#HOTARUBI NO MORI E MOVIE 2 MOVIE#

#HOTARUBI NO MORI E MOVIE 2 MOVIE#

The two do change as Hotaru grows older, as well, and while I was initially apprehensive that the movie might bungle their relationship as friendship developed into more than such, it portrays them as matured people whose companionship has correspondingly evolved, maintaining the breezy atmosphere and yet carrying itself as an inherently more complex story as one character has gone to a point where she must think about the limits on her affection and the other has become more comfortable while still being unable to alter the fundamental problem of his condition. I felt that the film effectively opened him up to the audience at a good pace, giving the viewer an occasional glimpse of his unmasked face and equipping him with a snarky if not cruel sense of humor that made him all the more likable as a character. Indeed, covering his face with a mask amplifies his outward mysteriousness and position as someone whom a parent might be suspicious of their child meeting (for after all, hearing that one's little girl was playing with a strange teenager in the park would be cause for at least a little alarm) and yet contrasts with his kind intentions, genuine interest in her company, and, really, the fact that he has a basic desire for companionship just as any human does. Gin's presence, meanwhile, brings a welcome degree of weight without bringing angst or unnecessary drama about: even in his moments spent leisurely flying kites and wandering the deep forest paths with her, there is something sad about his presence. She's lovely to watch both as a child and as a developing adult, in fact, and while collecting my thoughts on the film, I realize that such consistency of characterization even across age differences is impressive for such a short movie. The movie, in fact, is told mostly as flashback from the perspective of a teenaged Hotaru and shows her aging from a toddler to a high school student, neither skimping on the in-between points nor rendering her unrecognizable as time passes. As a child, Hotaru is of the adorably naive and inquisitive type who, upon being told not to touch an object, can think of nothing besides doing the exact opposite, and yet she fails to be either whiny or frustratingly impotent, being the sort of toddler you look forward to watching grow up. Regardless of the character's ages, there is one thing in particular that stands out about this movie, and that is that Hotaru and Gin are wonderful to watch. Courtesy of the same mangaka and director that brought us Natsume's Book of Friends, it is a gentle tale that blends beautifully animated scenes of leisurely pleasure and yet complements those scenes with a bitter if not strictly 'dark' undertone, progressing in heaviness just as the main character progresses in age and telling a surprisingly deep story as a result.

When I think about this phenomenon, I find myself thinking of the likes of Hayao Miyazaki and his willingness to direct films that won't send children recoiling in horror and yet might give them something to think about as well, and with the 2011 film Hotarubi no Mori e, I've discovered something of a peer to his films.

Far too often, I find that when a film is deemed 'appropriate for all audiences', it simply feels blandly harmless and impotent, whereas the films that sell well are often those that simply cover up their storytelling inability with special effects, gunfights, and cliched characters touched up with enough gimmicks to incite the kids to turn their attention from one franchise to another.

I do sometimes think that American audiences could do to rethink their definition of a 'children's movie'. Before the day ends, however, the two find themselves enjoying each other' company and agree to see each other again, in spite of the risk Hotaru brings to his life and her fear that as she grows older each summer, she may someday cease to be able to be with him. A mysterious and masked young man named Gin, who claims to somehow 'no longer be human', finds her, and in spite of his claim that he will disappear should she ever make contact with him, he agrees to lead her out of the forest. Hotaru, a young and playful girl, finds herself lost in a forest purportedly inhabited by spirits while spending a summer at her Uncle's countryside house.

The manga consists of four mostly unrelated stories, only one of which appears in this film. Notes: Based on a manga by Yuki Midorikawa, who is most famous for creating Natsume's Book of Friends. AKA: 蛍火の杜へ, Into the Forest of Fireflies' Lightĭistributor: Currently unlicensed in North AmericaĬontent Rating: 7+ (Mild Violence, Mature Themes)Īlso Recommended: Natsume's Book of Friends (Same Director and Mangaka), My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, Voices of a Distant Star

Hotarubi no mori e movie 2