Grave of the Fireflies

Starring:Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi, Nick Sullivan, Rhoda Chrosite, Dan Green (III), George Leaver, J. Robert Spencer, Veronica Taylor, Shannon Conley, Amy Jones, Crispin Freeman
Director: Isao Takahata
Studio: Central Park Media
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
Isao Takahata's powerful antiwar film has been praised by critics wherever it has been screened around the world. When their mother is killed in the firebombing of Tokyo near the end of World War II, teenage Seita and his little sister Setsuko are left on their own: their father is away, serving in the Imperial Navy. The two children initially stay with an aunt, but she has little affection for them and resents the time and money they require. The two children set up housekeeping in a cave by a stream, but their meager resources are quickly exhausted, and Seita is reduced to stealing to feed his sister.

Amazon.com essential video

Isao Takahata's powerful antiwar film has been praised by critics wherever it has been screened around the world. When their mother is killed in the firebombing of Tokyo near the end of World War II, teenage Seita and his little sister Setsuko are left on their own: their father is away, serving in the Imperial Navy. The two children initially stay with an aunt, but she has little affection for them and resents the time and money they require. The two children set up housekeeping in a cave by a stream, but their meager resources are quickly exhausted, and Seita is reduced to stealing to feed his sister.

The strength of Grave of the Fireflies lies in Takahata's evenhanded portrayal of the characters. A sympathetic doctor, the greedy aunt, the disinterested cousins all know there is little they can do for Seita and Setsuko. Their resources, like their country's, are already overtaxed: anything they spare endangers their own survival. As in the Barefoot Gen films, no mention is made of Japan's role in the war as an aggressor; but the depiction of the needless suffering endured by its victims transcends national and ideological boundaries. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Unique Take on WWII Aftermath.......2007-06-27

Friends in one of my social circles exposed me to this film,Grave of Fireflies, which is said to be one of the most accurate portrayals of Post War Japan. They repeated this from an anime convention panel discussion. I have to take their word for it because I have not been able to find much information concerning the children of this time and I know that the creators grew up in it.

According to DVD extras on My Neighbor Totoro, a film set in the same time frame that was created simultaneously by the same studio, producers were not ready to make film of this part of Japanese history and that the Japanese audience would not be ready to view it. The producers were persuaded to support it when the script for Totoro was written and the two scripts viewed together.

My Neighbor Totoro is very family friendly and does not cover the aftermath of the war as extensively. The only signs that it takes place during this time include the mother's illness, the rundown houses, and the soot sprites (leftover from the bombs?). It's focus is not the the war or it's effects but the innocence and optimism that still thrived despite everything these characters had lived through previously.

In contrast, Grave of the Fireflies gives a very realistic look at the death and devastation. The main characters in this film were orphaned by the war and bombings yet the boy tries his best to preserve his young sister's innocence and their survival. He is thrust into the role of an adult for which he frequently proves unready. He has to obtain food and often the money to buy it and take his sister to a doctor. The children make their home in an underground shelter that had previously protected whole communities from air raids.

The movie also has many details in the background that give clues to the time period which include people making salt from sea water, an antique radio that is playing music, clothing, and other scenes from the time. Someone who grew up during this time possibly finds the film nostalgic (I do not any personally, so I could not accurately speak for them). I appreciate that it possibly has authority concerning the historical aspects in the story. I do not consider it to be family viewing, except in cases of an older family, because the deaths and medical conditions are realistically portrayed and difficult to watch.

Touching and depressing.......2007-06-08

I cannot recommend this movie enough. Although I would say not for the younger children - my 9 year old left the room and said he didn't want to see such sad stuff. Even my 15 year old said is was depressing. On the other hand, it is a poignant story of the love shared by a pair of siblings in the worst possible conditions.

It is emotionally heart-wrenching - hurt, pain and fear are interspersed with moments of joy and lightheartedness. For much of the movie, I believed that Seita and Setsuko would come out of this together. Of course, since the movie opens with Seita dying I knew that my hope was misplaced, but I wanted them to survive. The love they shared, and the joy they took from one another made me root for them.

Fruit drops will never look the same way again to me.

