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It could be fate, It could be coincidence, but either ways it is life.
That's what i thought when I finished this anime.
As they say, life goes on.
If you see my list, you may see that I give 10 or 9's quite often, but both Hotarubi No Mori e and Natsume Yuujunchou, had held a special place in my heart even amongst those "Masterpieces".
Hotarubi no mori e, though is around 40 minutes, the actual content is probably not much more than 30, if you skip the opening and ending theme songs.
I didn't find the sound particularly intriguing, but just like natsume yuujinchou, it's incomparably suitable, playing in harmony with the rest of the anime, scenes and atmosphere, it emotes simple but profound feelings from the audience.
It doesn't have the sort of music or story where you will rewatch multiple times (perhaps 2 or three times) but that single instance that you experience, becomes etched in your heart.
What I love about midorikawa yuki's manga and the adaptions, is the simpleness, so simple but beautifully executed that words become meaningless.
This animes can execute this because of its well rounded characters and well executed storyline. In a mere 40 minutes, the audience will be submerged in the mellow sounds, endearing encounter and meetings between boy and child, as well as its wonderful, easy on the eyes graphics even despite its slow pace.
If I must say, this entire anime was made in harmony, the colour schemes and art style, was made to depict the beautify in naturalness.
The MC, Hotaru, we see as a little girl initially, her childish antics were endearing, but her awareness even as a little girl is not forgotten. Not that she is a mature little genius, or an annoying stupid generic shoujo girl like Usagi (sailor moon), but simply a little girl, she laughs she cries, and we as the audience see this girl grow into adulthood.
The male MC, Gin, a person neither human or youkai, but inbetween, his fragile existence disallows him to touch a human being. A quiet unageing boy, we see his sadness though his quietness, his nature through his ordinary interactions with a girl. despite his almost immortality, his existence was so unfounded that it seemed he may just disappear.
But for Hotaru, he was much too real. While Hotaru grew like a normal human child, Gin stayed in his time. whilst Hotaru had always left and found new places and encounters, Gin stayed where he is.
They wanted to grab a hold of each other, but couldn't, there's nothing more better when reassuring ones existence than touch, yet this couldn't be accomplished.
As i said before, words were not needed, only understanding.
similar to one of my favourite mangas "hidamari ga kikoeru" that depicts a friendship and innocent romance between a straight forward guy and partly deaf man, the theme of conveyance is also prominent in this anime.
Only that, the meanings are so well conveyed in this anime, that it was heartbreaking. It didn't have the passionate love and extreme life stories like NANA and it didn't have the over denseness of comedic routines like fruits basket or shiawase sanchoume either.
Opposite to natsume yuujinchou where the MC has difficulties conveying himself, the two protagonists in this anime, maintained their happiness because of mutual understanding, yet pained because of well conveyed feelings.
"Promise me to never touch me" (Hotaru)
an ambiguous promise with an ambiguous meaning, but everything was in those words, the fact that Hotaru had said these when she was very young, only meant that it would be more difficult to maintain in the future.
The words like love had never been uttered in this anime, only a desire both the protagonists and audience will know will end in more pain.
Although I'm convinced there was an unsaid affection between the two characters, who knows? this affection between the two was so much more special, innocent but also knowing than many animes couples i have seen.
You have to let go, yet they wanted to hold on, if was that so of relationship.
with neither possessiveness, nor passion, ignorance or disillusion.
Like the shortness of this anime, the time experienced was so cherished, that it was painful.
If I had to describe this anime more figuratively, it was like a blissful dream, it was short, but felt like a lifetime, the blissfulness was prolonged, yet we know it will ultimately some to an end. Both the audience and the characters knew this, that the ones to end it will be the dreamers themselves. Which is why throughout the whole anime, there was always a sense of melancholy.
The sadness of partings eventually builds up, where both characters only meet once a year during the summer, they meet, they part, and makes promises in fear that they will never meet again. Yet when the inevitable time came, it was oddly the most blissful moment.
It was a dream only held during the summer, the anticipation of summer interlocked with an untold, unpresented fear that was narrated through a mellow atmosphere.
This anime is a masterpiece, a story where happiness and sadness came hand in hand. And at the very end, everything just seemed... to be just life.
and perhaps, cruel as it is, was also the kindest happenings.
A sad yet happy, encounter and parting.
