Hotarubi no Mori e

Intrigued by the tale of a mountain god, six-year-old Hotaru Takegawa loses her way in the ancient forest while visiting her uncle. Exhausted and desperate for help, Hotaru is thrilled to find a masked forest spirit named Gin. She learns the hard way that she should not touch the boy, or he would disappear. In spite of this, Gin leads Hotaru out of the forest and warns her never to return when she promises to come again with a gift.

Paying no heed to his cautionary words, and despite being separated by both distance and planes of existence, Hotaru and Gin become close friends as she visits him every summer. However, their relationship and resolve are put to the test, when romantic feelings conflict with the one and only rule.

Based on Yuki Midorikawa's manga of the same name, Hotarubi no Mori e is a tale of friendship and compromise of two people who should never have crossed paths, as their lives become hopelessly intertwined.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit
Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Edit
Related Anime

Adaptation:

Hotarubi no Mori e, Aizoban Hotarubi no Mori e

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

Gin

Main

Uchiyama, Kouki
Japanese

Takegawa, Hotaru

Main

Sakura, Ayane
Japanese

Ryouta

Supporting

Taya, Hayato
Japanese

Takegawa, Mother

Supporting

Sawada, Izumi
Japanese

More staff
Staff

	Miyake, Masanori Producer
	Omori, Takahiro Director, Script, Screenplay
	Ootaka, Shizuru Theme Song Performance
	Midorikawa, Yuki Original Creator

Edit Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

Edit Ending Theme

"Natsu wo Miteita (夏を見ていた)" by Shizuru Ootaka

More reviewsReviews

Lustreless

539 people found this review helpful

Other reviews by this user

Feb 29, 2012

1 of 1 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

"It is sad not to love, but it is much sadder not to be able to love." The words uttered by Miguel de Unamuno become unusually symbolic when we think of them in the context of Hotarubi no Mori e. The romance genre has grown stiff over the centuries - and some may even imply that any originality in that peculiar type of works has depleted, that nothing fresh and original can be created when basically everything is a cliché these days. Well then, I'm truly glad I can say that whoever sports that belief is in the wrong. The evidence: Hotarubi no Mori e.

How much emotion and feelings can be put into a small vessel? As Shakespeare and his cycle of sonnets taught us - you don't need much space (or time) to deliver a powerful blast of vivid emotions. And this film needed circa forty minutes to revive within me certain emotions, which I believed I had managed to cast aside long time ago. In our era, the concept of love seems to be incomplete and - I dare to say - a bit off the mark. Love is now an emotion which is the theme for a vast majority of pop songs - those pseudo-deep lyrics of them, even when combined in a single entity, still won't tell you nearly as much as Hotarubi no Mori e in several lines of dialogue and 40 minutes of animation. It's not overly deep or anything, it doesn't require your utmost attention to get a general gist, no - that's not the case here. It's a simple, effective, well-thought story with a warm sensation lurking behind it; a slow-paced story of love in its truest, platonic form. And now let us take a more detailed view on the whole.

Images are a powerful means of conveying information--and feelings as well. And no major issues can be found in this regard - on the contrary, the visual aspect of this film is praiseworthy, and a few things need to be pointed out. First of all - a genuinely perfect playing with scenery. It refers a tad to the script - but still, presenting the two (Gin and Hotaru) all alone in a forest was a glimpse of genius. The motif is neatly exposed - they are alone with each other, there's no one around them... and yet they're not together. Because touching someone is like confirming their existence - and even that much is not allowed to them. But not to sway of the topic too much - the exceptional words of admiration should be directed at the background scenery. Rich in details, properly animated, not breaking the decorum of the entirety. But only a little less can be said about the character design - rich in expressions, not overly static, presenting the character quite well... to sum it all up, I'll just say that I wasn't left speechless - but what speech was left to me--it was the praising alone.

