During times of war, people tend to take more notice of related films and other media (i.e. - surprise wins by The Pianist at the Oscars). I want to recommend some relevant Japanese animation, a genre that some may not be familiar with.

My first recommendation is the 1988 film "Grave of the Fireflies". This is an extremely powerful and deeply moving antiwar film. The story follows 2 orphaned children struggling to survive in the aftermath of the World War II bombing of Japan. Through their experience, we see the true tragedy of war and of innocence lost. This is not an easy film to watch because of the sadness it evokes; it will most likely bring tears to your eyes. This is a very important war film, one everyone should see in order to reflect on the current situation and on war in general.

My second recommendation is the 1996 Japanese animated TV series (not the movie) "The Vision of Escaflowne". In contrast to my first recommendation, this one is more fun. It combines elements of medieval fantasy, science fiction, romance, action, drama, and comedy into an epic storyline based around a high school girl named Hitomi. The story is more about destiny than war. Yet, there are moments in the series, particularly near the end, that raise the issues of "Why is there war?" and "Why do people fight?". I was surprised by the story depth and character devlopment that is attained by the end of the series.

Okay, now I will go off track a bit to some non-war related items, but I think they will be of interest to people on this website. The creator of "Vision of Escaflowne", Shoji Kawamori, has a new anime series that is just being released in the U.S. called "Arjuna". I have not seen it yet, but it is supposed to have a strong environmentalist theme. Also, many Hayao Miyazaki films, such as "Princess Mononoke", have strong green themes.

I would suggest watching anime with Japanese dialogue and English subtitles. Dubbing seems to take something away from the experience. So, does anyone else know of other anime along the lines of what I have mentioned?