Wow. I had heard plenty about this film from fellow anime fans, but well trusting word of mouth and then experiencing the film myself makes all the difference. Thanks to the folks at Central Park Media I have finally gotten the chance to, and what better way than with a collectors edition?

Well, before I jump into the matter of the DVD there's the issue of the film's actual history and origin. Grave of the Fireflies was actually released back in 1988. A somewhat graphical adaptation of Akiyuki Nosaka's original novel, it was directed by Isao Takahata (who also wrote the film's screenplay). Believe it or not Akiyuki wrote the original story as a way to cope with the loss of his sister during the war on account of malnutrition. More or less an semi-autobiography. The film doesn't stray far from that though. You follow along the heels of two children caught up within the war in the midst of Japan; a fourteen year old boy named Seita and his five year old sister, Setsuko. After the first of many air raids, they're suddenly left with ashes for a mother and a father still fighting in the navy. Luckily they stumble upon a distant aunt who takes them in, but her slightly aggressive attitude forces them out on their own, and well that's when the trials, troubles, and tribulations begin for the two.

As an anime film, well it doesn't exactly have an equal, or perhaps others to pull influence from. First off it is a technically a war film (based on its settings), which in and of itself is a rarity for most any anime (for obvious reasons). I suppose one thing it did pull influence from was prior war films set in Asia and the simple proclamation of an enemy and not a previously identified nationality. Meaning you won't quite hear cvilians in the movie shouting out "Here come the Yanks!" or other such things concerning America; they simply acknowledged the fact that they had an enemy and nothing more. Now to pull such an obscure type of project off, well you'd need the certain things to help set the mood, which Grave of the Fireflies is full of. On the spoken side of the matter the English dub is quite good, but it's the original Japanese voice actors that gain my appreciation. All voices fit on either side though, and the acting itself is done well, but it's Setsuko's original Japanese voice actor that I enjoyed most. I found out that Takahata went as far as to hire Ayano Shiraishi even though she was but a five year old girl to voice the part of Setsuko. Being that she was so young they actually shaped the film around her to the extent that they wouldn't have to worry about any sulking fits she may have had. On that 'note', the music selection also accompanied each chapter superbly, never coming off as being overbearing or possibly annoying. Soft and perhaps even floaty, as if the fireflies themselves were the ones making the music. To further sweeten the cinematic experience, the film was digitally remastered, making use of DVNR. So a film that was originally beautifully animated is even more stunning with the end result of digital remastering.

With such an amazing cinematic package, well you would think the film itself would be the coup de grace. Well, it is, but it certainly caught me off guard. Allow me a moment or two to fully explain. As a personal mindset, I look at anime to be the representation of humanity, expressing certain emotions and characteristics we share, only in exaggerated form. Love, greed, friendship, and so on, all squeezed into an even further exaggerated means of a setting and plot. Thus it's the relation of humanity that brings someone such as myself in, but it's the stylistic and/or even crazy plot that keeps me there watching more. A melting pot of creativity and imagination. Grave of the Fireflies actually goes in the opposite direction, only holding a firm grasp on realism. Any generic, big eyed, action packed, fantasy set stereotype is put aside to tell the story. Hence I was taken aback. Furthermore, another mindset was shattered, that of the typical war film drenched with blood, tanks, and other army oriented violence. Save the air raids near the start, and a passing 'enemy' plane firing upon the two, there is no other means of action.

Which is why Grave of the Fireflies is as much a masterpiece as any other war film out there. Most other anime films end up cluttered, or perhaps even rushed, but here GotF actually takes the time to animate those things you yourself have done. Drying your wet hair, chasing a friend around playfully, heck, even taking a bath. It's because they took the time to show you the bond between the two that you're drawn into the relationship of brother and sister as they trudge through the hardships of war, holding close those moments of happiness, doing the best they can to survive on their own. It actually comes of as being greatly anti-climatic, but truthfully that's a good thing for this film (which is further proven by the film's starting line). Everything just flows eloquently, though the end result is actually a simplistic one itself. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Well now that I've blubbered on of my personal thoughts, let's dig into the aesthetics a bit. The film is beautiful in all aspects, and that very much includes the audiovisual components. The picture is sharp and crisp (thanks to the DVNR process, which I'll discuss later), whilst the sound and music itself are just as good. Also, the music isn't lowered in the dub, as I would have expected, so that is certainly a plus.

I suppose you think I'm done now, don't you? No sir, there's even more things to shout praise for. On top of being an excellent film in all aspects, Central Park Media has gone the extra mile to include a second disc filled to the brim with extras. First off, there's not one, nor two, but three interviews to be found on the disc. The first is with the director, Isao Takahata. He tells of his thoughts on the film, how he imagined the Japanese public would take it, and even mentions that the voice actor for Setsuko was but only five years old. The second interview is with original author Akiyuki Nosaka. He discusses his thoughts of his written work being put into the animated medium and talks more of his general feelings with the story overall. Lastly, there's the interview with Roger Ebert. Yes, Roger Ebert. I understand that such an interview may come off as a silly or maybe odd extra, but it does hold merit. First off, it brings another point view, and more importantly one with the experience and knowledge of films, past, present, and future. Secondly, well this is Roger Ebert we're talking of here, and he's been open minded with anime in the past so I would say that the choice of individual for this interview is just fine. Anyways, Mr. Ebert goes on to talk of his thoughts on the film, and points several things he enjoyed, which by the way happen to be true for anime in general. All the better I say. He then relates it to other war films, and basically sums up how much he truly enjoyed the film. Now going back to the first two, following Ebert's interview there are two individual short biographies on both the Takahata and Nosaka, bringing even more background information to the table.

More still is the most informative extra on the disc, a historical perspective/commentary with two professors who obviously quite knowledgeable on the subject in question. On the technical level of matters you can find a documentary describing the process of DVNR, Digital Video Noise Reduction. They clearly display the leap in visual quality, showcasing the old master reel and the digitally remastered reel next to one another. What is by far my favorite extra is a little tidbit comparing locations within the film with how they stand today. I thought that was quite cool to have done. Rounding off the already fattened extras disc are bonus storyboards, the original Japanese theatrical trailer, the U.S. trailer, and an expansive art gallery to be viewed from your dvd player or your dvd rom. Pop in the second disc into your computer and you can find the film's script, additional storyboards, the large art gallery, and cast and production credits. On the disc containing the actual movie however, you can find English and Japanese with subtitles, more trailers of upcoming Central Park Media anime, the option to view the film in Anamorphic Widescreen format, and the ability to switch from the actual film to the storyboard of the film for the ENTIRE period of the film. By the time you enjoy all these extras you may just end up with quite the sore thumb.

At the end I find that this collector's edition is a must own for most any fan of anime, veteran or not. Not only do you have an amazing work of art with the film, but you have a grand amount of extras to immerse yourself into. It's worth any price really, and can stand as a great centerpiece amidst a film collection, anime or live action. It's something you can show to those that aren't even into anime but films in general. If you're more for what beauty anime can really portray, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

For more information, please visit Central Park Media.