Studio Ghibli’s 100%-Rated Anime Is the Saddest Film Ever, Research Says

If you've always thought that Studio Ghibli only makes wholesome, feel-good anime, prepare to have your world turned upside down.

According to EMC UK and the study done by QR Code Generator, Grave of the Fireflies was named as the most heartbreaking movie of all time. The study analyzed reviews of popular films. Words such as “Cry” and “Sad” appeared more frequently in reviews of Grave of the Fireflies than the average movie, with an increase of an impressive 223.5%.

What Is ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ About?

Based on a semi-autobiographical story by Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies follows two siblings, 14-year-old Seita and his 4-year-old sister Setsuko, struggling to survive in Japan during the final months of World War II.

After losing their mother in a bombing raid and being separated from their father, the children face the indifference of other people and difficulty to survive.

What Makes ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ Special?

Grave of the Fireflies comes with an emotional price tag. Both critics and viewers have been unanimous in their praise and emotional devastation. But what makes it so good?

The movie is soaked with duality. We see children going up against the brutal force of WWII. We have Seita, who tries to appear lighthearted for his sister after seeing his mother die. We have the contrast of bombs and fireflies, death and life.

‘Grave of the Fireflies’ Absolutely Crushed Its Audience

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Grave of the Fireflies has 100% from critics and 95% from the audience.
• On IMDb, Grave of the Fireflies is rated 8.5/10.

“I’m a huge horror film fan. I will never watch Grave of the Fireflies again. There’s disturbing, and there’s demoralizing, and I can’t do the latter,” Redditor NotNamedBort wrote.

“Oh absolutely. I'm a horror fan but ghosts, demons and other macabre content dont have shit to the realistic portrayal of war and its effects on victims seen in GotF. Their parents gone missing, their family (aunt) turning their backs on them, little sister getting sick from eating contaminated food... It just hits different,” another fan, Daimakku1 on Reddit said.

“I cried so hard. It's one of those movies everyone should see at least once but you may never be able to handle watching again,” Redditor Divine_Miss_MVB shared.

Where to Watch ‘Grave of the Fireflies’?

Grave of the Fireflies is available on Netflix right now.