Did We Misunderstand Totoro?

[@tedrex8959]

I seem to recall that Totoro was based on Miyazaki's life, obviously not meeting a giant furry troll, but his mother was seriously ill with tuberculosis and they moved to the countryside for the cleaner air hoping that it would help, but sadly she passed away despite the move.

[@konstantinriumin2657]

She passed away when Miyazaki was like 43 years old, so not quite the same situation

[@vonigner]

Yes but in the end credits, the mother comes back!

[@konstantinriumin2657]

@@vonigner It's not mother, it's Sus!

[@raemontargaryen3005]

@@emilymaria9742 l

[@skylk559]

Yeah! I feel like this is more of a “what if” film. What if nature is on our side to find our lost loved ones and in turn we treat nature with respect.

[@gogongagis3395]

I had the chance to see Totoro in a western cinema a few years ago. The audience laughed loudly at the moment where Mei bursts into tears and marches off with the corn to find her mother. I know the animation is cute, but it was a strange feeling. Grave of the fireflies is still on TV in Japan every year to commemorate the end of the war. Everyone should watch it once.

[@JamesLintonwriter]

It is far too heartbreaking to watch more than once

[@Zanian]

Agreed! Fireflies is an utterly devastating movie to watch, but it truly helps one grapple with the nature of the world itself. It helped me understand the value of life among tragedy and understand how our actions, even if our intention is good, can cause true harm to others. We must always be mindful of what happens when we refuse to acknowledge that, just because our beliefs may make it socially acceptable to treat others poorly, treating people as less than human is not righteous or just in any way. Death is always death.

[@Haytem.]

The keyword here is (ONCE), the movie in itself is a transformative event, and to remember it is almost on equal footings with remembering major life-turning events.

[@jennifercarriger6168]

So, while some horror movies I can handle because they are obviously stupid and fake, others I cannot which is why I don’t watch horror films in general. I know the context is a little odd, but I found Grave of the Fireflies to be a horror film. The fact that a suffering society could treat children so heartlessly, and watching those children’s slow march to death was so traumatic and heartbreaking to me that the feelings from that movie sat in my brain for a few days. Nonetheless, anyone who wants to know what WW2 was like from the perspective of the Japanese should watch this. There is not as much media on this in the US as there is on the point of view from our own soldiers fighting in Japan. It is so important to be able to look at the war from both sides to have a better view of it on a whole. This is a very important movie for that reason and we should never get rid of it, even if some of us can only watch it once.

[@pandabearmadness6263]

This scene gets me everytime watching both sister dealing with something so horrible in very different ways. I've watched this over 20 times probably even more within the last year and half because, this and Moana is the only thing my daughter wants to watch. While we watch it I always try to discuss as best as possible what is going on, what the sisters are dealing with. On the surface my neighbor Totoro is cute fun movie but it has so many layers that has allowed me to have deep discussions with my daughter about life.

[@jacobdriscoll8276]

Oh jeeze, Grave of the Fireflies. Thanks for making me WEEP LIKE A BABY, Wisecrack. Even summarizing that story is devastating. Makes sense to juxtapose that with Totoro. Adds a bit of relief after that heartbreaker.

[@LuisSierra42]

That movie is BRUTAL

[@andtalath]

I remember seeing that movie and just asking “why?”. It’s one of the saddest ones ever created.

[@Justanotherconsumer]

A movie I think everyone should see and that I personally never want to see again.

[@Justin_the_Runner]

@@Justanotherconsumer One of the best movies I've ever watched, and I never want to do that again.

[@Shinkajo]

It made my physically sick, which is quite the achievement, especially for an animated film

[@MrQuantumInc]

At first it seemed like an attempt at maximum emotional whiplash, but with Totoro's slow beginning and the girls being sad about their mother it actually makes sense. The characters are bummed because of the sick mother, the audience is bummed because they just watched "Grave of the Fireflies" but they both get to cheer up as the movie goes along.

[@turbogames3]

Imagine the ones who wacthed Totoro first, to then be destroyed by Grave of the Fireflies (me). It was quite the opposite hahaha. Finishing a movie with a happy song to then begin the next one with "September 21, 1945. That was the night I died." is diabolical. Don't regret it tho, bu I would love to have watched tehm for the first time in opposite order as well.

