To the Forest of Firefly Lights (2011) User Reviews (50)

A truly rare gem

[mixalisteo · 9/10 · 9 January 2017]

This film is the epitome of 'short yet full' way of telling a story.It is about childhood, and the difficulties of being alone as a kid.It uses an extraordinary almost ethereal character to guide the girl - and the audience - through the one way travel of growing up and the lessons you learn along the way.It explores a child's view on mortality, love, and friendship all in one.

Finally, it is about leaving childhood behind and moving on while keeping the memories alive either happy ones or sad ones.It's an unmissable experience that will leave you with a sweet yet nostalgic feeling.Its a masterpiece in every aspect.

Short sweet and magical

[narentalk · 8/10 · 9 July 2016]

I don't understand why many people here seemingly disappointed with the simplicity of plot. 'Hotarubu no mori e' is one of those animes that gonna linger around in your head for while after watching. It's story of a little girl who gets into kinda of crush with a forest spirit. Beautiful soundtrack with breathtaking shots of forest and summer is delightful to watch.

The story is simple with no major twists or heavy drama, most of expressions of simple and short which makes this too romantic.

This is definitely a film that I would cherish and watch over and over. Nothing less to Ghibili studios'.

wanted it to be much longer

[rdvljunk · 9/10 · 2 March 2018]

What a stunning beauty of an anime. The only shortcomming is that it is...right: short. I wished the beautifull moments, almost dreamlike, could be prolonged and extended. Now for this story itself it is just right I admit any longer and it would have destroyed the spirit of this movie. But simply I wish it was longer, I actually felt a bit sad when it was over so soon

Magical and soulful, I just used 2 of my fav words :)

[lilithius · 10/10 · 14 March 2018]

"It is sad not to love, but it is much sadder not to be able to love." The quote by Miguel de Unamuno becomes soulful and symbolic when we refer to it as in the context of this amazing anime. It's believed that the genre of romance has grown stiff and it seems very difficult to find a movie that does not deplete of originality and true sensuality, a genre that has nothing fresh to offer and most suggested things are a cliché these days. Well then, I'm truly glad I can say that whoever sports that belief is wrong. The evidence: Hotarubi no Mori e.

Short but beautiful

[peewee_catindig · 8/10 · 10 September 2019]

Really worth 45 mins of your time. The film may be short but by the end of it, you will definitely feel a variety mix of emotions.

Short in length, but quite long enough.

[andrejvasiljevic · 8/10 · 6 March 2012]

"Hotarubi No Mori E" is yet another fine example of Japanese creativity and talent to make a heart warming story. Some might think that 40 minutes isn't all that long, but in this case, it was more than enough to tell a tale.

A young girl named Hotaru gets lost in the woods during a summer vacation in her uncle's mountain lodge. Just when she starts to fear no one would find her, a young man with a mask covering his face appears and shows the way home. But there's something mysterious about Gin, and as it seems, he may even be a forest god in a human form. Hotaru is intrigued, and still, she cannot touch him. Years go by, with each new summer the girl returns to the same enchanted forest looking for this secretive boy. Hotaru feels closer to Gin as time passes, while she continues to grow up. Finally, she will unravel the secret behind mysterious Gin who doesn't seem to grow old, but things will never be same again for any of them.

"Hotarubi No Mori E" is a perfect exemplar why I like Japanese animation so much. Forest and it's spiritual surrounding represent an important part of Japanese culture, whereas this symbol can be found in many anime originated from Japan, but also in other Asian productions and traditions. An interesting and touching story is told without fireworks and big splashes. Maybe not the best but still solid animation, fairytale characters and a nice story make this anime more than worth watching.

I liked this movie it was refreshing.

[nikii_star92 · 10/10 · 30 April 2012]

Before watching this I didn't know what to expect especially since it is such a short anime film. What I really liked about it was the story in general, the sound effects, the sketches and the voice actors. The whole idea was nothing I would imagine and the ending was nothing I had expected. I liked how all the spirits in the forest looked out for him and how he grew up alone in the forest. It was as though he was raised by wolves without the wolf part of course (haha) unless you include that one spirit. The whole time I expected a cliché happy ending. I assumed they would find the mountain god who gave him the powers and then they would give her some as well. That didn't seem all that unlikely seeing as they didn't introduce the family too well. I assume it was because they didn't want us to get attached to something that would be left behind.

