Антонина Анохина

Despite his merits during the Sunshot Campaign to bring down the tyrannical Wen Clan, Wei Wuxian (魏无羡) was feared by the world for the unorthodox path he himself created. Thirteen years after he was killed, he is summoned into the body of a person called Mo Xuanyu (莫玄羽), who was rejected by his clan and despised by his family, therefore sacrificing his own body to Wei Wuxian so he could avenge him. He'll soon meet a cultivator from his past, Lan Wangji (蓝忘机). Together, they will try to discover the identity of the person to whom belongs the dismembered left arm they found at the Mo house. What they don't know is that this mystery will lead them to unravel what lies behind the tragic events that caused the death of many people and of Wei Wuxian himself.

The film was modestly successful at the Japanese box office,[31] where it grossed ¥1.7 billion.[2] As part of the Studio Ghibli Fest 2018, the film had a limited theatrical release in the United States, grossing $516,962.[3]

The Ghibli ga Ippai Collection home video release of Grave of the Fireflies sold 400,000 copies in Japan.[32] At a price of at least ¥4,935,[33] this is equivalent to at least ¥1.974 billion in sales revenue.

The film received universal critical acclaim. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times considered it to be one of the best and most powerful war films and, in 2000, included it on his list of great films.[23] The film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 40 reviews with an average rating of 9.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli's most profoundly beautiful, haunting works".[34]

The film ranked number 12 on Total Film's 50 greatest animated films.[35] It was also ranked at number 10 in Time Out's "The 50 greatest World War II movies" list.[36] Empire magazine ranked the film at number 6 in its list of "The Top 10 Depressing Movies".[37] The film ranked number 19 on Wizard's Anime Magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America".[38] The Daily Star, ranking the film 4th on its list of greatest short story adaptations, wrote that "There is both much and little to say about the film. It is simply an experience—a trip through the lonely boroughs of humanity that the world collectively looked, and still looks, away from".[39] Theron Martin of Anime News Network said that, in terms of the original U.S. Manga Corps dub, while the other voices were "perfectly acceptable", "Setsuko just doesn't sound quite convincing as a four-year-old in English. That, unfortunately, is a big negative, since a good chunk of the pathos the movie delivers is at least partly dependent on that performance".[27]

On 25 December 2016, Toei Company made a Twitter post that read "Why did Kiriya have to die so soon?" (なんできりやすぐ死んでしまうん, Nande Kiriya sugu shinde shimaun?) in order to promote an episode of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. The hashtag became popular, but Toei deleted the tweet after receiving complaints that referencing the Grave of the Fireflies line "Why do fireflies die so soon?" (なんで蛍すぐ死んでしまうん, Nande hotaru sugu shinde shimaun) was in poor taste.[40] Before that, the ranking website Goo's readers voted the film's ending the number 1 most miserable of all anime films.[41]

On June 2018, USA Today ranked 1st on the 100 best animated movies of all time.

Some critics in the West have viewed Grave of the Fireflies as an anti-war film due to the graphic and emotional depiction of the pernicious repercussions of war on a society, and the individuals therein. The film focuses its attention almost entirely on the personal tragedies that war gives rise to, rather than seeking to glamorize it as a heroic struggle between competing nations. It emphasizes that war is society's failure to perform its most important duty: to protect its own people.[16]

However, director Takahata repeatedly denied that the film was an anti-war film. In his own words, it "is not at all an anti-war anime and contains absolutely no such message". Instead, Takahata had intended to convey an image of the brother and sister living a failed life due to isolation from society and invoke sympathy particularly in people in their teens and twenties.[17][18]

Since the film gives little context to the war, Takahata feared a politician could just as easily claim fighting is needed to avoid such tragedies. In general, he was skeptical that depictions of suffering in similar works, such as Barefoot Gen, actually prevent aggression. The director was nevertheless an anti-war advocate, a staunch supporter of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, and has openly criticized Japan's penchant for conformity, allowing them to be rallied against other nations. He expressed despair and anxiety whenever the youth are told to fall in line, a reminder that the country at its core has not changed.

