1. The Grave of The Fireflies | Hotaru no Haka
Director: Isao Takahata | Author: Akiyuki
Nosaka
Presentation: Matthew Bosworth, Carrie Elmore, Mitchell
Koblitz, Griffith Avery and Jodi Marshall.
Portland State University - 2012. For Educational Purposes Only
2. Grave of The Fireflies Film.
(Isao Takahata, 1988) Produced by Toru Hara.
3. Hotaru no Haka.
Book
Akiyuki, Nosaka | 10/8/1930 |
Also known as Yukio Aki.
Additional novels:
The Pornographers
Author's Homepage:
http://nosakaakiyuki.com/index.html
5. Japanese Empire Cultural.
● Brian McVeigh on Japanese Culture
● Japanese School Uniforms “seifuk seido”
● Comradeship (Firebrigade) : “nakama shiki”
● Seiken “The normalizing gaze”.
● Intensely Patriarchal – Emperor is your god, and that is all you need to know.
● Role of Father in Japanese Society.
● Essential for recognition associated with status in World War II society, as Seita's father was absent
and most likely dead as a result of the war, subsequently Seita and Setsuko were hardly
recognized as little more than baggage to be rescued in time of dire need.
● Unwavering faith early on in the return of the father, avenging the world for Seita's family.
● Effect of an absent Father
● Recognition in Society
6. Studio Ghibli
Production.
Takahata Isao Recalling
separation from family during
firebombing.
Akiyuki Nosaka death of a little
sister.
Empathy in Audience :
Adjusting the age of Setsuko
relative to Author's sister age.
(Sixteen months old vs a four
year old )
"Transcending the Victims History" - Wendy Golberg
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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”.
10. 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.
