Anime Review Grave of the Fireflies

On any list of undisputed classics of anime, there are a few titles that recur regularly: Akira, for instance, or My Neighbor Totoro. Grave of the Fireflies belongs on that very short list, although for the last few years it suffered from being out of print no thanks to the demise of its American distributor, Central Park Media.

Now that problem's been fixed thanks to Sentai Filmworks, who have since reissued Grave of the Fireflies in a new DVD edition and made it available through the Anime Network's online service.

Grave of the Fireflies stands in fairly stark contrast to most anime productions for its striking realism. Adapted from Akiyuki Nosaka's quasi-autobiographical novel, it follows two Japanese orphans who lose their families in the last days of World War II, and set out to survive on their own as best they can. The firebombing of their houses, the indifference of their own countrymen, and the slow progress of starvation all take their toll -- but both of them know under it all they still have each other.

It's all the more startling to learn that this tragic story was created by Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, the same production company responsible for everything from Totoro to the newly-released The Secret World of Arietty. If you're familiar with any of those endlessly cheerful films -- and why aren't you?! -- you're likely to find Grave of the Fireflies a startling but rewarding change of pace.

The film's garnered accolades from many circles, not just anime fans. Prominent film Critic Roger Ebert singled it out for his "Great Movies" series, and the film has played countless festivals and special showings to great acclaim.

Read our review of the new reissue of Grave of the Fireflies (you can also watch it online here, courtesy of the Anime Network) and be sure to sound off about this classic anime below as well.

Image: Grave of the Fireflies. Image courtesy Pricegrabber.