Hello everyone. Today I am a somber, sad blogger, for this week is part two of our World War II theme, and today we are discussing Grave of the Fireflies. Yes, I would think it to be very much of an understatement when I say that this movie is very, very sad and heartbreaking. However, despite this, the movie still remains to be one of true beauty. More so than any of the movies we have discussed this semester, it is the best example of mono no aware, which basically means that life is beautiful, yet impermanent.
Seita, 14, and his little sister, Setsuko, 4, have a love for each other that, despite all of their hardships, stays strong to the very end. They are both caught in a massive firebombing which leaves their town destroyed and their mother dead. As a result, they must move in with their aunt who treats them badly, and the whole time, Seita takes care of his sister before anyone else, including himself. Sooner than later, they both make the decision to get away from their aunt, which leaves them truly on their own. While they are living on their own, food becomes scarce and Setsuko becomes very sick. She begins to eat marbles and makes "rice cakes" made out of dirt for Seita, who then begins to cry. I believe this is one scene that really shows exactly how much love Seita and Setsuko have for each other.
Also, this movie shows how indifferent many people are towards others' suffering. There is one scene where Seita goes inside of a building and overhears a conversation talking about how the war is over. He then frantically asks a nearby man about it and then begs the man to tell him about what happened to the Navy fleet in which his father was stationed, but the man simply brushes him off and calls him crazy. There is also another scene where Seita is stealing food from a farm. The farmer catches him, and despite Seita's pleas about him and sister's starvation, he still takes him to the police, and on top of that, pretty much drags him away from his sister.
What I find really interesting though, is that the native Japanese are seen as more of the bad guy than the Americans. The Japanese are the ones that are knowingly treating the two children badly, not the Americans. The Americans are just mindless robots in this film.
I think everyone can agree that the movie was really heartbreaking. Like, I kind of feel bad that I didn't cry. But that's a good mentioning of mono no aware, because I completely forgot about it. The term can definitely be applied to Grave of the Fireflies because even though Seita and Setsuko suffered a LOT they still treasured each other and lived as well as they could while they were alive. They made the best of every moment until they died and I think that's really honorable in terms of Japanese culture. But I definitely agree with the fact that people kind of ignore other people's suffering. I think it's because in times of suffering like World War II, people are on the lookout for themselves. Every man for himself, in some way lol
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing how sad this film is, yet still retains its beauty by showing how beautiful life can be. I agree that Grave of the Fireflies is by far the best example of mono no aware, at least in terms of anime we have blogged about. The love the siblings share throughout all their hardships is what I believe makes the film so moving. In between scenes of their suffering, we are shown them being innocent children and playing around. It is their enjoyment of life that makes their death so heart wrenching. The particular scene of Seita offering Setsuko food she made from dirt, as you pointed out, is probably the saddest scene in the film. The scene of Setsuko finding out the war is over was particularly disturbing. He is so surprised that Japan has lost the war and that his farther is dead, but the man he question treats him like he is nothing but a crazy person. I do not understand what is so crazy about being upset that a loved one has died.
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