The climactic scene in Hotarubi passes without fanfare or any exceptional change in direction. I saw the entire movie as a sort of countdown, or a memory, or even a dream something transient that offers only a moment of happiness before it suddenly and abruptly ends. And because of this we know that the movie will gradually build up to that final climactic point, which makes the content shine in a very unique light. For those who want there to be more emotional impact, there will be, though the reasoning behind this is slightly convoluted.īasically, we know from the first time Gin says he can’t be touched that he’s, well, gonna get touched. If you keep a non-serious attitude then the ending likely won’t mean much, and very little emotional impact will be felt. If you’re not into contemplative and peaceful romance stories then Hotarubi probably won’t do much for you. The thing with Hotarubi is that the viewer will get out of it precisely what he/she expects to get out of it. This is emphasized first through small events such as Gin being unable to catch Hotaru when she falls from a tree and gradually evolves to the point where in order to display his emotion Gin puts his mask on Hotaru so that he can indirectly kiss her. Purity in both thought and emotion is a constant throughout the film, inspired by Gin and Hotaru’s inability to touch one another.
By the time she is 16ish, this fascination has grown into strong emotional attachment and probably love, while his intangible nature remains consistent.Īnd Hotarubi conveys this depth of emotion without coming across as cheesy, which is a fairly impressive feat. When she first meets Gin, she is overcome by a sort of immense awe and respect towards him, viewing him as this seemingly otherworldly being. Based on the limited information we’re given about her life at home, it can be deduced that her thoughts typically tend to revolve around Gin and visiting the forest, especially as she grows older. This means that she’s known Gin for about 10 years. Hotaru first meets Gin when she is six, and by the end of the movie she is a high school first year student, which places her around the age of 15 or 16. The exact length of these visits are never explicitly stated, but they’re at least a couple days if not a couple weeks. To build upon the mood setting and emotional depth, since Gin lives in a forest near Hotaru’s aunt and uncle’s place while she lives in the city, the only time they can see one another is each year when Hotaru comes to visit. The majority of the film is focused around relationship building between Hotaru and Gin, who though they become very close and affectionate are unable to actually make contact with one another.
So, I don’t know, “With great power comes great responsibility” or something like that.īut no, the movie is really cool, and it’s clearly going down the emotionally appealing route from the first scene. Gin has a spell of sorts on him which makes him immortal, which is cool and all except for the fact that if he touches a human he will disintegrate into a bunch of pretty lights. The premise is that a young six-year-old girl named Hotaru gets lost in a forest and is rescued by a pseudo-youkai named Gin. Hotarubi no Mori e, or To the Forest of Firefly Lights in English, is a ‘movie,’ if you can call it that, that runs at only about 45 minutes, but that small amount of time is all that’s really needed for the film to deliver maximum emotional impact. Like many of my reviews, this contains spoilers, so keep that in mind if you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want it to be, you know, spoiled.Īlthough I am typically not a huge fan of the shoujo/josei genres, occasionally I find a work like this one which renews my interest in the broader categories.
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