Even by the end of the film when the flashback ends, you are left feeling a deep nostalgia as if you were the one relieving a much-loved memory. The only reason we see the passage of time is due to Hotaru mentioning she has changed schools, with her displaying her new uniform to Gin, as well as her obvious growth from a child to a young teenager. The film begins as a flashback to this time in Hotaru’s life where get brief glimpses of certain focused events that take place in the same enchanted forest. One of the most interesting characteristics of the film is that it almost plays as a dream with how the director chose to replay the events and thus welcomes the viewer to experience this as if they were also viewing nothing but a dreamy memory. It leaves the audience with an impressionable reminder of how brief are their encounters. The score, a gorgeous arrangement of piano and violin pieces, helps to elevate the wistful affection Hotaru feels for Gin and Gin for Hotaru. We see how they bring each other comfort in a time when each of them felt at their loneliest, and how their relationship builds over time to one of a strong friendship and eventually one of love. And while it may be only a 45-minute film, one does come to care for Hotaru and Gin. Its main focus is the protagonists and it does everything for the focus to be on them. Even its animation style isn’t as elaborate or detailed as one might see in other anime films. Its character-driven story does very little to expand on the enchanted forest or its supporting characters, but it gives us enough to build upon the main storyline between Hotaru and Gin. The film has a very simplistic nature to it mainly due to its short duration. We see Hotaru go from being an elementary student to middle school student and finally into a high school student, and Gin remains exactly the same as he did in the same encounter between the two. However, while she ages with the passage of time, Gin seems to age at a much slower pace.

Each summer, Hotaru would spend her days with Gin, playing and exploring the forest. It centers around Hotaru, who one day finds herself lost in an enchanted forest, and eventually, finds Gin, a mysterious boy who cannot be touched by humans for it would cause him to disappear. Hotarubi no Mori e (2011), translated in English as Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light, is a 45-minute anime film directed by Takahiro Omori and based on the one-shot manga written by Yuki Midorikawa.

“The first time I met him was when I was six.”

Hotarubi no mori