GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (HOTARU NO HAKA)
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Grave of the Fireflies is an animated war film based off the semi-autobiographical story by Akiyuki Nosaka. On March 17, 1945, Americans dropped incendiary bombs on Kobe which destroyed about 20 percent of the city and killed over 8000 people. Among them was Nosaka’s father who perished in the bombings and his younger sister who died of malnutrition as a result of the air raid. Nosaka’s experiences during the war, inspired him to write The Grave of the Fireflies. This heartbreaking tale discovers the true horrors of war through Seita, a 9th grade teenager and his younger sister Setsuko. Seita desperately struggles to fight for him and his younger sisters life during the final months of World War II. A film to surely make you shed a tear, Grave of the Fireflies has received a lot of praise for it’s compelling story. It is considered to be a powerful war film that incorporates a unique blend of both beauty and despair.