has informed its business partners it will not be able to continue operations due to “surging costs of raw materials,” among other reasons. Grave of the Fireflies follows two siblings, Seita and his younger sister, Setsuko, who struggle to survive in the last few months of the Second World War after a firebombing raid destroys their home. So there’s always the chance that the company, or at least the Sakumashiki Drops brand, could see a revival at some future date. The tin of fruit-flavored candies carried around by war orphan Setsuko contains one of the few sources of comforting happiness she has left. Following the premiere of Grave of the Fireflies, the company has taken to printing commemorative tins with Setsuko on them.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. It’s worth pointing out that this actually isn’t the first time for the Sakumashiki Drops maker to shut down.However, Grave of the Fireflies does manage to end on somewhat of a happy note if the viewer remembers the start of the film.

This would be Setsuko’s last taste of happiness, as shortly after this scene, they are thrust out into the streets of Kobe to fend for themselves.If you're running a script or application, please register or sign in with your developer credentials here. Sakuma’s Drops, the candy that appeared in Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies, will be discontinued as its manufacturer Sakumaseika announced that the company is going out of business. Keep this lovely box carefully, which unfortunately became a collector's item in January 2023 with the closure of the 115 year old Sakuma Candy company. The candies, Sakumashiki Drops, aren’t a fictional creation, but an actual confectionary brand that first went on sale in 1908.