Editing Grave of the Fireflies

{{Short description|1988 Japanese animated film}}
{{About|the 1988 film|the short story|Grave of the Fireflies (short story){{!}}''Grave of the Fireflies'' (short story)|the 2005 film|Grave of the Fireflies (2005 film){{!}}''Grave of the Fireflies'' (2005 film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}{{Infobox film
| name = Grave of the Fireflies
| image = Grave of the Fireflies Japanese poster.jpg
| alt = The main protagonist Seita is carrying Setsuko on his back in a field with a plane flying overhead at night. Above them is the film's title and text below reveals the film's credits.
| caption = Theatrical release poster 
| native_name = {{Infobox Japanese
 | kanji = 火垂るの墓
 | revhep = Hotaru no Haka}}
| director = [[Isao Takahata]]
| producer = Toru Hara
| screenplay = Isao Takahata
| based_on = {{based on|"[[Grave of the Fireflies (short story)|Grave of the Fireflies]]"|[[Akiyuki Nosaka]]}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Tsutomu Tatsumi]]
* {{ill|Ayano Shiraishi|ja|白石綾乃}}
* {{ill|Yoshiko Shinohara (voice actress)|lt=Yoshiko Shinohara|ja|志乃原良子}}
* {{ill|Akemi Yamaguchi|ja|山口朱美}}
}}
| music = [[Michio Mamiya]]
| cinematography = Nobuo Koyama
| editing = [[Takeshi Seyama]]
| production_companies = [[Studio Ghibli]]
| distributor = [[Toho]]
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1988|04|16}}
| runtime = 89 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 88:47--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/grave-of-the-fireflies-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmdq1otc | title=''GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES'' (12A) | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=17 May 2013 | access-date=17 May 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814235552/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/grave-fireflies-film | archive-date=14 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref>
| country = Japan
| language = Japanese
| gross = {{Plainlist|
* {{JPY|1.7 billion}} (Japan)<ref name="ghibli"/>
* {{US$|516,962|long=no}} (US)<ref name="bom"/>}}
}}

{{Nihongo foot|'''''Grave of the Fireflies'''''|火垂るの墓|Hotaru no Haka|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 1988 Japanese [[Anime|animated]] [[war film]] written and directed by [[Isao Takahata]], and produced by [[Studio Ghibli]]. It is based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical [[Grave of the Fireflies (short story)|short story of the same name]] by [[Akiyuki Nosaka]]. Set in the city of [[Kobe|Kobe, Japan]], it tells the story of siblings and war orphans Seita and Setsuko, and their desperate struggle to survive during the final months of the [[Pacific War]].

Production of ''Grave of the Fireflies'' began after [[Akiyuki Nosaka]] became interested in an animated adaptation of his book.<ref name="Animerica8" /> The film was Takahata's first with [[Studio Ghibli]].<ref name=":0" /> Several critics consider ''Grave of the Fireflies'' an [[anti-war film]], but Takahata has disputed this claim.<ref name=":7" /> The film stars [[Tsutomu Tatsumi]], {{ill|Ayano Shiraishi|ja|白石綾乃}}, {{ill|Yoshiko Shinohara (voice actress)|lt=Yoshiko Shinohara|ja|志乃原良子}} and {{ill|Akemi Yamaguchi|ja|山口朱美}}. It was theatrically released on April 16, 1988.<ref name="Animerica8" /> 

Upon release, the film was universally acclaimed by critics, with particular praise toward its emotional weight.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colbert |first=Stephen M. |last2=Lealos |first2=Shawn S. |date=2023-11-16 |title=Grave Of The Fireflies Ending Explained |url=https://screenrant.com/grave-of-the-fireflies-ending-explained/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fuge |first=Jonathan |date=2024-08-20 |title=Studio Ghibli's Saddest Film Is Coming to Netflix |url=https://movieweb.com/studio-ghibli-saddest-film-netflix-grave-fireflies/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=MovieWeb |language=en}}</ref> It was also modestly successful at the Japanese box office, grossing ¥1.7 billion.<ref name="ghibli" /> ''Grave of the Fireflies'' has been considered to be Isao Takahata's [[Masterpiece|''magnum opus'']] as well as one of the greatest animated films ever made,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Faith |date=2014-11-26 |title=Grave of the Fireflies |url=https://studioghiblimovies.com/grave-fireflies/ |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=Studio Ghibli Movies |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Best Animated Movies of All Time |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/khal/best-animated-movies-of-all-time |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=Complex |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/the-10-best-studio-ghibli-movies-ranked |title=The 10 Best Studio Ghibli Movies, Ranked - IGN |date=2025-04-20 |language=en |access-date=2025-04-25 |via=www.ign.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Hannah |date=2024-09-14 |title=36 Years Later, Grave of the Fireflies Remains Studio Ghibli's Tragic Masterpiece |url=https://www.cbr.com/grave-of-the-fireflies-review/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref> and is recognized as a major work of Japanese animation.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Grave of the Fireflies movie review (1988) {{!}} Roger Ebert|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-grave-of-the-fireflies-1988|access-date=24 November 2020|website=rogerebert.com/|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The 50 best World War II movies|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/50-best-world-war-ii-movies|access-date=24 November 2020|website=Time Out London|language=en}}</ref> 

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words only. Please check the word count before making any additions. Please discuss any major changes on the talk page. -->

In March 1945, American bombers [[Bombing of Kobe|destroy]] most of [[Kobe]] during the waning days of the [[Pacific War]]. Children of an [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] captain, Seita and his sister Setsuko, survive, but their mother dies. Seita conceals their mother's death from Setsuko. The siblings move in with a distant aunt, and Seita retrieves supplies he buried before the bombing and gives everything to his aunt, save for a tin of [[Sakuma drops]], which he gives to Setsuko. The aunt convinces Seita to sell his mother's silk [[kimono]]s for rice, which devastates Setsuko.

As rations shrink, the aunt becomes resentful of the children as Seita does nothing to earn the food she prepares for them. At her suggestion, Seita withdraws some money from his mother's bank account to buy a charcoal stove and other supplies. Following an air raid, the siblings move into an abandoned bomb shelter. They capture [[Firefly|fireflies]] from the marshes and release them into the refuge for light. The following morning the fireflies have died. Setsuko buries them and reveals their aunt told her their mother died, then tearfully asks why the fireflies had to die so soon.

The situation becomes grim when they run out of rice and a friendly farmer insists that Seita swallow his pride and return to their aunt as they cannot survive alone. Seita steals crops from farms and breaks into homes during air raids. A farmer catches and beats him, but a police officer sympathizes with Seita as he is only stealing to feed Setsuko.

Setsuko falls ill, and a doctor explains she is suffering [[malnutrition]]. Seita withdraws the last of the money from their mother's bank account. He is distraught to learn that [[Surrender of Japan|Japan has surrendered]] and that his father is most likely dead, as most of Japan's naval fleet have been sunk. Seita returns to Setsuko with food and finds her hallucinating. She dies as Seita finishes preparing the food. Seita cremates Setsuko's body and her doll in a straw casket. He carries her ashes in the candy tin along with his father's photograph.