Grave of the Fireflies author Akiyuki Nosaka said that many offers had been made to make a live-action film adaptation of his short story.[9] Nosaka argued that "it was impossible to create the barren, scorched earth that's to be the backdrop of the story".[9] He also argued that contemporary children would not be able to convincingly play the characters. Nosaka expressed surprise when an animated version was offered.[9] After seeing the storyboards, Nosaka concluded that it was not possible for such a story to have been made in any method other than animation and expressed surprise in how accurately the rice paddies and townscape were depicted.[9]

Isao Takahata said that he was compelled to film the short story after seeing how the main character, Seita, "was a unique wartime ninth grader".[10] Takahata explained that any wartime story, whether animated or not animated, "tends to be moving and tear-jerking", and that young people develop an "inferiority complex" where they perceive people in wartime eras as being more noble and more able than they are, and therefore the audience believes that the story has nothing to do with them. Takahata argued that he wanted to dispel this mindset.[9] When Nosaka asked if the film characters were "having fun", Takahata answered that he clearly depicted Seita and Setsuko had "substantial" days and that they were "enjoying their days".[11] Takahata said that Setsuko was even more difficult to animate than Seita, and that he had never before depicted a girl younger than five.[9] Takahata said that "In that respect, when you make the book into a movie, Setsuko becomes a tangible person", and that four-year-olds often become more assertive and self-centered, and try to get their own ways during that age. He explained that while one could "have a scene where Seita can't stand that anymore", it is "difficult to incorporate into a story".[12] Takahata explained that the film is from Seita's point of view, "and even objective passages are filtered through his feelings".[11]

Takahata said that he had considered using non-traditional animation methods, but because "the schedule was planned and the movie's release date set, and the staff assembled, it was apparent there was no room for such a trial-and-error approach".[11] He further remarked that he had difficulty animating the scenery since, in Japanese animation, one is "not allowed" to depict Japan in a realistic manner.[9] Animators often traveled to foreign countries to do research on how to depict them, but such research had not been done before for a Japanese setting.[9]

Most of the illustration outlines in the film are in brown, instead of the customary black. Black outlines were only used when it was absolutely necessary. Color coordinator Michiyo Yasuda said this was done to give the film a softer feel. Yasuda said that this technique had never been used in an anime before Grave of the Fireflies, "and it was done on a challenge".[9] Yasuda explained that brown is more difficult to use than black because it does not contrast as well as black.[9]

The film score was composed by Michio Mamiya. Along with the original soundtrack, the song "Home Sweet Home", performed by coloratura soprano Amelita Galli-Curci, was included.[13] Dialogue of the film is part of the soundtrack, the music and dialogue are not separated in any way.[14] Mamiya is also a music specialist in baroque and classical music.

During an interview about his music, Mamiya stated, "Arts should be used for the peace, for the peace, not for encouraging the battle. It's my hope and the thing I want to feel from my music.

In 1945, teenager Seita and his younger sister Setsuko's house is destroyed in a firebombing along with most of Kobe. They escape unharmed, but their mother dies from severe burns. Seita and Setsuko move in with a distant aunt, and Seita retrieves supplies he buried before the bombing and gives everything to his aunt, save for a tin of Sakuma drops. The aunt convinces Seita to sell his mother's silk kimono for rice as rations shrink and the number of refugees in the house grows. Seita uses some of his mother's money in the bank to buy supplies, but eventually, the aunt becomes resentful of the children, deeming them unworthy of earning her food.

Seita and Setsuko decide to leave the aunt's home after excessive insults, and they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. They release fireflies into the shelter for light. The next day, Setsuko is horrified to find that the insects have died. She buries them in a grave, asking why they and her mother had to die. As they run out of rice, Seita steals from farmers and loots homes during air raids, for which he is beaten by a farmer and turned into the police, but he is released by a sympathetic officer. When Setsuko falls ill, a doctor explains that she is suffering from malnutrition. Desperate, Seita withdraws the last of the money in their mother's bank account. After doing so, he becomes distraught when he learns that Japan has surrendered, and that his father, an Imperial Japanese Navy captain, is most likely dead, as most of Japan's navy has been sunk. Seita returns to Setsuko with food, but finds her dying. She later dies as Seita finishes preparing the food. Seita cremates Setsuko's body and her stuffed doll in a straw casket. He carries her ashes in the candy tin along with his father's photograph.

