A tear that appeared out of nowhere with Hotarubi no Mori e

There are films that are not necessarily memorable, but that can leave a mark on us over time. Something similar to what I just mentioned happened to me when I saw Hotarubi no Mori e, a 2011 film that has become popular in the world of anime. It is common to see it in suggestions or lists of the best Japanese animated films. After watching “My Neighbor Totoro,” it was time to watch this one. I also have others on my list, such as “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” and “Howl's Moving Castle,” which I will watch later. An interesting aspect of “Hotarubi no Mori e” is its length, which is 44 minutes, and well, I didn't dislike that.

I don't want to give away the plot, but for those who haven't seen it, it's a drama/romance film in which a girl gets lost in a forest and is later found by a spirit who shows her the way back. This spirit has a human appearance, so the girl had difficulty recognizing that it was a supernatural being, especially given the spirit's friendly attitude.

The girl and the spirit struck up a friendship that grew stronger every summer, which was when the girl went to that place on vacation. She naturally grew up over the years and in turn developed feelings for the spirit, who was very kind. Perhaps he could be the ideal guy for anyone who wants to start a romantic relationship, but unfortunately, due to the nature of each, that was something that could never happen. As the minutes passed, a feeling of nostalgia grew in me, which made me very curious about how the movie would end. It was certain that they could not end up in a romantic relationship.

The fact is that seeing the special bond they forged in the face of something that was definitely impossible made me feel very nostalgic, the beauty of simplicity or that innocent way we love someone, that longing for the long-awaited day to come when we can see them again. There was purity in both of them and a love that could go beyond their own interests. They couldn't touch each other because he could disappear, and that was something she was aware of, but nevertheless, they couldn't help but suffer because of it.

As I mentioned at the beginning, it is not a very long or memorable film, but it leaves a very special message and a little sadness when you see that, although they fulfilled both their wishes, it was fleeting and remained there. It made me sad and reminded me of the importance of seizing every moment, every instant to love and show affection for someone. “Hotarubi no Mori e” is definitely an anime that I would highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet.