{"product_id":"grave-of-the-fireflies-火垂るの墓-rare-original-japanese-dvd-promotional-poster-2000-studio-ghibli-isao-takahata-b2-size-51-73-cm-s288","title":"“Grave of the Fireflies” (火垂るの墓), Rare Original Japanese DVD Promotional Poster 2000, Studio Ghibli \/ Isao Takahata, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) S288","description":"\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 promotional poster produced in 2000 for the first Japanese DVD release of Studio Ghibli’s\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrave of the Fireflies\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003e火垂るの墓 \/ Hotaru no Haka\u003c\/strong\u003e), written and directed by \u003cstrong\u003eIsao Takahata\u003c\/strong\u003e and adapted from the semi-autobiographical short story by \u003cstrong\u003eAkiyuki Nosaka\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe poster was created for the \u003cstrong\u003eWarner Home Video “New Master” DVD campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e, with the original release issued in Japan on \u003cstrong\u003e16 December 2000\u003c\/strong\u003e at a price of \u003cstrong\u003e¥2,980 before tax\u003c\/strong\u003e. The wording printed directly across the lower section reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「DVDにて絶賛好評発売中！」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003e“Now available on DVD to great acclaim!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eand:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「ニューマスター版で登場 2,980円（税抜き）」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003e“Now available in a New Master edition — ¥2,980 before tax.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThis makes the poster a distinct piece of \u003cstrong\u003eofficial Japanese home-video promotional material\u003c\/strong\u003e, rather than a theatrical re-release poster. Warner Home Video issued the film’s first Japanese DVD in 2000; later DVD editions followed before the rights moved to the Studio Ghibli \/ Disney home-video line. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eOriginally released theatrically in Japan in \u003cstrong\u003e1988\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGrave of the Fireflies\u003c\/em\u003e follows teenage \u003cstrong\u003eSeita\u003c\/strong\u003e and his young sister \u003cstrong\u003eSetsuko\u003c\/strong\u003e as they struggle to survive in the closing months of the Second World War after air raids devastate their home in Kobe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eTakahata adapted the film from \u003cstrong\u003eAkiyuki Nosaka’s 1967 short story\u003c\/strong\u003e, itself rooted in the author’s wartime experiences and the death of his younger sister.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eRather than approaching war through battle scenes or military heroism, the film remains almost entirely with the children, observing the consequences of bombing, hunger, displacement and the gradual collapse of the social structures around them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe production brought together an exceptional creative team, including \u003cstrong\u003echaracter designer and animation director Yoshifumi Kondō\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eart director Nizō Yamamoto\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ecolour designer Michiyo Yasuda\u003c\/strong\u003e, and composer \u003cstrong\u003eMichio Mamiya\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe design uses one of the film’s most tender and visually memorable sequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eAgainst an almost completely \u003cstrong\u003edark summer night\u003c\/strong\u003e, Seita and Setsuko sit together on a simple wooden bench surrounded by glowing fireflies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eSeita gently holds one of the insects toward Setsuko, whose face and hands are illuminated by its warm yellow light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe surrounding landscape is rendered in deep \u003cstrong\u003enavy, violet and blue-black tones\u003c\/strong\u003e, while dozens of individual fireflies punctuate the darkness like tiny stars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThis extreme contrast between the \u003cstrong\u003eblack night and small points of golden light\u003c\/strong\u003e gives the poster an unusually quiet emotional power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThere is no montage, no conventional cast imagery and almost no commercial visual clutter across the main field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eInstead, the image is allowed to carry the emotional weight of the campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Every time summer comes…”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eRunning vertically through the centre is the campaign line:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「夏がくるたび、思い出してください。」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003e“Every time summer comes, please remember.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eIt is an exceptionally appropriate line for the film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eSummer in Japan is inseparable from both the memory of the end of the Pacific War and the annual period of remembrance surrounding \u003cstrong\u003eAugust\u003c\/strong\u003e, while fireflies themselves carry strong cultural associations with transience and impermanence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe copy transforms the DVD campaign from a straightforward product advertisement into something closer to an invitation to \u003cstrong\u003eremember the film—and the lives it represents—again and again\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe title\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eAt the bottom appears the Japanese title:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e火垂るの墓\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eほたるのはか\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003ein vivid \u003cstrong\u003ered typography\u003c\/strong\u003e against a clean cream field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eTakahata and Nosaka’s title famously uses the unusual characters \u003cstrong\u003e火垂る\u003c\/strong\u003e rather than the standard \u003cstrong\u003e蛍\u003c\/strong\u003e for \u003cem\u003ehotaru\u003c\/em\u003e (“firefly”).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe unconventional spelling gives the title a deliberately poetic quality, visually combining the idea of \u003cstrong\u003efire\u003c\/strong\u003e with something that falls or hangs down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThat association takes on additional resonance within a film in which the soft light of fireflies repeatedly sits beside imagery and memories of wartime fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHome-video campaign details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe upper corners contain the \u003cstrong\u003eWarner Home Video\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eDVD Video\u003c\/strong\u003e marks, clearly establishing the poster’s purpose as an official retail promotional sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe lower-right corner reproduces the corresponding DVD package, while the surrounding copy advertises both the film and the original Shinchosha publication.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe campaign specifically promotes the \u003cstrong\u003e“New Master” DVD edition\u003c\/strong\u003e, priced at \u003cstrong\u003e¥2,980 before tax\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThis was the film’s \u003cstrong\u003efirst Japanese DVD release\u003c\/strong\u003e, making the poster an interesting document from the transition between the VHS \/ LaserDisc era and DVD becoming the dominant home-video format in Japan. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRarity\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eUnlike theatrical posters intended to advertise a cinema run, this sheet was produced for \u003cstrong\u003eretail and video-store display\u003c\/strong\u003e during the DVD sales window.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eSuch promotional posters were temporary working advertising material: once a release was no longer new, displays were changed and the paper was typically removed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eSurviving original B2 promotional material from the \u003cstrong\u003eearly Japanese Studio Ghibli DVD era\u003c\/strong\u003e is consequently much less commonly encountered than mass-market consumer packaging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe combination of \u003cstrong\u003eofficial 2000 Warner Home Video provenance, first Japanese DVD campaign, Studio Ghibli imagery and one of the film’s most emotionally resonant scenes\u003c\/strong\u003e makes this a particularly compelling piece for collectors of Ghibli and Japanese animation ephemera.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVery Good+ \/ Excellent original condition overall.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe poster retains \u003cstrong\u003edeep, rich night-time colours\u003c\/strong\u003e, strong contrast and particularly vivid yellow illumination across the fireflies. The central image of Seita and Setsuko remains crisp and highly attractive, while the red title typography is bright and clean.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThere are \u003cstrong\u003elight signs of age and handling\u003c\/strong\u003e, including minor surface impressions and modest edge wear consistent with an original retail promotional poster from \u003cstrong\u003e2000\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003ePlease review the photograph carefully; it shows the \u003cstrong\u003eexact poster for sale\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 promotional poster from the film’s first Japanese DVD campaign in 2000\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot a reproduction or a modern reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eIt is approximately \u003cstrong\u003e26 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCode: S288\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57284287005050,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments_59_b1071988-4e37-4a7c-ac96-e4e77dea171c.jpg?v=1789775072","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/grave-of-the-fireflies-%e7%81%ab%e5%9e%82%e3%82%8b%e3%81%ae%e5%a2%93-rare-original-japanese-dvd-promotional-poster-2000-studio-ghibli-isao-takahata-b2-size-51-73-cm-s288","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}