The main point in the whole movie was companionship, how no one wants to be lonely. In the end he appreciated her so much that he didn't mind being obliterated if only he could hug her. The ending was absolutely touching and even though I rarely cry when watching films this made me tear up.

A Simple Yet Moving Story About First Love

[CinemaClown · 28 March 2020]

Short, sweet & sentimental, To the Forest of Firefly Lights (Hotarubi no Mori e) is a simple yet moving coming-of-age story following a young child who is rescued by a spirit after she gets lost in an enchanted forest, and covers her decade-long friendship with the same entity despite the limitations of their interactions.

Directed by Takahiro Omori, the film addresses first love, memories & passage of time in an apt manner, and is as exquisitely animated as it is beautifully told. The story unfolds at a breezy pace, while the interaction between the two characters plus their growing intimacy for each other is sensibly handled & finely portrayed.

Overall, To the Forest of Firefly Lights would've sufficed as a short film instead of aiming for feature-length but it still makes fab use of its 45 mins runtime, taking viewers through plethora of emotions. The simple story, serene quality & magical vibe helps keep the interest alive while evoking feelings of nostalgia in surprising ways. Worth a shot.

A gentle tale

[ADI-0004 · 7/10 · 4 June 2022]

"Into the Forest of the Fireflies' Light" is a sweet gentle tale about a spirit and a young girl and the close friendship they develop over the course of years. Their interactions are heart- warmingly sweet. The animation is neat and the background score is good. Though there is nothing much in the story, the serenity and magical vibe of this short film keeps one's interest alive. The main characters receive just enough characterization to make us feel slightly nostalgic by the end.

It is just a basically relaxing story which is recommended when you want to watch something peaceful.

Short,yet so amazing

[TheMovieAddict101 · 8/10 · 29 July 2017]

Hotarubi no mori e/ To the forest of Firefly Lights, is basically a 45 minute anime film, and is about Hotaru who is the main character, and she recounts a memory of her past with meeting, a spirit named Gin, and what happened after this event. The film is very emotional at times, especially, the ending which will pull your heart strings. It's also a very small film, in terms of characters, and story. This film can be watched at anytime (cause of the run time) and yet you feel many emotions after the film, and it will leave a small hole in your heart after being watched. Overall:8 out of 10

Ghostly Romeo and Juliet

[siderite · 7/10 · 17 November 2013]

This 40 minute anime is about a girl who befriends a sort of youkai (Japanese spirit) and then they meet and spend their summers from then on. You get the usual magical summer, the green forest, the cicadas, the friendly youkai, the countryside grandparent and the almost absent parents and you get yourself the typical setting for so many Japanese animated stories. And while the animation was OK and the story nice and the mood a mixture of calm magic and romance, that's basically what the entire thing is. It doesn't go anywhere.

Even when the girl grows up and develops womanly feelings, they are not really explored in any way. Her character doesn't change much from since she was 6 years old and there aren't really any other characters except her and the guy. When you have unchanging characters, the only thing remaining to entertain is the mood.

So, while I enjoyed watching it, I also felt that it didn't teach anything.

Beautiful movie

[satyampandey-93706 · 10/10 · 29 December 2019]

This is a beautiful movie ,movie deserves all the praise it gets ,must watch .

A sweet little fairy tale

[itamarscomix · 6/10 · 26 April 2012]

A young girl is lost in the forest, and rescued at the last minute by a strange boy, who may be a spirit in human form. She returns to meet him every summer, as she grows up and he remains the same; over time they develop a special friendship, but the boy warns her that because of a curse which was placed on him, they may never touch.

Hotarubi no mori e is a sweet little fairy tale, that draws heavily on Japanese tradition and mythology. It's a pleasant enough watch, more lyrical and sensitive than most anime I've seen so far, and the very short runtime (under 50 minutes) ensures that it doesn't overstay its welcome. That runtime also makes it very unsatisfying, though; it's frustrating when you realize that, even if it were only over an hour long, it would get boring quickly, mainly because it has very little to offer. Hotarubi no mori e has some pleasant atmosphere, but no character development, no original design, and no real point or moral at the end.