[@thehangmansdaughter1120]

Grave of the fireflies was devastating. It was an emotional gut punch. I was sobbing in my bed watching, to the point my daughter heard me and came in. She thought someone must have died.

[@GeahkBurchill]

I live in Portland, Oregon. We have thousands of people living in tents on sidewalks and under freeways. Last December, just before Christmas I found a tent with a rigid body inside, outside my studio. I never saw the person’s face. The city came to take them away. We aren’t at war here. There is abundant food and blankets in the stores. What’s our excuse for letting someone die, anonymously, in a tent in a parking lot?

[@Enigmaenick]

fuck that was dark.. but honestly what's darker is its not surprising. America is filled with places that prove it doesn't care about it's citizens, only those that consume or those that contribute.

[@StudioHannah]

That's horrible. There is no excuse for this :(

[@Will-tn8kq]

I have spent a fair bit of time talking to tent people. The thing is. They usually don't want to leave. They prefer to stay in their tent. So what do we do? Remove them by force? Serious question. I believe there is no perfect answer here and as a society we have to make difficult choices if we want to prevent what you described.

[@Northwest360]

Ensuring all people can live healthy and decent lives is not profitable under capitalism

[@Will-tn8kq]

@@Northwest360 That's what I am saying though. The tent people often turn down free public housing at shelters etc... No one is profitting from them being there.

[@oqasho.]

Grave of the Fireflies is the first movie ever that made me cry. When I was a kid, I watched it dubbed and I was really young that almost every experience on an emotional level in the movie was new to me, and the ending was the first time I ever cried while watching a movie. Years later, I remembered the emotions I had watching it, but I didn't know what's the name of the movie. untill i finally found it and was glad to know that the movie is actually still good and emotional!

[@darklight6921]

anyone that likes depressing movies should watch barefoot gen too.

[@Andrea-fd2bw]

@@darklight6921 its Definitely depressing and very heavy on the hearth but grave of the fireflies its on a completely different level ,it feels far more real

[@vladimirlagos2688]

Grave of the Fireflies is hands down the most scarring movie I have ever watched. The sheer mention of it in this video gave me an unsettling feeling. I think watching Totoro right after that would only have filled me with an even deeper sense of melacholy and loss of innocence. Good thing I watched them separately.

[@randomdancecovers6794]

I agree! You have to have a certain amount of mental and emotional capacity to watch Grave of the Fireflies.

[@whathell6t]

@@randomdancecovers6794 You mean being a Berserk fan.

[@DennisCNolasco]

The Plague Dogs is a close second.

[@MrPeaceGuy54]

I understand where you are coming from, my friend. Personally, I see the second film as a form of rejuvenation of the good and a harbinger of the undying hope that sustains humanity.

[@whitepanter]

Grave of the fireflies, is still the best movie I have ever watched. I have seen it 6 times now. It is a masterpiece. No movie has ever been able to show the horrors of war like this one

[@anonymoususer5853]

Very true, Barefoot Gen does a good job too but Grave of the Fireflies is the superior film overall

[@welljer]

It's the saddest movie I have ever seen. That it was a take on Isao Takahata (the director) life during the war makes it even moreso. Isao Takahata was also a staunch supporter of article 9 (is a clause in the national Constitution of Japan outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state) of the Japanese constitution

[@feathero3]

No shame at all if you enjoy sad films. But I personally never understand why anyone would want to sit through a movie that focuses on the negative things in life such as human cruelty or the suffering of innocents.

[@welljer]

@@feathero3 sometimes we need to understand the negative to appreciate the positive better or to see the world through the eyes of others that have experienced extreme trauma.

[@duncanmann2540]

I think come and see portrays better the horrors of war

[@stefangonzo]

The best way to watch Grave of the Fireflies, is alone and with no clue going in... It took me a decade to stop crying, whenever I heard the soundtrack.

[@BrandG.]

I'm at the 2:00 minute mark wondering if I should go on... Grave of the Fireflies broke me in an emotional way so bad that I still feel uncomfortable thinking about it. I was alone, sick with the flu, very mucusy, and GotF just slayed me. I was ugly sobbing, this was maybe 15-20 years ago and it still affects me. I'm going to try it.

