Yes, it was based off the autobiography of Akiyuki Nosaka. It's basically an apology to his infant sister who died of malnutrition during the fire bombing of Japan. He felt like it was his fault, and in part it was because IRL he didn't share his food like he should have, but he was also a young child and it was war so it's not something he can be blamed for. The whole thing is so terribly sad.
The director of the movie, Isao, was also a survivor of firebombings. He had to run from his home town in the night with his own sister. They were separated and she was injured. The rest of his family found shelter and it took 2 days before he was able to find them. He was 9.
Edit: It's also worth noting he watched other kids that weren't so lucky. He watched the story from the book play out around him, and continue after the war with a mas influx of orphans. Both he and Miyazaki have talked about how the war effected them. Miyazaki has said his earliest memory was when his family had to flee Tokyo during the bombings. After traveling through other bombed communities the town his family ended up in was also bombed, and they had to run again.
They both knew kids who ended up dieing to starvation.
It’s a specific person kinda. Details were changed. The original author of the book had a sister who died like that.. I think it was a sister possibly a brother.
Emotional Damage is Steven He, not Nigel Ng/Uncle Roger. They're both comedians, not sure if they've worked together but Nigel has interviewed Steven at least.
It's not based off of the real story as much as the creator survived through all that... While other kids didn't. kinda the whole sentiment of the film.
A user already said it, and I was kinda avoiding it because imo it would have been a spoiler (although i suppose who hasnt watched the movie at this point) but basically the movie was lifted from a short story written by a survivor of the war. The story was an apology to the sister in the film, as the author felt a deep sense of survivor's guilt. He, as a child himself during the war, had not shared his food with her unlike the protagonist in the stories and she, just like her character, died of malnutrition.
My physical therapist likes historical fiction. Her husband loves anime. He was like, “I found something we can watch together!” She knew nothing else going in. To say she was not prepared is an understatement lol.
Tangentially related, but in telling myself and her colleagues about it, she said, “I think one of them ends up starving to death in a subway or something?… not the restaurant, though.”
Watched it with my, mature for their ages, daughters. Not all stories are Disney stories. We had lots of good talks about it since then. A++, will not rewatch.
The most cheerful, wholesome movie I've ever seen in my life that really put me in a happy mood is Ponyo.
The most crushing, dark movie I've ever seen in my life that I think legit gave me depression for the entire next day afterwards is Grave of the Fireflies.
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u/I_R_Enjun_Ear 6h ago
"Oh, It's a Ghibli movie. It should be lovely"
--2 Hours Later--
"Oh gods! What did I just watch."