The Saddest Lines

Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Japanese animated war film written and directed by Isao Takahata. It stars the voices of Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, and Akemi Yamaguchi. Based on Akiyuki Nosaka's 1967 semi-autobiographical short story of the same name, the film is set in Kobe shortly after its bombing by the U.S. Army Air Forces, and follows two orphaned siblings who desperately struggle to survive during the final months of the Pacific War. Production began after Nosaka became interested in an animated adaptation of his book. It was animated by Studio Ghibli, and was Takahata's first film with the studio. Several critics considered it an anti-war film, but Takahata disagreed. The film was theatrically released in Japan by Toho on April 16, 1988, and was a modest success at the Japanese box office, grossing ¥1.7 billion. Its later international releases between 2018 and 2025 grossed $4.7 million overseas. It received universal acclaim and is considered by many to be Takahata's masterpiece, one of the greatest animated films of all time, and a major work of Japanese animation. It garnered particular praise for its emotional weight, and has been cited as one of the saddest films ever made.