[@welljer]

Easily the saddest and most powerful movie I've ever seen

[@fuzzyhair321]

Damn you, crying my eyes out now. Grave of the fireflies is a movie you see once and leaves a mark on you

[@FearTheVikingYT]

F*** you, Wisecrack, for finally making my watch Grave of the Firefles! I was successfully avoiding it for years b/c I wasn't ready for the sad but you had to go recontextualizing My Neighbour Totoro. And now here I am, weeping all over my keyboard at 8AM on a Tuesday. Thanks! Not sure that even Totoro can unfuck my mood after being being punched right in the feels for 90 minutes straight. Best animated tragedy I've ever seen and I never want to see it again.

[@kw9172]

Given the timeline of the movies, the father in Totoro is roughly the same age (maybe a few years older) as the boy in Grave of the fireflies, had he lived ...

[@mikeoxbig619]

The two movies are only about 8 years apart. Also one of the animators said that if the girl in GotF had lived she’d be in the same year as satsuke

[@jayemm7942]

Small note: the corn Mei wants to give her mother isn’t from the seeds she gets from Totoro. The healing vegetables come from “Granny’s” garden

[@edo5407]

You also need to take into consideration the audience at the time of watching these films. The directors of both films lived through wartime and understood that a younger generation who did not live through war were prospering. This was a way to have them acknowledge their history but still be hopeful for the future.

[@ScreenDiaries]

Also, Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (1997) and Millennium Actress (2001) are sister pieces. Together they paint a beautiful, intricate painting of our (parasocial) relationships with our "idols" and the human condition.

[@raymondtrabulsy7294]

I watched Grave of the Fireflies once and wept. It don't think I have it in me to see it again.

[@rodylermglez]

This really shows how we, as societies, really do prop artists up to help us sublimate feelings and anxieties in an attempt to process trauma. I thought the same watching both Black Panther movies, and so I feel this was a similar experience for the Japanese audience watching these two movies back then when they premiered.

[@kevinbeck8836]

this makes so much sense thank you for sharing this insight

[@nanorider426]

Thanks for a great video. I have watched Grave of the Fireflies once - 11 years ago. And I will never watch it again, my heart can't contain the misery. But it is one of the greatest pieces of art I have seen. I broke down in tears as I watched this video - multiple times. I can understand why it premièred together with My Neighbour Totoro. I get it now. Miyazaki is a great artist and a true genius for comparing these two films. By the way, I watched Grave of the Fireflies in the hospital while recovering after a stroke. A nurse that cared for me and I discovered that we where both anime fans. She brought me several films for her personal collection since my mother bought me a DVD-player. (I was there for 4 months) The nurse had never watched Grave of the Fireflies because she knew that it was sad. I watched it for her. Afterwards I told her the same thing that Michael Burns did: Bring lots of tissues. I also said: You MUST watch it! It's a great film! But I can't watch it again. This video made it clear to me.

[@QBG]

Grave of the Fireflies is so fucking sad that I have tears falling out of my face right now just from hearing a dispassionate analysis of it.

[@Pandaemoni]

I never considered the two films together before but I think the similarities are obvious and they do seem like a good pairing to compare and contrast. Grave of the Fireflies is always a hard film to rewatch, though. I think it's important to see it, at least once, and there is a lot to take from that film, but it is chock full of despair.

[@reputablehype]

I think Van Gogh demonstrated this best by placing particular coloured strokes next to each other he could manipulate the mood of a painting. Then you could go a level up from that and say that Grave of the Fireflies is 'The Night Cafe' and Totoro is 'Café Terrace at Night' Very similar subject, same artist but totally different feelings which make sense as a pairing to contrast.

[@stevehansen4112]

You're not just shouting into the void! Media analysis is important, and this is a good example of it!

[@savanna7892]

Honestly, I think the strongest theme between them both is the sibling relationships. It shows the naive whimsy of youngest siblings, the burden of oldest siblings, and the importance of relying on each other on hard times.

[@txmarianna]

I have COVID rn and I just watched Totoro last night, and it hit differently. It felt more special, more meaningful and somehow more melancholic. It gave me a bit of this feeling from Grave of the Fireflies, and I love this video! I think you have done a great analysis! 😊

[@WisecrackEDU]

Thanks for sharing and and feel better soon!!!

[@NecroMoz]

Grave of the fireflies is heartbreaking. I watched it 20 years ago and it still hurts. I have a child now and I simply can’t watch it again.

