is a live-action TV drama adaptation of ''
Grave of the Fireflies
is a 1988 Japanese animated war tragedy film based on a 1967 short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. It was written and directed by Isao Takahata, and animated by Studio Ghibli for Shinchosha Publishing.
The film stars , , and . Set in the city o ...
'', made by
NTV NTV may refer to:
Television
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in Japan. It was produced in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The drama aired on November 1, 2005. Like
the anime, the live-action version of ''Grave of the Fireflies'' focuses on two siblings, Seita and Setsuko, struggling to survive the final days of the war in
Kobe, Japan
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, which ...
. Unlike the animated version, however, it tells the story from the point of view of their cousin (their aunt's daughter) and also deals with the issue of how the war-time environment could change a kind lady into a hard-hearted woman. The film stars
Nanako Matsushima
is a critically acclaimed Japanese actress and model known for her role in the horror film ''Ring''. She was also the female lead character in the drama '' A Story of Love'', along with ''Ring'' co-star Hiroyuki Sanada. In 2011, her drama '' Ka ...
as the aunt and
Mao Inoue
Mao Inoue (born January 9, 1987) is a Japanese actress. She debuted as an actress when she was five years old. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as in , as Makino Tsukushi in the popular ''Hana Yori Dango'' series, and ...
as the cousin (who also portrays the cousin's granddaughter).
Plot
The film is something of an epilogue, set in 2005, 60 years after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
ended. It opens at a crematorium in
Kobe, Japan
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, which ...
, where a family is paying their respects to Hisako Sawano (Seita and Setsuko's aunt), who has just passed away at the age of 95. The funeral director comments how a person who lived through the
Meiji,
Taishō,
Shōwa, and
Heisei
The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...
periods has finally gone to rest. After the funeral, Natsu (Seita's and Setsuko's cousin), Hisako's eldest of four children who is now a grandmother herself, sorts through her mother's belongings with her teenage granddaughter, Keiko. Keiko unexpectedly finds the metal fruit-drop tin and asks why it is important. Natsu begins to tell her about the family's struggle to survive during the Second World War, and the emotional scars that it left.
Just prior to Seita's death in September 1945, someone informed Hisako and Natsu that he was still alive, though with no sign of his sister Setsuko and living near the central railway station in Kobe. Hisako and Natsu go to the station in hope of finding Seita, but cannot. Natsu asks a janitor if he saw "a third-year middle-school student, Seita Yokokawa, from Kobe 1st Middle School", wearing a school cap and with his little sister. This triggers another janitor's memory and he recalls that the previous night, the two of them had found a dead boy matching Seita's description in a corner of the station. While carrying his corpse to be cremated, a metal fruit-drop tin fell from his clothes and thinking it rubbish, the janitor tossed it into a field.
Hisako locates the tin; while Natsu looks on, she opens it and tips two small bits of white bone into her palm – Setsuko's. Hisako falls silent, while Natsu, who understands what happened to her cousins, blames her mother for causing their deaths and walks away, crying. After she leaves, Hisako notices two small, glowing fireflies under the tin. While watching them fly away, Hisako tearfully whispers a soft thanks, knowing she has been forgiven.
It is the 18th year of Shōwa – 1943. Seita's father, a Captain in the Imperial Navy, privately reveals to him that the war is going badly for Japan, telling him that he must now look after his mother and sister as he will soon be deployed, and that he is willing to die in the Emperor's service. Seita gives his father his assurance, and his father promises that Japan will win the war despite the current situation. Meanwhile, Seita's uncle, Genzo Sawano, a carpenter, has been drafted into the army shortly after his family has relocated to Kobe. Hisako and Natsu are worried about his departure, but try to be optimistic for Hana, Yuki, and Teizō.
After the departure of both husbands, Hisako and Kyoko bump into each other. The families spend the day together and Hisako gives Setsuko a tin with candy fruits. Hisako and Kyoko agree to try to help each other out while both their husbands are away.
As time progresses, an ever-increasing number of people are forced to deal with bombing raids and worsening shortages of food. On the day of the
Kobe city firebombings, Seita is burying food in his yard. Kyoko leaves to go to the bomb shelter as Seita and Setsuko soon follow. Both Seita and Setsuko are caught in the middle of the bombing but escape unharmed, though Setsuko loses one of her sandals. After the bombings, they go to a school where doctors are giving medical attention to those hurt. As they arrive at the school, Hisako meets both of them outside and says that Kyoko was injured. He goes to see her while Hisako watches Setsuko. Inside, Seita finds his mother wrapped in bandages, the doctor says one of the bombs got into the shelter and went off. She dies soon after.
