Seita, on the other hand, is an avatar for Japanese nationalist pride and military obsession. A pre-war flashback shows him wearing a uniform and emulating his father’s stern expression and stiff posture for a family portrait, a young child already striving to fulfill the ideal of the Japanese soldier. When he and Setsuko capture fireflies and use them to illuminate their cave — the dim, flickering lights swirling above them in the darkness — Seita imagines the pageantry of a naval review and the bright, stunning lights on the side of warships, like the one captained by his father. He imagines himself shooting at imaginary planes, winning the war against Japan’s enemies and protecting his nation and his family.