Grave of the Fireflies

Rob Babcock · « **on:** 4 Mar 2003, 07:11 am »

Just read a very gushing review of this animated flick. Has anyone seen it? I'm thinking about maybe picking it up tomorrow. Just sold my old (non special edition) Stargate & U Turn, may as well use the proceeds to get a new one!

bubba966 · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:05 am »

I haven't caught it yet. I've not heard anything bad about it yet. Everything I've heard has been overwhelmingly positive.

I haven't really watched much Anime since I got Spirited Away last July. It was a touch weirder than I thought it was going to be. I probably wouldn't have bothered picking it up from Japan if I'd known what it was going to be like. I'd pick up the US release though as it'll be much cheaper (was over $60 to get the official Japanese release).

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:09 am »

I would kill to get a copy of WINDARIA. I've never seen it on DVD. Maybe it's available in Japan? It's the story of young lover, each on the opposite sides of rival houses preparing for war. Kinda the Romeo & Juliet thing, but very poignant and moving. It's my favorite bite of anime. My next faves are probably Vampire Hunter D & Fist of the Northstar.

bubba966 · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:12 am »

Quote from: Rob Babcock

I would kill to get a copy of WINDARIA. I've never seen it on DVD. Maybe it's available in Japan?

Yup, sure is. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=VIBF-28

But from the looks of it I hope your Japanese is good...

bubba966 · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:19 am »

Quote from: Rob Babcock

My next faves are probably Vampire Hunter D & Fist of the Northstar.

I actually don't watch that much Anime. But some of my most expensive discs have been Anime releases...

Anyway I'd say I'm fond of Akira (original dub, not the new dub on the DVD), Ninja Scroll, Riding Bean, Ghost In The Shell, and one of the shorts from Robot Carnival.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:22 am »

Hmmm, I don't even know what they're saying in Mr. Roboto.

I think I'd need an English dubbed version.

I'm not the worlds biggest fan of anime, either. There are some I really like, eg Perfect Blue, Wicked City, etc. But overall the style is a little of a cliche. Still, a good story is a good story.

bubba966 · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:31 am »

So Perfect Blue is worth watching then?

I've only seen the Perfect Blue demo clip on the DTS Experience LD. But as it's a Japanese LD release, the clip was in Japanese. So I've no clue what I was watching.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:34 am »

I liked it, but I'm not sure I could give it two thumbs up. It does try for a little Hitchcock flavor, but the flick "cheats" occasionally, going back and changing something afterward to create a little more suspense. Of course, on DVD you can easily bust them when they do this.

I'm not sure if I still have Perfect Blue or if I sold it. I'd certainly recommend a "rental" or to watch it once, but you'd have to judge if it's a keeper or not.

bubba966 · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Mar 2003, 08:40 am »

I'm sure I've got a few more free rentals at the video store as I gain them more often than I use them.

I just checked Canada, France, UK, Germany, HK, Korea, and most of the rest of SE Asia looking for a copy of Windaria. Can't find one anywhere but Japan. So it looks like you're SOL for now, unless you learn Japanese...

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #9 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 12:16 am »

Whoa, the new avatar RULES! I have seen the top of the mountain!

Well, I just picked up Grave of the Fireflies today, and I'll probably watch it tonight if I get the time. I'll report back when I do.

bubba966 · « **Reply #10 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 04:21 am »

Quote from: Rob Babcock

Whoa, the new avatar RULES! I have seen the top of the mountain!

Bow down to the almighty bunghole!

bubba966 · « **Reply #11 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 04:22 am »

Quote from: Rob Babcock

Well, I just picked up Grave of the Fireflies today, and I'll probably watch it tonight if I get the time. I'll report back when I do.

Looking forward to an opinion of it from a non-Anime junkie...

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 08:53 am »

DAMN! The &%^%# disc doesn't work right on my Pioneer; the 'angle' icon won't go away. So the disc either has a problem or my Elite has a problem with the disc. I'm gonna take it back to BB and get a new one, and if it does't play I'll switch out the Pioneer w/a Panny I've got laying around.

bubba966 · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 08:57 am »

You should be able to turn off the angle indicator in the setup menu of the DV-45.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 09:01 am »

Yeah, that's what I thought, but no dice. That's why I figured there's either an incompatability issue or a prob with the disc.

I had a similar issue with a Phillips player a couple years back; a Metallica concert vid did that, but you could at least get in and override it. But I can't do that with Grave on my Pioneer DV45-A.

bubba966 · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 09:11 am »

Hmmmm, that's odd that you've got the angle indicator off on your 45A and it still appears.

I know some of the first gen Pioneer's didn't have the option to turn the indicator off. But I've not heard of the particualr problem you're having. Too bad I don't have a copy that I could test on any of the 5 different Pioneer's in the house. But the closest thing to your 45A would be my 38A. Which I just took in today to get the firmware updated & a good cleaning and alignment done to it. So I couldn't test it out on that anyway...

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Mar 2003, 09:19 am »

I know, damned odd. I've played over a thousand DVDs but I've never experienced this problem before. Too bad, I was really looking forward to watching GotFF.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #17 on:** 8 Mar 2003, 02:34 am »

Well, my other player played the disc just fine. TotFF is a fantastic movie, very moving and powerful. The story is a tragic , yet very compelling and beautiful story. The bond between Seita and his little sister is depicted very beautifully, which makes the movie all the more poignant.

The movie opens as Seita and his little sister, Setsuko, are gathering their possessions and securing them before an American B-29 raid. They plan to meet their mother at a shelter but are separated by the flames. When the bombing is done, there mother is dead and they are alone. The movie details the daily struggles the pair go thru as Seita tries to raise his sister alone and try to insulate her from the horrors of war.

I wonder how many Tseitas and Setsukos there were in WWII, between Russia, Poland, China, Japan, Britain, etc. The movie manages to show the horrors that war visits upon the innocent without becoming a trite and transparent mindless indictment of war. Interestingly, the Americans are shown as enemies, but not as monsters or villians. As a matter of fact, the Japanese characters exude a certain arrogance, and those that touch the lives of the children are mostly self absorbed and uncaring. Of course, with the enormity of the devastation perhaps it really was every man, woman & child for themselves.

This isn't a feel-good, breezy movie, but I highly recommend it. Don't let the fact that it's animated distract you from the fact that it's a very powerful story.