after the bombing of Kobe, and he always felt responsible. The story was his way of apologizing for not taking better care of her.

Although most Studio Ghibli movies are inspired by fictional stories with much more fantastical elements, Tomb of the Fireflies Is one of the most grounded and brutal in its history. Although it is framed through the lens of the spirits of Seita and Setsuko observing their own lives, it is otherwise brutally realistic in its storytelling and themes. Although it is not a literal retelling of any particular story, it is generally an accurate depiction of life in a Japanese village like Kobe and how average citizens are impacted by regular airstrikes, food shortages and government rationing of resources.

How did Seita and Setsuko die?

Seita and Setsuko are both malnourished

The opening scene of Tomb of the Fireflies Shows Seita and some other boys around his age dying at the railway station where they are begging for food. Given the circumstances, it is quite clear that they died of starvation and malnutrition. The situation is much more explicit with Setsuko, as her condition slowly deteriorates, and The doctor clearly tells Seita that she is malnourished and needs to eat.

Seita goes to town to buy food for her and even feeds her some watermelon, but when he comes back, it’s already too late. She is delirious, eating marbles and hallucinating that rocks are actually rice.

Why didn’t Seita and Setsuko go back to their aunt’s house?

The two children did not have to die

While Seita and Setsuko’s aunt is initially accommodating, she very quickly grows impatient with the children, especially Seita, because he doesn’t work around the house or participate in helping the town or the war effort in any way. Their aunt constantly praises their uncle and cousin for the ways they chip in and gives them extra portions at meals.But Seita focuses his energy on taking care of Setsuko instead.

When they eventually leave their aunt’s house, they are only a short distance away and could walk back, so why does Seita keep Setsuko in the bomb shelter until she dies of malnutrition instead of returning and apologizing to his aunt? Seita was resourceful, but it’s important to remember that he’s still just a kid. Initially, he was trying to protect Setsuko from the news of their mother’s death, but later he was waiting for the return of their father.

He thought that he simply needed to take care of Setsuko until the war ended and his father returned, but by the time he discovered that the war was over, and his father had probably died, it was too late. News of their father’s death may have been the thing that may have finally convinced Seita to return to their auntBut by that point, it was too late, since Setsuko died that same day.

Tomb of the Fireflies ending and true meaning explained

The film shows how bombings destroy lives

Since Japan was a member of the Axis in World War II and allied with Nazi Germany, not many stories about the war shed light on what it was like for the Japanese people. Supply shortages and government rations were also common in other countries, as nations diverted basic resources to fund the war effort, but in much more industrialized societies than the United States, the average citizen struggled much less. moreover, Tomb of the Fireflies Shows how regular attacks by American bombers caused destruction to Japanese citizensEven if they are not directly involved in the war effort.

throughout Tomb of the FirefliesSeita does his best to preserve Setsuko’s innocence by shielding her from the news of their mother’s death. Although it seems sweet at first, it is ultimately what kills them both, when facing the reality and working as part of the village would have served them better in the long run. The tin of Sakuma drops candy is an illustration of this throughout the movie.

Seita gives Setsuko drops when she gets upset, and even has her eat one instead of food at one point, but the sugar candy doesn’t really provide any nutrition, and when it runs out they have nothing left. The theme of fireworks is established early on as they accompany the spirits of Setsuko and Seita. The title of the movie is clearly referring to when the fireflies die and Setsuko makes a pit for them outside the bomb shelter.

While she buries the fireworks, She reveals that she knows their mother died as Seita has a flashback to the bodies of their village, And he lets himself cry for the first time. In his effort to protect Setsuko’s innocence, she knew anyway, and even something as simple as the death of the fireflies that lit their shelter for a night reminded them of the terrible human cost of a war that had nothing to do with it. with them.

How the grave of the firelines ended was obtained

The film has a 100% perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

Tomb of the Fireflies Has a rare perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have overwhelmingly praised the film with a 100% certified Fresh Tomatometer score, and the Audience score is just as great, sitting at a very high 95% with over 50,000 ratings. The ending is devastating, but it is something that the viewers mostly praise. One fan wrote, “The slow burn was done so well. Despite knowing the outcome, I couldn’t stop crying even after the movie ended. Truly a masterpiece.“

Critics loved it even more, with no negative review from the Tomatometer critics. Roger Ebert Reviewed the film and had a lot of good things to say about the story and its difficult ending. He quotes critic Dennis H. Fukushima Jr. in his review:

“Because he was the only survivor, he felt guilty for the death of his sister, while looking for food, he often fed himself first, and his sister second. Her innocent cause of death was Hunger, and it was a sad fact that would haunt Nosaka for years, it prompted him to write about the experience, in hopes of cleansing the demons.

Glen Kenny of The New York Times Agreed with the words of praise in his review of the animated classic. “Separated from their mother after an American bombing raid on Kobe, the couple spend their last days fending for themselves in a wasteland where no adult help is forthcoming. No matter how hard they try, they remain beautiful and sometimes humorously childish.“Most critics and fans agreed that the movie was difficult to watch, however Tomb of the Fireflies Is it worth it in the end: a moving story with a heartwarming and heartwarming ending.