Later on 21 September, shortly after the end of World War II, Seita dies of starvation at a Sannomiya train station. A janitor sorts through his possessions and finds the candy tin, which he throws into a field. Setsuko's ashes spread out, and her spirit springs from the tin and is joined by Seita's spirit and a cloud of fireflies. They board a ghostly train and, throughout the journey, look back at the events leading to Seita's death. Their spirits later arrive at their destination, healthy and happy. Surrounded by fireflies, they rest on a hilltop bench overlooking present-day Kobe.

In North America, Dark Horse Comics, in conjunction with Digital Manga Publishing, announced the license of the manga in 2003.[98] The first volume was published on October 22, 2003.[99] As of September 25, 2019, the 40 current volumes have been published.[100] In September 2018, Dark Horse Comics announced a deluxe edition of Berserk, featuring hard covers and larger prints, with the first volume (collecting original volumes 1–3) released on February 27, 2019.[101][102] The ninth and latest volume (collecting original volumes 25–27) was released on November 10, 2021.[103]

The 1988 prototype chapter of Berserk placed 2nd at the 7th ComiComi's Manga-School prize.[163][11] The manga was a finalist for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th installments of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 1998,[164] 1999,[165] 2000,[166] and 2001,[167] respectively. In 2002, Berserk earned Miura the Award for Excellence at the 6th installment of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, being awarded along with Takehiko Inoue, who won the Grand Prize for Vagabond.[168][11][19] Berserk was one of the Manga Division's Jury Recommended Works at the 5th and 6th installments of the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2001 and 2002, respectively.[169][170] Berserk: Birth of the Black Swordsman, a 15-second video commercial for the 2016 anime television series adaptation, was one of the Entertainment Division's Jury Recommended Works at the 20th installment of the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2017.[171][172]

In 2016, Berserk ranked 38th on the 17th "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine.[173] On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Berserk ranked 91st.[174][175]

Berserk won the French AnimeLand's Anime & Manga Grand Prix for Best Classic Seinen in 2008, 2009 and 2013.[176][177][178] In 2021, it won the 27th Spanish Manga Barcelona award for the seinen category.[179]

Volumes 33–41 of Berserk debuted in the top six on Oricon weekly manga chart from 2008 to 2021.[b] Volumes 34 and 40 debuted #1 in 2009 and 2018, respectively.[181][187] As of July 2015, the manga had over 27 million copies in print in Japan and 8 million overseas.[189] As of January 2016, the manga had over 40 million copies in circulation.[190] As of May 2021, the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation, including digital versions.[191] Berserk received an Excellence Award of Hakusensha's Denshi Shoseki Taishō (E-Book Award) in 2015, which went to the publisher's best-selling digital manga from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.[192]

In March 2017, Michael Gombos, Dark Horse Comics' director of international publishing and licensing, reported that Berserk was their best-selling product of all time (not just among manga), dethroning Lone Wolf and Cub,[193] and it had over 2 million copies sold in North America as of September 2018.[101] Following Miura's death announcement in May 2021, it was reported that the first eight volumes of Dark Horse's deluxe edition of Berserk ranked on Amazon's top 100 overall best-selling books list.[194]

Berserk has been widely acclaimed by critics. Reviewing the first volume, Michael Aronson of Manga Life described Berserk as "a curious mix of medieval barbarism, sorcery and futurist technology, combining ghouls, guns and gore. The result is beautifully rendered badass action with enough bloody violence to keep fans of the genre happy".[195] Publishers Weekly wrote: "Berserk offers a montage of merciless violence and thrilling action sequences in a blend of pure fantasy and graphic horror".[196] Grant Goodman of Pop Culture Shock wrote: "Berserk redefines what is considered a well-written fantasy manga. There are few manga that come anywhere close to creating a complex tale that includes medieval warfare, magic, and horror".[73] Reviewing the first two volumes, Greg McElhatton of Read About Comics wrote: "it's still hard to identify what about Berserk brings across such a fascination. Is it the characters? The visual look of the monsters? The little hints of a troubled past, like Guts' tattoo that oozes blood? All of the above? I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm hooked".[197] In his review of the third volume, Daniel Briscoe of The Fandom Post called the series "a tragic story of hatred, violence, and innocence lost", adding that Miura "manages to pack so much emotion, both good and bad, next to so much violence and gore I believe is a testament to his writing and his artwork".[77] In his review of the first six volumes, Satyajit Chetri of Rolling Stone wrote: "By the end of the fifth volume, Berserk has morphed into a touching tale of humanity, friendship and ambition. It is less about the blood spilt and more about the choices made by the characters, the small twists that will ultimately turn friends into nemeses".[198] Reviewing the twelfth volume, Eduardo M. Chavez writing for AnimeOnDVD, commented that despite its long-running publication, "Berserk is as shocking and unique as ever this far into the series. There are few titles out there that can sustain the level of intensity and relevance as this".[85] In his review of the twenty-first volume, Scott Cambpell of Active Anime wrote: "The deep, dark places that this manga travels to both in story and in artistic expression can be as interesting and captivating as they are horrifying", adding that the are not many other stories or manga quite like Berserk.[199]

