Grave of the Fireflies
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
Cast & Crew
Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata (October 29, 1935 – April 5, 2018), co-founder of Studio Ghibli, was one of the most famous directors of Japanese animated films. Unlike most anime directors, he did not draw and never worked as an animator before becoming a director. For the first two decades of his career from the 1960s to the 1980s, Takahata worked primarily as director for anime television. In 1985 he and his long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki formed Studio Ghibli with Toshio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. From that point, his career transitioned into producing, directing, and writing films for Studio Ghibli. He is known for his five feature length anime films released under Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013).
Cast
Akemi Yamaguchi
1946
Ayano Shiraishi
1982
Kazumi Nozaki
Kiyoshi Yanagawa
Kozo Hashida
Masahiro Kanetake
Masayo Sakai
Tsutomu Tatsumi
1972
Reviews
View AllAbsolutely brilliant!
By filmcritic641 • Aug 04, 2025
What an incredible achievement! 'Grave of the Fireflies' delivers on every level - the direction is masterful, the acting is superb, and the story is both engaging and meaningful. This is cinema at its finest.
Outstanding achievement
By cinemageek119 • Aug 04, 2025
An exceptional film that deserves all the praise it receives. 'Grave of the Fireflies' is masterfully directed with outstanding performances and a story that resonates deeply. A true masterpiece.