Sounds are as important as images - if not more - so we should pay a close attention to this aspect of the film as well. Voicing was done fairly well, though there's nothing to cry tears of delight over, so let's just say that it was perfectly fine. But what really caught my attention was music. And goodness me, my ears still are in awe of what they heard an hour ago. Due to the limited time of the film, it's perfectly obvious and natural that the number of songs wouldn't be very impressive. But what matters is their quality - which in this case wouldn't be paid a proper recognition if I didn't call it top-notch. Those few instrumental pieces were enough to build up a desired setting, and reflected what was happening on the screen in a truly illustrative way. Especially the theme of the festival deserves my utmost recognition - it sure did manage to deliver a number of various emotions. All in all, both music and voices in this film aced the test.

Characters are inseparably connected with plot in this very case, so I think that they shouldn't... no, mustn't be regarded as two different aspects. To give a brief summary of events - a young girl meets a boy, who is in fact a spirit dwelling in the forest. The boy, however, mustn't be touched by a human, for it would result in him disappearing for all eternity. They spend the summer days with each other, and when the girl must return to home from her vacation, she promises to visit him again next summer. And that's eactly what she does - for the next few years. During that time she grows up, and her age is slowly getting closer to the age of the boy (who due to being a spirit doesn't age or ages very slowly). And then, one summer, comes the grande finale - he invites her to a spirit festival, during which he touches a human kid who tripped himself and was about to fall. Then, for as much as a few seconds, the two people who loved each other are able to touch, sense, confirm the object of their love. And after what seemed to be a blink of an eye... he's gone. He's not there - his mask left behind as the only proof of his existence. To love, yet not to be able to.
The story itself isn't something unique, or exceptional - as I have already mentioned, everything comes down to emotions. I was also surprised at the existence of a modified hamartia - just by the existence of the flaw, we can reason that there's no happy ending, and the inevitable must happen (unless we would get to see some Deus Ex Machina coming and saving the day).
I'm about to say something seemingly irrelevant, but in fact it will be the most important thing of all what I've said thus far. Whenever the question "why do you watch anime" arises, people and their answers can be divided into 2 groups. Those who claim to watch anime for cute girls doing cute things in a cute way, and those who claim to watch anime for plot. To truly notice the value of Hotarubi no Mori e, you must - like me - belong to neither of them. I watch anime to notice, to perceive, to experience - to get to feel that what I watch is worthwhile. To feel those emotions oozing from a series. And no - it's not the same as watching for plot - there exists a division called "4 levels of meaning". Plot per se, is the first - literal - level, so you could say that albeit important, it doesn't play the main role. And in fact - what matters is emotions, and feelings hidden behind the curtain. And with Hotarubi no Mori e, you are able to tore down the curtain completely, and observe how those emotions start to have an influence on you. It's a beautiful thing, and it alone is of a great value. Because - to quote a recurring sentence from Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru, "without love, it cannot be seen." read more

permalink | report

I found this review Helpful

hinahinaxxchoco

326 people found this review helpful

Other reviews by this user

Jul 26, 2013

1 of 1 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

"Time might separate us some day. But, even still, until then, let's stay together." -Hotaru Takegawa

Time is cruel. Time is responsible for the summers that come and go, for the leaves in autumn that shrivel and fall to the ground at the mercy of the next toddler looking to create satisfying crunching sounds, for the long and cold winters.

You come to love the smell of rain in the spring or the cool breeze of a summer night and then poof. It's gone.

Much like a fleeting summer's day, the main characters in Hotarubi no Mori e are bound by the chains of time. He read more

permalink | report

I found this review Helpful

Z-I-CO

130 people found this review helpful

Other reviews by this user

Jul 12, 2012

1 of 1 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

I am not great at writing reviews, but I am trying to get better so please bare with me on this one. Hope you like my review though ^^ ok so lets get on with it.

I started to watch this because it was written by Yuki Midorikawa. I loved her previous work "Natsume Yuuchinjou" and I was hoping this would be another good anime to pass my time on. I was not wrong.

I am sure that on this movie there are many reviewers who has retold the summary of this story in their own review which I am going to skip over because I read more

permalink | report

I found this review Helpful

orionator

36 people found this review helpful

Other reviews by this user

Apr 20, 2015

1 of 1 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

For something with a pretty basic romantic storyline, Hotarubi no Mori e pulled it off pretty well.

It's easy to follow; a young girl gets lost in an enchanted forest, she meets a spirit, they become friends, they grow up together every summer, they fall in love, and then their love ends. Pretty basic, huh? That's what I loved about it. It was a comfortable watch, you didn't have to think about it too much, but all the emotion is still there.

