Netflix to stream Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' in Japan
Silicon Valley –
Netflix has announced plans to stream "Hotaru no Haka" (Grave of the Fireflies), an animated film produced by Studio Ghibli, from July 15 in Japan.
It will be the first work by the Japanese anime powerhouse to be streamed on Netflix in Japan since the U.S. company started to distribute Ghibli films in other countries in 2020. The announcement was made on Wednesday.
The film, directed by the late Isao Takahata and released in 1988, depicts the desperate struggle for survival of a Japanese boy and his little sister in World War II. It is based on a short story by the late Akiyuki Nosaka.
"We really wanted this timeless masterpiece to be seen by a Japanese audience," Netflix content division official Kazutaka Sakamoto said in a statement. "We're happy that we were able to make the distribution a reality."
The company began streaming the film in over 190 countries and regions on Sept. 16 last year. In the first week of its release on the service, it came seventh in the global top 10 non-English movie weekly rankings, making news also in Japan.
Fans in Japan had voiced hope that the film would also be streamed in their country.
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