Hiroka and Rei are full of energy. Umi and Ai are bound by a strong friendship. The Owadas are on the verge of a falling apart family due to a mountain of problems such as infidelity and domestic violence. One day, tragedy suddenly befalls ordinary people. This is a story of "despair" and "hope" that wells up in each person's heart.
At least we got the original cast back, right? Not even that saves it. None of them could bring a sliver of hope to this special. Rather, they bring dread as we witness the light leaving from their eyes.
What seems like such a simple story of survival is so much more than that—it’s a story of family, and of war, and of destruction. It’s painful to watch, but not in a bad way. It makes its audience reflect on their own actions, and in how they are complicit in the sufferings of others as the adults in this film are. Grave of the Fireflies does not hold back from being heartbreaking, and it shouldn’t. It tells a message that needs to be heard decades after the war, and a story that cannot be forgotten by history.
This short film was an overall creative success.
Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, 'Shang-Chi', deserves praise for balancing epic superhero action, a heartfelt family plot, and positive Asian representation.
The relationship between the characters is what makes this film stand out, and it’s just all-around fun.
"Up" features one of Pixar's few Asian-American heroes and explores the institutionalized hardships elderly people face. Also, Dug is a good boy.
