whew. ok. this was a lot. I don't really have much to add onto what I said at the end but it's been almost a week since I watched it and it hasn't left my mind, I don't think I'll ever watch it again but I'm glad I did because I think it made me realize a lot of things: the forgotten people and children during the war, how this story is literally a snippet of history and that this has happened, does happen, and in future will happen in war-torn countries/areas. :') Setsuko will be in my heart forever, and I think the late Akiyuki Nosaka turned his grief into something really special, albeit it heartbreaking. I'm sorry for the silence during this, copyright kept blocking it off to the world so I had to edit it 5 separate times. There is no timer on patreon, but you can watch the full opacity & audio version over there tier 2+ www.patreon.com/hollyreacts 💚

The saddest thing about this movie isn't the film itself, but the fact that it's a true story. The author of "Grave of the Fireflies", Akiyuki Nosaka, published this story in 1967, which was written as an apology to his younger sister Keiko who died from malnutrition during WW2 after the bombing of Kobe in 1945. Nosaka blamed himself for her death even up until the day he died on December 9, 2015.

Watching Setsuko slow starving to death, mostly alone, in a cave like shelter in the woods is the sadest i ever watched in a movie. Espacially the last scene just before her death, a 4 year old who uses her last energies to offer her brother rice and take care of his well-being, broke my heart and made me cry. Setsuko is probably the cutest girl I've ever seen in a movie. Rest in Peace, little angel.....😞😞

Isao Takahata never gets the credit he deserves, everybody talks about Hayao, but Isao was as genius in his own way and this movie is his true legacy.

In 2010 I went to Japan with my best friend. We were 27 years old. We were going to visit Ghibli Studio so before the journey I watched all of the Ghibli Movie as a marathon. I had already saw most of them but I wanted to re watched them. When I started watching this one.... well.... everything changed. Through the whole movie I was "now things are going to get better" but... it never did and then the little girl died... I just couldn't believe it... I had to pause because I was crying so hard... eventually I finished the movie and it leave me with a weird feeling through an entire week. Its a movie that I think everyone have to see it at least once to understand the horrors of the war and it real victims.

That scene where the young girls are like nothing has changed while the main character is burning his own little sister just shows you how rich people are completely disconnected of the worlds issues.

This movie reminds me of my visit to the Hiroshima Atom Bomb museum where I saw a school uniform belonging to a young boy that had been ripped and burnt due to the atom bomb blast. The sight of it was eerie and made me feel deeply sad, causing me want to vomit and cry. Rest in peace to that young boy, and I sincerely hope that no more children ever have to experience such a tragic event again 💔💔💔

6:50 most Japanese homes at that time were built out of wood and paper and the Allies knew this. They dropped wave after wave of flaming canisters on Japanese cities after gaining air superiority late in the War to set alight the tightly packed wooden homes. The results were often catastrophic and horrifying. What we see of Seita & Setsuko’s mother was tragically common. One thing I love of this movie is that it never tries to frame someone directly as a villain (even if some feel like it)… Instead it’s just makes it horrifically clear that war really has no winners…

今世界が見るべきアニメだと思います

This was the second Studio Ghibli film I saw, it made me cry like a baby, but I love the story so much that I often rewatch it.

The sad part is knowing its a true story and the author lived through survivors guilt. He blamed himself for his sisters death so much he wrote himself as dying in the story cause im sure he wished he had died with her IRL.

You were WAY more understanding of the Aunt than we were. We kinda blamed the aunt for everything. I think we were just angry at the time.

日本の不朽の名作映画を取り上げてくださって、ありがとうございます。あなたの考察の深さと、優しい気持ちに感謝します。 あの意地悪に見える叔母さんも、戦争というとても厳しい状況下で、子供達に対して考えがあってやっていることがあると思います。 この映画を取り上げてくださったあなたに、再度感謝します。東京のあなたの友達より🤝

Thank you for sitting through this one. There are tons of heart-wrenching war anime movies here in Japan but I think this is one of the toughest. I've only watched a part of this once in my childhood, but it was not a comfortable experience (of course), and I avoid watching it since then, so I think I can understand your pain. Please take care of yourself. It was definitely a hard thing to do. I believe no one should suffer from the trauma of war, even through fictional stories. But as a Japanese, I wanted to appreciate the fact you've chosen this movie. And I want to say thank you for the amazing content, as always.

