The film stars Tsutomu Tatsumi , Ayano Shiraishi , Yoshiko Shinohara  and Akemi Yamaguchi . Set in the city of Kobe, Japan, it tells the story of two siblings, Seita and Setsuko, and their struggle to survive during the final months of the Second World War. Grave of the Fireflies has been ranked as one of the greatest war films of all time and is recognized as a major work of Japanese animation.