Grave Of Fireflies [new] -

After the firebombing of Kobe, Seita and Setsuko lose their mother, who dies horrifically with maggots crawling over her burns. They move in with a distant aunt. Initially, the aunt is welcoming, but as food rations dwindle and Japan’s surrender looms, her kindness turns to cruelty. She mocks Seita for not contributing to the war effort and scolds Setsuko for crying over rice.

Setsuko burying the fireflies is a ritual of grief she will not get for herself. She is practicing for her own death. Grave of fireflies

The scenes of "silence"—what Hayao Miyazaki calls ma —are where the film truly breathes. The quiet moments of the children playing by the lake or sharing a single fruit drop are more heartbreaking than the bombing raids because they highlight the humanity that is being systematically destroyed. The Legacy of the Fruit Drops After the firebombing of Kobe, Seita and Setsuko