Frankly, this anime wrecked me. Beautiful story, and while it was very short, the characterization, animation, and symbolism were extremely well done. The music wasn't super memorable, but it suited the story nicely. The dynamic between the two main characters, and how it changed over time, is wonderful. I love the complete subversion of Hotaru's expectations for her relationship with Gin and how it would be affected by time (ie due to different lifespans). Even though I saw the end coming, I still wasn't prepared for it when it happened.
I just want to mention the symbolism that occurs at the end; the English title of this story is "Forest of the Firefly Light", and fireflies themselves aren't seen until the very end of the film. The word Hotaru means firefly, and is also the name of the lead female character. And in the end, a firefly appears seemingly from Gin's yukata to join other fireflies in the night sky. Since Hotaru shares a name with these creatures, it suggests that they will meet again.
