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[Corwood Rep]

I decided to actually sit down and watch this last night. Holy shit that movie was fucking impossibly sad from beginning to end. The part where the

Spoiler

girl buries the fireflies and says "I'm putting them in a grave because that's where momma is - she's in a grave"

made me want to kill myself. But frankly, lots of parts made me want to kill myself. Another part that made me want to kill myself is when the

Spoiler

evil aunt makes them sell their dead mother's kimonos for rice and then doesn't let them have any and the little girl has a breakdown

.

And that's why Grave of the Fireflies is really sad and made me want to kill myself. The end.

P.S. Despite its being remarkably really fucking sad, it was also beautiful from beginning to end. Best animated film ever?

 

[Mike Works]

Best animated film ever?

Now there are two people in this thread who want to kill you.

 

[Lelielle]

I wouldn't say best animated films out there, but I would put it on a list of great war based movies for sure, so freakin' sad.

 

[DrForester]

Great movie, wouldn't say it's the best animated film ever.

Best animated film ever has to be something I can watch again, and I don't think I could ever watch Grave of the Fireflies again.

 

[aznpxdd]

Its a good movie, but I didn't think it was THAT sad. Maybe I'm just cold blooded.

 

[TDG]

Well, it was certainly really great. I like movies with depressing endings, and this one didn't disappoint. I really liked it.

 

[rollingstart]

I enjoyed it, but I remember other people telling me about how sad it was and how they cried over it. I mean, it was kind of sad...a tiny bit.

 

[DarthWaiter]

great movie..very depressing

 

[armubaba]

I watched it for the first time not too long ago, and, I hate to say it, but I found it to be slightly overrated. I did go in with really high expectations though, considering all the people who had watched it were raving over it, so I guess that was a factor in my opinion.

All in all, I found it to be a pretty decent movie. Is it watchable? Certainly. Is it the depressing movie to end all depressing movies? For me, not so much.

 

[Tsubaki]

It was neither sad nor beautiful.

They tried way too hard.

 

[LuCkymoON]

I cried when

Spoiler

the little girl(sister) dies of starvation, especially because the animators show all of the suffering of her malnutrition.

 

[bigmit3737]

I decided to actually sit down and watch this last night. Holy shit that movie was fucking impossibly sad from beginning to end. The part where the

Spoiler

girl buries the fireflies and says "I'm putting them in a grave because that's where momma is - she's in a grave"

made me want to kill myself. But frankly, lots of parts made me want to kill myself. Another part that made me want to kill myself is when the

Spoiler

evil aunt makes them sell their dead mother's kimonos for rice and then doesn't let them have any and the little girl has a breakdown

.

And that's why Grave of the Fireflies is really sad and made me want to kill myself. The end.

P.S. Despite its being remarkably really fucking sad, it was also beautiful from beginning to end. Best animated film ever?

I loved it as well..and when I made post here, I got flamed..:lol

But yeah really sad as well. I recommended it to my family members...like my mom. She loved Spirited Away, another movie I recommended.

 

[bigmit3737]

I watched it for the first time not too long ago, and, I hate to say it, but I found it to be slightly overrated. I did go in with really high expectations though, considering all the people who had watched it were raving over it, so I guess that was a factor in my opinion.

All in all, I found it to be a pretty decent movie. Is it watchable? Certainly. Is it the depressing movie to end all depressing movies? For me, not so much.

I had no idea what the movie was going in, so I was kind of caught off-guard.
I love going into movies not know what to expect.

 

[bob digi]

One of the saddest movies I've ever seen. A lot different from the other Ghibli movies.

 

[buckfutter]

I consider it to be easily one of the greatest animated films of all time, ahead of pretty much all other Ghibli offerings, but that really depends on your criteria for ranking animated films. It's not the fact that it's sad, it's how brilliantly and effectively structured the film is, and the amazing score and visual compositions.

Still, I can understand why some people dislike it. It's very contentious, mainly as a result of being so highly regarded in some circles.

 

[Vark]

There are only two movies in existence that can make real men cry.

Grave of the Fireflies and Transformers.

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

It's...not really nearly as good as people make it out to be.

I have nothing against movies that make a point to include tragedy (Hell, Naked is my favorite movie ever) but this really crossed the line into melodrama. Not only that, but it is really, REALLY emotionally manipulative to its audience.

I mean, its pretty good on the first showing, but its ultimately kinda shallow and boring.

