Released way back in 2002, this DVD features the hallmark film Tombstone for Fireflies (known more commonly as Grave of the Fireflies as it is on this release). While Central Park Media put a lot of effort into this release, it has sadly aged horribly. The video quality is lackluster featuring way too much compression, while the audio mix lacks polish and could have benefitted from better balancing and clarity. The saving grace of this two disc release, though, is the wealth of bonus material, which is very exhaustive.
| Video: |
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The video quality on this DVD is lackluster, especially when factoring in modern standards for the format. Compression artifacts are a consistent issue and the biggest overall complaint with the video quality here. It results in a very soft image with frequent pixelation. Reds suffer the most, often smearing and lacking clarity. There's minor shimmering throughout too, and a noticeable rainbow banding effect on finer details. This is particularly evident in elements like the main title. Color reproduction is merely adequate: while colors are distinct enough, they lack vibrancy and appear muted. On the positive side, the source print is in fairly good condition, with no major scratches visible. Noise is also pretty low, although this is likely due to the compression masking it. There is some occasional damage near the top of the frame. though. This is most notably around the six and eighteen minute marks, but these instances are relatively infrequent. The frame remains mostly stable, except during the pre-movie logos, which show noticeable instability.
Tombstone for Fireflies is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is anamorphic widescreen displays.
| Audio: |
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The DVD's audio presentation is competent but has some noticeable shortcomings. It includes both the original Japanese audio and an English dub, each offered in stereo. The Japanese track is generally serviceable, though dialogue clarity can be inconsistent as it occasionally comes across as muffled or slightly buried in the mix. Oddly, the sound effects are often overemphasized, with elements like running water disproportionately loud compared to dialogue and music, which creates an unbalanced soundscape.
The English dub, setting aside the voice acting itself, also suffers from similar mix issues. The dialogue in this version tends to feel detached from the rest of the audio environment, standing out too sharply against the film's music and sound effects, resulting in a disjointed listening experience.
Complementing the audio tracks are removable subtitle tracks in English.
| Extras: |
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Central Park Media's two-disc DVD release offers a surprisingly extensive set of extras, especially considering the era in which it was released.
On the main disc, the supplemental content is fairly minimal. It includes a selection of promotional trailers for other Central Park Media titles and the complete storyboard version of the film, which can be viewed alongside the audio from the movie. This is a welcome addition, and the storyboard images are reasonably clean and not overly compressed.
The second disc is where most of the bonus content resides. It features more promotional trailers, both for other Central Park Media releases and for Tombstone for Fireflies itself. Among them are both the Japanese and US trailers for the 1988 film. Unfortunately, the Japanese trailer is in particularly rough shape, featuring poor black levels, heavy visual noise, and unstable framing.
Moving on, the highlights begin with a 12 minute interview with Roger Ebert, who offers a reflective and insightful perspective on the film. He discusses how the story's emotional impact might differ if it had been rendered in live action, touching on the power of animation to create emotional distance while still delivering a profound message.
A standout feature is an interview with director Isao Takahata, presented in Japanese with burned-in English subtitles. It's an informative and engaging segment, shedding light on the creative process and production history of the film, while also offering some fascinating behind-the-scenes trivia.
Two biographical profiles are also included—one on Takahata and another on author Akiyuki Nosaka. Unfortunately, these are text-based features awkwardly formatted as short video clips, and the heavy compression results in smeared and hard-to-read text.
Another notable extra is a short six-minute promotional video from the film's original release, featuring Nosaka himself. Though compressed and presented with burned-in subtitles, it serves as an interesting time capsule from the era of the film's debut.
A unique inclusion is a DVNR (Digital Video Noise Reduction) featurette, which details Central Park Media's remastering process for the DVD. It discusses their acquisition of a new master from Japan and the digital clean-up work that went into preparing the release. While the final video quality hasn't aged well, this feature remains an intriguing look at the challenges faced by smaller distributors like Central Park Media during the early DVD era.
Also included is a four-minute still gallery, labeled as an art gallery, which features production artwork and is thankfully less compressed than some of the other extras.
Another extra is a feature titled "Locations, Then and Now," which compares locations depicted in the film with their real-life modern counterparts. This is a pretty simplistic extra, as it's using still images from rather than video footage of the current location.
Next up is a bonus storyboard section, featuring scenes that were ultimately cut from the final film. Each has some brief details on what the scene would have been, making this a pretty interesting bonus feature.
Rounding out the extras is a 12 minute segment titled Historical Perspective, presented by Theodore and Haruko Taya Cook, authors of Japan at War. This segment provides background on the time period, specifically focusing on World War II and the firebombing of Japan.
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In the end, this set is hard to recommend. While the extra collection that was gathered here is pretty broad and extensive, it doesn't overcome the lackluster video and audio presentations. For fans of the 1988 movie, I'd recommend another release, most likely going after the Blu-ray edition.
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