Thoughts about A Gem of Anime
As the years go by and maturity begins to weigh one down, wonder is scarce. The experience of watching anime is like becoming a child again, exploring wonderful worlds for the first time. With the dark themes anime often explores, many people think of the medium as a mature one, detached from the whimsical nature of storytelling. They believe that anime is a serious space, full of 100-episode series and storylines capped off by tragedy, betrayal, death, and heartbreak. Many fans will list facts about their favorite anime as if it were a sports team. If tragedy, death, and heartbreak are mature themes, The Grave of The Fireflies flips them on their heads for a tale of wonder through grief.
Two children, Seita and Setsuko, find themselves navigating one of the worst times in world history, World War II. From the Japanese angle, the reality of life is bleak. As a child living in this reality, one would think it could push them towards a jaded outlook. After all, living through war and watching your nation crumble is the most traumatic experience for adults. How is a child’s mind supposed to make sense of nations struggling against one another? A child’s mind reaches for wonder.
The first aspect of wonder introduced by the Grave of The Fireflies is the beauty of the Japanese countryside. While Japanese animation often refrains from an overly realistic depiction of the landscape, the scenes are still brimming with gorgeous renditions of the rural environment. As Seita and Setsuko move from the smoldering ruins of Kobe, their childhood home, they move into their aunt’s home. Her home is a beautiful environment. Though the events which take place here are continually bleak, the children find beauty. This beauty allows them to come to terms with the death of their beloved mother. Their associations of beauty with their mother are the same ones that guide them to the fireflies. With these friends from nature, the same warmth and light that the children had received from their mother are embodied in the hazy, amber glow of the fireflies. When the fireflies die, grief breaks wide open. The voices of children questioning death itself can be heard in their anguish. In relationship with beauty, the first heartbreak of the Grave of the Fireflies can be processed. Everyone wants to live in a world where nothing dies.
The second trademark of wonder is that which is remarkable. Setsuko and Seita are the children of an Imperial Japanese Navy captain. Their awe for him is unbridled. Throughout the film, they look to his return with an almost Messianic fervor. The children understand that bravery and valor are necessary on the day of the war. This carries them through the appalling lack of care they experience throughout the film. When their mother dies, Setsuko and Seita carry on towards their aunt’s house. When their aunt denies them food, the children decide to set out on their own. Together in a world that seems to be set against their survival, the siblings persevere. As Seita steals from farms in the night, eventually getting arrested and released when the police officer realizes why this child is being held, there is a remarkable fortitude in this child. It is his will to take care of his sister, witness the end of the war, and arrive on the other side of the conflict. And whether he needs to risk death, he will accomplish the goal of his life at any cost.
The unfamiliar is the final attribute of wonder. When a child sees something they have never seen before, it is as if their life has begun anew. Some become overwhelmed with tears; others cannot stop telling everyone they know about the cool thing they saw. As Seita is left alone, in the wake of his sister’s death and the probable demise of his father, the unfamiliar is all he knows. As he performs his cultural rites for his sister, many would believe that they understand the story and its conclusion. But wonder is surprising. It will carry Seita through even his own death. The ending sequence of the Grave of the Fireflies gives insight into the final hallmark of wonder. Because society seeks to completely grasp the unfamiliar and take every foreign concept captive within a language or a definition, Seita’s release into the spiritual world and his reunion with Setsuko is a non-reality. But, as the spirits of Setsuko and Seita return to their beloved home, Kobe, wonder is the map that guides them.
It is difficult to find wonder in the Grave of the Fireflies. But, if one seeks beauty, one will find it in this story. If one is looking for a remarkable sequence of events, both terrifying and warming all at once, that is the tale they will discover. And if the unfamiliar is the flavor that tempts people to venture a little further into destinies that can’t even be described, the Grave of the Fireflies is a treasure trove filled with wonders for the soul that grew up too fast.
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