Cheap Grave of the Fireflies (Collector's Edition) (DVD) (Isao Takahata) Price

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Customer Reviews of Grave of the Fireflies (Collector's Edition)

A Brilliant, Enlightening Experience
One of the best war movies you will ever see, Grave of the Fireflies is a story of survival and offers a unique perspective presented in a way which roils the emotions. It is a biography. It is not an attempt to glorify or objectify the consequences of war but, rather, to provide a look at the sad and fateful lives of two young individuals trapped in the middle of a vicious conflict. Following the experiences of 14-year old Seita and his 4-year old sister Setsuko, the audience watches their lives fall apart one step at a time. The death of their mother, rejection by an indifferent aunt, learning that the Pacific fleet (where their father served) has fallen, all while trying to survive on their own in a chaotic, unforgiving environment. Grave of the Fireflies is not an anti-war movie. Its message is not "war is bad", there is no message. It simply tells the terrible, dead-honest truth of what two children, caught inbetween warring nations, must endure to survive and, ultimately, the futility of their efforts.

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Excellent Story and Animation
A movie by Studio Ghibli, animated by Isao Takahata. The Film company is the same that made My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and The Princess Mononoke(coming to America this year from Japan). Central Park Media have release this classic on DVD and Video. A Sad story about Seito(brother 14yrs old) and Setsuko(sister 4 yrs old), who are in japan during WW2 and the American air raids. Having lost everything, mother and home, they must find a way to survive the horrors of war. Father in the Navy, they don't know if hes dead or alive, Relatives in Tokyo and nearby town, they don't know how to contact them. A story that won the 1994 Chicago Childrens film festival award. Sure to win your hearts.

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Grave of the Fireflies. A masterpiece of the creative form
Ever since I became a writer somewhere around 1996 or 1997, I've had an intense fascination and desire to create things that touch readers, whether through saddness, fear, or happiness, because I think that when a piece, either written or on screen, touches you emotionally, it leaves a lasting impact on you that can lead to a better understanding of the world around you, and even possibly yourself as well. I think that as a creator, this is the greatest achievement one can reach, and I have the utmost respect and admiration for anyone who accomplishes this very thing which I so eagerly wish to achieve.

"Grave of the Fireflies" is the sad tale, based on the semi-autographical book "Hotaru no Haka" by NOSAKA Akiyuki, which tells of the author's experiences during the aftermath of World War II, in which he lost his little sister to malnutrition, for which he blamed himself.

In "Grave of the Fireflies," 14 year old Seita and his 4 year old sister Setsuko lose their mother after the Allied forces bomb their village. Their father is in the Navy and at sea, and hasn't been heard from in a long while. Without going through the entire plot, suffice it to say that the story is a moving and frightening look back at the lives of two young children who should never have to face such horrors at their tender ages. The tone and mood of this heartwrenching piece is set from the very first scene, when Seita utters the fateful words "September 21st, 1945. That's the day that I died."

Before watching "Grave of the Fireflies" I'd heard that it'd been referred to by many, like movie reviewer Roger Ebert, as one of the greatest war films made, and after watching it, I have to agree. Only a person with the emotional depth of a gnat or the heart of block of wood could watch this film and not feel the emotional power of it. It's the kind of story that lingers in your consciousness long after, and forces you to see the true face of war, the REAL consequences and victims of the violence we seem all too quick to inflict upon each other these days. And the most incredible thing about this movie is its subtleness, its complete lack of political propaganda or any attempt to try to blantantly force a moralistic ideal down the viewers throat. Director Isao Takahata shows supreme trust in the story itself, choosing to use the beautifully illustrated film to portray the tale in all its moving glory.

In Japan this movie was shown in schools as an educational piece. I don't know if this has been done in America, but I think that it should. We need to learn to understand the entire spectrum of war, and on an even more basic level, we just need to teach our children the lessons of empathy and compassion so that when they find themselves in positions in which their decisions impact others, they'll take care to consider the consequences before making those decisions. I also think that every world leader should be forced to sit down and watch this film over and over until its message is ingrained into the nooks and crannies of their brains, because it often seems that compassion and empathy are qualities sadly lacking these days.