Hotaru No Haka

[areaseven]

Hotaru no Haka ( ç«åž‚ã‚‹ã®å¢“ )

NTV, 2005

Directed by Toya Sato

Based on the novel by Akiyuki Nosaka

Running Time: 148 minutes

Not Rated. Contains disturbing scenes of death.

Cast

Hoshi Ishida as Seita Yokokawa

Mao Sasaki as Setsuko Yokokawa

Nanako Matsushima (Azusa in GTO, Reiko in Ringu) as Hisako Sawano (the aunt)

Mao Inoue (Makino in Hana Yori Dango) as Natsu Sawano (the cousin) and Keiko Mitsumura (Natsu's granddaughter)

Keiko Kishi as Natsu Mitsumura (present day)

Yui Natsukawa (Tsukihime in Onmyoji) as Kyoko Yokokawa (the mother)

Jun Kaname (Makoto/G3 in Kamen Rider Agito) as Yoshie Sawano

Synopsis

On the final days of World War II, 15-year-old Seita Yokokawa and his five-year-old sister Setsuko are orphaned after their mother is killed during an air-raid by American forces in Kobe, Japan. After having a falling-out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency funds and rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko must struggle to survive their hardships as well as those of their country, which is on the losing end of the war.

Lowdown

You've seen this story before and know it very well in anime form as Grave of the Fireflies. And for years, many have said it was impossible to adapt this story into live-action, mainly because casting a young girl to play Setsuko was considered next to impossible. Well, NTV actually produced a full-length live-action TV special of Hotaru no Haka. So how does it compare to the anime?

For starters, it begins on the present day, when a teenage girl named Keiko learns from her grandmother Natsu about life during WWII. Natsu reveals that 60 years ago, she had two cousins that died in poverty and she blamed her mother for their condition.

Nearly everything plays out exactly like in the anime. The major difference is that we learn more about the families around the lives of Seita and Setsuko. In the anime, we first have a sense of resentment towards their aunt for being harsh on them. Then, somewhere down the line, some of us realized it was Seita's fault for putting Setsuko through all the hardships. In the live-action, however, there's actually a reason to feel both bitter and sorry for the aunt (who is known here as Hisako). She actually starts out as a kind relative to the two siblings, especially when she gives Setsuko a tin can of fruit drops. But once she hears of her husband's death as a result of the war, she simply loses all hope for everything except for her children. As rations grow short, she has Seita and Setsuko eat less than that of her family. She eventually causes them to leave the house and have them fend for themselves. Things get worse when she kicks her own brother out of the house as well, especially since he's crippled.

Throughout the ordeal, Hisako's daughter Natsu can only feel sorry as she sees Seita get caught stealing food. And much like the anime, we witness the final outcome of the two siblings as WWII comes to a close.

As far as the acting goes, Hoshi Ishida and Mao Sasaki actually do a great job playing Seita and Setsuko, respectively. Veteran actress Nanako Matsushima also gives a remarkable performance as the aunt. And for a period title, the production team did a wonderful job with the costume and set design. The only major complaint would be the CG renderings of the B-29 bombers, which look a bit low-budget.

Compared to the anime, Hotaru no Haka is a little less of a tearjerker, but still a good movie, nonetheless. It's a great companion to the anime, as it tells the story through a different point of view.

Rating: B+

Links

NTV's Official Hotaru no Haka Homepage (Japanese)

Reference

Anime News Network

The Internet Movie Database

[wolfx]

Interesting. So is this kind of like a movie or a mini-series?

[Macross73]

that review was helpful, i may try this version out.

I dont know if i could feel much sympathy for the Aunt

but atleast this may explain why she was so Mean to the kids.

[areaseven]

Interesting. So is this kind of like a movie or a mini-series?

407793[/snapback]

It's a movie made for TV.

[EXO]

looks sad... the japanese sure love to cry.

[yellowlightman]

Interesting. So is this kind of like a movie or a mini-series?

407793[/snapback]

Compared to the anime, Hotaru no Haka is a little less of a tearjerker, but still a good movie, nonetheless.

Although I can see your confusion, since the genre "J-Drama" is used for mini-series and the like.

Edited June 14, 2006 by yellowlightman

[gerwalk25]

looks sad... the japanese sure love to cry.

407887[/snapback]

Emo is a given especially when it comes to story like this and I have seen Grave of the Fireflies. Another gr8 revievw A7 I have to track this title down.