[@PetchyJ]

I watched Fireflies for the first time tonight after my Partner and her sister recommended it (with the warning that it's 'very sad') while reminiscing about their high school history classes (they are from a SEA country that evidently included this film as an educational tool). I have never been more heartbroken watching a piece of animation and I came here looking for some meaning and context. I am astounded that this film slipped under my awareness for so long, I absolutely adored it for the contrast between moments of joy and childhood normalcy, the love the main characters have for each other, and the total devastation that creeps through the entire film from beginning to end. Like oil being washed into a storm drain the themes swirl around each other and create an eddy of typical and unimaginable, You can't tell where the despair ends and the joy begins and what's more is the film itself warns you in the opening with the ghosts of both children reunited. It's breathtaking, I've gotta go and watch Totoro now so that I have a better chance of processing it all with this context in mind. Unbelievable film.

[@simialogue]

If you are watching 'Grave of the Fireflies' for the first time, make sure you have some friends ready to rescue you

[@LuisSierra42]

I had to rescue myself bc i have no friends

[@edo5407]

Have we become so weak that we cant even see a film about true events?

[@WisecrackEDU]

That movie should come with a box of tissues and a warm hug.

[@LuisSierra42]

@@edo5407 yes

[@edo5407]

@@LuisSierra42 then good luck when you lose a parent, sibling, partner, child… you know life..

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

If Studio Ghibli released first the Grave of the Fireflies then it is only appropriate for them to follow-up with My Neighbor Totoro...trauma is so hard to handle especially if kids saw GotF.

[@jamesneedham6265]

In my view Totoro is really a coming of age story Satsuki basically grows as a person learning how to deal with her emotions when confronting the adult world she is beginning to understand. The scene at the pond hits especially hard in the recent theater version as she comprehends the kind of fears parents might have about a child. Also if you have just watched grave of the fireflies Mei drowning in a pond probably come across as the kind of thing that this new studio might write!

[@KTSamurai1]

viewing the films as complimentary is really interesting at first i thought you were going in a different direction and suggesting the films directly contrast the lives of two people of around the same age, kinda like the radiohead/MTV music video "all i need" that shows an average day of an average middle class kid side-by-side with a child laborer. but i think the films being intended to be shown back to back to suggest a means of generation healing is a more apt (and honestly more powerful) read as you point out, this does make of lot of sense when you consider how meandering totoro feels at the beginning. on its own it seems a little lost but viewing it as a cool down period after watching the end of fireflies really does give it a whole new feel i half-expected a weird meme-y video but this turned out to be very interesting. now im super curious about other films intended to be seen in this manner. thank you!

[@escobasingracia962]

Didn't even needed to watch the film again to cry and cry

[@laserspaceninja]

I suffer from depression and PTSD from experiences while I was in poverty. As a result, have never watch Grave of the Fireflies. I always loved the message the Totoro gave but I think I should experience both as intended. I may smoke a good bowl and watch both movies in the correct order. As usual, thanks for the excellent analysis!

[@JamesDecker7]

Or, hear me out, avoid the bowl and experience the full gamut of your emotions instead of blunting them. Just a thought. Strong evidence that use of “downers” including weed and alcohol inhibit improvement for things like PTSD too.

[@laserspaceninja]

@@JamesDecker7 Point taken but I'm fine. I'm using under the supervision of a psychiatrist and psychologist with other medications. It's not like I am self medicating. It doesn't act like a depressive for me. Everyone has different chemistry. edit: Also, the crux of my fear is not the sadness of the movie. More that I suffered from malnutrition and was homeless for 2 years of my life as a very small child.

[@FearTheVikingYT]

@@laserspaceninja Yo don't listen to the other guy. You better get proper zoinked before watching Grave of the Fireflies unless you want to pause every 10 minutes so you can ugly cry in the bathroom. Even that might not help tbh. The story is pretty much exactly your trauma so don't push yourself to see it if you don't feel like you're in a good place. Have a box of tissues handy if you do. Sincerely, person that just cried his eyes out while watching Grave of the Fireflies while baked

[@jacobdriscoll8276]

It will definitely hit those parts of you. Just be prepared. Get your comforts ready to feel whole again.

[@laserspaceninja]

Thanks for the support, all! I will watch this with my significant other as we have been together for 20+ years and she knows how to comfort me. Hope I can make it through to Totoro.