Hotarubi no mori e seems to be heavily influenced by the master Hayao Miyazaki - mostly because both draw from the same myths and share the same elements. That natural and instant comparison does it more harm than good, though; it's just not as good as Miyazaki's work, it doesn't achieve the same level of audience involvement, it doesn't feel as real, and the animation is far from being on the same level. The animation in Hotarubi no mori e is pretty and pleasant, as is the story, and it's practically impossible to use stronger words to describe it. Pleasant but forgettable, probably worthwhile for anime fans but not much to write home about when we still have the genius of Miyazaki around.

Melodramatic

[Aleta_Nook · 3/10 · 9 June 2016]

This film is a flashback of Hotaru as a child, growing up with a masked guy named Gin. There is a plot hole on Hotaru getting lost in a forest, as clichéd as it seems, it's not really her getting lost that really concerns me but the reason on how she got lost. I don't know if she ran away from her parents or what.

There is also lots of hitting a child which I do not approve on. They're kind of played for humor but 6-year-old children can be really sensitive about getting hurt so I don't see why they would whack a child on the head. A good spanking would be better. But like how much Gin hurts a child when she had no idea that her touching can cause him problems is just frustrating to me.

I didn't care for Hotaru, I thought she was a stupid little girl. I especially hated how she cried with her hands over her face for a long time at the age of 9-10 year old!

Short and sweet

[vizek · 8/10 · 7 July 2021]

Despite being such a short anime, it encapsulates the emotions and the story better than most romance anime do in 2 hours.

The story is beautiful and well written, but there is nothing that stands out.

And although the story was impressive, the same can't apply to characters of the movie... the cast is pretty average and undeveloped, which is expected for such a short anime.

The animation and art style isn't something that is important in this movie... it was just an average, basic art.

And finally the score... I had a feeling that the opening song was bad and out of synch with the story, but other than that it was solid.

Overall this film was nice to watch, it was simple, emotional and just a real piece of art (because of what they achieve in less than 40 minutes). Once more I just want to say that despite being a short anime with nothing really impressive going on, it was emotional as hell.

A touch that can erase an existence.

[pindew · 10/10 · 29 July 2018]

How about we see Hotarubi No Mori E (2002) from a different perspective?

Hotaru is suffering from melancholia same as Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). Ayanami Rei had no soul, thus she was sad without knowing why she was sad. Here, Hotaru is dejected, distanced from the real world without knowing why. She wants to understand the cause of her remoteness, why she wants to escape reality, why she wants to touch Gin. Gin is not a real person but a memory. Remember the two children who ran across them in the forest? Saw the similarity between them? The same mask. A mask that hides the identity. A touch that can erase an existence. The moment she understands the cause of her detachment from people, it will disappear. But in the end, it wasn't the touch but the original memory, that erased it. Those two children were them in the past. The forest here is her memory, perhaps on a deeper level even life. Just that instead of the sea of blood, there is a forest of fireflies (again, doesn't it remind of Hotaru No Haka (1988)?) The same boy and girl as The End of Evangelion. Here, the context is much deeper than it seems. Touching your dejection can cause it to disappear, but we don't want that. We don't want to know the cause of our origin, we want to escape reality as much as we can. The ageless love with melancholia. Obviously this film has several different perspectives, from feminism to fragility to desire, but this particular perspective arrested me and made me think how a simple film could be this deep. My original reaction to the film was:

Gosh! What a beautiful, deep, resonant movie! Cherish every moment of it! <3

Depth - 2/2

Importance - 2/2

Relevance - 2/2

Artistry - 2/2

Imagination - 2/2

Total - 10/10

And yes, it was most definitely tear-jerking, although I didn't really cry. Somewhat mesmerized by the sheer beauty of it. Definitely the most beautiful anime of all time. Seriously, whoever made it, kudos! Arigato for this gem! <3

P.S.: If you wish to know more about the rating scheme above, check out my other review.

Beautiful

[robyngriffiths-01662 · 10/10 · 28 November 2017]

Both plot and characters were amazing and the plot was beautiful yet simple. The story is about a young girl and a spirit who become friends and spend every summer together. The characters were well though of and so was the plot, unfortunately people see this as it's simple so it's bad and not well though of which is not the case. I was amazed by how good the art was as well. I have to give this movie a 10/10 because this is the best animation or yet all movies i've ever seen.

