Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
aegulli
I tried liking it. I really did but it sits so wrong with me.
Why did they have to bring romance into it? It was perfectly fine, until suddenly he's a pedophile.
I came in not knowing anything, and I watched it and it was alright at first, until I realized they were trying to push a romance narrative. I do not understand why so many people can overlook the fact that the girl is 6 when he meets her and by the time they kiss she *just* started highschool. On the other hand, they make it very clear he is an adult, and has been alive far longer than she has.
Outside of that glaring issue, the characters have no substance and no character arc. They do nothing to flesh out the characters, or give them any kind of resemblance of a personality, which also makes the grooming aspect of this even…
Read at the sourceCxttonCandyyy
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.
Read at the sourceUWUC4shew
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!!!
Read at the sourcejuneboba
"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 "look…
Read at the sourceAkafection
There’s many ways to communicate with each other like talking for an example, but talking doesn’t enough to know someone deeper, it just gave us the impression about how other’s feel when they talked to us. Because of that, we learn about touching with each other. “Touching” in here is the act of how we serve our feelings towards someone and just as simple as that, love can emerge and grow within it. Well, as most of people said that “love” is an emotion that sometimes hard to understand and very complicated. But, you’re not gonna get a headache or something when you watch this anime. It described love in a way that even a little kid could understand. It is simple and short but it will leave a deep meaning to your heart as you watched it.
(*) Story
The story is about forbidden love but do…
Read at the sourceAmaranthyz
There is a metaphor that speaks of two parallel lines that have many in common but never meet...but there is another that really graced this movie dearly.
"The two lines that merge closer to one another as time pasts...but once they meet, they will separate forever."
Basic geometry may not really do this movie justice but it perfectly encompasses how their love was destined but not meant to be forever. I am ashamed to have only watched this movie today but I would probably regret if I never did.
STORY
It is a simple tale of forbidden love that grew from strangers to an uncanny friendship and soon evolved into a yearning yet untouchable (literally) love. I loved it...as we are flooded with endless ecchi and harem anime lately, this movie is breathtaking and refreshing despite its foreshad…
Read at the sourceRavenclaw18
9/10
My friend had introduced it to me and it was a great anime movie.
Hotaru, (main heroine and protagonist) was lost in a forest as a young child where she met a boy named Gin who covered his face in a mask. Hotaru could only go visit Gin in the summer, so the movie mostly focused on Hotaru's summers, except for one glimpse at her winter months.
The story was great. It showed Hotaru grow up each time she went to visit Gin, and you could see her develop from a clumsy, young child to a mature, healthy young woman. Meanwhile, the movie fills you with a sense of sadness because Gin never changes making you think that Hotaru would leave Gin behind. It had Romance and the heart-warming moments. But I was so frustrated. I wanted them to fall in love and hug! (but Gin can't be touched by a hum…
Read at the sourceSimplymaj
So much to say about that one great first love. Since time immemorial, first love has always filled our hearts with longing and nostalgia and that is where Hotarubi no Mori e hits home.
Ever had the feeling when you want something so bad even though you know that it's never ever gonna be yours? We all did. No matter how futile it is we still hope for a better future with the one we love. But reality isn't gonna babysit us. Sometimes it has a cruel way to wake us up.
Hotarubi no Mori e is a romantic-fantasy anime filled with memories of summer and unadulterated love. Six year-old Hotaru met Gin, a mysterious being, when she was lost in the mountain during her summer vacation. They played in those summer days and agreed to meet the next summer. And the next. And the next. Hotaru grew up fr…
Read at the sourceorionator
*SPOILER WARNING*
For something with a pretty basic romantic storyline, Hotarubi no Mori e pulled it off pretty well.
It's easy to follow; a young girl gets lost in an enchanted forest, she meets a spirit, they become friends, they grow up together every summer, they fall in love, and then their love ends. Pretty basic, huh? That's what I loved about it. It was a comfortable watch, you didn't have to think about it too much, but all the emotion is still there.
