One of Studio Ghibli’s most devastating films, Grave of the Fireflies, will soon be arriving on Netflix, but fans planning to watch this Ghibli classic had best come prepared, as the movie isn’t for the faint of heart. The film’s dark and depressing plot is notorious among the anime fandom, and many a fan who truly loved the film can’t bear to watch it a second time.

Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 war movie produced by Studio Ghibli, written and directed by Isao Takahata, a name that may not be as familiar as that of Hayao Miyazaki. Set in the final months of World War 2 in Japan, the film follows two orphans, Seita and Setsuko, as they desperately cling to life on all on their own. The film is beautiful in its own way, but the story is so bleak and heartbreaking as to be difficult to watch, a fact made all the more painful when one learns it’s loosely based on a true story.

It certainly stands out among Ghibli’s mostly fantastical catalog for its gritty, realistic look at what the war was like for civilians.

Grave Of The Fireflies Is Ghibli’s Most Tragic Anime Movie
With Dark Themes and a Depressing Ending, Grave of the Fireflies Stands Out

Grave of the Fireflies paints a stark and haunting portrait of what life was like for Japanese citizens near the end of World War 2, a perspective that’s rarely seen in the US and other countries beyond Japan itself. The war effort took a heavy toll on the populace, many of whom had little choice in the matter. It can be easy to forget that every bomb destroyed lives, even if it didn’t kill them directly. With resources growing thin and harder to acquire, life becomes exceptionally difficult for everyone.

Originally living in Kobe, Seita and Setsuko are left orphaned when their mother is killed in a bombing campaign. After losing their mother, the children are forced to move in with a distant aunt who soon grows resentful of having to care for them. The situation continues to deteriorate from there, but the love of these two siblings never wavers. Struggling to survive and care for his younger sister, Seita gets into trouble, until their fates are ultimately out of their own hands.

Grave Of The Fireflies Confirmed Miyazaki Was Never Ghibli’s Only True Master
Studio Ghibli Was Blessed with Talented Directors Besides Miyazaki

While the name that comes to mind for most when they hear Studio Ghibli is, of course, Hayao Miyazaki, Grave of the Fireflies is a testament to the fact that the studio was home to other incredibly talented filmmakers, with Isao Takahata chief among them. Takahata wanted to dispel the notion that those who lived through wartime were somehow inherently more noble than those who live in peacetime, and tell a story that would be relatable to anyone who watched it. It was adapted from a short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, which is in turn based on his real life experiences during World War 2.

Takahata’s film is extremely successful at achieving this goal, as it’s all too easy to imagine oneself in Seita’s shoes. Grave of the Fireflies is the ultimate proof that Ghibli films outside Miyazaki’s work are still masterpieces in their own right, and the film is extremely deserving of a watch–although once is enough for a lifetime.

Grave of the Fireflies will be available on Netflix on September 16, 2024.