by NHK Educational TV’s special program “ETV Special: Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata, and Seven Notebooks” will air on August 2, 2025, at 11:00 PM. This program highlights Studio Ghibli’s masterpiece “Grave of the Fireflies,” directed by Isao Takahata and depicting the tragic story of a brother and sister living during the final days of the Pacific War.
Grave of the Fireflies” was released in 1988 by Isao Takahata, the animation film director known for works such as “Heidi, Girl of the Alps” and “3000 Leagues in Search of Mother.” Based on the novel by Akiyuki Nosaka, the film follows the life of 14-year-old Seita, who loses his mother in an air raid, and his four-year-old sister Setsuko.
According to the seven notebooks discovered after his death that document the creative process of the film, while Takahata sought to faithfully recreate the original story based on his own experiences of the air raid, he also deliberately created a character not found in the original work: “F. Seita.”
During his lifetime, Takahata said, “This is not an anti-war film,” so what was he trying to convey with “Grave of the Fireflies”? “ETV Special: Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata, and the Seven Notebooks” is a special program that delves into the thoughts Takahata put into “Grave of the Fireflies” through the seven notebooks discovered and testimonies from those involved. Director Yoko Terakoshi, who oversaw the program, commented, “Even now, 80 years after the end of the war, war persists in our world. I wanted to know what thoughts Takahata put into the film “Grave of the Fireflies,” so I continued my interviews.
What emerged from the creative notebooks is a message for us today. NHK Educational TV’s special program “ETV Special: Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata, and the Seven Notebooks” will air on August 2, 2025, at 11:00 PM. This program focuses on Studio Ghibli’s masterpiece, “Grave of the Fireflies,” directed by Isao Takahata, depicting the tragedy of a brother and sister living through the final days of the Pacific War.
Director Yoko Terakoshi. In 2011, I interviewed Takahata Isao as he was creating his final work, “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.” From then until Takahata died in 2018, I was sometimes scolded, but thankfully, we became very close friends. I learned countless things from him, such as his passionate view of his work and his heartfelt words, but I never heard anything from him about “Grave of the Fireflies.”
Even now, 80 years after the end of the war, the world still experiences war. I wanted to know for myself what thoughts Takahata put into the film “Grave of the Fireflies,” so I continued my interview. What emerged from his creative notes is a message for us in our current era. [Program] ETV Special “Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata, and the Seven Notebooks” [Broadcast Schedule] Broadcast: ETV Saturday, August 2, 11:00 PM – 11:59 PM Rebroadcast: ETV Thursday, August 7, 12:00 AM – 12:59 AM (Late Wednesday night)
