Grave of the Fireflies Is Manipulative (Apparently)

[Soviet Heavy]

Having not seen the film myself, I am in no position to judge the validity of these claims, but I figured it would be good to share, considering the number of people on this forum who praise the film.

If you don't know, Bennett The Sage from That Guy With The Glasses has a show called Anime Abandon, which looks at the anime he watched from the late eighties to nineties. He's reviewed both good films and several bad ones, but his latest review deals with Grave of the Fireflies.

The link isn't up on the main site yet, but the video can be accessed through the Related Videos on the player in this link for his Akira Review. http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/bt/the-sage/anime-abandon/35069-anime-abandon-akira (After the credits, top left corner of the video player)

For those of you who can't watch the video, here's a rundown

Spoiler

Sage dislikes the movie intensely for it's manipulation of the original semi-autobiographical novel the film is based off of in order to criticize and shame the Japanese youth culture of the 1980s. He argues that much of the film was intentionally manipulated by the director Isao Takahata to make the japanese youth culture, which during the 80s undergoing an all time high crime rate amongst teens feel guilt for the horrors their parents went through during the war.

Sage finds the alterations to a true survivor's story for the sake of the director shouting "stop being so spoiled you brats, you never had to starve to death" to be deplorable.

Like I said, I haven't seen the film, so I cannot argue for the validity of these claims, but from what I have heard of the film, this is a very different and quite controversial stance to take on the movie. I'm curious if you agree with him, or if you think he is digging way to far into this.

Also, you should really check out the rest of that series, it's equal parts hilarious and enlightening for a non anime aficionado like myself.

 

[Darth_pipsqueak]

I have seen the film and while the directors vision left a bad taste in the back of my mouth, i can't bring myself to dislike it. I don't see the movie as the director does because i'm not from Japan or from the 80's and early 90's. I see the movie as an anti-war film, like many other western critics does. I liked the movie, because i liked the anime. the changes made to the movie was minor changes, and if the director wanted to target japenese teenagers specifically, i don't blame him. It's manipulative, it's evil, but that just coontributes to how much i love this movie. That may be the fact, that i have always loved anime more than i have western animation. Anime can be dark. So can western animation. But the way anime is dark, isn't the same way western is. A Grave Of The Fireflies, always, ALWAYS, leaves me with a good, and a bad impression on me. I loved this movie, more than i have ever loved a movie. It's one of my favorite drama movies, and i'm proud to say that i didn't read into it when i watched it, so i could enjoy it as it was. An EVIL, brilliantly made, and intellectually challenging movie.

 

[Darth_pipsqueak]

"I like the movie because i liked the anime," I of course meant to say the japanese manga.

 

[Jonluw]

I haven't read the book, but considering that the main character in the movie voluntarily leaves his only source of proper food, in a manner similar to a huff, because the people who give it to him treat him poorly, I have some trouble seeing how the movie is trying to get that message across.

 

[Kahunaburger]

So in other words, he's mad because it's a semi-adaptation of a semi-autobiographical novel? Does anyone other than him (who, like, actually lived in Japan in the 80's) have this interpretation?

 

[bluepilot]

I have heard it been called manipulative before, but only in relation to how Japan was portrayed during the war. Japan has often been accused of placing too much emphasis on its suffering while subsequently ignoring the plight of its colonies and the countries it invaded.

I can remember a part in this film where the young boy watches three girls listen to their new vinyl from a distance but I think this is intended to illustrate the difference between the rich and poor of the era rather than criticize modern culture.

Overall, I do not think it is manipulative though but I do not recommend watching it because it is really depressing. I only ever cried that much when watching the beginning of "up"

 

[Hoplon]

I would say "duh" the question isn't weather or not it's manipulative, but if it is honestly done or contrived and mannered in the execution.

 

[JoJo]

Overall, I do not think it is manipulative though but I do not recommend watching it because it is really depressing. I only ever cried that much when watching the beginning of "up"

I would disagree to a point, it depends on your personality type. I'm a bit of masochist and I actually enjoy watching depressing films because of the emotional pain it makes me feel, there's a sort of beauty to it.

As for the original topic, I honestly cannot say either way because while Grave is one of my favourite films, I'm not a Japanese youth from the 80's and nor have I read the original book, so that angle wouldn't come across to me whether it's present or not. For what the film entails from my point of view, I'd say it's both anti-war and also about the naivety of youth since as Jonluw mentioned, the boy rejects his only source of proper food and shelter since he naively believes he can provide for himself and his younger sister, with tragic consequences.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Manipulative how? It's a war story, war sucks, it's not news. It's equally manipulative as all other war stories.

 

[Vegosiux]

Of course it's manipulative. That thing would make a block of solid granite cry, how can it not be manipulative? It's also awesome. I never saw it as a "youth culture" movie. I always saw is as "And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why war sucks" movie.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

Overall, I do not think it is manipulative though but I do not recommend watching it because it is really depressing. I only ever cried that much when watching the beginning of "up"

I think that's why people should watch it. The way it makes you so fucking depressed is crazy.

OT: Nah, I don't think it's manipulative, in youth culture sense,

I always saw is as "And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why war sucks" movie.

This is what I got from it, and it does it better then any other movie.
If you count manipulative as it giving you an emotional response, it is the most manipulative movie in the history of the world.

 

[Grygor]

Of course it's manipulative. That thing would make a block of solid granite cry, how can it not be manipulative?

Now, now, just because it makes you cry, doesn't mean it's manipulative.

It's only manipulation if the movie feels like it's cheating to get those emotions, rather than earning them. (Which, admittedly, is highly subjective.)

 

[Casual Shinji]

Sage made it clear that it's very much a personal opinion, he doesn't even say the movie is actually bad. And Grave of the Fireflies stacks on the drama pretty heavily, and some people don't like having their emotions squeezed like that.

If you want to see a bad WWII anime watch Barefoot Gen 2.

But honestly, after Sage's horrendous Akira review I have a hard time taking anything he says that serious anymore.