Seita dies of starvation a few weeks later at a [[Sannomiya]] train station surrounded by other malnourished people. A janitor, tasked with removing the bodies before the Americans' arrival, sorts through Seita's possessions. He finds the candy tin and throws it into a field. Setsuko's ashes spread out, and her spirit springs from the container and is joined by Seita's spirit and a cloud of fireflies. The two board a ghostly train and, throughout the journey, look back at the events leading to Seita's death as silent, passive observers.{{efn|Seita and Setsuko's observance is interspersed throughout the film as a [[frame story]].}} Their spirits arrive at their destination: a hilltop bench overlooking present-day Kobe, surrounded by fireflies, healthy and content.

==Voice cast==

{{Multiple issues|section=yes|1={{Unreferenced section |date=October 2024}}
{{Expand section |date=October 2024}}}}

{{Plain row headers}}
{| class="wikitable plain-row-headers"
|+ {{sronly|Voice cast}}
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Character
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Japanese voice actor
! scope="colgroup" colspan="3" | English voice actor
|-
! scope="col" | {{small|Skypilot Entertainment/[[Central Park Media|CPM]] (1998)}}
! scope="col" | {{small|[[Seraphim Digital|Seraphim]]/[[Sentai Filmworks|Sentai]] (2012)}}
! scope="col" | {{small|[[Dubbing Brothers]]/[[Netflix]] (2025)}}
|-
! scope=row | {{nihongo|Seita Yokokawa|横川 清太|Yokokawa Seita}}
|[[Tsutomu Tatsumi]]
|[[J. Robert Spencer]]
|[[Adam Gibbs]]
|Lucas Jaye
|-
! scope=row | {{nihongo|Setsuko Yokokawa|横川 節子|Yokokawa Setsuko}}
|{{ill|Ayano Shiraishi|ja|白石綾乃}}
|[[Corinne Orr]]
|[[Emily Neves]]
|Luna Hamilton
|-
! scope=row | {{nihongo|Seita and Setsuko's Mother|清太と節子の母|Seita to Setsuko no Haha}}
|{{ill|Yoshiko Shinohara (voice actress)|lt=Yoshiko Shinohara|ja|志乃原良子}}
|[[Veronica Taylor]]
|[[Shelley Calene-Black]]
|
|-
! scope=row | {{nihongo|Relative's Aunt|親戚の叔母さん|Shinseki no Obasan}}
|{{ill|Akemi Yamaguchi|ja|山口朱美}}
|Amy Jones
|Marcy Bannor
|[[Ren Hanami]]
|}

==Production==
===Development===
[[File:American bombs falling on Kobe.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Incendiary bombs being dropped onto Kobe, the setting of the film]]''[[Grave of the Fireflies (short story)|Grave of the Fireflies]]'' author [[Akiyuki Nosaka]] said that many offers had been made to make a [[live-action]] film adaptation of his short story.<ref name="Animerica8">{{cite journal |title=The Animerica Interview: Takahata and Nosaka: Two Grave Voices in Animation |journal=[[Animerica]] |volume=2 |issue=11 |page=8 |url=https://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |year=1994 |access-date=4 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704093747/http://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |archive-date=4 July 2018 |url-status=live}} Translated by ''Animerica'' from: {{cite book|author-link=Isao Takahata|last=Takahata |first=Isao |script-title=ja:映画を作りながら考えたこと |trans-title=Things I Thought While Making Movies |publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]] |year=1991 |isbn=978-4-19-554639-0}} Originally published in ''[[Animage]]'', June 1987. This is a translation of a 1987 conversation between Takahata and [[Akiyuki Nosaka]].</ref> Nosaka argued that "it was impossible to create the barren, scorched earth that's to be the backdrop of the story".<ref name="Animerica8"/> He also argued that contemporary children would not be able to convincingly play the characters. Nosaka expressed surprise when an animated version was offered.<ref name="Animerica8"/> After seeing the storyboards, Nosaka concluded that it was not possible for such a story to have been made in any method other than animation and expressed surprise in how accurately the rice paddies and townscape were depicted.<ref name="Animerica8"/>

[[Isao Takahata]] said that he was compelled to film the short story after seeing how the main character, Seita, "was a unique wartime ninth grader".<ref name="Animerica7">{{cite journal |title=The Animerica Interview: Takahata and Nosaka: Two Grave Voices in Animation |journal=[[Animerica]] |volume=2 |issue=11 |page=7 |url=https://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |year=1994  |access-date=4 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704093747/http://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |archive-date=4 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Takahata explained that any wartime story, whether animated or not animated, "tends to be moving and tear-jerking", and that young people develop an "[[inferiority complex]]" where they perceive people in wartime eras as being more noble and more able than they are, and therefore the audience believes that the story has nothing to do with them. Takahata argued that he wanted to dispel this mindset.<ref name="Animerica8"/> When Nosaka asked if the film characters were "having fun", Takahata answered that he clearly depicted Seita and Setsuko had "substantial" days and that they were "''enjoying'' their days".<ref name="Animerica10">{{cite journal |title=The Animerica Interview: Takahata and Nosaka: Two Grave Voices in Animation |journal=[[Animerica]] |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=10 |url=https://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |year=1994  |access-date=4 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704093747/http://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |archive-date=4 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Takahata said that Setsuko was even more difficult to animate than Seita, and that he had never before depicted a girl younger than five.<ref name="Animerica8"/> Takahata said that "In that respect, when you make the book into a movie, Setsuko becomes a tangible person", and that four-year-olds often become more assertive and self-centered, and try to get their own ways during that age. He explained that while one could "have a scene where Seita can't stand that anymore", it is "difficult to incorporate into a story".<ref name="Animerica9"/> Takahata explained that the film is from Seita's point of view, "and even objective passages are filtered through his feelings".<ref name="Animerica10"/>

Takahata said that he had considered using non-traditional animation methods, but because "the schedule was planned and the movie's release date set, and the staff assembled, it was apparent there was no room for such a trial-and-error approach".<ref name="Animerica10"/> He further remarked that he had difficulty animating the scenery since, in Japanese animation, one is "not allowed" to depict Japan in a realistic manner.<ref name="Animerica8"/> Animators often traveled to foreign countries to do research on how to depict them, but such research had not been done before for a Japanese setting.<ref name="Animerica8"/> While animating the movie, Takahata also created several different cuts of the scene in which Seita cremates Setsuko's body. Takahata spent a lot of time on this scene, trying to create the perfect iteration of it. Each of these cuts remained unfinished and unused in the end.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interview: Studio Ghibli Production Coordinator Hirokatsu Kihara |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2018-08-21/studio-ghibli-production-coordinator-hirokatsu-kihara/.135726 |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}</ref>

Most of the illustration outlines in the film are in brown, instead of the customary black. Black outlines were only used when it was absolutely necessary. Color coordinator [[Michiyo Yasuda]] said this was done to give the film a softer feel. Yasuda said that this technique had never been used in an anime before ''Grave of the Fireflies'', "and it was done on a challenge".<ref name="Animerica8"/> Yasuda explained that brown is more difficult to use than black because it does not contrast as well as black.<ref name="Animerica8"/>

