DVD REVIEW: GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES [HOTARU NO HAKA] (JAPANESE ANIME)

I used to admonish Mr G when he stayed up late and watched Japanese anime. It all backfired when one night, with nothing on telly, I watched my first Japanese anime and to bout, it was an offering from the famous Studio Ghibli. Ever since then, I have been a fan. If you want to give anime a go, I would recommend you start with GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES from Studio Ghibli, one of the finest anime created and one of the most touching war films ever made, anime or not. It is directed by Isao Takahata, who also wrote the screenplay.

Set in the aftermath of World War II, GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES focuses on the lives of Setsuko and his young sister Seita and how they struggle against both the elements of wartime and a depreciating Japanese empire. The most striking thing about GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is probably how real everything seems and it depicts the gravity of the era. I cried quite a few times during the course of the movie, and by saying this, I hope I have not put off any blokes that may be reading this – it is mushy, yes, but it deals with war, human emotions and sibling love – not the boy meets girl type of stuff!


With the Japanese empire in crisis and food shortages are a daily occurrence, it is heart breaking to see a brother struggle to make ends meet for his sister, who does not understand the gravity of the situation, especially when the children have had an idyllic childhood, sheltered from the war until the war finally arrives in Japan. Their lives crumble when the children lose their mother in a bombing and their father, whilst he is in service with the Japanese navy. To find out what happens to the children, I strongly recommend you watch GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES. You can purchase it from most DVD stores or on line from JB HiFi.

FYI: The story is based on the semi-autobiographic novel by the same name, whose author, Akiyuki Nosaka (born 1930), lost his sister due to malnutrition in 1945 wartime Japan. He blamed himself for her death and wrote the story so as to make amends to her and help him accept the tragedy. Nosaka suffered a stroke in 2003 and although still struggling with the effects, he still writes a column for a famous Japanese newspaper, the Mainichi Shimbun.


Due to the graphic and truly emotional depiction of the negative consequences of war on society and the individuals therein, some critics have viewed GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES as an anti-war film.

DVD REVIEW: PRINCESS MONONOKE (JAPANESE ANIME) AND THE HOME SONG STORIES (ENGLISH)

I blame SBS for getting me hooked on anime. A few months ago, SBS was having an anime month featuring movies by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. The anime that caught my attention was “Howl’s Moving Castle” (see HERE). I could not believe the detail and effort that was used to make the movie. I have to admit that Japanese stories are a bit ‘out there’ but I have to say that they are quite entertaining to say the least. To reinforce how good Miyazaki’s and Studio Ghibli’s anime are, they have won academy awards. His last win was for “Spirited Away” (see HERE).

If you want to give anime a go, I’d recommend you watch “Grave of the fire flies” (see HERE) by Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli. See if that does not bring a tear to your eye and make you a fan! This was made in the late 80’s. Studio Ghibli only gets better.

Anyway, yesterday we watched “Princess Mononoke”, another of Hayao’s offerings. Once again, the quality was superb and this time the theme was something much more comprehendible – nature and man’s intent of destroying it and how hate can consume people’s mind and thoughts and make them irrational. I don’t want to give too much away….I’d recommend Princess Mononoke. I am definitely buying it to add to my collection! Check out the cast and the synopsis HERE.

Another movie that I will be buying for my collection (I currently have nearly 400 DVDs) is the Australian movie “Home Song Stories”. My daughter and I cried when we watched this. Mr G declined to watch this because it was too sentimental!

It tells the TRUE story of Rose, a Chinese cabaret singer in Hong Kong (played by Joan Chen) and a mother of two, as narrated by her son who wrote and directed this movie (Tony Ayres). Rose and her kids migrate to Australia in the 60’s after she marries an Australian navy sailor. You are shown the ‘demons’ that are haunting Rose and how they impact her and her children’s lives. It well acted and Joan does a great job in her role. You can check this movie out HERE.