Why Grave of the Fireflies is an essential Studio Ghibli watch, even if it's so sad

Grave of the Fireflies has finally been released on Netflix, joining the other Studio Ghibli movies that arrived on the streamer back in 2020.

Isao Takahata's stunning Second World War anime film was the only film from the Japanese animation studio's back catalogue not to be added to the platform that year, so it's finally time for viewers to witness one of the studio's best works. It may not be as widely known as Hayao Miyazaki's fantastical tales like Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, but it is just as important.

Read more: Hayao Miyazaki has made some of his best work out of retirement

Grave of the Fireflies was Takahata's first Ghibli movie after he and Miyazaki co-founded the studio, it centres on a young boy named Seita and his little sister Setsuko, who are orphaned during the War, and their fight for survival.

What makes Grave of the Fireflies so special?

After their mother's death the siblings seek aid from their neglectful aunt, before her actions lead them to live on the streets instead. Seita's determination to give Setsuko a good life, free of pain and heartbreak is the driving force of the film.

He is determined to keep his young sibling from understanding the full extent of the horrors of war around them and tries his best to provide for her. It's a lot for Seita and it is equally as emotional, as a viewer, to be a bystander to their story.

Grave of the Fireflies is tragic, that is a given, but there are moments of genuine joy between the siblings that have just as much of an impact. Takahata has delivered a story that perfectly balances its sombre subject with pockets of light, like their discovery of a glow of fireflies and Seita giving Setsuko a tin of hard candy as a treat.

These moments, as well as the more difficult wartime scenes, draws viewers into Seita and Setsuko's journey in such a way that they will be rooting for them to make it through to the end of the war.

Why you need to watch Grave of the Fireflies

The director has created a fully-rounded narrative that feels grounded and heartfelt. It is grim, and not something that Ghibli fans might immediately associate the studio with but war has always been something that both Takahata and Miyazaki have touched on in their work.

Read more: What to watch next if you liked Shogun

Takahata tended to be more focused on what it means to be human than Miyazaki, and Grave of the Fireflies pushed that idea to new heights. In the depths of their despair, Seita and Setsuko find solace in each other and that makes their story so real, so moving.

Watch the trailer for Grave of the Fireflies:

Telling the story through animation also allows viewers to witness the events of the Second World War in a different way. They can be swept up in the horrific beauty of the animation and come to have a better understanding of what it would have been like for Japanese children at the time.

Grave of the Fireflies is not for the faint of heart, its tragic story of survival in the face of unspeakable war will leave viewers in floods of tears. You won't be able to look at a tin of hard candy the same way again, either.

We recommend preparing preparing a double bill with My Neighbour Totoro because its sweet, joyful narrative will perfectly juxtapose the sadness and heartbreak of Takahata's masterpiece. At least that'll be easy enough to do now almost all of Ghibli's films are on Netflix.

Grave of the Fireflies is out now on Netflix.