''Grave of the'' ''Fireflies'' was Takahata's first animated film produced with [[Studio Ghibli]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-04-06 |title=R.I.P. Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and director of Grave Of The Fireflies |url=https://www.avclub.com/r-i-p-isao-takahata-co-founder-of-studio-ghibli-and-d-1825035306 |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en}}</ref>

Takahata insisted on working with well known animators [[Yoshifumi Kondō]] who was working for [[Nippon Animation]] at the time and [[Yoshiyuki Momose]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yoshifumi Kondo, Studio Ghibli's Forgotten Master |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/05/yoshifumi-kondo-studio-ghiblis-forgotten-master/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Both animators played a pivotal role in creating fluid, realistic animations of the characters in the animation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yoshifumi Kondô |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0464911/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Yoshiyuki Momose |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1077423/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref>

Takahata drew from his personal experience to create a realistic depiction of the air raid on [[Okayama]]. In an interview, he criticized TV shows and movies that had recreated images of incendiary bombs, "They include no sparks or explosions, I was there and I experienced it, so I know what it was like."<ref name="Faith">{{Cite web |last=Faith |date=2015-09-21 |title=Rare interview with Isao Takahata, co-founder of Ghibli |url=https://studioghiblimovies.com/rare-interview-with-isao-takahata-co-founder-of-ghibli/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=Studio Ghibli Movies |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="lwlies.com">{{Cite web |title=How personal trauma and national tragedy inspired Grave of the Fireflies |url=https://lwlies.com/articles/grave-of-the-fireflies-isao-takahata-studio-ghibli/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=Little White Lies |language=en}}</ref>

The film features Niteko-ike pond (ニテコ池), which is described as the "birthplace" of the novel and where Nosaka conducted his daily routines of dishwashing and personal ablutions. Notably, during the final days of the Pacific War, Nosaka, then 14 years old, sought refuge with his younger sister-in-law in a relative's house and nearby bomb shelters near the pond.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Kazuhiko |last=Matsunaga |title=Stone marker to commemorate site in 'Grave of the Fireflies' |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13061933 |date=2019-08-26 |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=[[The Asahi Shimbun]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=nishinomiya-minami |date=2022-08-14 |title=苦楽園口｜「火垂るの墓」のロケ地ニテコ池と「火垂るの墓」記念碑 - 西宮さんぽ ご近所情報 |url=https://www.nishi-city.com/entry/2022/08/14/160540 |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=西宮さんぽ ご近所情報 |language=ja}}</ref>

The location and background in the film is based on a style created by 18th century Japanese artist [[Hiroshige]] and his follower [[Hergé]], who created [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |title=Grave of the Fireflies movie review (1988) {{!}} Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-grave-of-the-fireflies-1988 |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=www.rogerebert.com/ |language=en}}</ref> Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] examines the contrast of the style of the background in comparison to the cartoonish animation of the characters. He claims that there is an unusual amount of detail in the evocative landscape, while the characters are a take on the modern Japanese animation style, with childlike bodies and enormous eyes. Ebert believed that this deliberate animation style embodies the true purpose of animation, which is to recreate the raw emotion of human life by simplifying reality to emphasize ideas.<ref name="Grave of the Fireflies">{{Cite web |title=Grave of the Fireflies |url=http://archive.ebertfest.media.illinois.edu/two/grave_rev.htm |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=archive.ebertfest.media.illinois.edu}}</ref> He concludes his analysis with saying, "Yes, it's a cartoon, and the kids have eyes like saucers, but it belongs on any list of the greatest war films ever made."<ref name=":4" /> According to Wendy Goldberg, Takahata's film also includes criticism of the emphasis on nationalism in Japan. In a particular scene, Seita's desire to join his father reflects a "national fantasy of war", which leads him to neglect his sister.<ref name=":3"/>

===Music===
The music for the film was composed by [[Michio Mamiya]]. The theme song, "[[Home! Sweet Home!|Home Sweet Home]]", was performed by [[coloratura soprano]] [[Amelita Galli-Curci]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Anime Classical: The Best Operatic Moment in Anime Was Also Its Saddest|url=https://www.altoriot.com/the-best-operatic-moment-in-anime-was-also-its-saddest/|website=Altorito|access-date=23 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129042835/http://www.altoriot.com/the-best-operatic-moment-in-anime-was-also-its-saddest/|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Dialogue of the film is part of the soundtrack as the music and dialogue are not separated in any way.<ref name="ost">{{Cite web|title=Grave of the Fireflies (Original Soundtrack) - GhibliWiki|url=http://www.nausicaa.net/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies_(Original_Soundtrack)|access-date=2022-02-05|website=www.nausicaa.net}}</ref> Mamiya is also a music specialist in [[baroque]] and [[Classical music|classical]] music.

During an interview about his music, Mamiya stated that he creates his music to encourage peace.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Michio Mamiya interview transcript - from Minnesota Public Radio Music|url=https://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0109_hun_qiao/mamiya_transcript.shtml|access-date=2022-02-04|website=music.minnesota.publicradio.org}}</ref> The songs in ''Grave of the Fireflies'' as well as other pieces by Michio Mamiya, such as ''Serenade No. 3 "Germ"'', express this theme.<ref name=":1" />

The soundtrack album titled {{nihongo|Grave of the Fireflies Soundtrack Collection|火垂るの墓 サウンドトラック集|Hotaru no Haka Saundotorakku Shū}} was first released on April 5, 1997, by Studio Ghilbi Records and {{ill|Tokuma Japan Communications|ja|徳間ジャパンコミュニケーションズ}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://billboard-japan.com/goods/detail/271037 |title=「火垂るの墓」サウンドトラック集 - Billboard JAPAN |author=[[Billboard Japan]] |year=2021 |website=Billboard Japan（billboard-japan.com） |publisher=株式会社阪神コンテンツリンク Hanshin Contents Link Corporation／Billboard Media, LLC. |language=ja |access-date=2024-06-20 |quote=}}</ref> and later released on June 25, 1988, by ''[[Animage]]''.
The soundtrack does not contain standalone music and instead features both dialogue and music as they appear in the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://store.crunchyroll.com/products/grave-of-the-fireflies-vinyl-soundtrack-4988008091113.html |title=Grave of the Fireflies Vinyl Soundtrack - Crunchyroll |author= |year=2023 |website=[[Crunchyroll]]（crunchyroll.com） |publisher=Crunchyroll, LLC |language=en |access-date=2024-06-20 |quote=...This album contains not only the music, but also the dialogues and sound effects....}}</ref>

