1. The Grave of The Fireflies | Hotaru no Haka
Director: Isao Takahata | Author: Akiyuki
Nosaka
War is never a beautiful Presentation: Matthew Bosworth, Carrie Elmore, Mitchell
story. This is the same for the Koblitz, Griffith Avery and Jodi Marshall.
1988 film Hotaru no Haka or
Grave of the Fireflies by Isao
Takahata. This Japanese
anime masterpiece was an
adaptation of a novel written
by Akiyuki Nosaka of the
same title. This story is
unfortunately derived from a
true story from the original
author written as a way to
help heal his emotional
wounds from the death of
his little sister as a result of
malnutrition during WWII in
Japan. The story itself is sad,
but it is beautifully told.
Portland State University - 2012. For Educational Purposes Only

2. Grave of The Fireflies Film.
Full film (in Japanese with
English subtitles)
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=Wc4koluMnPU
(Isao Takahata, 1988)
Produced by Toru Hara.
The main character is fourteen year old Seita, the elder brother to four year old Setsuko. It starts on the
day the Seita dies of malnutrition and journeys back to the moment when their lives were turned upside
down when the fire bomb raids begin in their home town of Kobe. It chronicles Seita’s struggle to care for
his young sister and himself in the midst of war, selfish relatives and a country under attack. Although the
Japanese culture is one of family loyalty, respect and self humility, all is tested during WWII and many of
the vulnerable were left unprotected. This is one of those stories.

3. Hotaru no Haka.
Book
Akiyuki, Nosaka | 10/8/1930 |
Also known as Yukio Aki.
Before it was made into an anime film in 1988, Grave of the Fireflies
was a novel. It was written by Japanese novelist Akiyuki Nosaka. Nosaka
was born in 1930, in Kamukura, Kanagawa, and grew up with his sisters.
While growing up, his father died during the bombing of Kobe (1945) in
WWII. Two of sisters also passed away from sickness and malnutrition.
These events are ultimately what caused Nosaka to write Grave of
the Fireflies, as well as a series of other novels about war. He notes that
Grave of the Fireflies is actually a written apology to his younger sister.
It was originally published in a literature magazine in Japan, and
eventually became so successful that Nosaka was awarded the Naoki
Prize, a prestigious Japanese literary award.
Author's Homepage:
http://nosakaakiyuki.com/index.html

4. Book continued
The novel was written in 1967, “during a
period of high economic growth.”
Nosaka stated that humanity felt slightly
off to him in this era, and that he wished
to depict the humane qualities of a
brother/sister relationship, or ultimately a
“man and a woman.” Nosaka also chose
to place Seita in a situation where he had
to grow up very quickly,which is actually
much like the situation that the author was
put in himself. The novel is very much like
the movie overall, including the death of
his sister which Nosaka states was “an
exact match with the novel.” Main
characters include Seita, the brother, and
Setsuko, the sister.

5. Japanese Culture

6. Structure of Japanese Society
Japanese society during
WW2 was intensely
patriarchal. The emperor
was viewed as a god and
one was expected to follow
orders without question, be
they orders from colonel to
major, or from parent to
child. The film portrays this
with the general populace’s patriotism and unwavering faith in
the government, which is exemplified in a scene that takes
place shortly after a firebombing, when a civilian begins to
salute and shout “long live the emperor!” to nobody in particular.

7. Fireflies in Japanese Culture
Japanese society looks fondly upon fireflies, and they have been used as metaphors for
impassioned love since the 8th century. However, their lights are also considered to be
the souls of soldiers who’ve died in war. Going by this the title of Grave of the
Fireflies could represent Seita and Setsuko’s father (who is assumed to have died in the
war), or it could also be a reference to the death of Seita’s love over the course of the
film. This occurs literally as you watch Setsuko’s death towards the end of the film,
and metaphorically as you see his enthusiasm and his cheerful attitude wasting away
throughout the entirety of the film.

8. Studio Ghibli Production.
Akiyuki Nosaka wasn’t the only one
involved in the making of the film who
could relate to its protagonist; the
director, Takahata Isao was separated
from his family during firebombing in
WW2. When the film was being made,
he had Setsuko’s age changed from 16
months (the actual age of Nosaka’s
sister) to four years old. His reasoning
for the change was that a four year old
character could communicate her wants
and needs more easily and more directly.

9. Studio Ghibli Production.
● Studio Ghibli: the film is visually stylistically characteristic of the studio, it's scenery and human
characters reminiscent of those seen in Spirited Away.
● American influence on Japan : The animation of the film is also a great example of the results of
the American Occupation of Japan. The characteristic style seen in anime films (such as Grave of
the Fireflies) can be traced back to American animated shorts and films (early Disney) brought over
during the occupation.
● Historical Japanese influence: The detailed yet compressed landscapes that make up as much of a
part Grave of the Fireflies as the characters are reminiscent of those seen in classical prints by
Hokusai.

10. History
War
On it.
"Everything was Beautiful and nothing hurt." (Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut).
Firebombing and the severe toll it can take on a civilian population was a abominable product of
World War II. Population bombed included residents of Dresden, Berlin, Tokyo and Kobe in both
Germany and Japan and in the tragic air raids involved in the great Blitz of London.
Further reading: Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon.

11. History
War
Firebombing : Location Kobe, Japan First use of Atomic Weapons - in Nagasaki
World War II. (Specific to movie) and Hiroshima
Examples of psychological effects of Firebombing Cities : Targets
firebombing on civilian population
Aircraft Carriers.
Military Strategy involved : General
MacArthur in the Pacific Theater. Naval|Air Warfare : Game changing.
Reasons why we have the highest number
Generally viewed as the man that sent of Aircraft carriers than any other
many a young men to their untimely country and why Japan was second
deaths in the South Pacific. highest.
See Island Hopping Tactics. Allied: London, Coventry, Chongqing
USAF: General Curtis E. LeMay Axis: Dresden, Berlin, Tokyo, Kobe –
:Absolutely brutal commander. Almost every major Japanese city. See:
Threatened to court martial crews Location of the US Pacific Fleet –
that missed targets. Considering length of missions, pilots
crews effect on.
Decisions to attack civilian
populations to weaken moral, war Western : Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse
effort. Widespread psychological Five “Everything was Beautiful and
effects on population. nothing hurt”.

12. Bibliography.
“Film and Video Programs.” MoMA 2.7 (September, 1999): 15-30.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4420385
Greenberg, Raz. “The Animated Text: Definition.” Journal of Film and Video 63.2 (Summer,
2011): 3-10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/jfilmvideo.63.2.0003
Imamura, Taihei. “Japanese Art and the Animated Cartoon.” The Quarterly of Film, Radio and
Television 7.3 (Spring, 1953): 217-222. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1209818
Newitz, Annalee. “Magical Girls and Atomic Bomb Sperm: Japanese Animation in America.” Film
Quarterly 49.1 (Autumn, 1995): 2-15. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1213488
Roger Ebert on why anime was an effective choice for the film version of Grave of the
Fireflies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3mZT0a9Rw
Wendy Goldberg. “Transcending the Victim’s History: Takahata Isao’s Grave of the
Fireflies”. 2009 Mechademia Vol 4 Project MUSE
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/mec/summary/v004/4.goldberg.html
Hotaru no Haka, dir. Takahata Isao (1988); translated as Grave of the Fireflies, subtitled
DVD (Central Park Media, 2002).
Nosaka Akiyuki, “A Grave of Fireflies,” translated by James R. Abrams, Japan Quarterly 25,
no. 4 (1978).
Brian McVeigh, Wearing Ideology (New York: Oxford, 2000), 86–87.