Grave of the Fireflies (2018)

This is an animated movie that successfully captures the effect of war on an emotional level usually not depicted by war movies. There are many moments which move you to tears, and there are also moments of hope and happiness which provide brief lapses from the sorrow that permeates a war-torn world. Characters are designed to speak to the audience on an emotional level, as they struggle to survive the mayday of WWII. Though the war has already taken away everything such as family and security, the two characters revel in the joy of being alive. They scrap up any morsel of hope left as they go on an escapade through the war zones, looking for food and a roof to survive the days of restless violence. This movie is fastidious in elucidating the elements that make us human, the desire to live and the desire to love, and it does so in a tumultuous backdrop of WWII. What better way to grab the attention and the heartstrings of people than to provide the audience a glimpse into the daily life of two people living in times of war, a child resembling purity and innocence and an older brother tasked with protecting him from the horrors wrought by the war.

The story of Seita and Satsuko, two young Japanese siblings, living in the declining days of World War II. When an American firebombing separates the two children from their parents, the two siblings must rely completely on one another while they struggle to fight for their survival. Hotaru No Haka (1988) has excellent animation and well drawn characters that are very interesting especially the brother and sister relationship was fleshed out quite well and it was basically the best part of the movie. Unfortunately despite all that the film was kind of tame i mean i was expecting a bit more drama or something very sentimental and it was kind of disappointing on that department. (5.4/10)

Seriously. I just...I can't even with you. Oh sure, you're absolutely perfect in every possible way, but still...I can't. I honestly wish I'd never watched you and your beautiful, difficult sadness. Ugh. Where's my daughter? I need to hold her. Forever....sigh. Seriously...eff you.

This is much more than a story about civilian life in the war ravaged japan of 1944. This is a rough, emotional, gut wrenching tear jerking movie about pride, innocence, nationalism, and the nature of mankind. You will see a realistic depiction of what life was like in japan in the climax of WW2, but more importantly, you will see something in this movie that you never get in your standard war movies, a genre of cinema usually full of action packed films with stories of glorious heroism, good prevailing against evil etc.. In this movie you get to see what war time is really like, not from the eyes of soldiers who bravely fight and die to defend their homelands and their ideals, but from the viewpoint of helpless civilians, specifically two innocent children, caught in the middle of one of the worst situations of human history, in a cruel, cold, hopeless reality where countless innocent, defenseless women and children are left to fend for themselves, brutally massacred by Napalm bombardments (by the good guys mind you) in a world where nobody cares about them and nobody ever comes to their aid. And this is why this movie is so important- because it depicts war as what it truly is - a true hell, in all its tragic horror and twisted pointlessness. You will be overwhelmed by the unbelievably sad story line, you WILL cry your eyes out like a child, you will never want to see this movie ever again afterwards, but you will take to heart an extremely important lesson about war that you will never ever forget for as long as you live. If somehow every person on the planet saw this film our world would have been a much better place to live in. Honest 10 stars.