Summary
“Hotarubi no Mori e”, which translates to — “Into the forest of Fireflies’ light”— tells a story of a young girl named Hotaru and her friendship with Gin.
The story starts with Hotaru who was six years old at the time, visiting her uncle for the summer holidays, she got lost after disobeying her uncle’s orders, wandering into a forest believed to be inhabited by spirits. She soon looses her way after walking for a bit and breaks down crying, her tears attracted Gin, a being who appeared to be a young man, soft spoken and wearing a mask.
The two soon form a bond and Hotaru learns that her friend (Gin) is supernatural, and if he made contact with humans, he would disappear forever.
He leads her out of the forest. And despite his warnings she promised to return again, and she did. Gin was grateful for the company, and the two would play around the forest but without making any physical contact.
Over the years, the two would meet during summer, and while Hotaru matured into a young lady, Gin remained the same not aging (or at least not as fast as normal humans).
Their relationship slowly matures, as both struggle with its limitations.
We learn that Gin lived in the forest with the spirits, abandoned there as a child, left to die in the forest of the mountain god (that was the name of the forest, at least informally)
The spirits taking pity on him adopted him as one of their own, they gave him a mask to help him blend in among the spirits (so he’s at least appear a bit mysterious.
Not being able to make contact with her, or have a normal relationship Gin soon finds himself wishing she’d move on, but Hotaru had no such thoughts, even planning to move to the country side fully so she’d always be close to him.
Thoughts
The story was incredibly simple, with a straightforward delivery, but it’s this simplicity that made it the movie more impactful. The delivery of the story, the ever so risky relationship between Gin and Hotaru, friendship blossoming into deep affection, and a love not so unrequited but not so balanced either, made this short anime movie (less than 45 minutes long) a solid recommendation to both light anime fans and seasoned anime lovers.
As someone with the taste for the mysterious, and for stories that pack an emotional punch, this movie does a good job of delivering on those things. There’s not a lot to be said about this movie, like I said it was straightforward and short, but I’d still recommend it.
Do leave your thoughts and comments if you’ve seen it or intend to. Sayonara