it’s so heart-wrenching to learn that this story was written by Akiyuki Nosaka, who lost his little sister due to starvation caused by the war. So basically the author is Seita who survived. He blamed himself for being alive while his whole family was gone

Thank you for your reaction, and good for you for recognizing that the aunt's behavior is not unreasonable. There are two live-action "Grave of the Fireflies" movies. The TV version is told from the perspective of the aunt's family. There isn't enough food to feed everyone in the house so she prioritizes her immediate family first. She also feeds her children before herself and thus starves. She hates giving food to children that are not hers when her own children are going hungry and she is starving.

I as a Japanese am so grateful that you watched this movie.

I don't want to see this movie ever again… A movie worth seeing once Thank you！

As the older brother that had to help to take care of my younger brother most of his life, everytime i watch or listen to the intro i get goosebumps and i start crying like a kid

It hits so hard when you realise this is still happening in war ridden countries with children.. 😭😭😭😭

I cried watching this film for the first time, too. And for some reason I keep watching people react to it and end up crying all over again. If there wasn't the problem of parents possibly getting angry at teachers for making their kids upset/traumatizing them, I'd think this movie should be shown in history classes when discussing world war 2 or wars in general.

There is some crazy theory about this movie. One says that because of the guilt, Seita and Setsuko's soul was still wandering around, repeating and reliving the same thing over and over and over again, seeing themselves struggling to live over and over again, that's why in the end of the movie you see Seita and Setsuko look at the modern japan with all the building and stuff. They see their story repeat itself for infinite amount of times...

This is the kind of movie where you really need to talk to someone about it, it is too hard to take it in all by yourself. So thank you and all the other videos as yours, its therapeutic.

This is the most genuine reaction i ever watched. Knowing that it is based on the true story. I am still breaking every time this movie appears to my news feed or in my for you page. I can’t stand the pain and hardship they went through.

From the moment that tin hits the ground and the fireflies come out I'm teared up - a beautiful and sad film everyone should see.

I watched this movie with my now ex. I managed not to cry until the end of the movie, but when the credits appeared I broke down, noticing my partner was also sobbing. Also we're both on the spectrum and he took a liking to the song, so sometimes he would hum it while working (not on purpose, sometimes not even noticing I was around), and I would just burst into tears randomly for longer than a week. As you said, this movie is something that probably we all need to see. But only the one time. I tried not to pay too much attention to what was going on in the movie, just to what you said, and I'm glad most of the sound is muted, because I still cried while watching this with you.

You watch the movie ... you cry in the end ... You show the movie to friends to see them cry ... you ball your eyes out right in the beginning ... This movie is an absolute Masterpiece.

The best movie you never want to see again

I think cinema therapy said it best, "this is one of the best movies that I will never watch again"

I saw this movie, maybe about 8 years ago or so? I heard about how sad it was but my ego got in the way and hardened me before I watched it. The fact she slowly died, and then died just as he finally got some food, was just so tragic. And I keep coming back to, this is on our hands as a nation, as a citizen of the Us, I may not have been alive when these events happened but it’s my country that did it all the same. And the haunting thought that the US is still doing it… Fuck war man.

This the best war movies you'll never want to see again

Hello. By chance, your video work appeared in "Recommended", so I watched it. This story brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. Japan lost the war and surrendered on August 15, 1945. Before its surrender, Japanese cities were heavily bombed. Therefore, there were many people in the same situation as "Hotaru no Haka:Grave of Fireflies". I know someone like that, and I've heard many similar stories. Overcoming such a miserable era, there is now. This story is made with the hope that we should never forget those who suffered damage in these tragic times. Japan is now overcoming this grief and forgetting the past and the people who helped restore it. "And now, strange things are happening around the world." Something similar may be happening in Japan. Even so, I believe that the people of that country must cherish the things that happened in their own country and the culture that has been passed down through the years. Important things are the same in every country. Therefore, even if the country and language are different, I think we can understand each other. When I saw "Grave of the Fireflies" and saw you express your feelings honestly, I was very impressed. I'm Japanese and I can't speak English, but I can understand what you're saying. This story is very sad, but the necessary things happened at that time. I think the important thing is not to repeat yourself. That's what this movie was made for. It was nice to meet a very good video work. thank you.

