Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Tombstone of the Fireflies

Original title: Hotaru no haka
  • 2008
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
402
YOUR RATING
Reo Yoshitake and Rina Hatakeyama in Tombstone of the Fireflies (2008)
DramaWar

Set during World War II, the film follows a young brother and sister as they attempt to survive the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe City.Set during World War II, the film follows a young brother and sister as they attempt to survive the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe City.Set during World War II, the film follows a young brother and sister as they attempt to survive the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe City.

  • Director
    • Tarô Hyûgaji
  • Writers
    • Takuya Nishioka
    • Akiyuki Nosaka
  • Stars
    • Reo Yoshitake
    • Rina Hatakeyama
    • Keiko Matsuzaka
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    402
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tarô Hyûgaji
    • Writers
      • Takuya Nishioka
      • Akiyuki Nosaka
    • Stars
      • Reo Yoshitake
      • Rina Hatakeyama
      • Keiko Matsuzaka
    • 6User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win total

    Photos

    Top cast15

    Edit
    Reo Yoshitake
    • Seita
    Rina Hatakeyama
    • Setsuko
    Keiko Matsuzaka
    • Widow - Seita's aunt
    Seiko Matsuda
    Seiko Matsuda
    • Yukiko - Seita's mother
    Hiromi Chino
    • Kimie Honjo
    Jun Etô
    • Masao Honjo
    Kazuki Hagiwara
    • Widow's son
    Yoshio Harada
    Yoshio Harada
    • Maichi Kaicho of Nishimiya
    Chizuru Ikewaki
    • Young Widow
    Hiroyuki Nagato
    • Maichi Kaicho of Mikage
    Maika Suzuki
    • Kazuko Honjo
    Katsuaki Takahashi
    • Seita's father
    Risa Taniuchi
    • Akiko Honjo
    Yukiko Yabe
    • Widow's daughter
    So Yamanaka
    • Michihiko Takayama
    • Director
      • Tarô Hyûgaji
    • Writers
      • Takuya Nishioka
      • Akiyuki Nosaka
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews6

    6.6402
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    3Platypuschow

    Tombstone of the Fireflies: Ridiculous rushed remake

    I cannot figure out for the life of me why just 3yrs since the last live action remake of the 1988 they remade the classic again.

    Grave Of The Fireflies is such good literature I firmly believe it should be taught in schools, its a work of art and it's anime was a masterpiece. Ontop of that the 2005 live action was a roaring success and an outstanding piece of cinema despite being a straight to television movie.

    This much not needed remake is a compacted version of the tale that had trimmed the beginning and changed the ending altogether.

    It all looks so very rushed, incompetently made, amateurish performances (Which is unforgivable for something like this) and the changes outright killed it.

    I'm a huge fan of Grave Of The Fireflies but make no mistake this isn't it.

    Watch the 1988 anime or the 2005 live action and forget about this pathetic excuse for storytelling.

    The Good:

    It's Grave Of The Fireflies.....kinda

    The Bad:

    Compacted story

    Much of the story has been changed altogether

    They changed the ending!

    Poor performances

    Things I Learnt From This Movie:

    Mass graves can be respectful to, right?
    6DarkSpotOn

    Sad, But Not As Sad As The Animation.

    There's much more details in the animation... From the Navi American Troops actually bombing Japan, to the brother bringing his little sister to the doctor... In the original, the little girl gets sick, and you can feel the struggle. Here, she dies from not wanting to eat, which just isn't as impactful.

    I can say that the acting is okay, and the story is fine i liked the film it was alright, but it's no where near as good as the original Grave of the Fireflies, that truly made me cry for 10+ Minutes. This didn't because we just didn't have as much development, and it's too similar to the original animated one.

    I can recommend you sure go watch this one, but first watch the original, the original is a masterpiece that will break anyone's heart. I'm not saying that this movie is bad, it's just not as impactful as the original. The original hits you like a truck.

    I am not saying that this movie won't make you sad or cry, but if you already seen the original, you kinda how what's coming and you are sort of ready for it to hit smack you in the chest.
    2r-n-openshaw

    Watch the 2005 version instead, or the original Anime

    After having seen the 2005 NTV version "Grave of the Fireflies", this one was somewhat of a disappointment.

    The storyline had been altered greatly and the beginning and ending had been trimmed and thus losing the poignancy of the movie. The use of modern upbeat songs is inappropriate for the tentative and moving moments. The storyline was less developed and the acting was far from convincing and even wooden at times. I can't understand why they made this version so soon after the NTV version.

    If you want to watch this title (I wholly recommend you do), see the 2005 version and the original anime. Both are extremely poignant and deeply moving testaments to those who suffered under similar circumstances.

    Best Emmys Moments

    Best Emmys Moments
    Discover nominees and winners, red carpet looks, and more from the Emmys!

    More like this

    Grave of the Fireflies
    7.4
    Grave of the Fireflies
    7.9
    Grave of the Fireflies
    Grave of the Fireflies
    8.5
    Grave of the Fireflies
    Barefoot Gen
    7.1
    Barefoot Gen
    The Pornographers
    7.2
    The Pornographers
    Hadashi no Gen: Namida no bakuhatsu
    7.2
    Hadashi no Gen: Namida no bakuhatsu
    Grave of the Fireflies: Storyboards
    Grave of the Fireflies: Storyboards
    Tombstone-Rashomon
    4.1
    Tombstone-Rashomon
    Only Yesterday
    7.6
    Only Yesterday
    The Wind Rises
    7.8
    The Wind Rises
    Barefoot Gen
    8.0
    Barefoot Gen
    Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
    8.0
    Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Band of Brothers (2001)
    War

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Based on Akiyuki Kosaka's best-selling novel "Hotaru no Haka (Grave of Fireflies)"
    • Connections
      Referenced in PhantomStrider: Top 10 Creepiest Animated Movies(ft. Nostalgia Critic) (2018)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ15

    • How long is Tombstone of the Fireflies?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 5, 2008 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Grave of the Fireflies
    • Filming locations
      • Japan
    • Production companies
      • Bandai Visual Company
      • Eisei Gekijo
      • JollyRoger
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 40m(100 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS-Stereo
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.