>Hmm... I thought Grave of the Fireflies was much more depressing than
>Barefoot Gen. Yes, a lot of sad things happened in each movie. But Grave
>of the Fireflies was desperately, despairingly so. It went along,
>following the main character and his sister on their trail of tears, had
>some moments which were a reprieve from the gloom, but I don't remember
>anything that would inspire hope for the future. All the character's
>striving, and it ended in the quiet of the grave. Barefoot Gen had the
>main character survive all he encountered, with people who cared for him
>and who he cared for. IIRC, the last scene was a bright sunny day, when
>he discovered his hair was growing back again, and he marveled at the
>resiliency of humanity. Completely different feel.

I must agree to this.  Mainly because the last ten minutes of Grave of the
Fireflies (the mini-music video featuring the kid sister) is a real killer.
I've seen a few friends of mine who laugh at stuff like "Faces of Death" get
choked up at that point.  The film just doesn't state that "they are dead",
they rub your nose in it!

The Rt. Dishon Don Euclid
euclid@nwrain.com