[@swanofnutella4734]

In 1989 there was a "tour" of Totoro in the states, but it was paired with Akira. (Also, don't understate Totoro's structure. Sure, most films have different 'acts' but Totoro's 4 act divisions function so well, that Totoro seamlessly acts as either a film, OR a collection of 4 short films.)

[@iguta5386]

I always felt that Totoro isbkindbof dark. They do find little girl and mum comes home. But with that amount of miracle around it could have been wishful thinking of older sister. It does give shivers and feeling if despair.

[@josedavidgarcesceballos7]

As far as I remember, the guy who did the fireflies movie thought about the weakness of the teens of the 80 to confront tradegy. Totoro shows a different attitude among the protagonists...

[@markhenderson6389]

So glad to see more film analysis and commentary! One of your best videos yet.

[@Jully5Jullyet]

I kinda had the inverse curatorship when I first watched Grave of the Fireflies. Totoro was the first anime I ever seen, and that was around 1994 and I freaking loved it (my uncle had to buy the VHS because of how much rented it XD). And I didn't know at the time that that studio made any other movies, so, years later, when I came across Grave of the Fireflies, I had no idea what the movie was about, but I was really happy to find another movie of the same animation studio that made a movie that brought so much joy in my life, so I had simillar expectations about this "new" one................ I never watched that movie again and I refuse to do so to this day. I recomend it to people, because it is amazing, I can even lend the DVD, but I will never ever watch it again.

[@mask-qo8jg]

I've watched Grave of the Fireflies multiple times before I even knew about My neighbor Totaro . And it was one of the saddest movies I've ever watched. 😢

[@thiagocastrodias2]

Wait a minute: so, according to Ghibli philosophy, If the siblings didn't have killed a bunch of fireflies and frogs, there is a chance they could have been saved by a giant fat Spirit from the Woods?

[@anonview]

I intentionally skipped Fireflies because I was dealing with depressive episodes. Totoro was actually one of the films that helped me process my emotions at the time (a parent was sick too), cementing itself as my favorite anime movie.

[@karinamaloney1033]

So it's wild because I feel like Princess Kaguya and Spirited Away are also two sides of the same coin as well as Only Yesterday and Kiki's Delivery Service.

[@pleaseandthankyou708]

I've known both of these for over twenty years, and it is so enlightening to find that they were developed and featured together. It makes so much sense in hindsight. I have to admit that upon discovering it when I was younger, I could barely watch GOTF. Even though the art was beautifully gritty and poignant, the story was just so brutally tragic and visceral, I could only watch a bit at a time. I don't think I ever watched it in one sitting, which is something I cannot say about any other film, now that I think of it. I need to revisit and really tackle this wonderful tragedy. I think I'm ready.

[@jules6259]

I watched fireflies as a child and was scared for life. I tried watching it again as an adult but it was too sad😔 beautifully crafted and haunting movie

[@brickingle3984]

The pairing also makes the anti war message even stronger. The war destroyed the communal support systems but in a peace time, people are able to better able to support one another when things go awry

[@supaorigamisensei]

Not a fun fact: the sakuma rock candy drops which was also a real brand currently lasting 114yrs is now being discontinued 😥 fyi the rock candy is the candy that was depicted setsuko was hoping to eat in grave of the fireflies Also I highly recommend watching back to back: “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Flags of our Fathers”; directed by Clint Eastwood, they’re the two sides of the pacific theatre of WWII

[@Miztivin]

Ive actually watched those two movies back to back. Very good. Would also recommend.

[@starlantzer]

I went to a film festival once where they played fireflies...and 3 girls came out...one with her head down and the other two telling her she isn't allowed to choose a movie again. My husband thought it was mean but I understood as I watched it and cried easily for half an hour before.

[@LeonardGreenpaw]

I enjoy the historical aspect of grave of the fireflies. It shows us how america devastated japan with the fire bombings much worse than the nuclear bombs which never even got mentioned. America's treatment of japan during the war was pretty freaking brutal

[@TheRocketbabydoll]

There was brutality committed by both sides, what this film reminds us is in war time it’s the general population that suffers the most while those in charge play their power games.

[@EBThisThat]

I honestly love the film even though it is devastating. I've done a lot of research on the POW camps that we enacted on the Japanese. It's horrible, honestly. I had an Uncle from Genoa. He didn't like talking about WW II but since I wanted to know, he was all too happy sharing with me. It helps to know about different perspectives. You get an appreciation from the witness' point of view. I miss my beloved Zio. He died not long after my dad did, so it hit me hard.

