"Once upon a time a brother who lived with her little sister in a shelter" -Setsuko

The story took place in Japan on summer 1945. After the bombing of Kobe, Seita a teenager and his little sister Setsuko were ophaned. They will therefore move with their aunt. She mades them understood that they were an embarrass for the family. For her, they have to deserve their rice to eat. So, Seita decided to leave with his little sister.

Life and death mingle enormously in the film. This animated movie is artistically nice, the line of the drawing and the color are pure but there are not a lot of details. The color red is very present at the beginnig of the film, for the bombing and the blood. The soundtrack accompagnies the story, when the film shows the shelling it's a sad song but when it's a moment of complicity between Seita and Setsuko it's a sweat music.

The story is also sad that she is beautiful and realist. The contrast between war and joy of the little girl make the movie beautiful. Isao Takahata makes a sweat contrast between war and innocence. So, do not expect at an happy ending, it's unfortunately the reflect of a hard reality. At a moment, Seita gives a candy to Setsuko,the little girl is very happy and she dances in a field of fireflies. This moment is certainly one of my favorite, he represents the innoncence, the fireflies bring magic but they remember that it's ephemeral. So, this passage illustrated perfectly the movie.  I personnaly thing that the fact that it's an animated movie allows to have a public more wide.

It's hard for me to find negatives things about this movie. However, their aunt is the representation of the individualist, cold and hard people. It's very sad to see that in a period of war. Although I say that the fact that The Grave of the Fireflies is a animated movie permit at the children to see it, I think that a few moments are to hard for children. The violence, the atmosphere of terror and war might shock young audiences. A good plot but the end lack of suspense.

 Seita, he's barely a teenager that he was already an adult. He did not have the time to cares about him, his priority is Setsuko. He fears the bombing but he doesn't lament and said nothing. He cares about Setsuko, he is the perfect brother. Setsuko is the innoncence, she's probably not realizing what happened to him.

 A sad movie wich reveals a beautiful relationship between a brother and his little sister. A life lesson, for me, more than one person have to know the tragic story of Seita and Setsuko, two children who have known war.