Hotarubi no Mori e

Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light was incredibly disappointing. Based on the trailer, rating, synopsis, and cover, I really expected this to be a cute, sweet, heartwarming movie. Unfortunately it's just a tale of pedophilia and grooming. I didn't realize this was meant to be a romance going into it, so that's my fault I suppose. Regardless, this anime is just 40 minutes of an adult flirting with a child and watching her grow older. The whole thing is gross, but this would've been a decent story if not for the egregious age gap. I only gave this 2 stars instead of 1 because the ... art was decent.

"Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light" is a short and beautiful movie. The cinematography is good and the music and sound effects are wonderful. That's where the wonder stops, unfortunately. Thinking back on it, the story is just another case of human and non-human star-crossed lovers that have the cadence of Spirited Away. However, the entire romance is predicated on a relationship between an ageless supernatural being in the form of a young adult-looking man (Gin) and a 6-year-old girl (Hotaru) who can't touch each other otherwise he will disappear.

For much of their relationship, Hotaru is a child which is why I docked so many ... points. Had she met Gin when she was in high school and grew from there, it would have actually felt satisfying. And no, Gin, telling a 10-year-old girl she "looks like a woman" does not make her a woman. I don't understand the need for creators to make their characters predators and toddlers in order for a "successful" romance. It's creepy and unnecessary. Teens can barely form a concrete assessment of what's needed in a healthy relationship with what little experience they have; a 6-year-old would (and should) have no concept of sexual attraction. Not only that but it's really odd that a 20-year-old's voice and speech pattern is coming out of a 6-year-old. Also, why did he keep striking a 6-year-old on the head with a blunt object that could kill her? It was supposed to be comedic relief but it just made Gin look like a jerk. I know he has no real world experience so dealing with children is not something he'd understand. That and the age thing were so poorly thought out and the creators are 100% to blame.

Even if the protagonist were an appropriate age, the characters don't have much in ways of personalities. Hotaru ages through the years while Gin remains the same. Much of what happens between them is left to a montage of the two just spending time together, which is sweet but it narrows the opportunities for the audience to learn more about the characters through dialogue. Another thing I don't understand is why Gin would suddenly be so careless and touch someone who even remotely looks human when he's lived his whole life not touching anyone. Sure, it was a sad moment but it makes no sense to slip up for the sake of "plot." If they decided to continue, I would've written them both as appropriately-aged spirits living in the forest together where they can finally touch and be together. Alas, no such thing happened and the age thing is particularly vile—hence, my score.

Yeah, so it's a bit weird how this dude meets a 5 year old when he's a gazillion years old, and then starts falling in love with her. It was also pretty boring, and not that interesting.

First, the characters are not that interesting. The soundtrack is not memorable. The direction of the plot was lackluster and dull. There is no character development for the main girl except puberty!

I understand the theme of forbidden love is one that is interesting in many situations, but in this one it condones GR**MING. The main dude is falling in love with a kid he met when they ... were FIVE YEARS OLD. FIVE!!!!

She could not count to 100!!!!! He was at least 100!!!

If you're looking for a heartwrenching, angsty movie to watch, please look elsewhere. Hotarubi no Mori e was a waste of my 40 minutes. It tells of a story between Gin, a sort of human-turned-ghost forest spirit or whatever, and Hotaru, a human girl. Gin was originally human as a baby, but then he was abandoned in the forest and the mountain god granted him magic so that he'd become something like a spirit. He's not supposed to touch a human ever, else his body will disappear.

Right from the beginning, the animation was a bit disappointing (considering how hyped up this movie is and how ... many people actually adore it). The plot at the beginning felt dragged, but at the end, it didn't feel enough. Just as I felt that the plot was going somewhere and the character building was about to start, Gin accidentally touches a human boy. There is no hint of surprise or plot twist. It was done so disappointingly sudden with no buildup of tension whatsoever. His death was anything but tragic to me. It also doesn't make sense to me how he fell in love with her and vice versa.

Like I've said earlier, there wasn't enough characterization and development. The characters felt too light that I couldn't even enjoy the movie at all. God. I'm never watching this ever again.