Writing for SciFi.com, Zac Bertschy said: "Kentaro Miura has managed to create a story that's not only darkly disturbing, but also absorbing and affecting on a deeper level than most manga titles can achieve". Bertschy praised the story and character development, concluding: "Not for the faint of heart, Berserk is perfect for mature manga fans who like a little blood with their drama".[200] In Manga: The Complete Guide, author Jason Thompson gave Berserk 4 out of four stars. He called it "[a] blood-soaked sword-and-sorcery epic with elements of Clive Barker's Hellraiser", and wrote: "Berserk's medieval European world of mud and blood is so realistic—and drawn in such realistic detail—that when dark fantasy elements begin to intrude upon it, they do so with a slow, dawning horror".[4] Thompson, in a review for j-pop.com, also wrote: "Despite the slaughter, Berserk doesn't feel as amoral as it could be; our hero is a killer, but given his well-developed back story, his occasional tears of remorse seem more genuine than, say, Crying Freeman's".[201] In another article, writing for Anime News Network (ANN), Thompson said that Berserk started as "the story of a lone swordsman traveling the world fighting demons with blood and sweat", and it was later turned into a "fantasy RPG party of heroes with a magic-user, a thief, a fighter, some elves, etc"., commenting that Miura apparently was "aiming the series at a younger age group". Despite this, Thompson stated: "I'm still impressed by Miura's great art and his ability to create such a long storyline with so much scope and (relative to other manga, at least) so little filler. No other seinen fantasy manga has such well-developed characters with such deep backstories, even for the minor characters".[70] Matt Fagaly, writing for Crunchyroll, analyzed Berserk's use of shōnen and shōjo manga tropes in the Lost Children arc (volumes 14–16), which resulted in an "entirely original and moving narrative". Fagaly commented about the arc protagonist, Jill, and her hopeful words at the end of that story, further adding: "I have never seen another Shonen or Shojo express this notion with the same audacity, depth, and idiosyncrasy as Berserk".[202] Carl Kimlinger, writing for ANN, in his review of the thirty-fifth volume, compared Guts' "monster-plagued" trip to Elfhelm to the fantasy tales of Robert E. Howard and, in comparing the volume to the previous ones, he wrote that series dropped down a notch, although he stated that it was not a "disastrous drop", but "just the series falling back into a comfortable, classical adventure mode".[203] Brittany Vincent of Otaku USA said: "Berserk is undoubtedly one of the most unique and engaging Western-style fantasies of all time".[80] Writing for Syfy Wire, Eric Frederiksen said: "Berserk is one of the longest-running manga, and consistently one of the darkest out there, but also one of the most emotionally powerful and rewarding".[67] Writing for Crunchyroll, Peter Fobian expressed: "Berserk is one of the most deeply personal works I’ve ever read, both for myself and in my perception of Miura's works. The series' transformation in the past 30 years artistically and thematically is so singular it's difficult to find another work that comes close".[204]

