Hotaru no haka

"Why do fireflies have to die so soon?"

Between the punitive firebombing of Tokyo by the Americans and the Japanese militarists who were still shouting "Long live the emperor" despite the devastation, it was poor civilians who suffered, many of them children, and this film is a brutal, very sad reminder of that. I liked how it didn't sugarcoat human behavior under such conditions and yet retained a touch of sweetness in the little girl and her brother playing in the moments they could, showing the lives they should have had. It also wisely focused on a single family, without trying to explain the larger context or just how many such people suffered (in Japan or the countries they invaded). It's powerful and heartbreaking, though perhaps a little manipulative and predictable. The quality of the animation and the grace with which such a painful subject was rendered make it essential viewing, but it's a tough watch.