As an aside, if anyone wants to see a GOOD work about Japan's WWII, they should read Barefoot Gen

 

[Sviatoslav]

Great movie but I would never want to watch it again. Way too fucking sad.

 

[Hellsing321]

I watched that film for an Art of Film class and it was extremely depressing. One of the most memorable animated films I've seen but probably not the best, but it's still really good.

 

[Tyrone Slothrop]

i was lttp on this too.

there's no doubt it's a great film but at the same time something about it fell flat with me. it seemed to have this abruptness to it. kind of came off as awkward

off topic but speaking of anime i saw paprika today. anybody that hasnt should definitely check it out asap

 

[Absinthe (Permed)]

It is melodramatic, but I wouldn't necessarily call it manipulative. I'm sure that there were Japanese orphans post WWII and I'm sure that some of them had it worse than what was show in this film. At first, I thought that the writer was intentionally piling on depressing situation after depressing situation, but then it occurred to me that the probability of something like that happening wasn't exactly far-fetched.

 

[funkmastergeneral]

There are only two movies in existence that can make real men cry.

Grave of the Fireflies and Transformers.

Field of Dreams? Rudy? Brian's Song?

 

[Mistouze]

Great movie but I would never want to watch it again. Way too fucking sad.

.

 

[rollingstart]

There are only two movies in existence that can make real men cry.

Grave of the Fireflies and Transformers.

hell no.

unless if by real men you mean 25 year old basement dwellers who are so disconnencted that they cant feel any emotion unless an animated film is expressing it.

real men dont cry, they yawn to cancel it out and rub their eyes pretending to be tired.

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Sad, sad movie. I don't know if I want to watch it again. It's just so depressing.

 

[Sumidor]

There are only two movies in existence that can make real men cry.

Grave of the Fireflies and Transformers.

Hahaha. I know a few people who would agree with you on this.. Myself included. Grave of the Fireflies is the most depressing movie i've ever seen. And I do agree they tried a little too hard to get some extra emotion out of people. I don't think I can watch this movie again, but I did enjoy it the first and only time i've watched it.

 

[Son of Godzilla]

I'm glad MW arrived early to mock this abortion of a film, less work for the rest of the sane individuals.

 

[Nolan.]

I watched it and, well just didn't find it too sad particularly.

 

[Green Shinobi]

I just rented this film and started watching it.

Ten minutes in, and I can barely take it. I just can't stand to see children suffer. Does it get a whole lot worse?


DO NOT READ THE POSTS BELOW THIS ONE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM. MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND, DESPITE MY PROTESTS.

 

[Amir0x]

I just rented this film and started watching it.

Ten minutes in, and I can barely take it. I just can't stand to see children suffer. Does it get a whole lot worse?

Yes.

Ohhh yes.

 

[909er]

It is melodramatic, but I wouldn't necessarily call it manipulative. I'm sure that there were Japanese orphans post WWII and I'm sure that some of them had it worse than what was show in this film. At first, I thought that the writer was intentionally piling on depressing situation after depressing situation, but then it occurred to me that the probability of something like that happening wasn't exactly far-fetched.

It's based on a real story. Except in that case the older brother survived, and wrote a book because he was ashamed of possibly having been the cause of his sisters death.

 

[bengraven]

Fuck this movie. Seriously, I can't handle a snuff film as beautiful as it may be.

I remember being told this is a great companion piece to My Neighbor Totoro: hypothetically because it's made by some of the same team and came out around the same time.

I think it's because Totoro will build you right the fuck back up from where Grave knocks you down.

That said, I've never seen it, but the responses here remind me why I never will.

 

[my name is ed]

hell no.

unless if by real men you mean 25 year old basement dwellers who are so disconnencted that they cant feel any emotion unless an animated film is expressing it.

real men dont cry, they yawn to cancel it out and rub their eyes pretending to be tired.

like so?

 

[Green Shinobi]

It's based on a real story. Except in that case the older brother survived, and wrote a book because he was ashamed of possibly having been the cause of his sisters death.

Thank you for fucking spoiling the entire film, dude.

 

[909er]

Thank you for fucking spoiling the entire film, dude.

The film opens with the older brother dying. There's no mystery as to whether the two survive.

 

[fmcato]

Thank you for fucking spoiling the entire film, dude.

First line in the movie, as narrated by the brother: "17th(?) September 1945. The day that I died".

Hope you were joking.

 

[rollingstart]

like so?

:lol I dont even think I had this avatar 4 months ago...creepy.

