I’ve been slowly getting through the studio ghibli back catalogue via lovefilm, the online film club i subscribe to.  Yesterday I watched Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies).  You know, I’m used to ghibli films being thought provoking in some way, but usually buried beneath some beautifully rendered fantasy.  The level of brain bashing in this thing was beyond belief though, it’s horrifically disturbing. It’s set in WWII japan, and of course the people who are suffering are those who had no say in the war and are just trying to live day by day.  The film focuses on a teenage lad trying to look after his baby sister after their home is bombed, mother dead and father stuck in the thick of the navy.  The animating of the little sister is adorably cute in that way that is so effective in anime, which is also the reason this thing is so torturous when they go through hell, unable to find food and to sustain themselves.  This thing left me feeling so god damn depressed and I almost gave up on it, it was that hard to watch.  Tell you what though, I’ll never forget it.