Back to Okaw-san's Profile Okaw-san's Profile

Happiness is an affair of beauty and tragedy, both marred and meaningful because of it's ephemeral nature. You grasp it for as long as you can manage, the time spent a moment in a millennia, and watch it as it slips away into eternity--but a pleasant memory. Hotarubi no Mori e is a lesson in the transient nature of happiness, and the abiding will of love. It's a heartbeat in 44 minutes that will likely stick with you for as long as you hold it near. Movies like this don't come by the dozen.

Story: It's a simple tale that never tells you too much. In ... a calm reminiscence of a summer from your childhood, Hotarubi no Mori e excels at making you smile, recalling the tribulations, excitement, wonder, and longing born from long days under a hot sun. It manages to be both subtle and profound while illustrating it's own lessons with an almost reckless grace. Due to it's length, it rarely drags out a scene--though it's at times too punctuated. It has the air of a scrapbook: a collection of moments drawn together in a serene retelling that means something else to each who gaze upon it. All in all, it's a master in it's own brevity.

Art: In a style fittingly reminiscent of Natsume Yuujinchou, it captures and assists the atmosphere well. It's simple, though beautiful, and manages to be at it's best when it's most important. It's especially good at contrasting the supernatural nature of the sprits with the wilderness surrounding them while also painting them as something that belongs. It does, however, have a lot of stills, which detracts from it at times. It's also, like many anime, undetailed at distances. Neither of these things take too much from the experience, however, and it's still an enjoyable movie aesthetically.

Sound: Hotarubi no Mori e uses a lot of piano pieces, which work well to compliment it's often calm tone. Never too noticeable, the music does well to fit the setting and is rarely too distracting or loud. Like a good anime should, it uses it as a means to give more life to the moment, rather than distracting the viewer from it's faults or showcasing it's soundtrack. The sound does it's job well here; it's a solid performance.

Characters: In a way, this is both it's greatest asset and it's most prevalent weakness. While the characters do manage to come across as relatable, likeable, and real, they also feel shallow at times. Not much is said about them, and the cast is so small that you feel like you're not getting the full story at times. The backstories are strong, but brief, and it almost seems like the mains could be easily replaced with completely different characters to a similar effect. The emotion conveyed does feel realistic, but is at times lacking. It has an odd sense of melancholy in place of sadness and it weakened by it's inability to go to extremes. Nevertheless, like many other aspects of the anime, there's nothing really wrong about any of that. It's just not optimal.

Enjoyment: The great thing about this type of anime is that it's never particularly weak. Despite some of it's failings, it does manage to never truly get boring. Though the ending is a little sudden, it does help back the messages and concepts consistent throughout the story in a way that also plays to the moment. It's very cerebral in it's execution, and draws you in without being particularly flashy; it's well though out for such a short film. Few animated movies are as good per minute as Hotarubi no Mori e, and even fewer are as beautiful in the process.

In an almost unrelenting performance, Hotarubi no Mori e is a well put together package that does little to disappoint or draw away from it's positives. Though not perfect, it is a great example of pace and moderation while making due with it's screentime and playing it to it's favor. Hotarubi no Mori e is a great anime for any who can appreciate it as a whole, while relating it to their own experiences. In a tale of happiness, it can only last so long, but is worth it every step of the way.