Grave of the Fireflies (1988). Directed by Isao Takahata, personal review. - 2003-08-27 5:22 p.m. Cartoons typically glorify the need for violence and action in their plots. A person can never see a Tom & Jerry episode without Tom banging his head on a frying pan or having a lawnmower running through him. Even though the scenes are done in a funny way, this is what people generally associate animations with. "Grave of the Fireflies" will no doubt challenge the perception that an animation can be anything but. Here is an anti-war movie so profound that even Roger Ebert has put this animation movie among the best movies of all time. "Grave of the Fireflies" is set during the Second World War in Kobe Japan, when the American bombers were constantly bombing cities in order to halt Japan's economy. But the movie isn't about anti-American. We never see an American in this movie, except for their bombers and fighter planes. The movie is more about war and its effects on people, and this movie focuses on siblings - 14 year-old boy Seita, and his 5 year-old sister, Setsuko. The movie starts with a scene where Seita dies in a railway station. Others just walk by him casually, because at that time, people die so often that it becomes a normalcy. Through Seita and Setsuko, we could see how people try to live under the hardest of circumstances. Seita tried his hardest to be a great brother, but in the end, even him could not control their destiny. Right now, I cannot find the right description for this movie. But of course, I will try. First, It is a very sad piece. I hate to admit that I shed some tears, but I did. The emotions evoked while watching this movie is a testament to Isao Takahata's genius, rivaling that of his Ghibli counterpart, Hayao Miyazaki. Having said that, it is also very powerful, able to provoke my deepest emotions through a simple gesture, laugh or movement. "Grave of the Fireflies" is also very beautiful. The scenes are rich in details, and the movement of things are realistic, and I could just connect to the events instantly. There is a breathtaking scene where Setsuko complains that the cave that they were living in were too dark, and they catch fireflies to light up the cave, which was just too beautiful to describe. Not many movies hit the right notes especially when the theme revolves around war. But "Grave of the Fireflies" hits it right on the correct note, pitch and octave. It is far removed from the hard violent action of other lesser and common war movies, but the message it tries to convey is strong and crystal clear. It is a masterful work of animation, dialogue acting and direction. The movie is more quiet and subtle than your everyday animation or war movies, but "Grave of the Fireflies" is a thousand times more effective. I do not know whether I want to immediately watch it again or not. I just cannot bear the sadness and heartbreak that blankets me when I watch "Grave of the Fireflies", which is a very high compliment to Takahata. But, when I think of how he showed me the love and care that Seita had for his sister, I know that I will watch it again soon, so that I am grateful that I am alive and able to do the things I can, and because this is a great movie.