Grave of the Fireflies is a movie I have many thoughts on. But since I’ve already shared them before, I’ll avoid retreading. Instead, I’d like to talk about a relatively-recent revelation that deserves more attention. See, for the longest time this movie was on Hulu for streaming. That’s not a problem on its own, but since every other Studio Ghibli entry was on Max or Netflix, it felt like an inconsistency. And considering most of us couldn’t access Hulu, it’s an American service, it was quite glaring. It was as if the catalogue was missing something...
This has now been remedied. As of recently, Grave of the Fireflies is available on Netflix! True, there’s no dub in English there, but at least now people can experience crying a fountain of tears for 80+ minutes. I don’t say that lightly, either: the movie has be called “one of the saddest ever made”. Even the late-Roger Ebert mentioned that it made him cry. It’s a really sad and depressing movie.
Despite this, I think it’s worth watching. The movie might be a harrowing look at war’s impact on civilian populations, but it’s an honest one. And yes, I find it a tad manipulative, especially given its opening, but that doesn’t make it bad. I’ve enjoyed manipulative movies before. (I’m an Avatar fan.)
Despite this, I think it’s worth watching. The movie might be a harrowing look at war’s impact on civilian populations, but it’s an honest one. And yes, I find it a tad manipulative, especially given its opening, but that doesn’t make it bad. I’ve enjoyed manipulative movies before. (I’m an Avatar fan.)
Many people agree that it’s essential viewing. No sooner did it appear on Netflix, when it became the 7th most-watched entry. It seems the movie resonated deeply with many, which makes sense given how much of the world’s at war. People are in the mood for honest depictions of wartime casualties, civilians included. I don’t blame them.
That said, I wonder how this movie made it to Netflix. This is the only entry in Studio Ghibli’s library to not be distributed under Tokuma Shoten. Because it was a “prestige feature” back in 1988, the movie had a prestige backer with Shinchosha. As a result, it couldn’t be licensed under the Studio Ghibli/Disney deal, making it an elusive title. Not unlike Marvel’s licensing agreement prior to founding their own studio, Grave of the Fireflies was at the mercy of whoever distributed it in The West at any given time.
To be fair, the movie did receive two dubs. The first, by now-defunct Central Park Media, was crusty, even if it had some high-profile voice actors. This movie isn’t easy to localize, given its subject matter, but Central Park Media did their best. Unfortunately, some of the line reads come off as hammy or unenthusiastic by current standards, with Setsuko, who’s canonically 4 years old, sounding too old. I know because that’s the version I own.
That said, I wonder how this movie made it to Netflix. This is the only entry in Studio Ghibli’s library to not be distributed under Tokuma Shoten. Because it was a “prestige feature” back in 1988, the movie had a prestige backer with Shinchosha. As a result, it couldn’t be licensed under the Studio Ghibli/Disney deal, making it an elusive title. Not unlike Marvel’s licensing agreement prior to founding their own studio, Grave of the Fireflies was at the mercy of whoever distributed it in The West at any given time.
To be fair, the movie did receive two dubs. The first, by now-defunct Central Park Media, was crusty, even if it had some high-profile voice actors. This movie isn’t easy to localize, given its subject matter, but Central Park Media did their best. Unfortunately, some of the line reads come off as hammy or unenthusiastic by current standards, with Setsuko, who’s canonically 4 years old, sounding too old. I know because that’s the version I own.
I don’t know much about the Sentai Filmworks dub, outside of its ADR director. Steven Foster, known in the dubbing community for his insincerity, helmed this movie’s second dub, and his work was met with…mixed results. It’s hard to find this version now, thanks to the movie switching distributors again, but it might be for the best considering Foster never seemed enthusiastic about anime in hindsight. I would’ve liked to compare notes, but oh well! Something to keep in mind for the future...
That leads to the current situation regarding Grave of the Fireflies. According to Wikipedia, the movie was recently acquired by GKIDS. This is good news, as that same distributor has all of Studio Ghibli’s lineup right now. They also have a proven track-record of quality with dubbing, having worked on Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning films. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that they have the dub from Sentai Filmworks. Which makes it bizarre that Netflix doesn’t have it.
Perhaps the acquisition by GKIDS is why it’s on Netflix? Did the prestige license expire? Did GKIDS see an opportunity here? Perhaps they shelled out a lot of money for distribution rights? Anything’s possible, though I wonder why now. Maybe it was to capitalize on the streaming premiere of The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest movie?
That leads to the current situation regarding Grave of the Fireflies. According to Wikipedia, the movie was recently acquired by GKIDS. This is good news, as that same distributor has all of Studio Ghibli’s lineup right now. They also have a proven track-record of quality with dubbing, having worked on Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning films. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that they have the dub from Sentai Filmworks. Which makes it bizarre that Netflix doesn’t have it.
Perhaps the acquisition by GKIDS is why it’s on Netflix? Did the prestige license expire? Did GKIDS see an opportunity here? Perhaps they shelled out a lot of money for distribution rights? Anything’s possible, though I wonder why now. Maybe it was to capitalize on the streaming premiere of The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest movie?
Nevertheless, I’m glad this movie made its way to Netflix. Despite all the streaming services that’ve popped up recently, Netflix is the most-accessible and well-known. Having a relatively-obscure entry in a big-name studio’s library make its way there, even after all the trials and tribulations, is great news for anime and film fans. Doubly-so that it’s being watched by large swaths people. It deserves the attention, even if I consider The Tale of the Princess Kaguya the better entry from the late-Isao Takahata.
So please, give this one a watch if you haven’t. I know I’ve been critical of Takahata’s directing style before, calling out his work for being too long and over-padded, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect his output. He only made five movies for Studio Ghibli, but they were a testament to his genius even when I didn’t care for them. (I’m looking at you, My Neighbors the Yamadas!) If I can say that about a director I don’t love, then you have no excuse!
So please, give this one a watch if you haven’t. I know I’ve been critical of Takahata’s directing style before, calling out his work for being too long and over-padded, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect his output. He only made five movies for Studio Ghibli, but they were a testament to his genius even when I didn’t care for them. (I’m looking at you, My Neighbors the Yamadas!) If I can say that about a director I don’t love, then you have no excuse!