Another soundtrack album titled {{nihongo|Grave of the Fireflies Image Album Collection|火垂るの墓 イメージ・アルバム集|Hotaru no Haka Imeji Arubamu Shū}} was first released on April 5, 1997, by Studio Ghilbi Records and Tokuma Japan Communications,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://billboard-japan.com/goods/detail/271036 |title=「火垂るの墓」イメージアルバム集 - Billboard JAPAN |author=[[Billboard Japan]] |year=2021 |website=Billboard Japan（billboard-japan.com） |publisher=株式会社阪神コンテンツリンク Hanshin Contents Link Corporation／Billboard Media, LLC. |language=ja |access-date=2024-06-20 |quote=}}</ref> and later released on November 25, 1987, by ''[[Animage]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://store.crunchyroll.com/products/grave-of-the-fireflies-image-album-vinyl-4988008091014.html |title=Grave of the Fireflies Image Album Vinyl - Crunchyroll |author= |year=2023 |website=[[Crunchyroll]]（crunchyroll.com） |publisher=Crunchyroll, LLC |language=en |access-date=2024-06-20 |quote=}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = ''Grave of the Fireflies Soundtrack Collection'' track listing
| all_music = [[Michio Mamiya]]
| title1 = Setsuko and Seita ~ Main Title
| note1 = {{lang|ja|節子と清太~メインタイトル}}; {{transliteration|ja|Setsuko to Seita ~ Mein Taitoru}}
| length1 = 2:57
| title2 = The Burnt-out Area
| note2 = {{lang|ja|焼野原}}, {{transliteration|ja|Yake Nohara}}
| length2 = 6:51
| title3 = Mother's Death
| note3 = {{lang|ja|母の死}}, {{transliteration|ja|Haha no Shi}}
| length3 = 6:34
| title4 = Early Summer
| note4 = {{lang|ja|初夏}}, {{transliteration|ja|Shoka}}
| length4 = 3:14
| title5 = At the Shore of the Pond
| note5 = {{lang|ja|池のほとり}}, {{transliteration|ja|Ike no Hotori}}
| length5 = 2:21
| title6 = To the Ocean
| note6 = {{lang|ja|海へ}}, {{transliteration|ja|Umi e}}
| length6 = 1:37
| title7 = The Beach
| note7 = {{lang|ja|波打際}}, {{transliteration|ja|Namiuchigiwa}}
| length7 = 1:37
| title8 = The Parasol
| note8 = {{lang|ja|日傘}}, {{transliteration|ja|Higasa}}
| length8 = 2:26
| title9 = Under the Cherry Blossoms
| note9 = {{lang|ja|桜の下}}, {{transliteration|ja|Sakura no Shita}}
| length9 = 1:31
| title10 = Drops
| note10 = {{lang|ja|ドロップス}}, {{transliteration|ja|Doroppusu}}
| length10 = 2:13
| title11 = Moving
| note11 = {{lang|ja|引越し}}, {{transliteration|ja|Hikkoshi}}
| length11 = 2:17
| title12 = Older Brother, Younger Sister
| note12 = {{lang|ja|兄妹}}, {{transliteration|ja|Keimai}}
| length12 = 2:15
| title13 = Fireflies
| note13 = {{lang|ja|ほたる}}, {{transliteration|ja|Hotaru}}
| length13 = 4:12
| title14 = Grave of the Fireflies
| note14 = {{lang|ja|ほたるの墓}}, {{transliteration|ja|Hotaru no Haka}}
| length14 = 1:46
| title15 = Sunset Colors
| note15 = {{lang|ja|夕焼け}}, {{transliteration|ja|Yūyake}}
| length15 = 0:53
| title16 = Scene of Carnage
| note16 = {{lang|ja|修羅}}, {{transliteration|ja|Shura}}
| length16 = 3:08
| title17 = Elegy / Song of Sorrow
| note17 = {{lang|ja|悲歌}}, {{transliteration|ja|Hika}}
| length17 = 3:12
| title18 = Two (People) ~ End Title
| note18 = {{lang|ja|ふたり~エンドタイトル}}, {{transliteration|ja|Futari ~ Endo Taitoru}}
| length18 = 8:52
| total_length = 58:13}}

{{track listing
| headline     = ''Grave of the Fireflies Image Album Collection'' track listing

| title1       = Firefly
| note1        = {{lang|ja|ほたる}}, {{transliteration|ja|Hotaru}}
| music1       = [[Michio Mamiya]]
| length1      = 6:03

| title2       = Episode I "Evening"
| note2        = {{lang|ja|Episode I「夜」}}, {{transliteration|ja|Episode I "Yoru"}}
| music2       = Mamiya
| length2      = 2:02

| title3       = Older Brother, Younger Sister
| note3        = {{lang|ja|兄妹}}, {{transliteration|ja|Keimai}}
| music3       = Mamiya
| length3      = 4:04

| title4       = Another Air Raid, The War Continues
| note4        = {{lang|ja|戦争又は空襲}}, {{transliteration|ja|Sensō Mata wa Kūshū}}
| music4       = Mamiya
| length4      = 4:02

| title5       = Episode II "Setsuko"
| note5        = {{lang|ja|Episode II「節子」}}
| music5       = Mamiya
| length5      = 1:12

| title6       = Mother
| note6        = {{lang|ja|母}}, {{transliteration|ja|Haha}}
| music6       = Mamiya
| length6      = 5:00

| title7       = Hotaru
| music7       = [[Masahiko Satoh]]
| length7      = 11:35

| title8       = By the Side of the Brook (Twilight with Fireflies)
| note8        = {{lang|ja|小川のほとり(蛍のいる夕暮れ)}}, {{transliteration|ja|Ogawa no Hotori (Hotaru no Iru Yūgure)}}
| music8       = Kazuo Kikkawa
| length8      = 3:59

| title9       = The Illusion of a Gentle Breeze and Red Parasol
| note9        = {{lang|ja|そよ風と赤い日傘の幻影}}, {{transliteration|ja|Soyokaze to Akai Higasa no Gen'ei}}
| music9       = Kikkawa
| length9      = 4:52

| title10      = Black Rain ~ Summer Grass
| note10       = {{lang|ja|黒い雨～夏草}}, {{transliteration|ja|Kuroi Ame~Natsukusa}}
| music10      = Kikkawa
| length10     = 6:37

| total_length = 49:26
}}

==Themes and analysis==
In his book about the film, [[Alex Dudok de Wit]] called ''Grave of the Fireflies'' an "unusually personal adaptation" of Nosaka's short story as Takahata had similar experiences during the war, though noted it deviated significantly in its portrayal of the children as ghosts in its opening sequence whereas the short story began immediately with the children losing their mother during the air raid.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dudok de Wit |first=Alex |author-link=Alex Dudok de Wit |title=Grave of the Fireflies |publisher=[[BFI]] | year= 2021}}</ref>

Some critics in the West have viewed ''Grave of the Fireflies'' as an [[anti-war]] film due to the graphic and emotional depiction of the pernicious repercussions of war on a society, and the individuals therein. The film focuses its attention almost entirely on the personal tragedies that war gives rise to, rather than seeking to glamorize it as a heroic struggle between competing nations. It emphasizes that war is society's failure to perform its most important duty: to protect its own people.<ref name=":7">{{cite web|title=Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka)|last=Etherington |first=Daniel|url=http://www.film4.com/reviews/1988/grave-of-the-fireflies|work=[[Film4]]|publisher=[[Channel Four Television Corporation]]|access-date=23 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322000916/http://www.film4.com/reviews/1988/grave-of-the-fireflies|archive-date=22 March 2013}}</ref>

