Despite all the whimsy and escapism, there’s one Studio Ghibli movie that viewers rarely watch twice despite it being a masterpiece, and the film finally comes to Netflix in September. Studio Ghibli diehards will immediately know what anime movie I’m talking about: Grave of the Fireflies, the downtrodden 1988 World War II picture from Isao Takahata. Up there with the best of the best in the studio’s filmography, it’s a hard thing to sit through more than once.
If you haven’t managed to catch the war movie yet, now’s the perfect opportunity, because Grave of the Fireflies arrives on Netflix on September 16, 2024 . You’re going to want some tissues and comfort food to hand, though. Two siblings are at the core, Seita and Setsuko.
They gradually become homeless during the Pacific War’s 1945 bombing raids, eventually living out of a small cave while the older of the two, Seita, grovels and begs for supplies and food. Setsuko becomes very ill, and the whole situation is difficult to even discuss without getting choked up. It is an incredibly effective portrayal of the transient effects of war; the lives destroyed and squandered amid mass bombing and conflict.
Though not as prolific as Hayao Miyazaki, Isao created several classics during his time with Ghibli. including Only Yesterday, Pom Poko, and his last production, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. None quite have the reputation of Grave of the Fireflies though, which boasts 100% on Rotten Tomatoes despite the ar.