Great movie.......2007-06-05

This was a moving commentary on the citizens involved in war. I believe this is meant for older children or adults. It is very emotional for a young child.

wow.......2007-05-21

I'd actually give it 4.5 stars. This is an intense movie. While I loved it, it is still haunting me 2 days after having seen it (always a good sign in my book). I really enjoyed it, but oddly enough, I don't think that I can ever watch it again.

After watching it, I felt exhausted, like all of the air left me, and heavy. It is a beautifully drawn film. Amazing that it can provoke two strong clashing feelings at once. I don't know if I would have had my 9 year old watch it if I had really realized what was going to happen, although he paid rapt attention to it. He said that he didn't like it but I suspect that he was referring to the subject matter. Definitely a must see.

Right........2007-04-25

Horrifyingly depressing Japanese animated feature about two orphaned siblings in post WWII Japan who starve to death. Only watch this if you feel like killing yourself.

Average customer rating:

Unique Take on WWII Aftermath
Touching and depressing
Great movie
wow
Right.

Grave of the Fireflies
Starring: Tsutomu Tatsumi , Ayano Shiraishi , Yoshiko Shinohara , Akemi Yamaguchi , and J. Robert Spencer
Director: Isao Takahata
Manufacturer: Central Park Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Princess Mononoke
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
My Neighbor Totoro
Howl's Moving Castle
Whisper of the Heart

ASIN: B00070Q84U
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Unique Take on WWII Aftermath.......2007-06-27

Touching and depressing.......2007-06-08

Great movie.......2007-06-05

This was a moving commentary on the citizens involved in war. I believe this is meant for older children or adults. It is very emotional for a young child.

wow.......2007-05-21

Right........2007-04-25

Horrifyingly depressing Japanese animated feature about two orphaned siblings in post WWII Japan who starve to death. Only watch this if you feel like killing yourself.

Miyazaki 13 Pack (Castle in the Sky/Kiki's Delivery Service/Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind/Porco Rosso/Princess Mononoke/Spirited Away/Grave of the Fireflies/The Cat Returns/Howl's Moving Castle/My Neighbor Totoro/My Neighbors the Yamadas/Pom Poko/Whisper of the Heart) (1999)

Average customer rating:

Pricey, but worthwhile collection of Ghibli's works.

Miyazaki 13 Pack (Castle in the Sky/Kiki's Delivery Service/Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind/Porco Rosso/Princess Mononoke/Spirited Away/Grave of the Fireflies/The Cat Returns/Howl's Moving Castle/My Neighbor Totoro/My Neighbors the Yamadas/Pom Poko/Whisper of the Heart) (1999)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki , and Kirk Wise
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

Product Description

An instant library of 13 Hayao MIYAZAKI classics assembled on 24 DVDs. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio, led by one of animation's greatest creators, Hayao MIYAZAKI. The studio creates very high quality animated movies, which is rather unique, since most Japanese animation studios depend on TV series or OVAs. They consistently beat Disney movies in box office revenues in Japan and have received numerous awards. Miyazaki and Ghibli movies are well respected and loved by all Japanese people, children and adults alike. Now own the ultimate Studio Ghibli DVD collection in this hefty collector's pack.

Customer Reviews:

Pricey, but worthwhile collection of Ghibli's works........2007-05-28

The genius of Hayao Miyazaki and his works from Studio Ghibli have slowly been growing in popularity, due in no small part to a campaign courtesy of Disney, headed by Pixar guru John Lasseter. Starting with SPIRITED AWAY, the Mouse House has released most of Ghibli's masterpieces on DVD here in the United States.

Many other websites have gone into detail about Studio Ghibli and their works in general, so I won't recap them here. However, it should be mentioned that all these movies contain high-quality visual transfers (KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE and LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY show their age in places, but both still look pretty good overall), as well as the original Japanese soundtracks.

While purists insist that the native language track is the only way to see these movies, Disney has nonethless gone out of their way to commission absolutely stupendous dubs featuring actors such as Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman, Phil Hartman, Minnie Driver, Patrick Stewart, Harold Gould, Uma Thurman, Suzanne Pleshette, Pat Carroll, and Billy Crystal. All give excellent performances; some of the choices are a little odd (James Van Der Beek, Michael Keaton, and probably, to a lesser extent, Billy Bob Thornton), but they're hardly blasphemous and don't detract from the overall experience.

