Tiana, Cierra, Trinh, & Hannah.

2. CONTRIBUTORS AND OVERVIEW
Tiana- discussion questions
Hannah- story line and characterization & how theme unfolds
Cierra- overview & historical content
Trinh- powerpoint, video clip & technical aspects
Our film is thick and complex with aspects of culture, humanity, war, poverty,
etc. and could be study under a myriad on contexts. However, for this
particular presentation, we will be looking at the topic of Tragic Endings
and how the play a crucial role in delivering the impact of The Grave of the
Fireflies.

3. HISTORICAL CONTENT
Set during the Kobe bombings in Japan at the end of World War II, The Grave of the
Fireflies addresses the realities of wartime and the issues that arise as a result of this
violence, such as poverty, homelessness, and malnutrition. The movie serves as an
anti-war film, and has been regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war movies
ever created. Perhaps this film is so potent because the film is actually an adaptation
of the semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka, Hotaru no Haka. The author
wrote this novel as a personal apology to both of his sisters, one who passed away
from sickness and the other who died from malnutrition during wartime.
Unlike other war-time films that focus on fighting and glamorizing the life of the soldier,
The Grave of the Fireflies takes a different approach and focuses solely on the
struggle of two young kids, a brother and a sister - Seita and Setsuko. The film
demonstrates war as a deadly, heartless thing that turns people selfish, angry, and
scared, that leaves people hopeless and with no where to turn, and even takes away
the most innocent from this world: children. Through following their journey as they
try to cope with the continual tragedies that they face, this film works to illuminate
the desperation and destruction that war brings about.

4. VIDEO CLIP AND TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF
ANIMATION
Link to full video: http://youtu.be/9gc6TAY_YCA
This film has an interesting story line due to its good animation techniques
such as Draw-on–film animation, brown line techniques, Cinemagraph,
Rotoscoping, Naturalistic motion, and hand drawing techniques.
The short clip above is about Setsuko suffering from malnutrition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mdYPBIuhJY

5. STORY LINE AND CHARACTERIZATION
Grave of Fireflies takes place during the final months of World War II. It follows a 14 year-old boy named
Seita and his much younger sister Setsuko. It’s the story of their struggle for survival after both parents
are dead and they leave an aunt who doesn’t want them in her house. With no one to provide for them,
they rely on each other. They even live in an abandoned bomb shelter and steal food. However they are
unable to provide for themselves and succumb to malnutrition.
Seita
The 14 year-old boy who is tasked with providing for his young sister. Seita is stubborn and can let his
pride get in the way. He is young, but cares for his little sister without hesitation or complaints. He is
easily relatable to people his age and represents a lot of characteristics of young teens.
Setsuko
A young girl of only 4, Setsuko and experiences the world with wonder. She adores her brother and looks
up to him. It’s hard for the audience to not feel sympathy for such an innocent character. She is a
perfect example of the consequences of war and innocent casualties of war.
Seita & Setuko’s Aunt
After the children’s mother die they go to live with their aunt. She is welcoming at first, but soon grows
resentful. After a few arguments between them, Seita decides to leave. It is a defining moment for the
children. Their aunt shows the mentality of society. The children were too young to contribute much
and if you can’t provide anything you will not receive any help.

6. MAJOR THEME UNFOLDS
Grave of Fireflies seeks to show the side of war from the average civilians perspective. It
may be easier to fight against others, if you dehumanize them, but at the end of the
day they are people. They have hopes, dreams, and families. Grave of Fireflies shows
the unseen casualties of war. Soldiers aren’t the only ones who fall during war.
Civilians and even children are caught up in the consequences of battle.
Ultimately the two main characters die and become more victims of the war. Before
they pass they saw the end of their home, which gets destroyed by incendiary bombs,
then they lose their mother and next their father. The entire movie presents tragic
loses until the children themselves lose their lives and they themselves become a
tragic ending.

7. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Seita and Setsuko share a bond that goes beyond being siblings.
Discuss their relationship and what they mean to each other.
2) Discuss the historical aspects of the film and explain how it ties
into the theme of tragic ending.
3) Fireflies are used as a symbol throughout the film. Interpret
what they symbolize.

8. REFERENCES
Ebert, Roger (19 March 2000). "Grave of the Fireflies (1988)". RogerEbert.com.
Sun-Times Media. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
Martin, Theron (5 March 2012). "Review: Grave of the Fireflies: DVD – Remastered
Edition". Anime News Network. Retrieved 22 November 2012.Hotaru no haka
(Grave of the Fireflies) (1988). Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved 22
November 2012
Runyon, Christopher. "The Studio Ghibli Retrospective: ‘Grave of the Fireflies’".
http://moviemezzanine.com. Retrieved 22 November 2014
Kinnear, Simon (10 October 2011). "50 Greatest Animated Movies: Classics worth
'tooning in for". Total Film. Future Publishing. Retrieved 23 November 2012.