I would say that “Grave of the Fireflies” definitely had an impact on my life when I first watched it back in 2005, pretty much, during the height of pro-war propaganda in Iraq, which was the only thing mainstream cable news outlets would constantly talk about. Watching “Grave of the Fireflies” was a realization that what happened in Japan, back during WWII, is currently happening again to children in Iraq. It helped me overcome all of the pro-war propaganda garbage being spooned fed to me by news outlets and made me very anti-war all throughout my life! This film is a masterpiece and it should be considered as required viewing for all middle and high school students!

I am so so so so SO glad that you didn't trash the "mean" aunt. Although her wording is too harsh, what she's saying is not wrong. And I am surprised you realised that 7000yen is super-high for that time. Majority of people - even Japanese audiences - don't pick up on it because they're too focused on the wholesome siblings. If you knew how life was back in this time period in Japan, you can tell that Seita's family used to be rich by the foods that Setsuko mentioned when asked by her brother what she would like to eat.

"why are you watching cartoons? cartoons are for kids!" - People who havent seen Grave of the Fire Flies, Silent Voice or Watership Down

This movie is the kind of movie that so amazing that you wish you wouldn't need to watch it again...

4:23 5min mark and she's already crying, I think to myself "ohhh boy, she's gonna suffer with this one 😬" haha we all do, inevitably... this movie is just soul crushing

Thank you for watching.There should be no war.There is a limit to what children can survive on their own.Not only Japan, but also Russia attacked Ukraine today, and many ordinary people died and lost their homes.Japan knows the horror of the atomic bomb.I hope that people around the world will see this and think about war, even if just a little.

I have this attitude of suggesting this movie to everyone who asked me of a good anime movie to watch. I give them a short preview, and ends by saying "it's sad but it at least has a heartwarming ending" They all got mad at me later for lying about the ending. 😳

Amazing film, beautiful in every sense of the word, I don’t plan on ever watching it again.

War leaves nothing but sorrow I pray that there will be no more wars in the world. Thank you for watching the Japanese anime "Grave of the Fireflies".

Just thinking about this movie makes me dehydrated from the tears

You are such a dear, I really felt your emotions and that's so nice, to see empathy. That's so sweet, thank you for showing genuine emotions and to connect with people all over the world.

I have yet to find a person who didn't cry watching this movie

life can be so cruel man, and it's ok that this movie hit you super hard in the feels holly. this one had a reverse effect on me, but i guess i'm just an oddball.... and sees certain things differently. one thing i know for sure, is that children are almost always the ones that seems to get the short end of the stick in these... and most times they're not developed enough to just push through. it's such a sad issue that probably still lingers throughout many places even now. sending hugs and good vibes, you gone through a lot with this reaction vid. we most appreciate it as always

私が初めてこの映画を観たのは14才の時でした。そして妹が4才。 この物語と同じ年齢だった事もあり凄まじい衝撃を受けました。 以来主人公の兄の様にしっかりとした兄にならねばと強く思いました。 平和の大切さ、家族の尊さを常に心に持って生きていこうと思ってます。 この物語をただ悲しい、辛いと避けるより人間として学ぶ事が詰まっていると捉え受け継いで行く事が大事ではないかと考えます。 良い動画をありがとうございます。

thats such a strong movie

That moment after they left aunt’s house, when he makes a feast out of the last of the rice, it hit me that this movie was about to get really dark. I had to pause it for a few minutes to prepare myself

3:29 - I noticed that you made a positive comment about the quality of the animation. If you were impressed by *that,* then you would be absolutely blown away by the visual quality of the animation in _Akira,_ which came out the very same year as _Grave of the Fireflies:_ 1988!

This movie was the single most devastating watch I've ever experienced. But i think everyone should see it once. The civilian cost of war...

When you waited and you struggle to survive, survive, survive each day hoping for a better tomorrow....but it never came.