However, Takahata repeatedly denied that the film was an anti-war film. In his own words, it "is not at all an anti-war anime and contains absolutely no such message". Instead, Takahata had intended to convey an image of the brother and sister living a failed life due to isolation from society and invoke sympathy particularly in people in their teens and twenties.<ref name = Interview>Interview published on May 1988 edition of ''[[Animage]]''</ref><ref name = Things>{{cite book|year=1991|script-title=ja:映画を作りながら考えたこと|trans-title=Things I Thought While Making Movies|language=ja|first=Isao|last=Takahata|author-link=Isao Takahata|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|page=471|isbn=978-4-19-554639-0}}</ref> Takahata also describes Japan at that time as "repressive", a time when "totalitarianism at its lowest" was endorsed in social life. He said "Seita defies such totalitarianism and tries to build a 'pure family' with Setsuko alone. Is such a thing possible? No, it is not possible, so he lets Setsuko die.{{nbsp}}[...] But can we criticize him? The reason why we modern people can easily sympathize with Seita emotionally is because the times have reversed. If the times are reversed again someday, the time may come when many people have more opinions to denounce Seita than that widow. I find it frightening."<ref name="Interview"/>

Since the film gives little context to the war, Takahata feared a politician could just as easily claim fighting is needed to avoid such tragedies. In general, he was skeptical that depictions of suffering in similar works, such as ''[[Barefoot Gen]]'', actually prevent aggression. The director was nevertheless an anti-war advocate, a staunch supporter of [[Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution]], and has openly criticized Japan's penchant for conformity, allowing them to be rallied against other nations. He expressed despair and anxiety whenever the youth are told to fall in line, a reminder that the country at its core has not changed.<ref>{{cite web|title=時代の正体〈47〉過ち繰り返さぬために|trans-title=The Truth Behind History <47> To Prevent Repeating Mistakes|last=Takahata|first=Isao|author-link=Isao Takahata|url=https://www.kanaloco.jp/article/72742|work=[[Kanagawa Shimbun]]|date=1 January 2015|access-date=29 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306040501/http://www.kanaloco.jp/article/72742|archive-date=6 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite the public's emotional reaction, [[Isao Takahata|Takahata]] expressed that the purpose of the film was not to be a tragedy or make people cry.<ref name=":2">Animage, vol 151, January, 1991.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-06 |title=R.I.P. Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and director of Grave Of The Fireflies |url=https://www.avclub.com/r-i-p-isao-takahata-co-founder-of-studio-ghibli-and-d-1825035306 |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en}}</ref> Moreover, he regretted depicting Seita as a boy from that era because he wanted him to come off as a contemporary boy who acted like he had time-traveled to the period. He didn't intend for it to be retrospective or nostalgic. He wanted the Japanese audience to recognize Seita's misguided attempts to withdraw from society and family.<ref name=":2" /> Furthermore, he says that his decision to show the audience that Seita and Setsuko have died at the beginning of the movie is to protect the audience from heartbreak, "If an audience knows at the beginning of the film that the two will eventually die, they are more prepared to watch the film in the first place. I try to lessen an audience's pain by revealing everything at the beginning."<ref name="Faith"/><ref name="lwlies.com"/>

The fireflies in the film are portrayed as symbols of various themes such as the spirits of the lost children, the fires that burned the towns, Japanese soldiers, the machinery of war, and the regeneration of life through nature.<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Goldberg |first1=Wendy |title=Transcending the Victim's History: Takahata Isao's Grave of the Fireflies |journal=Mechademia |date=2009 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=39–52 |id={{Project MUSE|368618}} |doi=10.1353/mec.0.0030 |s2cid=122517858 |doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Okypo Moon]] states in her essay "Marketing Nature in Rural Japan", that hundreds of fireflies were caught nightly in the 1920s and 1930s. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a shift to reinstate this tradition and "there are now eighty five 'firefly villages' (''hotaru no sato'') registered at the Ministry of the Environment in Japan.<ref>Okpyo Moon, "Marking Nature in Rural Japan", in Japanese Images of Nature, ed. Pamela J. Asquith and Arne Kalland (Surrey, U.K.: Curzon Press, 1997), 224–25.</ref> The movie uses fireflies to visually represent both deadly and beautiful imagery, such as fire-bombs and kamikazes.<ref name=":3" /> Takahata chooses to use the ''kanji'' "fire" instead of the normal character for the word firefly in the title, which has been interpreted to represent the widespread burning of wooden houses in Japan. Critic Dennis H. Fukushima Jr. believes that this modification of the title is to emphasize parallels between beauty and devastation, citing the relationship between fireflies, [[M-69 incendiary|M-69 incendiary bombs]], naval vessels, city lights, and human spirits.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Grave of the Fireflies"/>

In the book ''Imag(in)ing the war in Japan representing and responding to trauma in postwar literature and film'', David Stahl and Mark Williams commend the film for not emphasizing Japanese victimhood to avoid responsibility for atrocities of the war they played a role in. They interpret that Seita's character embodies working towards healing historical trauma and victimization, because it is his nationalistic pride and selfishness which ultimately contributed to his sister's death.<ref>Stahl, David C., and Mark Williams. "Victimization and "Response-ability": Remembering, Representing, and Working Through Trauma in Grave of the Fireflies." ''Imag(in)ing the War in Japan: Representing and Responding to Trauma in Postwar Literature and Film''. Leiden: Brill, 2010. N. pag. Print.</ref>

==Release==
===Theatrical===
The film was released on 16 April 1988, over 20 years from the publication of the short story.<ref name="Animerica9">{{cite journal |title=The Animerica Interview: Takahata and Nosaka: Two Grave Voices in Animation |journal=[[Animerica]] |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=9 |url=https://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |year=1994  |access-date=4 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704093747/http://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/animerica-interviews-isao-takahata-and.html |archive-date=4 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The initial Japanese theatrical release was accompanied by [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s light-hearted ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'' as a [[double feature]]. While the two films were marketed toward children and their parents, the starkly tragic nature of ''Grave of the Fireflies'' turned away many audiences. However, ''Totoro'' merchandise, particularly the stuffed animals of Totoro and Catbus, sold extremely well after the film and made overall profits for the company to the extent that it stabilized subsequent productions of Studio Ghibli.