Hisako takes Setsuko home with her while Seita stays for the evening. He is given an urn with his mother's ashes in it. He returns to Hisako's house where he says that he will now be responsible for taking care of Setsuko, even though Hisako thinks he should go to school and she will watch Setsuko. Seita writes his father and tells him about the death of his mother and that he and Setsuko and staying with their aunt. He gives Setsuko their mother's jade ring, which Setsuko treasures, and wears on a necklace.
As food rations are dropping, Hisako starts to worry about how she will feed her children, nephew and niece. She then sells her
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...
for money and is chastised for taking in two other children and how they do not help in a time of war. As she is walking home, Hisako learns that her husband was killed in action in a
banzai charge
Banzai charge is the term that was used by the Allied forces of World War II to refer to Japanese human wave attacks and swarming staged by infantry units. This term came from the Japanese battle cry , and was shortened to banzai, specificall ...
. As she and her children grieve over his death, Seita assures Hisako that she should feel happy since his death has meaning; Hisako does not take this lightly. At night, Teizō begins suffering from
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
; Setsuko starts crying and refusing to go to sleep. Hisako then leaves to try to find a doctor.
The next day as they are eating, Seita and Setsuko are only served soup with no rice; they continue to get served very little while Hisako's children get plenty. During another bombing, Seita and Setsuko take refuge in an abandoned bomb shelter. Seeing the explosion from a distance, it reminds them of a fireworks show they saw some years ago. Hisako gets on to Seita about leaving on his own during the bombing and how he should start to help by letting Hisako sell his mother's jade ring for rice; Seita is hesitant at first but gives in, which angers Setsuko. Hisako agrees to give them rice that night for dinner.
Hisako continues to feed Seita and Setsuko very little, even making them start to provide for their own water. Natsu chastises her mother for how she is treating them but Hisako ignores her. Seita and Setsuko eventually leave and go to live in the bomb shelter. While their cousins protest, Hisako remains silent.
While at the shelter, Seita entertains Setsuko by catching and releasing fireflies inside. The following morning when she buries them, Setsuko tells Seita that she knows their mother was killed. Seita assures Setsuko that Japan will win the war and their father will return to them.
Meanwhile, Hisako's brother-in-law, Yoshie, gives her some money and leaves her home. Seita and Setsuko begin to starve and Seita resorts to stealing food from a farmer; Natsu witnesses this and is shocked; when the farmer catches Seita and asks if she knows him, Natsu makes no comment and Seita leaves in shock with Setsuko. Setsuko becomes ill and when she is taken to the hospital, the doctor does very little to help.
During another bombing, Seita breaks into a shop and steals food but is caught, beaten up by the store owner, taken to the police. After the bombing, Hisako comes to get Seita and is warned that if he does it again, she will be held responsible. As they are walking, Seita tries to explain his actions but Hisako tells him that she cannot feed them properly. Seita then runs away in anger back to the shelter where he breaks down into tears and Setsuko comforts him.
The following morning, Setsuko is trying to eat marbles, thinking they are fruit drops. Seita decides use the remaining money he has to buy her food. Meanwhile, an announcement is made by the emperor about the unconditional
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
, which Hisako and her children hear over the radio; Hana, Yuki, and Teizō are relieved the war is over while Natsu is shocked that they lost and Hisako simply goes to cook breakfast. Seita hears the news on the streets from a group of returning soldiers. He also learns that the imperial fleet was wiped out as well, meaning his father has died. Seita breaks down in grief, whereupon he is found by Yoshie. Yoshie tries to talk to Seita but he runs off. Yoshie later meets with Hisako and explains he plans to return to
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. He also reveals his encounter with Seita, which Natsu overhears.
Seita returns to the shop, where the owners initially throw him out but he begs them to sell him food. Seita returns to the shelter to cook some food, only to find out that Setsuko has
died
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
, much to his devastation. Meanwhile, Natsu and Hisako go to find Seita and Setsuko now that the war is over. They locate the bomb shelter and are shocked to see how Seita and Setsuko had been living. Natsu and Hisako continue searching for the siblings but are unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Seita takes Setsuko's body to the top of a hill, where he cremates her in a straw casket. During the cremation, fireflies arrive in the night. Seita then takes some of his sister's bones and places them in the fruit-drop tin. After this, he goes to the railway station in Kobe, and dies.
Following this flashback, both Natsu and Hisako leave the station. Natsu goes to the bridge where her family saw fireflies the first time. She feels guilty and unable to live with happened to Seita and Setsuko. Hisako slaps her, warning Natsu that the real war has begun and dying means losing before embracing her daughter as she cries. Later, Hisako and her children moved back to Tokyo and a law was passed in Japan to protect orphans affected by war. Hisako never again mentioned the war until her death.
In the present day, Natsu and Keiko are on the same bridge she was on years ago. Natsu reflects on how the war changed everyone as she and Keiko discuss its impact on their family history. As Keiko watches on, Natsu takes out Setsuko's remains and throws them into the river. Two fireflies then fly away, symbolizing Seita and Setsuko.
