Yup, I said it. And you may think "that's a stupid hot take, underrated? It's high up on all the rating aggregator sites!" And yes, that is true. It's the 84th highest rated on MAL, and the 50th highest rated on IMDB. So how can I possibly claim to be underrated of all things? Well, because while this movie may have earned much acclaim and be highly regarded, it's for all the wrong reasons. Every time I read some analytical writing on this movie, it's all the same. "Wow guys, it's like so sad because instead of it being a war movie about action, it like, actually showcases the horrors of war and stuff." Yeah, that's true, and a big part of the movie. But guess what? Ya missed the entire point!
This is a masterful movie, and one of the best pieces of art ever created, not to mention it's by my favourite director. Basically, I like this movie a whole lot. And the reason is that in so much of the media I've consumed, where they're trying to depict a realistic war, it utterly fails. But not this movie. Let's take Versaille no Bara, for example. It showcases the french revolution, and how does it do that? Well, by showcasing it from all the perspectives! You get the insight on the state of France from all people in society, and that makes it a well rounded and nuanced story. The keyword being nuanced, for that is exactly what makes Hotaru no Haka so great! When I see someone writing about how sad this movie is, I do agree with them. On my first viewing, I even cried within the first ten minutes. But reducing a work with so much nuance to it simply being 'sad', is nothing short of an insult to this work! For the thing that makes this movie masterful, is not just the amazing directing, or the voice acting, or the animation, or the backgrounds or enviorments, it is the nuance.
At the start of the movie, we're introduced to our two main characters, Seita, the older brother, and Setsuko, the younger sister, as well as their mother. As the alarm sounds across the city they live in, you see it get burnt to the ground, bombs falling down and killing people. The two manage to get away, but as Seita learns later, their mother wasn't so lucky. Then they move in with their aunt, and she's extremely rude, constantly complaining and nagging, and generally just making life for the two recently orphaned kids even more difficult than it already is. So they leave, deciding to live by themselves. Except, that's exactly what I hate about discussion regarding this movie. Do you see how that was incredibly lacking in nuance? This summary makes it seem like the movie truly is all despair, but it's not! In those parts of the movie, we also have scenes of the two playing together in a field of fireflies, eating sweets, enjoying food together, and playing around.
Later when they've set up their makeshift house in a cave, they eat dinner, play together, talk about what they're going to do once their dad (who is in the navy) gets home, and other various things. But it's never too happy for too long. Seita gets caught stealing food, Setsuko becomes malnourished, and yet in between those moments of total despair, there are glimmers of something happy. Not glimmers of hope, no not at all. But glimmers of positive moments. The nuance of this movie, is that while you get to see gruesome imagery of burnt corpses covered in maggots, and horribly malnourished children, and annoying aunts, you also see happiness. You also get to see good moments of genuine happiness. And that's important to remember, for this movie doesn't have a happy ending. Except, that's also wrong. Setsuko dies of malnourishment, and Seita burns her remains, as he stares into the night sky. Melancholy, indeed.
Now, do I think that I'm the only one who understood this? Of course, I'm a 16 year old autist, not some great thinker. However, I do think it is lost on most people, in due part it's reputation. I often see it on message boards too, about how gruesome and depressing it is, and how it's not an enjoyable film to watch, which is something I strongly disagree with it. Just don't let the nuance get lost on you, you don't need to be Quentin Tarantino in order to think critically about something. Oh, and watch more Takahata goddamnit.