WolfgangOtakus Otaku Blog!: A Review Of Hotarubi No Mori e

Warning

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS AND MY BIASED OPINIONS WHICH IS FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROMOTING DEBATE AND DISCUSSION.

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On WlfOtaku Blogs I will be looking at the Movie Hotarubi No Mori e (The Forest Of Firefly Lights), A film adaptation of the Manga By mangaka Yuki Midorikawa.
This is actually a rather hard review to write and its rather amusing how I’m really fighting the urge to just write the words“ IT IS REALLY GOOD” PUBLISH AND CASE CLOSED(*Que Detective Conan OP*) but when I think about it I understand that this movie is Best represented and understood when Felt Rather than Structurally Read. So I’m going to try and put the feel of Hotarubi No Mori e into words to the best of my ability.

We follow the story of a Young Girl named Hotaru that was lost in the forest and is rescued by a masked older Boy named Gin who is infact a youkai spirit in human form dwelling in the forest. He Helps and easily befriends Hotaru, however Gin is not able to touch and mustn't be touched by a human otherwise he will disappear forever, A fact he made crystal clear by bashing a six year old Hotaru’s Brains in with a stick whenever she got too close lol!

As they part ways Hotaru promises to meet him the next day with a thank you present. Hotaru is only visiting her relatives for the summer months and cant be with Gin all the time so they promise to meet each other every summer at their promised place.
The plot centers on the relationship between the two as we see little Hotaru growing up as they spend their summer days together walking in the woods exploring new places, meeting other youkai, having fun in wide green fields, flying a kite and Sailing small Boats made of leaves down the river, fishing or even just Falling asleep.. Both of them enjoying daily life together doing the little things that make them happy while also showing how a curiosity develops into a strong friendship, fondness and later into a deep honest love.

Hotarubi No Mori e is truly a representation of what an excellently executed Piece of Work should be..the movie is 44 minutes long and I was actually quite Curious as to what a movie that is the same duration of 2 standard Episodes of a show had to offer and it absolutely amazes me what they have managed to accomplish with such a short time frame in which all elements in this movie come together and form this cohesive force which equally contribute and elevate the finished work and transform it into an emotionally Powerful piece of art. The Studio Brains Base responsible for shows such as Durarara..rarararararara..rarrarara!, Mawaru Penguin Drum and a personal fave of mine Tonari no Kaibutsu Kun really understood what they were doing and everything they put into this short film hit the right marks at the right times without ever feeling forced or Cliche.

We see Hotaru starting out as a energetic ball of sunshine..inquisitive and instantly lovable..the kind of kid you'd like to watch grow up. When Hotaru is happy she laughs when shes sad she cries..whatever her feelings they all show and even as she grows older we can still tell what shes thinking a personality that compliments Gin's who despite the years him and Hotaru have spent together his character is constant ..usually less talkative than Hotaru,mysterious and soft spoken..a Quiet calm exterior while on the inside being adventurous and thoughtful ..and really that's all there is too them they aren't characters of complexity whis is one aspect that really shines in this film and I'm completely fine with that coz im sure weve all seen our fair share of annoyingly complex xters in anime..

But with Gin and Hotaru its refreshing to just watch them and not rack your brain trying to figure out what the other is thinking because you can tell they're struggling inside to be near each other and easily see the slow building of their bond without any lengthy speeches or excessive drama..a simplicity instead permeates through every aspect of the film.
The art and animation is very charming ..Xter designs are minimalist and simple,backgrounds are full of soft and muted colors that give the feel of watching a moving watercolour painting which fits the story perfectly.
The sound in this film is also another aspect of the cohesive force that makes this film truly a piece of art ..the seiyuus(Voice actors) are really good ,the music giving soft and sweeping piano ,Accordions and xylophones and Fluttering violins(my Fave) some of best composed music I've heard in anime.. these again tailormade for this film and gave the feeling of Light,Air and Warmth All the while with all these aspects in play moving at a leisurely pace despite the tight timeframe and mastering the art conveying emotion without the use of words..A pensive stare,A smile ..the little things like a butterfly fluttering off Gin's mask sub-consciously make you appreciative of its beauty even with its simple art form.

The ending breaks my everytime and the worst thing is I could see it coming but I wasnt Prepared for it..and this movie being what it is reached the peak of its beauty at around that time but lemme just say that this film isnt the most original piece of work..the concept of a far-off distant love has been done over and over again in many many shows and books but Hatoarubi No Mori e shines in the fact that it managed to present it in one of the most beautiful and refreshing way possible always with a tint of Bittersweet highlighting the separation of never being able to touch each other.

Did I cry? Did the biggest manliest tears come streaming down my face while I made sounds closely resembling that of a dying whale?? ...No Not this time but it did become this hurt in my chest and I can definitely see it reducing people to tears. I can also understand if some people think the ending is rushed or too sudden but for me there were no problems.. the pacing although relaxed was just right it never rushed through anything,all you had to do was sit back and enjoy it and the fact that it didn't even use the last 4 minutes was even more surprising and I can honestly say that this is one of the most beautiful things Ive watched and as an Otaku I think everyone should see this movie Id call it a classic bearing a subtle resemblance to the Miyazaki Movies..

The only thing I didn't like about it was the fact that I didn't enjoy it more than I did because when I look at it from a far it seems perfect but when i was watching it I felt like there was a lack of a scale of emotions that it produced from me for example when when I'm watching something like One Piece or Tonari no Kaibutsu Kun Or Kokoro Connect there's a whole bunch of things I feel from a giddy happyness or anticipation or sadness and this film didn't convey much than the emotions I'd mentioned earlier but this doesn't hurt it much at all though and I'm sure it will probably a different feel for anyone else watching this..i only wish japan made more things like these.
Also watch the movie/shows 5 Centimeters per second,Kokoro Connect and Natsume Yuujinchou for something along similar lines.