[@EnaTenkiyoGamer]

Cope lol

[@LeonardGreenpaw]

@@EnaTenkiyoGamer yea, America loves to smoke that copium. Always acting like they are the heroes and can do no wrong

[@kevintrjohnson]

I thought this was going to be about the fan theory of Mei actually having died, which I was ready to rebut if necessary. I've done the double feature on my own, but only after seeing both films separately a number of times, so I wonder how people would react to seeing both for the first time together.

[@LuisSierra42]

With the most devastating and debilitating depression

[@valdenay7264]

Well, my partner hasn't seen either...I'll let you know.

[@lamoxlamae]

Traditionally when played as a pair, Totoro goes FIRST! This is done both as a means of letting children/parents opt out of Grave of the Fireflies and due to the meaning of the second being enhanced by the first. Very few families opt out of Grave of the Fireflies when played this way. The hopeful Totoro tone softens the bleakness and enhances the familial love in Fireflies.

[@dohminkonoha3200]

Totoro is at least 3000years old according to his Jomon pottery in his house.

[@parob7285]

Grave of the Fireflies is the only anti war movie we need.

[@lillysora]

The idea that Totoro is meant to be for lack of better words eye bleach for grave of the fireflies makes a lot more sense than I thought it would

[@rdbury507]

Grave of the Fireflies is only the third most depressing film I've seen; Fires on the Plain and On the Beach are just a bit more heartrending.

[@darklight6921]

barefoot gen

[@danpreston564]

Dancer in the Dark.

[@rdbury507]

@@danpreston564 Yes, I'd make that 4th. It's a matter of opinion of course.

[@georgemetcalf8763]

Barefoot Gen hit me a lot harder than Grave of Fireflies when it comes to end of WWII anime.

[@bertalann7214]

One more thing: Fireflies showcases starvation, while in Totoro there seems to be an abundance of vegetables for everyone.

[@AbelMcTalisker]

In context, Totoro is set ten years after "Grave" so it depicts a time when Japan is still recovering from WW2. So there is plenty of food available but things are in many ways still hard. The two girl's parents would have been contemporaries of the children in "Fireflies".

[@thomasfplm]

The way I describe Grave of the Fireflies is that is a movie with just enough happiness so you don't become numb to it's sadness.

[@FrancoisGauti3r]

just watching snippet of grave of the fireflies is making me emotional

[@solidkingcobra]

Soooo you gotta watch Grave first then Totoro. Not the other way around Totoro 1st viewing + Grave afterwards = recipe for disaster. (you might need to watch Totoro twice to cure for it... or just watch Kiki's)

[@Nebafyer_DandD]

I saw this and decided to watch them back to back. I think I haven't stopped crying.

[@Josefeces]

Grave of the fireflies is one of my absolute favorite movies. I have only seen it once. And that's enough.

[@birgitteandersen5886]

Now that I know that they should be shown together, I think that Totoro is about accepting the coming death of your loved ones rather than fighting it like the brother did in Grave of the Fireflies. The brother was stubborn and would not take help from others, but the girls accept help from their community allowing them to be able to be strong in the face of their mother's illness.

[@thomasfplm]

My understanding is that the boy lost trust after feeling betrayed by the aunt.

[@giuk1987]

the community in totoro are nice to each other while in grave of the fireflies everyone was really out to fend for themselves and their family. Seita was young and his interactions with his aunt and her petty nature shaped his worldview to a certain extent. Basically he adopted the 'us against the world' worldview and because he was only just a little kid himself and had limited perspective on things, they were doomed the moment they left their aunt's house

[@HailToTheMeep]

Apparently, Japan’s post war 1950s was FAR from depicted in Totoro. Miyazaki’s family was a very privileged family who could retreat into a large family estate during the war. While Miyazaki’s partner grew up during the war differently. More like the Firefly. So Totoro is a Japan that could be. A world that could be. While Firefly is the Japan that was, or perhaps, the world that is…

[@HailToTheMeep]

Partner in Ghibli.

[@philipmear8680]

TB is also in The Wind Rises, another sad tale.