 

[Green Shinobi]

First line in the movie, as narrated by the brother: "17th(?) September 1945. The day that I died".

Hope you were joking.

And now I know that both characters die. Also, his "death" in the opening line may have been metaphorical: it may have referred to the moment when he lost all human dignity or something like that.

Regardless, when someone bumps a movie thread and says "I just started watching this," there's no reason to ever, ever give away the ending, no matter how old the movie is.

 

[909er]

And now I know that both characters die. Also, his "death" in the opening line may have been metaphorical: it may have referred to the moment when he lost all human dignity or something like that.

Regardless, when someone bumps a movie thread and says "I just started watching this," there's no reason to ever, ever give away the ending, no matter how old the movie is.

It wasn't the ending, and it wasn't metaphorical. He literally starves to death in the opening of the movie. The story wasn't about whether they were going to survive, but the how and why they died.

 

[Green Shinobi]

It wasn't the ending, and it wasn't metaphorical. He literally starves to death in the opening of the movie. The story wasn't about whether they were going to survive, but the how and why they died.

And now I know exactly how

Spoiler

he dies, and presumably, how his sister dies.

Fuck you, dude. Just fuck yourself with a pineapple. Seriously. Go to fucking hell.

 

[909er]

And now I know exactly how he dies, and presumably, how his sister dies.

Fuck you, dude. Just fuck yourself with a pineapple. Seriously. Go to fucking hell.

You gotta be fucking kidding me. That's like saying I ruined Terminator for you by saying Arnold is a robot from the future. The fact that they die of starvation is the premise of the fucking movie.

 

[Green Shinobi]

You gotta be fucking kidding me. That's like saying I ruined Terminator for you by saying Arnold is a robot from the future. The fact that they die of starvation is the premise of the fucking movie.

No. The premise of the movie is these two kids trying to survive in the firebombing of Tokyo. That is literally all I knew about the film before I started it. That and the fact that it's very sad, apparently.

What you just described is the resolution of that premise.

I don't care so much anymore, but in the future, please, just think for a moment before you post important plot information. I purposely avoided all spoilers about this film, and you managed to undo all of that in three posts. The fact that you just kept on making it worse with each subsequent post is pretty funny, actually. :lol

 

[Snidely Whiplash]

No. The premise of the movie is these two kids trying to survive in the firebombing of Tokyo. That is literally all I knew about the film before I started it. That and the fact that it's very sad, apparently.

What you just described is the resolution of that premise.

I don't care so much anymore, but in the future, please, just think for a moment before you post important plot information. I purposely avoided all spoilers about this film, and you managed to undo all of that in three posts.

IAWTP, guess this is another film I'll never bother to watch. Oh well.

 

[909er]

No. The premise of the movie is these two kids trying to survive in the firebombing of Tokyo. That is literally all I knew about the film before I started it. That and the fact that it's very sad, apparently.

What you just described is the resolution of that premise.

I don't care so much anymore, but in the future, please, just think for a moment before you post important plot information. I purposely avoided all spoilers about this film, and you managed to undo all of that in three posts. The fact that you just kept on making it worse with each subsequent post is pretty funny, actually. :lol

Really? I mean really? The movie fucking opens with the brother dying and then the spirits of the two kids recounting their story. That's the premise of it. This was not a spoiler.

By the way, the story takes place in Kobe. You're a couple hundred miles off there.

 

[Green Shinobi]

Really? I mean really? The movie fucking opens with the brother dying and then the spirits of the two kids recounting their story. That's the premise of it. This was not a spoiler.

It is not clear that

Spoiler

the other dead kid is his sister. My plan was to go through the entire film hoping that it wasn't his sister on the other side of the pillar so that I could be suitably sad if it turned out to be her.

Just admit that you spoiled a film here. I'm not even mad about it anymore, but you can't seriously be arguing that you didn't spoil anything with those posts.

 

[Momar]

I started crying just reading the thread title. :*(

 

[Souther]

Spoiler tags are your friends.

 

[bengraven]

In Shinobi's defense, the movie WAS ruined for him. If the movie was about "how the children die" then you shouldn't have fucking said they starve to death.

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

It was too cheesy and the sadness was overdone to the point of inducing rolled eyes.

A lot like Crash. Great premise but ruined by being too try-hard.

 

[fmcato]

It was too cheesy and the sadness was overdone to the point of inducing rolled eyes.

It was as overdone as the autobiographical book it was based on, which I have read, and conveys even more gruesome details thanks to text narrative.