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Drama

Grave of the Fireflies (2005): Cast & Plot

Grave of the Fireflies (2005) movie poster

Grave of the Fireflies is a 2005 drama directed by Tōya Satō, starring Nanako Matsushima as Hisako, Yui Natsukawa and Hoshi Ishida. It runs 2 hours 28 minutes.

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Grave of the Fireflies (2005) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 28m (148 min)
Director
Tōya Satō
Genre
Drama
Original language
Japanese
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Grave of the Fireflies About?

The premise of Grave of the Fireflies without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

After an Allied bombing destroys her Tokyo home, Hisako, whose husband is fighting in Asia, flees with her two children to a Kobe suburb. There they live with her cousin Kyoko, but another raid kills Kyoko, leaving Hisako to care for Kyoko’s two children as well. With food scarce, the family faces relentless hunger and tragedy.

Grave of the Fireflies Themes & Keywords

· 9 tags
  • world war two
  • big brother little sister
  • brother sister relationship
  • novel
  • live action book adaptation
  • japanese drama
  • reference to grave of the fireflies
  • based on book
  • based on novel
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Cast & crew

Grave of the Fireflies Cast & Characters

Nanako Matsushima leads the cast as Hisako, with Yui Natsukawa as Kyoko and Hoshi Ishida as Yokokawa Seita. Directed by Tōya Satō; 10 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Grave of the Fireflies

· 6 more
From the director

More from Tōya Satō

More films directed by Tōya Satō: Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie, Kaiji: Final Game, Pretty Proofreader DX and ST: Aka to Shiro no Sôsa File the Movie.

Full filmography
Plot

Grave of the Fireflies Plot Summary

What happens in Grave of the Fireflies from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

In March 1945, American bombers devastate Kobe during the waning days of the Pacific War. Seita and his sister Setsuko, children of an Imperial Japanese Navy captain, survive, but their mother dies. Seita conceals their mother’s death from Setsuko and the two children soon move in with a stern aunt. He retrieves a cache he had buried before the bombing and, while he gives most of it to his aunt, he keeps a single tin of Sakuma drops for Setsuko. The aunt pressures him to sell his mother’s silk kimonos to buy rice, a move that devastates Setsuko and strains their fragile situation.

Full summary

The whole story of Grave of the Fireflies, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

Grave of the Fireflies Trailers & Videos

The trailer of Grave of the Fireflies.

Grave of the Fireflies Live Action Trailer
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Grave of the Fireflies?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

In which Japanese city does the story primarily take place?

Details

Grave of the Fireflies Also Known As

10 alternative titles, including “Hotaru no haka” and “Mộ đom đóm”.

Also known as
  • Hotaru no haka
  • Mộ đom đóm
  • 萤火虫之墓
  • La tumba de las luciérnagas
  • Могила светлячков
  • O Túmulo dos Vagalumes
  • Szentjánosbogarak sírja
  • 螢火蟲之墓
  • 반딧불이의 묘
  • 再見螢火蟲

Seen Grave of the Fireflies?

FAQ

Grave of the Fireflies FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Grave of the Fireflies, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Grave of the Fireflies?

Grave of the Fireflies runs 2 hours 28 minutes (148 minutes).

When was Grave of the Fireflies released?

Grave of the Fireflies was released on November 1, 2005.

Who directed Grave of the Fireflies?

Grave of the Fireflies was directed by Tōya Satō.

More films by Tōya Satō

Who is in the cast of Grave of the Fireflies?

Grave of the Fireflies stars Nanako Matsushima as Hisako, Yui Natsukawa as Kyoko and Hoshi Ishida as Yokokawa Seita, among 10 credited actors.

Does Grave of the Fireflies have a post-credit scene?

No. Grave of the Fireflies has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Grave of the Fireflies in?

The original language of Grave of the Fireflies is Japanese.

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