Back to darksasuke96's Profile darksasuke96's Profile

Recently I had a chance to see Hotarubi no Mori e - a Japanese animation from studio Brains Base released in 2011. It’s an adaptation of manga by Midorikawa Yuki with the same title. “The Light of a Firefly Forest” is a drama - romance movie however it also possesses some supernatural traits. Generic as it seems but they managed to pull it off without it being needlessly boring.

The story is really easy to follow as it basically revolves around two people. Girl named Hotaru and mysterious teenager boy named Gin. They meet when small Hotaru loses her way ... in an enchanted forest. That’s where she meets a boy disguised behind a mask. They start to hang out and grow accustomed to each other. However there are some obstacles they must face. The boy is actually a spirit of the forest meaning that he can’t leave it, moreover he is prohibited from touching any human and can’t grow old. Most of the time we see them chatting, walking or playing with each other. As time passes by Gin becomes more and more open and considerate for Hotaru. The girl also slowly becomes older to the point when she realizes she’s fallen in love.

The movie does a decent job as for generic romance story but it manages to stand out with unusual setting and original character of the mysterious forest guardian. However you can’t shake off the feeling that you already seen it somewhere. It doesn’t really have any kind of well-built story, it’s just main characters hanging out. Of course they get to know each other and their past is revealed but that’s it. Character development is easy to predict, and you basically know what will happen later so why to bother watching it at all?

That’s when you start noticing beautiful visuals and amount of hard work put into this piece of work. The trees, grass, sky, water – all beautifully drawn, seem like they are about to burst out of your screen and make your room a miniature enchanted forest. The immersion is also magnified by gentle soundtrack coming out of your speakers. The music is pretty nice but nothing really stands out and I take it as a nice addition.

Looking at the big picture Hotarubi no Mori e is rather an ordinary drama with simple story but it’s splendidly disguised by the visuals, soundtrack and original characters. Moreover it doesn’t get boring because it’s not that long and interaction between the hero and heroine is enjoyable and brings a smile to your face. It’s great for when you have some spare time at night and want to watch something calming, heart-warming and maybe shed a tear or two but overall don’t expect anything out of ordinary.