While the adaptation scripts sometimes throw in more extra lines than necessary (KIKI and LAPUTA are most notable for this, although to be fair, they're not too much out of context with the original), for the most part they remain faithful in spirit (if not letter) to the screenplays of Miyazaki, Takahata, and company. And best of all, not even one second is omitted from these movies. Four things should be noted, though.

1. KIKI and CASTLE have extra pieces of music on the dubs--the former is mostly soft piano music courtesy of Paul Chihara, while the latter has a spectacular and arguably superior reorchestration of the full score (previously performed on synthesizers). The man responsible for the new music, interestingly, is the original composer Joe Hisaishi, under the approval of Miyazaki himself! There have been many debates over which interpretation of the soundtrack is superior, but personally I think both versions of the score for LAPUTA are beautiful and can be enjoyed independently.

2. GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is the only movie in this package not to be dubbed by Disney; produced by New York based Central Park Media, it's not on the same level as the other titles, but it's mostly well done.

3. The DVD of MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, a much loved movie, is the newly repackaged Disney release with a high-quality widescreen transfer as well as a new dub featuring real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning as Satsuki and Mei. There was a previous, well-liked dub of TOTORO produced by Streamline Pictures and released by FOX in 1993, but the DVD it is on is pan & scan. There has been a lot of pointless debating over which dub is superior; most of these criticims tend to stem from nostalgia rather than reason. I'd suggest ignoring the controversy and listen to both dubs for two different but no less enjoyable interpretations of a great story.

4. PRINCESS MONONOKE (distributed by Miramax) and MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS are both one-disc sets. And, since MONONOKE was the first Ghibli DVD release, there are only two skimpy extras (although the transfer of the movie itself is impeccable).

There are a group of naysayers who have been overly critical of Disney's treatment of these films, claiming that the Mouse House is somehow sabotaging Ghibli's work. These accusations are senseless and untrue. While Disney has admittingly delayed these movies for way too long (they acquired the rights for them in 1996), the numerous criticisms over the DVDs and dubbing are often overdone and unnecessary. While the DVDs are sometimes simply designed, the films themselves are presented well. Likewise, there is little point in comparing the dubs to the original Japanese versions. While there might be some argument about getting a more authentic experience through the native language track on most of these movies (although films like KIKI, LAPUTA, and HOWL are actually easier to watch in English since they all set in European-based environments), when the dubs are as well done as this, it is arguably better to just watch both. Either one provides an enjoyable experience, although getting the most out of the dubs may depend on what you bring with you to them.

For Anime fans, the works of Ghibli are an essential addition, but fans of animation in general owe it to themselves to give them a spin. A word of caution, though: not all of these movies are for children--PRINCESS MONONOKE has some graphic images of violence; it's the sort of movie that grown-ups will enjoy, and that's not a bad thing in the least.

Average customer rating:

Very Happy
bootlegs are bad...
Arrr, mateys! Make this collection walk the plank..
Non Bootleg is a great set, Go for it!
Great for kids

Studio Ghibli Movie Collection

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Tokyo Godfathers
Whisper of the Heart
My Neighbor Totoro
Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Special Edition)
The Cat Returns

ASIN: B000F7TTJQ

Product Description

This is a 4 DVD set that includes 7 movies. They are: Laputa: Castle in the Sky Grave of the Fireflies My Neighbor Totoro Kiki's Delivery Service Porco-Rosso Princess Mononoke Spirited Away Audio is in both English and Japanese

Customer Reviews:

Very Happy.......2007-06-22

I only buy anime from official dealers and I own this set pictured here published by FX. This is a wonderful 6 disc set with scene selection, set up options and interviews. They also have the Hollywood voice overs like the Disney versions. The picture and sound are very good too. A great choice for those who want to save money. Don't buy from private sellers or you're just rolling the dice. I understand there may be some issues with the subtitles but I watch the English versions. I'm very happy with my set.

bootlegs are bad..........2007-06-04

Don't buy bootlegs. Buy the Buena Vista DVD releases (in either R1 or R2). Don't buy these. I'd rather see people download copies from people who are just trying to share things that they like than see people pay money to Chinese bootleggers just trying to make a profit.

Arrr, mateys! Make this collection walk the plank.........2007-05-30

So I bought this set from another site before realizing that they were bootlegs. Well, what should you expect for about $5 a movie?