''Grave of the Fireflies'' is the only theatrical Studio Ghibli feature film prior to ''[[From Up on Poppy Hill]]'' to which [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] never had North American distribution rights, since it was not produced by Ghibli for parent company [[Tokuma Shoten]] but for [[Shinchosha]], the publisher of the original short story (although Disney has the Japanese home video distribution rights themselves, thus replacing the film's original Japanese home video distributor, [[Bandai Visual]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/disney/|title=The Disney-Tokuma Deal|date=10 September 2003|work=[[Nausicaa.net]]|publisher=Team Ghiblink|access-date=5 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229011953/http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/disney/|archive-date=29 December 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> It was one of the last Studio Ghibli films to get an English-language premiere by [[GKIDS]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/hitfix/gkids-extends-its-studio-ghibli-alliance-to-grave-of-the-fireflies/|title=GKIDS extends its Studio Ghibli alliance to 'Grave of the Fireflies'|first=Guy|last=Lodge|work=[[Hitfix]]|publisher=[[Uproxx]]|date=20 November 2012|access-date=6 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704124250/https://uproxx.com/hitfix/gkids-extends-its-studio-ghibli-alliance-to-grave-of-the-fireflies/|archive-date=4 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Home media and streaming===
''Grave of the Fireflies'' was released in Japan on [[VHS]] by Buena Vista Home Entertainment under the ''Ghibli ga Ippai'' Collection on 7 August 1998. On 29 July 2005, a [[DVD]] release was distributed through [[Warner Home Video]]. Walt Disney Studios Japan released the complete collector's edition DVD on 6 August 2008. WDSJ released the film on [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] twice on 18 July 2012: one as a single release, and one in a two-film set with ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'' (even though Disney has never owned the North American rights, only the Japanese rights).

It was released on VHS in North America by [[Central Park Media]] in a subtitled form on 2 June 1993.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Animerica |volume=1 |issue=4 |date= June 1993 |page=18  |issn=1067-0831|title-link=Animerica |journal=Animerica: Anime & Manga Monthly }}</ref> They later released the film with an English dub on VHS on 1 September 1998 (the day Disney released ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'') and an all-Regions DVD (which also included the original Japanese with English subtitles) on 7 October 1998. On 8 October 2002, it was later released on a two-disc DVD set, which once again included both the English dub and the original Japanese with English subtitles as well as the film's storyboards with the second disc containing a retrospective on the author of the original book, an interview with the director, and an interview with critic [[Roger Ebert]], who felt the film was one of the greatest of all time.<ref name="ebert"/> It was released by Central Park Media one last time on 7 December 2004. Following the May 2009 bankruptcy and liquidation of Central Park Media,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-28/central-park-media-files-for-chapter-7-bankruptcy |title=Central Park Media Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy |work=[[Anime News Network]] |first=Egan |last=Loo |date=28 April 2009 |access-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704155908/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-28/central-park-media-files-for-chapter-7-bankruptcy |archive-date=4 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[A.D. Vision#ADV Films|ADV Films]] acquired the rights and re-released it on DVD on 7 July 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-05-05/adv-adds-grave-of-the-fireflies-now-and-then-here-and-there|title=ADV Adds Grave of the Fireflies, Now and Then, Here and There|date=5 May 2009|access-date=24 November 2012|work=[[Anime News Network]]|first=Egan|last=Loo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129075349/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-05-05/adv-adds-grave-of-the-fireflies-now-and-then-here-and-there|archive-date=29 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the 1 September 2009 shutdown and re-branding of ADV,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-01/adv-films-shuts-down-transfers-assets-to-other-companies|title=ADV Films Shuts Down, Transfers Assets to Other Companies|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=1 September 2009|access-date=25 January 2010|first=Egan|last=Loo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003054028/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-01/adv-films-shuts-down-transfers-assets-to-other-companies|archive-date=3 October 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> their successor, [[Sentai Filmworks]], rescued the film and released a remastered DVD on 6 March 2012, and planned to release the film on digital outlets.<ref name="Martin">{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/grave-of-the-fireflies/dvd-remastered-edition|title=Review: Grave of the Fireflies: DVD&nbsp;– Remastered Edition|last=Martin|first=Theron|date=5 March 2012|access-date=22 November 2012|work=[[Anime News Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107054812/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/grave-of-the-fireflies/dvd-remastered-edition|archive-date=7 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sentai Filmworks Adds Grave of the Fireflies|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-01/sentai-filmworks-adds-ghibli-grave-of-the-fireflies|work=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=1 December 2011|date=1 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202131501/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-01/sentai-filmworks-adds-ghibli-grave-of-the-fireflies|archive-date=2 December 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Blu-ray]] edition was released on 20 November 2012, featuring an all-new English dub produced by [[Seraphim Digital]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Grave-Fireflies-Blu-ray-Artist-Provided/dp/B008XEZXRA|title=Grave of the Fireflies [Blu-ray] (2012)|website=Amazon|access-date=22 November 2012}}</ref>

[[StudioCanal]] released a Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 1 July 2013, followed by ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'' on the same format.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-06-29/kiki-delivery-service-and-grave-of-the-fireflies-double-play-released-monday |title=Kiki's Delivery Service and Grave of the Fireflies Double Play Released Monday (Updated) |work=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=27 December 2014 |date=29 June 2013 |first=Andrew |last=Osmond |author-link=Andrew Osmond (journalist) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204201939/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-06-29/kiki-delivery-service-and-grave-of-the-fireflies-double-play-released-monday |archive-date=4 February 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was the UK's tenth annual best-selling [[foreign language film]] on [[home video]] in 2019 (below seven other Japanese films, including six [[Hayao Miyazaki]] anime films).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/statistical-yearbook |title=BFI Statistical Yearbook 2020 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] (BFI) |year=2020 |location=United Kingdom |pages=94 |access-date=26 April 2022}}</ref> [[Madman Entertainment]] released the film in Australia and New Zealand.

On 16 September 2024, the film started streaming exclusively on [[Netflix]] in over 190 countries, excluding Japan, as part of ongoing efforts to expand the platform's extensive lineup of  anime from Japan.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/grave-of-the-fireflies-streams-september-16|title=Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' Streams on Netflix on September 16|website=[[Netflix|Netflix Newsroom]]|date=August 20, 2024}}</ref>

==Reception==

=== Box office and home video ===
The film was modestly successful at the Japanese box office,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Runyon|first1=Christopher|title=The Studio Ghibli Retrospective: 'Grave of the Fireflies'|url=https://moviemezzanine.com/studio-ghibli-retrospective-grave-of-the-fireflies/|website=Movie Mezzanine|access-date=22 November 2014|date=20 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115074009/http://moviemezzanine.com/studio-ghibli-retrospective-grave-of-the-fireflies/|archive-date=15 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> where it grossed {{JPY|1.7 billion}}.<ref name="ghibli">{{cite news |script-title=ja:超意外な結果!?ジブリ映画の興行収入ランキング |url=https://cinema.ne.jp/recommend/ghibli2016062517/ |access-date=15 February 2019 |work=シネマズ PLUS (Cinemas PLUS) |date=25 June 2016 |language=ja |archive-date=9 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709195712/https://cinema.ne.jp/recommend/ghibli2016062517/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> As part of the Studio Ghibli Fest 2018, the film had a limited theatrical release in the United States, grossing $516,962.<ref name="bom">{{cite web |title=Grave of the Fireflies – Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 (2018) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2634450433/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref>

The ''Ghibli ga Ippai Collection'' home video release of ''Grave of the Fireflies'' sold 400,000 copies in Japan.<ref>日経BP社技術研究部 『進化するアニメ・ビジネス—世界に羽ばたく日本のアニメとキャラクター』日経BP社、2000年、47頁。{{ISBN|4822225542}}</ref> At a price of at least {{JPY|4,935}},<ref>{{cite web |title=ジブリがいっぱい COLLECTION |url=https://crowntokuma-shop.com/html/special/ghibli/index |website=クラウン徳間ミュージックショップ |access-date=25 February 2020 |language=ja}}</ref> this is equivalent to at least {{JPY|{{#expr:(0.4*4935)/1000}} billion}} in sales revenue.

