GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Pin Dew 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! <3Depth - 2/2Importance - 1/2Relevance - 2/2Artistry - 1/2Imagination - 2/2Total - 8/10And 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. I was pretty much inclined to give it a 10/10 but then I realized I'm not supposed to let personal emotions in criticism. But seriously, whoever made it, kudos! Arigato for this gem! <3P.S.: If you wish to know more about the rating scheme above, check out my other review.

erikacunanan29 OTHER REVIEWS AT booksequalhappiness.blogspot.comI 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.

volkansayin1881 I think gin alone. Him life is tragedy. Hotaru is a surprise for gin. This anime is so pure. This is perfect. Gin happy to die but life for girl will be hard. There was a love that was quite innocent without exaggeration.He was very impressed with me. Good job in a short time. How bad it is to get lost among your hands while you are hugging your love.

pinkarray 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!