comment: >
  
  Grave of Fireflies hits hard.
context: I can help you with the 'I dont get why they are liked' part.
  Spirited Away, Howl and Kiki are coming of age stories. They only work if you feel empathy towards the main characters. You may not like it, but japanese cinema is much more character focused, and less plot focused.
  Nausica, Laputa and Mononoke are naturalist movies trying to show you the beauty of nature.
  Totoro is mainly a childhood nostalgia slice of life.
  Maybe you will like Grave of Fireflies. Its an anti war movie similar to The Pianist.