[@TheRehabKat]

I'm not sure if I'm just stretching , but , I think it's kind of interesting they both have insect (insect like ) creatures that kind of contrast. You have the light of the fireflies that don't last long. And the soot sprites are dark and dusty and seem to last a good while nearly everywhere!

[@nezuminora9528]

These two have always been my favourite Ghibli films.

[@AAmer1989]

Enjoyed this a lot, love the contrast and contradictions of Miyazaki's art.

[@balpreetsingh6834]

Ahh, Grave of the Fireflies, the only great movie i will never re-watch

[@MrDietsam]

Rewatching to prepare for watching Oppenheimer and the Barbie movie back-to-back

[@philipmear8680]

Grave of the Fireflies shows the reality of incendiary bombing of Japan. In this Corner of the World is a similar story about the atomic bomb. Japanese films/anime/manga & light novels often have open endings unlike Grave of the Fireflies.

[@leoalcaraz6153]

I love both of these movies; they’re both beautiful and touching and way more creative than any of the garbage pumped out by Disney

[@ObakeOnna]

That makes a huge lot of sense, neatly explaining certain features of Totoro that surprised me on the first viewing. But what about Ponyo though? Is it actually about death? Veiled of course, through a metaphor, because it's aimed for children too young to understand the concept of death. It is, isn't it?

[@evanmak7837]

On an animation screenwriting class, a guest speaker told a very interesting fact about Miyazaki that is noticeable only if you pay attention: all his stories have an intermission section. At one point in his story, the pacing slows down for a bit, and the characters relax and talk. Think Nausicca with the pilot under the poisoned forest, Chihiro in Zeniba's house, or Sophie in Howl's garden. The reason? The films are always packed with sequences of action and the plot moves faster and faster. The audience is hooked, but for 2 hours straight, it can be tiring. So he puts the plot aside, has his characters chill for a few minutes, take a breath and simply converse in a peaceful environment. Because, in those specific moments, it is the audience who need to take a breath from the plot. Whithout even realizing that they need that breath to truly enjoy the movie. This is, imo, one of the reasons his films are so impactful and iconic. The best way to experience both those films is to watch them back to back. GoF first, Totoro second. An emotional rollercoaster, but it really is what you said in the video: The depression of Grave is balanced with the hope and innocense of Totoro. And Totoro in a way is the breath of fresh air after the intense story of the Fireflies.

[@mattrinne]

This is why i think Hertzfeldt's It's Such a Beautiful Day is so wonderful. Ideas presented next to each other. Sadness and mental illness contrasted with hilarious lines and scenarios. Its like laughing when a grandparent with dementia makes a funny mistake. It's only there because of an awful condition but yet it's so absurd and comical. Makes it memorable.

[@TheCreepypro]

as a person who has seen both films and knows their connection I appreciate this video and hope many more people watch both especially as intended

[@forestgrump4723]

I love the commentary but I think it’s important to note you were incorrect that no one had any sympathy for the siblings in fireflies. They didn’t actually start suffering from malnutrition until they left the aunts house. She was being harsh toward them, but it was harsh times. The guy that stopped the farmer beating the hell out of Seita was clearly sympathetic. The priest gave Seita the kit to cremate his sister with detailed instructions for the passing of her immortal soul. No one was cruel to them for no reason. Pretty much everyone was as kind as they could afford to be. And when he died it wasn’t that no one cared it’s that they had become completely desensitized to the death that surrounds them. The antagonist wasn’t any of the characters they interact with but rather pride. The aunt was overly prideful which prevented her treating the grieving children as kindly as they needed. Seita was prideful which is why they left and why when things got bad they didn’t go back.

[@naolmstead]

It's been years since I've watched Totoro. I remember the mom dying in the end. It might not be what was shown on screen, but I remember being left questioning if anything after the catbus showed up could be considered as reality. It being more the coping mechanism the children had to the bad news to disappear into a fantasy land.

[@StephenJohnson-jb7xe]

I never thought of it that way, but it has merit.

[@naolmstead]

@@StephenJohnson-jb7xe I can't take any credit for the idea. I think I stumbled across that idea somewhere online and it just felt more inline with the feelings I had when I watched the movie.

[@salazarmandragora]

I cried like a baby for hours, after grave of fireflies, and even came out of my room to hug all of the people I loved.

