Hotarubi no Mori e (2011) Review

Winning a “first” award is always prestigious. Only one film can ever claim to have won the first Best Picture Oscar, the first Palme d’Or, or the first Golden Partridge, which is the top film prize at Scotland Loves Anime. As the festival’s 15th anniversary approaches, I wanted to look back and see which film claimed this highest honor when it was first introduced. I had little idea what to expect from Hotarubi no Mori e, also known as Into the Forest of the Fireflies’ Light. All I knew was that it was a short film—and that it had won the Golden Partridge. I anticipated something special, yet what I found felt somewhat basic.

The story follows Hotaru Takegawa, who, at age six, gets lost in the forest while visiting her uncle for the summer. This forest is inhabited by a mountain spirit and various yokai. A man named Gin, who wears a wolf mask, finds young Hotaru and guides her out of the woods. Over the course of many summers, we watch them form a unique bond as they play together and grow closer. However, there’s one unbreakable rule in their friendship: Hotaru must never touch Gin, as he cannot be touched by a human.

Let’s address the obvious critique: watching a young girl form a relationship that begins as platonic and shifts toward romance by the film’s conclusion carries uncomfortable implications of grooming. It feels simply inappropriate. Hotaru’s childlike innocence is evident in many scenes, and Gin initially acts more as a brotherly figure, so the sudden turn to romance near the end feels unearned. If a romantic connection was intended, I think Gin should have aged at the same rate as Hotaru.

The short was animated by Brain’s Base, and discovering this was a bit disappointing. This film was released the same year as Penguindrum, another Brain’s Base production. Penguindrum is nothing short of visually stunning, whereas Hotarubi no Mori e—though not poorly animated—lacks the same visual flair. Compared to other anime released that year, and even to other work from the same studio, Hotarubi no Mori e doesn’t stand out with any particularly unique or striking visuals.

That said, there are parts of the story I did enjoy. Watching an unlikely bond form between two people is always sweet and endearing. Many scenes of Hotaru and Gin playing together and simply enjoying each other’s company are genuinely cute. The ending also has some touching moments that tug at the heartstrings, as Gin makes a selfless choice that changes both his and Hotaru’s lives forever. It’s a nice story, presented decently.

I only wish Hotarubi no Mori e hadn’t veered into a romantic direction in its final moments, as it detracts from what could have been a great short film and leaves it feeling merely okay.