Love our family while they are still alive. and say no to war

I remember just randomly putting this movie on while cooking for my little brother, one of the saddest stories man I always tear up

he does go on to live. this whole thing is one giant apology letter to her. I think I remember reading he dies somewhere (a train station?) later on. this is one of those you watch it once and then never again.

After crying through most of this movie, I just sat and stared for a while.

I am Japanese. Thank you for watching this movie. We learned the meaninglessness of war through this anime. How meaningless strife and greed are.

My all time best last animation is Grave of the fireflies". and for this girl i am so very emotion and i cry look like this two children is my children and after i like japan country after seen this animation.

He was living for his sister, Shes dead so no point living Man its a heart wrenching movie

This is one of those movies that you only watch once, acknowledge its existence, and never watch it again.

Oh god...I have NEVER been able to recover from this movie, this one is so hard to find it's always tucked away like some terrible secret, butbirs one kf their best, sure it not awesome and magical but damn..heart wrenching.

世界が平和でありますように 私も、世界の人も、自分が知らない文化も尊重しないといけませんね 友達になるには、最初に自分が受け入れるべきですね 映画を見てくれてありがとう、日本から

nothing like a panic nap after getting your soul crushed. they help the mind process events more reasonably

Ok! I agree this is sad. HOWEVER!! You need to find the uneditted un-Disney-fied version from 1988. I'd like to see a comparative reaction video. There is SO much that got cut out and Seita lives in this version. In the original, Seita lay dying in the train station and the entire movie is essentially a flashback of his life. At the end, a janitor is walking by, basically collecting all the abandoned and dead children, looks at Seita and says, "He's not too far, I can see it in his eyes." Seita is laying there grasping the candy tin with his last breath and inside the tin are a few small bones of his sister. The camera pans out and Seita is in his uniform and greeted by Setsuko running to him in the grass. They hold hands and walk off into infinity. You then see the candy tin hit the floor. The janitor collects the tin and Seito and I don't remember much else through all the tears. I was Seito's age when I watched it in the theater back in the 80's in Yokohama.

この映画は戦争を二度と起きないよう作られた映画です。

After watching the whole thing, I recommend watching the first 5 minutes again.

The firebombs dropped over Japan and Germany during WWII were free-falling canister types filled with a jellied gasoline, sort of like primitive napalm. They didn't explode when they hit, but the strategy was to flood the sky with them, and whatever they hit would light. Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo were all firebombed close to the end of WWII.

Back in the early 90's I watched this movie. Never again, once is all I need.

One of the comments in the video said, "Why does the fire spin so fast?" I've seen "Grave of the Fireflies" in other videos and said the same thing. Don't you know "incendiary"? One of the inhumane weapons, It's a prohibited weapon, just like a nuclear bomb. One of the weapons for Japan, like the hydrogen bomb.

I can only watch this movie one time.

You say he tried to distract her not entirely right at the same time he hurt he cried inside but he tried to not to cry out He don’t want his sister to see him cry by doing this swing around

thank you holly

2 minutes in and i already pushed the like button. Appreciate your courage and thank u for your braveness! U're so strong to do this, even if it affects u in a personal way.

This movie teach us become humanity.

As far as I remember, Setsuko in her last scene says that she made rice balls out of earth and that she ate them.

I cried for a whole week every time i hear their theme it gets me !

It is not life that is lost by war. It's an innocent soul.

Jujur sesudah nonton film ini, saya tidak mau nonton lagi. benar2 membuat saya menangis parah.

sis is barely into the movie and already tearing up, so real tbh

Read One Sunny Day: A Child’s Memories of Hiroshima by Hideko Tamura Snider. A powerful retelling of the author’s life before and after the atomic bombing, who was 10 years old at the time. One of the books we read during my Japanese history class during university and met the author whom we invited to speak on campus. *We also watched Grave of the Fireflies in that class and I’ve never watched it again since. I just recently finally a journey to Hiroshima and the Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park and HiroshimaPeace Memorial Museum. It’s an even more powerful experience after Graves of the Fireflies, One Sunny Day and The Pacific War by Saburo Ienaga (I could name quite a few more books and movies as well).

