There’s more than one reason why Grave of the Fireflies merch doesn’t pop up very often, but this new T-shirt collection is a bittersweet exception.

Out of the many anime films that Studio Ghibli has produced, Grave of the Fireflies is the one you’re least likely to see merchandise for. Part of this is because, as a story of two orphans struggling to survive in the closing days of World War II, it doesn’t lend itself so easily to things like magnets and wall scrolls.

The other reason, though, is that Grave of the Fireflies is the only Ghibli anime that the studio itself doesn’t control the rights too. Instead, it’s owned by Shinchosha, the same company that published the original short story that the anime was later based on. As a result, Grave of the Fireflies falls outside the always-active Ghibli merchandising enterprise. Every now and then, though, Shinchosha does release some memorabilia, such as this new line of Grave of the Fireflies T-shirts.

The lineup features four different designs, using illustrations from “image boards,” pre-production artwork assets created to establish a sense of style and mood for an anime before work on the animation cels themselves gets underway.

Nothing in the shirts’ artwork is overtly traumatic. They’re basically little slice-of-life scenes of big brother Seita and little sister Setsuko enjoying some summer fun. Seeing them eating shaved ice or hanging out on the beach, those unfamiliar with the source material might think of these as soothing snapshots of an idealized nostalgic childhood.

For those who have seen the anime, though, these are all bittersweet reminders that such moments of carefree joy were the exception, not the rule, for Seita and Setsuko, who were forced to try to grow up under tragic circumstances beyond their control. This also makes the shirts a glimpse at an alternate timeline that could have been, had Seita and Setsuko only been able to receive the help they needed to cope with the unbearable hardships that were in store for them or been born a few years later.

Each of the designs is offered in six colors: white, gray, “sumi” (black), acid blue, sand beige, and light olive, priced at 4,950 yen (US$33.50).

The shirts are available through online fashion storefront PTA Shop here, and for anyone looking for additional emotionally complex anime apparel, this should do the trick.

Source: PTA Store via Ghibli no Sekai
Top image: PTA Store
Insert images: PTA Store (1, 2, 3, 4)
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