Diversity in Grave of the Fireflies

In an effort to provide affirming narratives, few children’s films strive to de-center. This focus on de-centering is the primary thing that makes Grave of the Fireflies (1988) a unique and invaluable children’s film. As Jacque Derrida explained, de-centering is the conscious act of recognizing a privilege or bias, and then shifting that privilege to a new focus. Grave of the Fireflies does this on several levels, presenting its viewers with a de-centered perspective on World War II, societal deviants, and the value of victory.

Grave of the Fireflies is a thoroughly Japanese film. This goes much farther than the fact that it is created and performed by Japanese artists. Though the film focuses on the Japanese-American conflict during World War II, no Americans are seen on screen. Their planes are viewed from below, ominous and inhuman machines of death. The destruction and eventual loss of the conflict is one of the most defining events of Japanese history and culture in the last one hundred years, and the personal loss and trauma felt during the war is felt clearly in each minute of the film. This is an image of war foreign to Americans. Instead of viewing Japan from the cockpit, we experience the heart wrenching ordeal of being the target on the ground. Our typically American bias is decentered and placed upon a different culture.

Seita and Setsuko do not live within the mainstream of the Japanese population. This again de-centers the narrative, this time from a position of privilege to that of poverty. Seita and Setsuko do not just experience the challenges of poverty, they choose it, stubbornly fighting to live independently rather than feel insulted by their nagging aunt. Seita feels so alienated from his own culture, that he even reverts to theft to provide them with food. In a sobering moment of the film, Seita raises his hands in the air and cheers at the sight of the firebombed village, thanking the American bombers for the opportunity to steal from the abandoned homes. Rather than following a trend of stories that place children in the mainstream of society, on a trajectory to become contributing adults, Grave of the Fireflies introduces us to vagrant and irreverent children, who in such dire circumstances even cheer on the same evil that orphaned them.

Finally, Grave of the Fireflies questions the value of victory. The film puts us on the flip side of the victor’s coin. Not only do the Japanese lose the conflict at large, but Seita and Setsuko do not overcome their personal challenges, both perishing prematurely at the conclusion of the film. Particularly for American children’s media, this may seem the most drastic de-centering of all. What makes the story so beautiful and memorable, is that it finds the eminent in loss. As a nation, Japan, like these children, has had to come to grips with loss, and try to make meaning of not only the sorrow experienced in loss, but also its purifying and maturing power. Near the end of the film, three teenage girls return to the town where Seita and Setsuko have been eking out their existence. The girls cheer with delight at the sight of their old home, and speak lightheartedly of how much they have missed the beautiful view. These girls have, to some degree, won a personal victory, in that they have survived. Yet they have not experienced the same sobering growth as Seita and Setsuko, who have discovered the true meaning of love, sacrifice, and family in the anvil of their affliction. Grave of the Fireflies not only reverently sorrows at loss, it also illustrates its incredible power to exalt humankind.

This beautiful film introduces children to a truly diverse world. It de-centers traditional American views of World War II, roles in society, and the importance of victory. Still, throughout, it manages to reach all audiences through its honest characters and universally heart-wrenching depictions of family.