History, as they say, is written by the winners. You can probably extend that to read “Films are produced by the winners” – especially where World War 2 is concerned. There are certainly precious few out there that show the war from the point of view of the Axis forces – “Das Boot” and “Tachi No Yamato” are two excellent examples that come to mind.
Leave it up to the world of anime to present us with some excellent examples of the War, as seen through Japanese eyes. In keeping with the rules of good story telling, they don’t tell the story from we-were-right-and-they-we-wrong perspective, but more in a matter-of-fact-this-is-what-happened way. They don’t thrust a point of view on you (I think most people already have their own anyway – personally, I believe whoever ordered incendiary bombs to be dropped on cities consisting mostly of wooden buildings deserves his own special place in hell), but rather tells the story simply, yet brilliantly.
So, let’s look at some Japanese war stories. Oh, maybe a word of warning before you continue – some of the screenshots are a bit graphic. I don’t apologise for that – war is not pretty, nor is it romantic – especially for those on the receiving end.
Grave of the Fireflies
(火垂るの墓 Hotaru no Haka)
Let’s start off with the premise behind the tale. Seita, who I’d guess probably hasn’t reached his teens yet, and his much younger sister, Setsuko are living with their mother in Kobe towards the end of WW2. Their father is away, fighting with the Japanese Imperial fleet. When their mother is killed during the firebombing of Kobe, the two are taken in by relatives. However, as conditions on the homefront worsen, he leaves, taking his sister with him. However, as much as they try, they are clearly incapable of looking after themselves – especially in an environment where food is rationed and becoming scarce – even more so if you are living outside of the system. As we watch, the story unfolds to its inevitable, tragic and somewhat harrowing conclusion.
Grave of the Fireflies is quite possibly the most emotionally moving film I’ve seen – animated or live action. I think there are a few reasons for this – firstly, because like (hopefully) anybody with a heart I hate seeing horrible things happen to innocent children, secondly when my research for writing this turned up the fact that the original author wrote the story as an apology to his sister and thirdly because it’s so well told. At no point does the story try to blame America for the bombing, or to glorify Japan, it simply tells a story of innocents caught up in the horror of war. It’s also a story that without a doubt played out across the world, from Leningrad, to Hamburg and even London.
Possibly the most horrific element of the story, is Seita’s pride. Homeless, orphaned and dependent on the help of others, he seems unable to grasp the concept that the people around have far more serious things on their minds than being burdened with two children and that he is expected to pitch in and assist in whatever way he can. This, coupled with his childish selfishness, results in him “going it alone’ with his sister – at a time when he is clearly incapable of caring for her, and society as a whole cannot support those who turn their back on it.
However, despite all that, the story is essentially about a brother and sister and their love for each other. That is why they stay together, that is why Seita does everything in his power to look after her, from performing acrobatics to distract her at the makeshift hospital, to robbing houses during air-raids in search of food or items to barter for food. Their relationship is portrayed so brilliantly that it makes the inevitable climax all the more heart-wrenching.
Watching events unfold, thanks to a combination of masterful storytelling, great animation (what else would you expect from Ghibli) and skilful voice-acting (Setsuko’s in particular) makes for some sublime viewing. If anybody says that animated films cannot tell a good story, sit them down and make them watch this. It will either change their mind, or prove that they have no heart.
August 22, 2008 at 3:12 pm |
Indeed war is art of destruction. Many civilian has died in war even until. they have suffer great damage in physically and mentally. We have know it yet we don’t do anything about that (>_<).
Lets hope that with a lot animated movie or anime can remind people and young generation about the evil of wars so in the future there will be less wars or at least civilian not being in caught in battle field or being a target.
September 27, 2008 at 9:16 pm |
Concerning your paragraph beginning “Perhaps the most horrific element of the story is Seita’s pride,” I respect your reading of the anime, but I disagree with this. I think what went wrong between the two children and their aunt’s family is more complicated than this. There is certainly selfishness on Seita’s part, but I do not have the sense that he would have refused to “pitch in” if he had been given a constructive way to do so. And the aunt, preoccupied with taking care of the needs of those closest to her, fails in several ways to respond to Seita and Setsuko’s needs. You also left out the fact that Seita’s unrealistic choices were fueled in part by Setsuko’s refusal to adjust to the situation, and his love for her, no matter how misguided those choices were.
I think part of the amazing power of the anime is the element of classical tragedy in it: It is exactly because of the strong characters of the two children, put in a situation of having to adapt to a situation no one should have to adapt to, which brings about their destruction. People ask me why I like such a “depressing” story so much, and this is one of the answers I give them. (My other main answer is that there is great lyrical beauty and some nostalgia for a now vanished world in many moments of the anime.) I think that the anime would not be the powerful condemnation of war that it is without this tragic element. It is far more powerful than simply showing that horrible things can happen.