After the closing scene while the movie's credits roll, images of children affected by military violence and occupation are shown. These images are interspersed with images of Seita and Setsuko. The modern-day images seem to be of Palestinian children, including one girl smiling as she displays a photo of
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
.
Reaction
Commenting on the dramatization, Akiyuki Nosaka noted that the drama was liberal in deviating from his original work but also said that he would nevertheless remain thankful if it could convey the brutality of wars to the people of the present days.
Cast
*
Mao Inoue
Mao Inoue (born January 9, 1987) is a Japanese actress. She debuted as an actress when she was five years old. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as in , as Makino Tsukushi in the popular ''Hana Yori Dango'' series, and ...
(young woman) as : As a 16-year-old, Natsu is Hisako's eldest daughter and Seita and Setsuko's cousin. She forms a relationship with Seita and protests how Hisako treats Seita and Setsuko.
*
Keiko Kishi
is a Japanese actress, writer, and UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador.
Life and career
She made her acting debut in 1951. In the 1950s, David Lean had proposed her for the main role in ''The Wind Cannot Read'', which is about a Japanese language instru ...
(old woman) as : As a 76-year-old, Natsu remembers the old days and tells the story to her granddaughter.
*
Mao Inoue
Mao Inoue (born January 9, 1987) is a Japanese actress. She debuted as an actress when she was five years old. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as in , as Makino Tsukushi in the popular ''Hana Yori Dango'' series, and ...
as : Keiko is Natsu's granddaughter and Hisako's great-granddaughter, who listens intently as Natsu recounts her experiences during the war.
*
Nanako Matsushima
is a critically acclaimed Japanese actress and model known for her role in the horror film ''Ring''. She was also the female lead character in the drama '' A Story of Love'', along with ''Ring'' co-star Hiroyuki Sanada. In 2011, her drama '' Ka ...
as : 35-year-old Hisako is Seita and Setsuko's aunt
*
Tsuyoshi Ihara as : 39-year-old Genzō is Hisako's husband and Natsu's father.
*
Jun Kaname
is a Japanese actor and tarento. He was born in Mitoyo, Kagawa and made his drama debut as an actor in 2001 in the Tokusatsu Series "Kamen Rider Agito". He appears not only in TV dramas but also in movies, commercial messages, variety TV program ...
as : Yoshie is Genzō's brother, and Hisako's brother-in-law. Because he has a bad leg, he was not called into service.
*
Mayuko Fukuda
, born on August 4, 1994 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese actress who made her debut in 1998. She is contracted to talent agency FLaMme.
Her father, Kenji Fukuda, is a drummer in the band Kasutera.
Filmography
Television dramas
* '' Summer ...
as : 12-year-old Hana is one of Hisako's daughters.
* as : 10-year-old Yuki is one of Hisako's daughters.
* as : 7-year-old Teizō is Hisako's only son. He suffers from asthma.
*
Ikki Sawamura
is a Japanese model, film and television actor, and television presenter signed to Ken-On. His second son, Kōta Nomura is also an actor.
Biography
Ikki Sawamura was born in Kagoshima in 1967. After graduating from the local high school, he mo ...
as : Kiyoshi is Seita and Setsuko's father and a colonel in the Japanese Navy.
*
Yui Natsukawa
is a Japanese actress. She co-starred with Hiroshi Abe in the 2006 Japanese drama Kekkon Dekinai Otoko and in Hirokazu Kore-eda's 2008 film '' Still Walking''.
Filmography Film
* ''Sora ga Konnani Aoi Wake ga Nai'' (1993) - Kaoru Aoki
* ''Yoru ...
as : Kyoko is Seita and Setsuko's mother. She has heart problems.
* as : 15-year-old Seita is the son of a Japanese naval commander.
* as : 5-year-old Setsuko is Seita's younger sister.
See also
* ''
Grave of the Fireflies
is a 1988 Japanese animated war tragedy film based on a 1967 short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. It was written and directed by Isao Takahata, and animated by Studio Ghibli for Shinchosha Publishing.
The film stars , , and . Set in the city o ...
''
References
External links
*
Grave of the Fireflies' at
Nippon Television
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
*
* {{anime News Network, Live-Action movie, 6261, Grave of the Fireflies (2005)
2005 films
2005 television films
Anti-war films about World War II
Children and death
Nippon TV films
Films set in 1943
Films set in 1945
Films set in 2005
Films set in Kobe
Japanese war drama films
2000s Japanese-language films
Pacific War films
Films with screenplays by Yumiko Inoue
Cultural depictions of Yasser Arafat
Japanese World War II films
Films based on short fiction
Films about siblings
2000s Japanese films