Miura's artwork has been particularly praised by critics. Bertschy said that the artwork is where Berserk "really shines", adding: "The cross-hatching work, the level of detail, it's all stunning. Every page is a work of art, each scene drawn with the outmost attention to detail and atmosphere". He compared the art to the 1950s horror comics from EC Comics and found it fitting to the series' "gruesome nature". Bertschy concluded: "Miura is a fabulously talented artist and author, and future manga series by him will be met with great anticipation".[200] Thompson said: "Miura's art is one of the real attractions. The people may occasionally look funky, but castles, knights, horses, and Baroque and Romanesque trappings are drawn with detail and accuracy".[201] McElhatton wrote that he was "pretty unimpressed" with Miura's art at first, but he changed his mind after the demons appeared, stating: "Miura draws demons in such a wrong and disturbing manner that it's unsettling. That's how demons should look, of course".[197] Publishers Weekly wrote: "this work has a style characteristic of other 1980s manga, with sparse dialogue, spectacular action sequences and gritty character art. The pencil shading and use of shadows lend an ominous tone".[196] Campbell wrote: "You just can't know what 'attention to detail' means until you read Berserk – it's rare when it comes to what it has to offer to all the readers out there, so really it's no wonder that it stands out as much as it does".[205] Campbell also commented: "The closest thing visually that Berserk could be compared to might be Claymore, another very good manga – but really Berserk is on a plain of its own".[199] Writing for Advanced Media Network, Serdar Yegulalp said that the artwork of the first volumes are "a little rougher and less polished than the later ones", but that after the eighth volume "there is scarcely a page that doesn't look spectacular", adding that "Miura's loving attention to detail on most any page or panel is stupefying".[206] Writing for ANN, Casey Brienza wrote: "Miura's artwork is exquisite and, remarkably, drawn without the help of an army of assistants. And while he has been great right from the first page of volume one, he has improved over the many years of working on Berserk".[207] In another review for Graphic Novel Reporter, Brieza wrote: "Unlike virtually all other commercially successful manga artists, Miura produces his artwork without assistants,[c] and the exquisite detail of this erotic-grotesque, Dungeons & Dragons-esque high fantasy issues from his hand and his hand alone", adding that it is "one that appeals to men and women alike".[210] Carlo Santos, reviewer from ANN, wrote: "Miura's complete command of light and shadow gives every moment an otherworldly quality—this is one of the few series that can honestly claim to transport its readers to another time and place—and the attention to backgrounds is a welcome sight when so many other artists are too lazy to be bothered".[211] Kimlinger wrote that Miura's art "is among the most intricate, evocative and plain beautiful art ever to be put to page and arranged cinematically. He draws wonderfully expressive faces, awe-inspiring monsters, gorgeous armor and some of the finest gore to be found just about anywhere".[212] Chetri described Miura's otherworld featured in the first arc as "something a drug-addled MC Escher would have painted", also noting homages to Hellraiser and H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, and called Miura a "splendid storyteller whose artwork is stark and bold enough to bring the world of Guts to life magnificently".[198] Writing for IGN, Bruna Penilhas commented that Miura's level of detail in his illustrations is "impressive from start to finish", praising the design and features of his characters, adding that he was able to "perfectly illustrate characteristics and feelings such as pain, anger and sadness".[213] Alex Traub from The New York Times commented about the comparison of Miura's drawings to Hieronymus Bosch's paintings, particularly for Miura's images of "little human figures occupying sweeping fantastical landscapes", adding: "Mr. Miura was known for his spectacular, apocalyptic style; specific images — a humongous sword, a monster cloaked in shadow — are immediately recognizable to his fans".

Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk debuted in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House [ja] in August 1989 (October issue).[89][90] Hakusensha published the first tankōbon volume of Berserk under its Jets Comics imprint on November 26, 1990.[91] In 1992, Monthly Animal House was replaced by Young Animal,[90][92] and the series has continued its irregular publication in the semimonthly magazine. In June 2016, Hakusensha's Jets Comics imprint was rebranded as Young Animal Comics and the first thirty-seven volumes of Berserk were re-published with new cover arts.[93] As of December 24, 2021, forty-one volumes have been published;[94] the posthumous 41st volume came in both regular and special editions, the latter included special canvas art drawn by Miura and a drama CD.[95][96][97]

In North America, Dark Horse Comics, in conjunction with Digital Manga Publishing, announced the license of the manga in 2003.[98] The first volume was published on October 22, 2003.[99] As of September 25, 2019, the 40 current volumes have been published.[100] In September 2018, Dark Horse Comics announced a deluxe edition of Berserk, featuring hard covers and larger prints, with the first volume (collecting original volumes 1–3) released on February 27, 2019.[101][102] The ninth and latest volume (collecting original volumes 25–27) was released on November 10, 2021.[103]