[@Jebbtube]

Grave of the Fireflies has another meaning behind it. Around the time it was made, Japanese youth were beginning to rebel against the traditionalist culture of their parents. At the end of the film, the boy looks very judgingly at the camera. Supposedly, this was the director saying to the audience 'see? we really had it bad, you spoiled brats.' I can't do this reading justice, but if you're willing to do a bit of digging, BennettTheSage made an entire video on it years ago that I strongly encourage you to watch.

[@anmolt3840051]

Miyazaki himself never reconciled with his father who made parts for fighter aircraft

[@eliben4066]

I’ve never watched these two movies back to back, but if I were to watch GotF and then Totoro, I would obviously be scarred for days, but I would also start appreciating even the smallest breaths of air that I get to enjoy. I would do my part to move the world towards Totoro and away from Grave of the Fireflies

[@tecpaocelotl]

I don't remember if i watched betoven along with jurassic part or a ninja turtle film double feature in a drive in in the early 90s. Just laughed when you brought it up. Lol. Everyone else if you never seen grave of the firefly, i recommend having extra days to recover from it. Either the first day you're out for Thanksgiving break or Christmas/winter break. Trust me, you're going to need the extra dates.

[@XXLpinut]

Even thinking of graves of the fireflies makes me cry.

[@RansburgMakesArt]

Haven't watched "Grave of the Fireflies" yet but this pairing makes perfect sense.

[@Menye_Menye-q4m]

Please don't turn my comfort movie into grave of the fireflies

[@MsHopefullyMarilyn]

❤❤❤ This is a beautiful video! Thank you so much for this. Love this format of the comparison too!

[@stevetaylorftw]

The more I look at this video’s thumbnail, the more brilliant I think it is. No notes.

[@skepticalbutopen4620]

This was an amazing breakdown. I love My Neighbor Totoro and have seen it many times with my youngest daughter. I have never saw Grave of the Fireflies (not sure if I want to after hearing the description) but it seems like such a beautiful touching movie. Maybe I should try it.

[@cm8291]

I find that totoro is also about fighting fear. Because haunted houses and ghosts can be fun. Soot sprites can be friendly. If you are afraid, laugh really loud and scare the fear away. Community can be such a support to you. Nature is therapy. When all else fails Believe in Totoro to take care of you.

[@Strawhat4631]

I honestly thought that he was gonna say that the teenager that dies in grave of the fireflies ends up becoming Totoro

[@darnsmall]

Fuck Grave of the Fireflies made me ball my fucking eyes out so fucking much in the cinema...all you could hear was peeps sniffing and crying throughout the packed cinema

[@lysanamcmillan7972]

I'm remembering when Totoro first landed amongst anime fandom, this being a few years before Disney got hold of Ghibli's catalog distribution rights. One very strong bit of fanon was that the girls' mother was sick because of radiation exposure. We knew the timing of it period-wise, so that made sense. The surrounding interactions with nature spirits for Mei and Satsuki was clearly part of their healing process as well as giving them hope and joy until their mother's situation was clearer. However, at least in my neck of the woods, the pairing of it with Grave of the Fireflies was lost along the way unless you were lucky enough to be in conversation with people who knew the Japanese cinematic history of both films. The anime rooms at conventions near me didn't show them in sequence. Totoro was for the smalls. How much richer it would've been to dare that combo. I hope others did.

[@Loki.B.Mohammad]

I saw Grave of the Fireflies many years ago, but it was sometime AFTER I had seen Totoro, so I had no idea they were meant to be watched closer together. I do recall the gut punch Fireflies gave me, though.

[@malikmartin2454]

what is the song at 6:25

[@lhistoirenousledira]

Nice ! I also did a piece in french on Totoro a few weeks ago !

[@soutarm]

I can hear the first few notes of the Grave of the Fireflies music and I'm instantly sad to my core

[@Zelmel]

Very glad this video didn't go with the dumb "Totoro is a spirit of death" internet "theory" that is explicitly incorrect (as I thought the video might have from the title).

[@bre.172]

I watched grave of the fire flies after I lost my nephew he was full term it made me mad all the little things we weren’t able to do together never even got to hold him I have him in a ring I’ll always wear

[@anthonyvillanueva5226]

So it was the Ghibli Barbenheimer?

[@2.fatducks]

that’s exactly what I thought

[@aidanderson53X]

God this movie destroyed me. I was bawling after the little sister died.