But besides the ethical issues of ripping of Studio Ghibli, you have very poor quality in the sound/captioning department. Captions are not synched properly with the dialogue; there are captions when there is no dialogue; and they caption sound effects, e.g. (birds chirping), (helicopter whirring), ...as if they were for the hearing impaired.

Furthermore, they jam 2-3 movies per disc, and navigating between movies is near impossible; the only way I can figure out how to do it is to forward through one movie to get to the next.

My advice is to find good used copies of the originals.

Non Bootleg is a great set, Go for it!.......2007-03-20

My DVD set "Studio Ghibli Complete Collection" with Studio Ghibli Trade Mark, has the following on 6 DVDs. My set has similar but different cover to that depicted, very professional and no issues at all with quality.

1. Princess Mononoke 2. Nausicaa: Of The Valley Of Wind 3. Only Yesterday - (Tearful Thoughts) 4. Whisper of the Heart - (Pick Up Your Ears; if Your Listen Carefully) 5. My Neighbor Totoro - (Tonari No Totoro) 6. Defenders of the Forest - (Pompoko) 7. Porco Rosso - (The Crimson Pig) 8. Laputa: Castle In the Sky - (aka: Laputa) 9. Kiki's Delivery Service - (Witch's Special Express Delivery) 10. Grave of the Fireflies - (Hotaro no Haka) 11. Ocean Waves - (I can Hear the Ocean) 12. On Your Mark.

This set has all the need to see Studio Ghibli productions, this set misses Howls Moving Castle and may be a previous best collection prior to the release of that movie. My ratings below are out of 10

In any case the rest are all great, as with any selection there are those you can take or leave but in this case they are few. Top viewing are Grave of the Fireflies, (10) a must see, Kiki's flying Delivery Service (10), and Spirited Away (10), both adorable. Totoro for a fun ride (8), Laputa (9), Nausicca (9) and Princess Mononoke (8) for the adventuous, Swash Buckling Porko Rosso (8), The Cat Returns (9), Wisper of the Heart (9) for fantasy lovers, and Only Yesterday (10) and Ocean Waves (8) for love stories, finally On your Mark (7), a quick rescue the princess type adventure!

Worth every penny I paid. ($51.00 Aus) I hope if you purchase this you get a good copy and not a pirate version.

Great for kids.......2007-02-11

The first Ghibli I saw was Kiki's Delevery Service on Toon Disney althorugh I didn't saw the whole movie, the second was Sprited Away on Cartoon Network (and I didn't see the whole movie again), but I started to see more of the Miyasaki at a local libary and the movies are great for kids, teens and adults.

Average customer rating:

Unique Take on WWII Aftermath
Touching and depressing
Great movie
wow
Right.

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

International | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Princess Mononoke
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
My Neighbor Totoro
Howl's Moving Castle
Whisper of the Heart

ASIN: 1562197290
Release Date: 1998-10-07

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Unique Take on WWII Aftermath.......2007-06-27

Touching and depressing.......2007-06-08

Great movie.......2007-06-05

This was a moving commentary on the citizens involved in war. I believe this is meant for older children or adults. It is very emotional for a young child.

wow.......2007-05-21

Right........2007-04-25

Horrifyingly depressing Japanese animated feature about two orphaned siblings in post WWII Japan who starve to death. Only watch this if you feel like killing yourself.

Akira - The Ultimate Collection [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]

Average customer rating:

Akira - The Ultimate Collection [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]
Director: Katsuhiro Omoto
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Its 2019, the world is on the brink of absolute destruction. Tokyo shimmers with tech-noir fetishism, gangs of cyber-punk bikers cruise the sprawl of the post-atomic city and rioting crowds surge under the neon-topped buildings looming a thousand storeys into the sky. Now, old gods return to do battle with Akira and something more than comic book ultra-violence is unleashed. Prepare to enter this astonishing nightmare of hyper-reality created by one of the worlds leading animation directors, Otomo Katsuhiro. ------------------On the DVD: as befits this film's status as a Manga classic, Akira has a wide selection of extras spread across two discs, including a "Making of Akira" documentary, a photo gallery, a quiz and a "Make your own trailer" feature, as well as one hidden feature on each disc. The film has been digitally remastered and presented in widescreen format, with Dolby Digital 5.1 for the English-dubbed version, and Dolby Digital 2.0 for the original Japanese language version.

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