In my search for things Akiyuki Nosaka, I found this interview with him and the director of the 'Grave of the Fireflies', Isao Takahata. Not terribly enlightening, but still worth the read. It was translated from the Japanese and used without permission from an anime magazine.
My sister's death is an exact match with the novel. It was one week after the end of the war. At the countryside of Fukui prefecture where I was, it was the day the restrictions on lighting were removed. It must have been the 22nd. It was evening, and I was picking up my sister's bones. I was coming home in a daze when I saw the village lit up. There was nothing like my surprise then. My sister died in my side of the world, and light was coming back in the other. The return of light also implies the return of peace, and at that time, I felt from deep within that I'd survived, which was also very scary.
Posted by Joe at February 16, 2004 09:41 PM