Romantic, sweet and simply story!

[pinocchietto · 9/10 · 10 June 2020]

A romantic, sweet and simple feature that hits the heart. A story of friendship and love without sin that lasts over time and over the years. I loved it so much that I wished it would last longer!

Could Have Been A Bit Longer

[Farbod255 · 4 October 2020]

This Of Course Was A Masterpiece Of Any Point Of View.. But It Would Have Been Better If It Was like 60 Minutes Or So..

Easy forgettable

[parkerbcn · 6/10 · 4 May 2021]

With the same pattern and style of a lot of romantic anime, Ômori's film doesn't have a lot of qualities to distinguish itself from the rest. It's well done and it's comforting, but it's also easy forgettable.

Beautiful Refreshing Movie!

[CyrilMartin · 9/10 · 4 March 2021]

This is one of those movies where you totally get into the life of characters, truly a magical movie.

The story focuses only on two characters Gin and Hotaru Takegawa with other characters just in the background of the things happening. Hotaru lost herself in the forest when she was 6 years old, lonely, and desperate for help. She finds help to lead the way out of this ancient forest by a masked man and this goes on to give a fantastical, lovely movie for us. Really great ending!

The directing, the animation, the soundtrack were top notch. Despite being a simple concept they pulled it off really well and though it was like 40 minutes movie, it felt like a proper 100-minute movie because of the dynamics between the characters. It's better for you to go watch this movie open-minded without reading the synopsis, really worth it. Highly recommended.

That one event.

[erikacunanan29 · 7/10 · 12 July 2018]

OTHER REVIEWS AT booksequalhappiness.blogspot.com

I really like the story of this movie. It's your typical manga story but it was fun and entertaining to watch. I really like the bond that developed between the two lead characters. Also, the animation was very beautiful and pleasing to watch. However, there was one major turn-off for me. That turn-off is the reason why I'll probably never watch this again. If you decide to watch this, stop after the part where Gin and Hotaru has had their fun in the festival.

Short but sweet, a very charming tale

[ThunderingTim · 8/10 · 20 December 2018]

The English translators really missed the mark on this one. I have seen at least 5 translations, all of them unappealing, the longest of which was Into the Forest Of the Lights of the Fireflies. Holy smokes, two minutes have passed since you began reading that title. Why not Into the Forest? Or Firefly Lights? As I often told my now ex-girlfriend, length isn't everything.

I'll just call it Hotarubi and I freakin' love it. I don't want to give too much away but it deals with the friendship between a spirit named Gin and a young girl named Hotaru. Gin cannot be touched or else he will vanish. This leads to some comedy when Hotaru is young but when she ages she begins to develop feelings for him.

I will leave it at that and you can find out the rest for yourselves. I love both characters, even if they ore rather one-dimensional. I love the animation. I love the music. I love the Japanese obsession with forest spirits. This movie reminds me both of The Garden of Words (beautiful animation, 45 minutes long, a small scope, lots of green) and The Red Turtle (beautiful animation, relaxed pacing, nice music). I absolutely adore the idea of a spirit-hosted festival in the woods where curious humans become festivalgoers without even realizing they hosts are spirits, as they conceal that fact by dressing up.

So what grade will I give this charming little tale? Well it is a bit short. I don't really mind but they could have added some depth to the characters, focus a little on how much they miss each other when they're far apart. It could have easily been a 75 minute movie and equally enjoyable. Also the characters serve to tell the story but because of this do feel a little lacking in depth. Again I don't really mind, but by my own rulebook I will have to deduce 2 full points.

So it's a very solid short but sweet 8/10 that I would happily recommend anybody.

Terrible betrayal of love

[ingo_schwarze · 6/10 · 14 September 2015]

The spirit beloved by the young heroine is obliterated because he accidentally saves a stumbling boy from a fall, so all that remains for them a is one moment of bliss in a lethal embrace and then a lifetime of remembrance for the girl... What a sad ending... But that's just the surface. Even worse, it's missing the point!