The script is well written, interspersed with the right amount of humour, with natural conversation flowing between the two main characters. It seems like a typical shoujo anime, heck it probably is your typical shoujo anime, but in the 45 minute runtime, you really see a relationship develop, with no unnecessary drama, following the two mains as they grow together and fall in love together.

Really, I think that's what makes it so damn sad at the end.

You watch it, accustomed with Hotaru and Gin being by each other's sides for most of the screentime. For the times when Hotaru is back at home for school, her longing for the summer and of Gin is heart-wrenching and a reminder of the feeling of falling in love slowly, with someone you've known your entire life. The development behind the characters themselves, Gin slowly becoming more open in the face of a human, when before he was guarded and distrusting of them, and Hotaru, maturing from a hyperactive young girl into a young woman who continues on without the being that she loved, is incredible, and again, one of the best parts of this film is watching the characters grow.

However, the film does not forget its subtle, but noticeable baseline that this good thing will end. From the beginning, you know that it will end in tragedy, with Gin's condition of being 'alive' as such dependent on a lack of physical human contact. This condition hangs like the sword of Damocles throughout the entire film, but when it finally falls, you don't expect it, and it's a real stab to the heart.

Again, the script remains triumphant through all of this. Romantic lines between Hotaru and Gin don't feel forced, nor do their actions and interactions. Hotaru's small monologue at the end was beautifully written, and the voice acting was brilliant; Ayane Sakura captures Hotaru's grief, but also her strength in knowing that she was loved, and she is forced to move on.

The animation is spot on, with the forest coming alive in vibrant greens and golds from the sunlight streaming through the leaves. When watching this, appreciate the background, because despite the beautiful character designs, the forest setting comes to life and draws you into the film and away from reality. The festival itself at the end is beautiful and vibrant, full of life and detail, whilst not overpowering what is the main focus of its scene; Hotaru and Gin's romance.

I loved it. I cried a lot. It was sort of bittersweet, and even though it was a simple story, a basic romance story, it was still hard-hitting at the end. The best thing about this film is its ability to connect you with the characters, and to experience what they are feeling as well.

Give this a watch, you won't regret it. But make sure you have a box of tissues at the ready, it's a real tearjerker.

read more

permalink | report

I found this review Helpful

More recommendations
Recommendations

View All

More news
Recent News

Hotarubi no Mori e Wins the 66th Mainichi Film Award

According to the official website, Hotarubi no Mori e has won the Best Animation Film Award in the 66th Mainichi Film Concours. The Blu-ray and the DVD of the anime ...read more

Jan 17, 2012 8:31 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (28 comments)

Anime Movie of Manga Hotarubi no Mori e Announced

According to LaLa magazine, Midorikawa Yuki's manga Hotarubi no Mori e was announced to get an anime movie adaptation. It will premier this year. The director i...read more

Feb 21, 2011 2:27 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (32 comments)

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

	Poll: Hotarubi no Mori e Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Akarioru - Feb 22, 2012	357 replies	by Pixel_Vapour »» Yesterday, 7:50 AM
	How did you feel at the end of the anime ? Galaxy__ - Mar 3	41 replies	by EmiLu-chan »» Nov 24, 7:54 AM

Hotarubi no Mori e

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Edit
Synopsis

Edit
Background

Edit
Related Anime

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

More staff
Staff

Edit Opening Theme

Edit Ending Theme

More reviewsReviews

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

More featured articles
Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreTop Upcoming Anime

Top Page Views

MoreMost Popular Anime

Hotarubi no Mori e

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

EditSynopsis

EditBackground

EditRelated Anime

More charactersCharacters & Voice Actors

More staffStaff

Edit Opening Theme

Edit Ending Theme

More reviewsReviews

More recommendations Recommendations

More newsRecent News

More discussionsRecent Forum Discussion

More featured articlesRecent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreTop Upcoming Anime

Top Page Views

MoreMost Popular Anime

Edit
Synopsis

Edit
Background

Edit
Related Anime

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

More staff
Staff

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

More featured articles
Recent Featured Articles