The script is well written, interspersed with the right amount of humour, with natural conversation flowing between the two main characters. It seems like a typical shoujo anime, heck it probably is your typical shoujo anime, but in the 45 minute runtime, you really see a relationship develop, with no unnecessary drama, followin…
Read at the sourceshinjo_chan
I stumbled upon this anime by pure coincidence while I was searching for something similar to Mushishi. Since it had only one episode, I thought to myself: I will give it a go. Needless to say, I was not dissapointed. It is truly great, but extremely sad. I cried like a baby during the last 10-15 minutes. Seriously, it is devastating. From my point of view at least. It is about love that can never become reality because even the slightest touch by a human will make him disappear. The story is simple, the characters are well thought out, but it is really so sad. Being so close together, yet so far apart. Is is a story so bitter-sweet it really made me appreciate life more.
Read at the sourcePrincessP
When I finished watching Hotarubi no Mori e, I was in a certain state of mind. I wasn't quite in a down pour of rain and dark clouds, but I wasn't engulfed in sunshine happiness either. I'm not sure where I was, but there's one thing I'm 100% sure of, and that is the fact that I absolutely LOVED this anime!
Story: 10! (^ o ^)/ Ten! 10! Diez! Sampu! テン!
The plot of Hotarubi no Mori e is very unique. I have yet to watch an anime like this one (it may also be due to the fact that I've only finished 49 animes...). I can see why many people found this anime to be too short, but I thought it was just the right size! I think if it was any longer, the story might have been dragged out too much. The pacing was perfect and the plot kept you engrossed to the story!
Art: Yet again, a 10! ~(^o^~) T…
Read at the sourceKatrinLouiseo24
Synopsis:
When she was young, Hotaru was once lost when she played in the forest near her uncle’s place that she visits every summer. There, she had a fateful encounter with a spirit, Gin, who helped her even though he would disappear if a human touches him. She began to visit him every summer, even as she grows; while he waits for the summer to come, for their time together to flow again.
Story:10
The plot was really great. At first, I find it cute-- Hotaru getting lost and all and Gin finding her. The first question that came into my mind was "How can this possibly end?" As I continued to watch it, I wondered if it has a good ending. All in all, there are no scenes that got me bored. I was hooked immediately as I started watching it.
Art: 9
The art was really something. Not that detail…
Read at the sourceMeg-nyan
I heard a lot about Hotarubi no Mori e for its great story, despite it being so short (45 minutes). It was a movie that people deemed was almost equal to others like 5 Centimeters per Second. I finally watched it after my friend pushed and pushed me to see it and I was definitely not disappointed.
Story: 9.5/10
The romance story of a forbidden love seemed very unoriginal after years of silly soap dramas reusing the plot over and over again. But a sprinkle of supernatural and innocence made Hotarubi no Mori e different from the others, and better. The love story between the two main characters was so pure, hanging only on feelings and personality since any form of skin touch was not allowed. This made the emotions draw out better, easier to sympathize with. Despite the movie only being 45…
Read at the sourceWulff
Hotarubi no Mori e is a relatively short movie that attempts to portray the developing relationship between a young girl and a spirit who stumbles upon said young girl in a forest.
Unfortunately, the movie suffers greatly from being as short as it is.
With that said, the movie does have some appeal to it.
First of all the artstyle of the movie is good. By no means will it blow your mind, but it is definitely drawn with care to it and it is detailed. There is no particular scene in the entire movie I can strike down upon and say "The animation faltered there".
Secondly, the music of the show brings about a decent atmosphere while you are watching, swinging from very calm and relaxing to more solemn and lonely tunes. It fits the movie and never goes beyond the limits of the different sce…
Read at the sourceNonOtaku
Want forty-four minutes of sadness and happiness mixed into a ball just for you?
Well here you go, Hotarubi no More e. Beautiful and tender, Hotarubi no Mori e is the very embodiment of tranquility. The watercolor backdrop, the light toned colors, and soft piano background music immerse the viewer in a placid world. With the passing seasons throughout the movie, from slumbering winters to shimmering summers, a sense of timelessness pervades the experience.
