'The Last Fireflies' Finally Hits Theaters

June 16, 2026, 3:41 pm | Read time: 4 minutes

Nowadays, it’s no longer unusual for an anime to be shown regularly or at least as a special event in German cinemas. But it wasn’t always this way: In the 1980s and early 1990s, Japanese animated films were still a niche that only insiders could appreciate. As a result, true masterpieces of film art were never officially seen on a German screen–such as “Grave of the Fireflies.” Fortunately, this is about to change.

The Story of “Grave of the Fireflies”

Japan, toward the end of World War II: Amid Allied air raids, 14-year-old Seita and his four-year-old sister Setsuko lose their mother while their father is fighting somewhere in the navy. They stay with their aunt for a short time, but she doesn’t want to feed more people during the crisis. Seita and Setsuko decide to fend for themselves. What begins as an adventure full of freedom soon gives way to the brutal reality of constant danger, illness, and hunger…

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“Grave of the Fireflies” Is a Ghibli Masterpiece

The romantically beautiful title is misleading, as “Grave of the Fireflies” is nothing less than one of the greatest anti-war films of all time. This isn’t just one author’s opinion; various best-of lists from well-known online portals, such as this one from “Collider,” where the film reached number one, support this claim.

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The late Isao Takahata directed the film for the renowned Studio Ghibli. This studio is globally known primarily for the works of Hayao Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away”), which often overshadow Takahata’s contributions.

Unjustly so. “Grave of the Fireflies” is considered a classic that one must see. On Metacritic, the film has achieved a masterful 94 out of 100 points. And on Rotten Tomatoes, the drama holds a perfect score: 100 percent of all professional reviews were positive, and 95 percent of fans also gave it a good rating.

German Cinema Premiere After 38 Years

If you haven’t seen “Grave of the Fireflies” yet, you should catch up. Starting June 30, fans will have the opportunity to see the film in theaters here for the first time. Although it was produced and released in 1988, it only appeared on television or as a DVD and Blu-ray. This step is thanks to Studio Sony and the anime-focused streaming service Crunchyroll.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TECHBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@techbook.de.