One of my best friends—a self-declared film aficionado—really wanted me to go see this movie playing at the Gene Siskel Film Center as part of "Studio Ghibli Returns." Since I mostly trust his opinion and have always wanted to check out that theater, I decided to go. The only thing I knew about the movie going in was that it was animated and Japanese. Yep, anime. Meh.
I was never one to watch Dragon Ball Z, and my knowledge of animated movies is more in the Disney/Pixar realm. So I didn't know what to expect, but I suspected I might be bored.
Boy, was I ever wrong. Grave of the Fireflies was one of the most achingly beautiful stories I've ever experienced. Not only was I immediately captivated by the story, but I became completely enamored by the main characters Seita and Setsuko. It was so powerful, tears were streaming down my face, neck and into my dress. Even when I woke up the next morning, the impact of the movie still stayed with me.
Lesson learned. Thou shall not be all judgey toward anime.
Please — do yourself a favor. Experience this movie. I think it's available on Netflix!
geek on,
michelle