The girl truly loves the spirit. She apparently loves what is special about him: His gentleness, his calmness, his willingness to help, his touch with nature, his playfulness, his fidelity. She also genuinely cares about his well-being, for example worrying what he might do in winter, and she makes plans for becoming able to spend more time with him, planning her professional life accordingly. So far, so good.

However, does the spirit love the girl? His apparent fidelity might make you think so. But think again. The other spirits reveal that he wanted to experience the embrace of a human for a long time. What exactly tells us it matters to him it's this specific girl? He might have taken anybody! But remember he can't just get *any* human because the people of the village nearby are scared by the spirits of the forest. And while the girl does occasionally show warm feelings with respect to him, he is just kind and protective with respect to her, but i didn't notice much expression of specific feelings, and i doubt that's just due to the mask.

Does the spirit care about her well-being? It doesn't really look like that. He knows how much she likes him and how important he is for her; after all, she spent the best part of her childhood's holidays with him and clearly says that she wants to spend her life with him, making specific plans to that effect. He can't assume she will cope and just move on with life if he goes away; there is a real risk her heart might get shattered. He is to blame for that: Over the years, he did all to make sure she would love him. Now, he has the opportunity to spend a lifetime with her and decides against it. Can that be love? Hardly.

The stupid tragedy he is playing at the end is completely threadbare. The boy he touches is running away from the forest after the festival, and they discussed before that there are often human children at the festivals, so it's completely obvious that this boy is likely human, running home. The spirit touches the human child on purpose to be obliterated, and thus to force the girl to embrace him in his death, which before she repeatedly rejected, because she loved him; now she can't reject, again precisely because she loves him... Forcing the most explicit sexual act one is capable of, against the will of the other person, that's plain and ugly rape; the only missing element is that he is incapable of physical violence: he can't possibly rape her by beating her with a stick... But he uses her own love instead to force her hand, which is little less ugly than physical violence.

If he had really loved her, he would have grown old with her, and maybe embraced her on her deathbed. Maybe, if she would have been willing then.

There is little to make us think this girl could be stupid; quite to the contrary, she's portrayed as courageous, inquisitive, sensitive, patient, and tenacious. Very likely, even if she doesn't understand in her grief on the spot, she will understand shortly thereafter that her love was cultivated for a decade, then used as a lever for rape on her, by the person she truly loved, that turned out not to be a person, but a spirit that apparently never truly loved her.

I hope she will survive that; it will be a tough lesson to learn, and it will be even tougher to keep a kind heart after that.

Other commentators say there is no moral in this. Well, there is: Be aware you may end up betrayed even by the one you loved most, all your life, no matter how sweet it all seems. Does this only apply to spirits? The film provides one glimpse that this is not so, that it actually wants to depict generic human behavior rather than indulge in ghost-bashing: The schoolboy at the girl's home town tricks her into taking his hand just as the spirit does, by pretending that she must take his hand in order to not slip on the icy road, even though that doesn't have consequences nearly as dire.

What an abyssal, pitch-black morale to a seemingly innocuous, light-hearted story in the most beautiful pastel colors. There is some high art in hiding such a beastly wolf's heart in such a lovely sheepskin. Yet, i can't convince myself to like the film. This story has been shown too often already: A handsome man cold-bloodedly seducing a sensitive, loving, caring woman, using her for his personal climax, then abandoning her for eternity. Yikes.

Short but sweet

[carolsilva-25426 · 5/10 · 7 July 2020]

Honestly it's a short story about a girl and a boy who just gradually start to like each other. It's a short but sweet little movie and it still made me cry- maybe cause I have some nostalgia towards it but rewatching it now I see what they could've done better with the writing

And it maybe should've been a bit longer so you can really see them connect however this is one of those short films you don't think too much into

It's for a late lazy Saturday, Im not expecting anything grand but it's good for what it is and I saw someone talk about plot holes in How she got lost and the way her died was silly which I agree with That actually

I see people rating it 10s and 9s and it's nice but it's honestly like a 6.8 it's short and sweet

It is what iss

Something don't really make sense but that's not what it's about and like I said I really kind of just wanted to see their relationship grow a bit more because there were a couple of scenes where I didn't really feel like anything was actually happening for example when she got older they sat in silence or seemed kind of awkward or boring? which is jus me looking into it a bit much I still enjoyed it but they could've improved a couple of things