=== Critical reception ===
The film received universal critical acclaim. The film [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported a [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes|100% approval rating]] based on 46 reviews with an average rating of 9.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "An achingly sad anti-war film, ''Grave of the Fireflies'' is one of Studio Ghibli's most profoundly beautiful, haunting works."<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/grave_of_the_fireflies|title=Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies) (1988)|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=3 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127032155/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/grave_of_the_fireflies/|archive-date=27 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] assigned the film a score of 94 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/grave-of-the-fireflies-1988|title=Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213003148/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/grave-of-the-fireflies-1988|archive-date=13 December 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' considered it to be one of the best and most powerful war films and, in 2000, included it on his list of great films.<ref name="ebert">{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-grave-of-the-fireflies-1988|title=Grave of the Fireflies|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|work=RogerEbert.com|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|date=19 March 2000|access-date=22 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508000911/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-grave-of-the-fireflies-1988|archive-date=8 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Filmmaker [[Akira Kurosawa]] praised the film and considered it his favourite Ghibli production. He wrote a letter of praise to [[Hayao Miyazaki]], mistakenly believing he directed ''Grave of the Fireflies''. Miyazaki himself praised the film as Takahata's masterpiece, but criticized Seita for not behaving how he believes the son of a navy lieutenant should behave.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wit |first1=Alex Dudok de |title=Grave of the Fireflies |date=8 April 2021 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-83871-925-8 |page=103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRAYEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT103 |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref>

The film ranked number 12 on ''[[Total Film]]''{{'}}s 50 greatest animated films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-greatest-animated-movies/grave-of-the-fireflies-1988|title=50 Greatest Animated Movies: Classics worth 'tooning in for|last=Kinnear|first=Simon|date=10 October 2011|work=[[Total Film]]|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|access-date=23 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121121111758/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-greatest-animated-movies/grave-of-the-fireflies-1988|archive-date=21 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also ranked at number 10 in ''Time Out''{{'}}s "The 50 greatest World War II movies" list.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Adam Lee|last1=Davies|first2=Dave|last2=Calhoun|first3=Paul|last3=Fairclough|first4=David|last4=Jenkins|first5=Tom|last5=Huddleston|first6=Quentin|last6=Tarantino|author-link6=Quentin Tarantino|title=The 50 greatest World War II movies: The top ten|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/50-best-world-war-ii-movies#tab_panel_5|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out London]]|access-date=24 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221112118/http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/8364/|archive-date=21 February 2012}}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine ranked the film at number 6 in its list of "The Top 10 Depressing Movies".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Top 10 Depressing Movies|url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/top10/depressing-movies/5.asp|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|last=Braund |first=Simon|access-date=22 November 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116192703/http://www.empireonline.com/features/top10/depressing-movies/5.asp|archive-date=16 November 2012|date=2 April 2009}}</ref> The film ranked number 19 on ''Wizard's Anime'' Magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America".<ref>{{cite web | date=6 July 2001 | title=Wizard lists Top 50 Anime | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime | work=[[Anime News Network]] | access-date=2 February 2014 | author=UMJAMS Anime News | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402111019/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime | archive-date=2 April 2014 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|''The Daily Star'']], ranking the film 4th on its list of greatest short story adaptations, wrote that "There is both much and little to say about the film. It is simply an experience—a trip through the lonely boroughs of humanity that the world collectively looked, and still looks, away from".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bari|first=Mehrul|date=2021-06-13|title=10 must-watch short story-to-film adaptations|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/book-reviews/news/10-must-watch-short-story-film-adaptations-2110225|access-date=June 20, 2021 |website=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]|archive-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615110854/https://www.thedailystar.net/book-reviews/news/10-must-watch-short-story-film-adaptations-2110225.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Theron Martin of ''[[Anime News Network]]'' said that, in terms of the original [[U.S. Manga Corps]] dub, while the other voices were "perfectly acceptable", "Setsuko just doesn't sound quite convincing as a four-year-old in English. That, unfortunately, is a big negative, since a good chunk of the pathos the movie delivers is at least partly dependent on that performance".<ref name="Martin"/>

On 25 December 2016, [[Toei Company]] made a [[Twitter]] post that read {{nihongo|"Why did Kiriya have to die so soon?"|なんできりやすぐ死んでしまうん|Nande Kiriya sugu shinde shimaun?}} in order to promote an episode of ''[[Kamen Rider Ex-Aid]]''. The hashtag became popular, but Toei deleted the tweet after receiving complaints that referencing the ''Grave of the Fireflies'' line {{nihongo|"Why do fireflies die so soon?"|なんで蛍すぐ死んでしまうん|Nande hotaru sugu shinde shimaun}} was in poor taste.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Salas|first1=Jorge|title=Toei Issues Apology Following Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Tweet|url=https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2016/12/toei-issues-apology-following-kamen-rider-ex-aid-tweet/|work=The Tokusatsu Network|access-date=28 December 2016|date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228032941/http://tokusatsunetwork.com/2016/12/toei-issues-apology-following-kamen-rider-ex-aid-tweet/|archive-date=28 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Before that, the ranking website Goo's readers voted the film's ending the number 1 most miserable of all anime films.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2016-12-02/grave-of-the-fireflies-tops-poll-of-anime-most-miserable-endings/.109432|title=Grave of the Fireflies Tops Poll of Anime's Most Miserable Endings|date=3 December 2016|access-date=7 December 2020}}</ref>

In June 2018, ''[[USA Today]]'' ranked it 1st on the 100 best animated movies of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stockdale|first=Charles|title=The 100 best animated movies of all time|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2018/06/12/100-best-animated-movies-all-time/696107002/|access-date=2021-08-31|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, the film was ranked 225th on ''[[Sight & Sound]]''{{'s}} Greatest Films list (Critics + Directors' combined poll), being one of the only three animated films to make the top 250 (alongside ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'' and ''[[Spirited Away]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Greatest Films of All Time |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time |access-date=2 December 2022 |website=BFI |language=en |archive-date=18 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318214144/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/greatest-films-all-time |url-status=live }}</ref>

Film director and critic {{ill|Haruo Mizuno|ja|水野晴郎}} reviewed ''Grave of the Fireflies'' on his popular TV series. He praised the film for the honorary image of the soldiers of Japan through the depiction of the fireflies, and the moving depiction of a heartbreaking experience many people of Japan had lived through.<ref>{{Citation |title=水野晴郎 解説「火垂るの墓」 | date=4 March 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CAJqyW9m7c |access-date=2023-03-21 |language=en}}</ref>

