Grave of the Fireflies

The animated feature Grave of the Fireflies is several generations removed from Walt Disney. Based on a popular Japanese comic book, the story takes place in a devastated Japan during the last days of World War II. An orphaned boy and girl forage for food and shelter, struggling to survive in a country populated with the "walking dead." Those not familiar with the techniques of "Anime" may be put off by the jerky movements and wide, saucer-shaped eyes of the characters. Even so, all reservations concerning Grave of the Fireflies will be forgotten once the extraordinarily moving storyline gets under way.