Reviews

Hotarubi no Mori e has a simple story setting, there's no ultimate evil antagonist nor a devastating world-ending event. The male main character, Gin barely talks while the female main character Hotaru takes the lead and shares the story from her innocent perspective when she met Gin as a child until when she matures, mainly on the summer she spent every year with Gin in the spirited forest.

To put it simply, it consists of nothing special.

But this nothingness is what leaves the emptiness inside the heart much more impactful. It managed to appeal as an interesting short anime movie because the story is as straight forward as it is entertaining. The portrayal of love and romance is such a unique trait in the story that creates a lovely ambience between Gin and Hotaru even though they never hold hands or even do simple hugs.

It's such a strong feeling that you can feel it, without much words or action to sugarcoat it. The story mostly takes place in the forest, without any need to emphasize on special sound or visual effects. Just the fluid animation of them walking side by side, sound of cicadas surrounding the vast forest and the art detailing the sun shining through the leaves. These are enough to cover for the special bond that they both shared.

Overall, I watch this because the mask of Gin intrigues me but the story has a different layer than it appears to be, and it's certainly an entertaining watch for a supernatural romance.