Like the ever-changing seasons, this anime will pull you in, get you attached to the characters, make you love it and then.poof. I know it was good because I was left with an empty feeling after watching it - like the feeling of longing after something that time has already taken away. And although I knew it was coming, I couldn't stop myself from crying when it did. Having read the premise, and a few other stories with similar plots, it didn't come as a shock to me. They are reunited in the summer and are separated in the fall, over and over again.Īnd against all odds, they try their best to maintain the connection they've built through years of playing in the grassy fields, spending time by the lake on a warm summer night talking in hushed voices or confiding in one another under the light of the fireflies - a connection stronger than any kind of physical love can ever provide. They cannot see each other outside of the forest. Despite their wishes, the two are bound by circumstances that are out of their control. What makes this anime so special, what makes it stand out from all of the others that claim to give you the true meaning of love is that it's believable and honest, despite having the supernatural theme of spirits.
To end this review, I will rebound back to the very beginning and touch upon the subject of love again with our two main characters Hotaru and Gin. Everything fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces. The art and sound really worked together well with what was happening on screen. Especially the ending song, "Natsu wo Miteita" (I saw summer) which had the feel of summer that is longed for but will never return. Similarly, the soundtrack to this anime was also very fitting and nice. Although it wasn't exactly memorable, the art did help to add an extra element of beauty.
The designers definitely knew what they were doing when it came to setting the mood with soft pastel colors or adding bursts of colors to enhance a scene. Sure, it's lighthearted and even a little fun, but a love founded on emotions is the heaviest burden you can imagine.Īs stated before, the art this anime is nothing short of breath-taking. Hotarubi no mori e gracefully weaves these elements into a heartbreaking tale of a first love.
Like when it's suffocating to be with them because you don't know what to do or say. Like the happiness you feel when you're near them. You see, the anime focuses on the more important ideas about love that maybe we've all kind of forgotten. This anime specifically has taken the idea of a physical love and completely thrown it out of the window, all the while proving with gusto that love doesn't have to be physical to be just as emotionally impacting. The concept of love is incredibly popular and you can probably find more pieces of literature or entertainment that center around love than any other genre. Plato once said, "at the touch of love, everyone is a poet". Nobody really knows what love is but everyone has their own interpretation of the word. With all of these takes on love, can we really be sure of what love is? Simply put, love is a universal. And it does all of this in a mere 45 minutes.įorbidden love, playful love, intense love, a love that is not love. The anime pulls us viewers in with dramatic music and writing while keeping everything light and down-to-earth. Much of the brilliance in this anime can be accredited to the captivating character and background designs as well as the honesty that shines through in the writing. Hotarubi no Mori e is a beautiful movie that takes the idea of forbidden love, a topic that has been overly done and worn out by bad soap-opera themed dramas, and remakes the idea in an elegant, refreshing manner. Their time together is short, meaningful and ultimately bittersweet. And so, the two spend time together when they can, and as she grows up with him she realizes there will come a day when time will yet again become their enemy. HeĬannot leave the forest for fear of being touched by a human and she cannot see him until three seasons have passed and summer comes again. Much like a fleeting summer's day, the main characters in Hotarubi no Mori e are bound by the chains of time. You come to love the smell of rain in the spring or the cool breeze of a summer night and then poof. 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. But, even still, until then, let's stay together." -Hotaru Takegawa
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