As I first clicked on to your video, the first thing I thought was 'I hope that make up is waterproof'. I couldn't stop sobbing for half an hour when I watched it.

the best annimation movie that I never wanted to watch again

This story is based on the real experience of the original author. It is the story of the younger sister of the original author, Akiyuki Nosaka. His sister starves to death during the war as well, although it's not exactly the same as the anime. Chinese and Koreans who have seen this film say that Japan is glorifying the war and trying to hide its own wrongdoings. They are a people who have been brainwashed by anti-Japaneseism that always writes such things, so please do not deal with them. What is pictured here is an ordinary citizen of Japan. It simply depicts the grief of unwar-related civilians who suffer from government-initiated wars. It should be the same in any country. However, whenever this movie appears on KZfaq, Chinese and Koreans always criticize it as a deception of Japanese militarism. They don't try to understand the true sorrow of war, they just try to demean Japan. I can still understand the criticism of the Chinese, but I do not understand why the Koreans continue to criticize Japan. Japan and South Korea are generally not at war. There was a period of rule by Japan for legitimate development of Korea. The South Korean government has labeled it an invasion, brainwashed the people, and is still holding a grudge against it and criticizing it persistently. Without this governance, there would be no development of Korea today. Even though they have nothing to do with World War II, they still act like war victims and accuse Japan of being an aggressor. I don't understand. stupid people. When Koreans go out into the world, they only speak ill of Japan. Japanese people are in a lot of trouble. To the people of the world, Please don't believe what they say. Everything they say is a fabricated history that suits the Korean government. Sadly, the Korean public believes that bullshit history to be true.

I watched totoro after this and was bracing that something bad was going to happen as well.

You will never have to watch it again because you will never forget it 😢

This movie was a masterpiece, I'm never watching that movie again as long as I'm alive.

This film remains in my mind as one of the best made films of all time. I saw it when it came out (on video) but I don't think it is something I need to watch again.

The worst part of the movie for me is that I try to problem solve for them. I keep thinking if they stayed with their village/town and that kind woman who actually cared about them, they would have had a better chance. 😢

Not many people know this about Yoko Ono but she survived the fire bombing of Tokyo as a 12 year old. Her family made it to a shelter and survived. Her father was a prisoner during the war years so he wasn't with them. "Ono was enrolled in Keimei Gakuen, an exclusive Christian primary school run by the Mitsui family. She remained in Tokyo throughout World War II and the fire-bombing of March 9, 1945, during which she was sheltered with other family members in a special bunker in Tokyo's Azabu district, away from the heavy bombing. Ono later went to the Karuizawa mountain resort with members of her family....Starvation was rampant in the destruction that followed the Tokyo bombings; the Ono family was forced to beg for food while pulling their belongings in a wheelbarrow. Ono said it was during this period in her life that she developed her "aggressive" attitude and understanding of "outsider" status."

I would never watch this movie again 😢

Learning that the story was semi-autobiographical (written by Akiyuki Nosaka) made this movie much worse for me.

My first ghibli film, very grateful to not be born in war era

This is a depression ride. You nay spend 2-3 days after watching it thinking about it again and again.

thank you from Japan

You think you might be strong enough to get through what happens to Setsuko, and then the music starts playing and the flashbacks pop on the screen; and we realize we're only human.

Yes that is a sad story. Another sad story is Violet Evergarden specifically episodes 10. Everyone cries.

I cry again😭

最初の投げ捨てられたドロップ缶には節子の小さな骨が…胸が苦しくなりますね。

Holly: "im fine, im fine" me: "youre not fine" now about the aunt, i know its hard to believe but there are people like that irl that do a switch that fast and in a country like Japan specialy during that time? yea, its like with my dad, if they dont see you doing ANYTHING they consider productive they become so bitchy and mad at you, even if you have prorities that dont really inflict on theirs they still become so antagonistic just because in their eyes you are being lazy, its pretty annoying, but realistic

Thank you for watching Japan manga.😊

Now watch the 2005 live action remake. It compliments the anime movie by telling the story from the perspective of Seita's cousin, who we only see briefly in one scene in this movie. It's an hour longer, and it explains why the aunt turned them out like she did.