Hotaru, a young and playful girl, finds herself lost in a forest purportedly inhabited by spirits while spending a summer at her Uncle's countryside house. A mysterious and masked young man named Gin, who claims to somehow "no longer be human", finds her, and in spite of his claim that he will disappear should she ever make contact wit…
Read at the sourcePoeticJustice
I have no words to describe this anime. To me, this anime is nothing short of perfection. This movie cements anime as a legitmate form of art in my opinion.
Story- The story starts out with a young girl, Hotaru, who gets lost in the forest of sprits. It is then that she meets, Gin, a sprit who lives in the forest who decides to help her leave. The twist is, that Gin can never be touched by a human or he will disappear. It is then that the seeds of their relationship is planted. Rarely, is there a show that can depict a love blossoming between two people with out melodrama and crying. This is an accomplishment within itself. The love between Gin and Hotaru was something so clean, gentle and pure, that it brought tears to my eyes and I don't cry very often. You see their relationship grows…
Read at the sourceZ-I-CO
I am not great at writing reviews, but I am trying to get better so please bare with me on this one. Hope you like my review though ^^ ok so lets get on with it.
I started to watch this because it was written by Yuki Midorikawa. I loved her previous work "Natsume Yuuchinjou" and I was hoping this would be another good anime to pass my time on. I was not wrong.
I am sure that on this movie there are many reviewers who has retold the summary of this story in their own review which I am going to skip over because I am pretty sure you get the gist of it.
The whole plot was well put together. Even though the movie was only 40 mins. long, it did not seem rushed at all. Every scene flowed well into place.
BEWARE: READ ANY FURTHER AND THERE MIGHT BE SPOILERS!!
The characters were well playe…
Read at the sourceTofuZz
Note: This is one of my many works from Sekijitsu
“…My chest will hurt. My tears will be overflowing. But this warmth in my hands and these summer memories will live on in my heart…”
Hotarubi no Mori e did much more than present us a coming-of-life masterpiece as it shows us its lack of story being one of its strong points. It is as if Omori Takahiro has put you under a spell as you watch second by second the simplicity unfold into a marvellous piece of writing. And if that wasn’t enough, Yoshimori Makoto maintains your hypnotic state as he accompanies that simple story with beautiful music.
These two brilliant and talented men continue to sway your emotions from start to end; from the time Gin and Hotaru meet, to the time Gin and Hotaru depart. The lack of characters allows you experi…
Read at the sourceTheArchangel
From the same creator of the ever calm "Natsume Yuujinchou" series comes "Hotarubi no Mori e," a tale of the developing friendship between a young girl, Hotaru, and her youkai companion, Gin. Through brief glimpses at their time spent together once a year in the summer, viewers witness the passage of time and the changing of seasons, and the growing bonds that develop as the young girl grows up, while her youkai companion remains relatively the same. Even though this difference in age is negligible in her younger days, it becomes an increasing problem as she grows older.
Although this aging problem specifically deals with the supernatural, a more realistic problem is: How do people deal with the passage of time and distance? Gin has been placed under a spell such that no human can ever t…
Read at the source5camp
From the same mangaka that wrote Natsume Yuujinchou, being adapted by the same animation studio that brought you Natsume Yuujinchou, directed by the same man who directed Natsume Yuujinchou. Would you believe then, that this is nothing like Natsume Yuujinchou? That it is, in fact, a rip-roaring action-packed adventure flick as the main characters ride wave after wave of explosions and cynical social satire? Of course you wouldn't believe it because you're not gullible. This is just Natsume Yuujinchou the Rather Short Movie.
The story is very simple, almost refreshingly so compared to the convoluted mess that sometimes invades blockbuster flicks. A little girl gets lost in a forest and befriends a yokai in there who helps her find her way out. From there they establish a friendship and she…
Read at the source