be my first anime review i think i would start off with my one of my favourite piece of work from who else but studio ghibli . ghibli have rarely produce anime that doesn not fall short of great but graveyard be something different indeed . set in the aftermath of world war ii and graveyard be focus on the life of a caring brother and his young sister ( setsuko and seita ) and how they struggle against both the element of wartime and a depreciate japanese empire . the most striking thing about graveyard be probably how real everything seem . the animation be very unconventional to the like of say spirit away or laputa but in a good way . the horror of war be beautifully realise through the animation and whether it be the american destruction be show or the bleak outlook on people life and namely the two main character . thankfully it earn every shred of emotion it convey through these two sympathetic character that only the coldest of heart wouldn not warm up to . avoid any hollywood sentimentality and it be often a bleak and depress perspective depict but all the more brutally powerful in the process . with my eye well up through the duration of the film and it occur to me just how well the director understand what raw heartfelt emotion be and how to play the audience heart string . nevertheless nothing be show in a heavy hand approach and no empthasis be put on the american nor be there any special attention take to the war detail . if anything the citizen of japan be show in the coldest light often give little help to the plight of others and but demonstrate furthermore what desperate situation everyone be in . takahata instead decide to focus on the plight of it title character against the background of war . with the empire of japan in crisis and food shortage everywhere it be heart break to see a brother struggle to meet end meet for his sister . due to the approach take it border on be horrify but fortunately the tone be change with the spirit put into setsuko character . much like the pianist the issue be not the war but the struggle and will to survive in it . this be clearly display in a plot that revolve around the downward spiral setsuko try to fee himself and more importantly the young and more vulnerable sister seita . the animation though detailed and indeed beautiful in some sequence ( namely relate to the title ) and be not by any mean flashy but capture emotion and interaction between the character perfectly . it the perfect mixture of such animation and realistic and highly likeable character that make the whole film one tearful experience . deal with such difficult issue it very hard to imagine this be a film and if it be i do not think it would of be do as well . part of the brilliance also come from symbology and the association to many different world in such a understanding depiction . the child and seita and be nothing short of perfection in child like behaviour happily oblivious to the desperate situation and amuse herself with simplicity and the quirk of nature and the outdoors . the old brother setsuko who must carry the burdon of everything be also perfectly portray and to watch there decent be painful to say the least . to struggle be one thing but to have shock and shattered dream and be depend on be something anyone can empthasise with . there may be some people who will shy away from anime and disregard it a a mere cartoon . to those people and everyone else i recommend graveyard a the tonic and which can be appreciate by anyone with a heart and soul . among the fine piece of anime create and one of the most touching war film ever make .