After seeing the reactions of the audience after a screening of the film at ''Festival « Pour éveiller les regards »'', Jean-Jacques Varret, head of Les Films du Paradoxe, knew he had to distribute it in France.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Le tombeau des lucioles |url=https://www.buta-connection.net/index.php/longs-metrages/films-d-isao-takahata/le-tombeau-des-lucioles?start=4 |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=www.buta-connection.net}}</ref> It was released in two Parisian arthouses and the reaction was modest. Following the release however, Les Films du Paradoxe chose to release the film on video cassettes and on the streaming service Canal+.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Citation |title=Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - Release info - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/releaseinfo/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Public reaction===
After the international release, it has been noted that different audiences have interpreted the film differently due to differences in culture. For instance, when the film was watched by a Japanese audience, Seita's decision to not come back to his aunt was seen as an understandable decision, because it was understood how Seita had been raised to value pride in himself and his country. Conversely, American and Australian audiences were more likely to perceive the decision as unwise.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Osmond |author-link=Andrew Osmond (journalist)|first=Andrew|year=2010|chapter=Grave of the Fireflies |title=100 Animated Feature Films: BFI Screen Guides |publisher=British Film Institute |pages=82–83 |doi=10.5040/9781838710514.0035 |isbn=978-1-83871-051-4 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oneroomwithaview.com/2018/04/19/the-human-cost-of-war-in-grave-of-the-fireflies/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213052034/https://oneroomwithaview.com/2018/04/19/the-human-cost-of-war-in-grave-of-the-fireflies/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=13 December 2019|title=The Human Cost of War in Grave of the Fireflies|last=Campbell|first=Kambole|date=19 April 2018|website=One Room With A View|language=en-GB|access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Recipient
! Result
|-
| 1989
| [[Blue Ribbon Awards]]
| [[Blue Ribbon Awards for Special Award|Special Award]]
| rowspan="3"|[[Isao Takahata]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan=2|1994
| rowspan=2|[[Chicago International Children's Film Festival]]
| Animation Jury Award
|{{won}}
|-
| Rights of the Child Award
| {{won}}
|}

==Derivative works==
===Planned follow-up===
Following the success of ''Grave of the Fireflies'', Takahata drew up an outline for a follow-up film, based on similar themes but set in 1939 at the start of the Pacific War. This film was called ''Border 1939'', based on the novel ''The Border'' by Shin Shikata, and would have told the story of a Japanese teenager from colonial Seoul joining an anti-Japanese resistance group in Mongolia. The film was intended as an indictment of Japanese imperialist sentiment, which is briefly touched upon in ''Grave of the Fireflies''. Although Takahata finished a full outline (which is republished in his book ''Thoughts While Making Movies''), the film was canceled before production could start due to the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests]]. Public opinion in Japan had turned against China, and Ghibli's distributor felt a film partly set there was too risky.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dudok De Wit |first1=Alex |title=The story of Border 1939, the great lost Studio Ghibli film |url=https://lwlies.com/articles/border-1939-studio-ghibli-film-isao-takahata/ |website=[[Little White Lies (magazine)|Little White Lies]] |access-date=9 October 2020}}</ref>

===2005 live-action version===
{{Main|Grave of the Fireflies (2005 film)}}
[[Nippon Television|NTV]] in Japan produced a live-action TV drama of ''Grave of the Fireflies'', in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of the war. The drama aired on 1 November 2005. Like the anime, the live-action version of ''Grave of the Fireflies'' focuses on two siblings struggling to survive the final months of the war in [[Kobe, Japan]]. Unlike the animated version, it tells the story from the point of view of their cousin (the aunt's daughter) and deals with the issue of how the war-time environment could change a kind lady into a hard-hearted woman. The film stars [[Nanako Matsushima]] as the aunt and [[Mao Inoue]] as the cousin (who also portrays the cousin's granddaughter).

===2008 live-action version===
A different live-action version was released in Japan on 5 July 2008, {{ill|Reo Yoshitake|ja|吉武怜朗}} as Seita, {{ill|Rina Hatakeyama|ja|畠山あやな}} as Setsuko, [[Keiko Matsuzaka]] as the aunt, and [[Seiko Matsuda]] as the children's mother. Like the anime, this live-action version of ''Grave of the Fireflies'' focuses on two siblings struggling to survive the final months of the war in Kobe, Japan.

==See also==
{{Portal|Anime and manga|Japan}}
* [[Air raids on Japan]] during the war
* [[Evacuations of civilians in Japan during World War II]]
* ''[[Barefoot Gen]]'', a manga series set in the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
* ''[[Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon]]'', a video game with similarities to the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bitmob.com/articles/in-defense-of-fragile-dreams-farewell-ruins-of-the-moon|title=In Defense of Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon|last=Rea|first=Jasmine|date=6 May 2010|work=Bitmob|publisher=[[VentureBeat]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723105903/http://bitmob.com/articles/in-defense-of-fragile-dreams-farewell-ruins-of-the-moon|archive-date=23 July 2012}}</ref>
* [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |last1=Goldberg |first1=Wendy |title=Transcending the Victim's History: Takahata Isao's Grave of the Fireflies |journal=Mechademia |date=2009 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=39–52 |id={{Project MUSE|368618}} |doi=10.1353/mec.0.0030 |s2cid=122517858 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite book |last=Hooks |first=Ed |year=2005 |chapter=Grave of the Fireflies |title=Acting in Animation: A Look at 12 Films |pages=67–83 |publisher=[[Heinemann Drama]] |isbn=978-0-325-00705-2}}
* {{cite web |last=Rosser |first=Michael |url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/-dresden-to-produce-live-action-grave-of-the-fireflies/5049314.article |title=Dresden to produce live action Grave of the Fireflies |date=23 November 2012 |work=[[Screen International|Screen Daily]] |access-date=24 November 2012}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/grave/ ''Grave of the Fireflies''] at [[Nausicaa.net]]
* {{IMDb title|0095327|Grave of the Fireflies|Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies)}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|hotaru_no_haka|Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies)}}
* {{anime News Network|movie|152|Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies)}}
* [https://www.ntv.co.jp/hotaru/ Live-action version of ''Grave of the Fireflies''] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Isao Takahata}}
{{Studio Ghibli Films}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grave Of The Fireflies}}
[[Category:1988 anime films]]
[[Category:1988 drama films]]
[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:1980s ghost films]]
[[Category:1980s historical drama films]]
[[Category:1980s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:1980s war drama films]]
[[Category:Animated films about death]]
[[Category:Animated films about orphans]]
[[Category:Animated films about siblings]]
[[Category:Animated films based on short fiction]]
[[Category:Animated films set in Japan]]
[[Category:Animated films set in Kobe]]
[[Category:Animated films set in the 1940s]]
[[Category:Central Park Media]]
[[Category:Drama anime and manga]]
[[Category:Films about child death]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Akiyuki Nosaka]]
[[Category:Films directed by Isao Takahata]]
[[Category:Films scored by Michio Mamiya]]
[[Category:Films set in 1945]]
[[Category:Historical anime and manga]]
[[Category:Japanese adult animated films]]
[[Category:Japanese historical drama films]]
[[Category:Japanese war drama films]]
[[Category:Japanese World War II films]]
[[Category:Pacific War films]]
[[Category:Semi-autobiographical films]]
[[Category:Sentai Filmworks]]
[[Category:Studio Ghibli animated films]]
[[Category:Toho animated films]]
[[Category:Works about children in war]]