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2%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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5[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f6863ee2d41897a76fb0da295dac3b0e_0_7228.jpg]]
6
7->''"I first met him when I was six years old. On a scorching hot summer day, in the forest that legend says is home to many spirits and monsters, I got lost. I ran everywhere, trying to find the way out, and I quickly got tired. Because of fear and loneliness I began to cry, and then... He appeared."''
8-->'''--Hotaru Takegawa'''
9
10''Hotarubi no Mori e'', which translates to ''Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light'' in English, is a {{manga}} containing several one-shots by Yuki Midorikawa. The main story (the second chapter of the manga) was adapted into an {{anime}} {{film}} in 2011.
11
12Six-year-old Hotaru Takegawa (''[[Manga/DreamEaterMerry Ayane Sakura]]'') is visiting her grandfather's house over the summer when she gets lost in the Yamagami Forest and [[BoyMeetsGirl meets]] a {{youkai}} named Gin (''Creator/KoukiUchiyama''). Gin and Hotaru develop [[ForbiddenFriendship a]] [[IntergenerationalFriendship fast]] [[OddFriendship friendship]]--with Hotaru visiting Gin every summer from when she is a child to when she begins attending high school--and this friendship eventually blossoms into [[InterspeciesRomance lo]][[MayflyDecemberRomance ve]]. However, Hotaru is carefully reminded by Gin, as well as the other youkai that dwell in the forest, not to touch him because his [[BlessedWithSuck curse]]: if Gin is touched by a human, then he'll disappear forever.
13
14The other one-shot stories are ''Overhearing a Flower Song'', ''The Following of Autumn Leaves'', and ''Deepening the Scar''. They, along with ''Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light'', each notably represent a [[SeasonalBaggage season]].
15
16The anime film adaptation is directed by Takahiro Omori and is produced by Creator/{{Aniplex}} and Creator/BrainsBase.
17
18----
19!!''Hotarubi no Mori e'' (the main story) contains the following tropes:
20
21* AdaptationExpansion: The anime film depicts a present day, teenage Hotaru narrating the events of her childhood while she's on her way to her grandfather's house, Hotaru's home life (both at home and when she's staying with her grandfather) is shown, and Hotaru's moments with Gin are expanded.
22* AmusingInjuries:
23** Six-year-old Hotaru is often a victim of this. Gin hits her with a log whenever [[TheGlomp she tries to hug him]], as she often forgets that she's not supposed to, and she is later hit by her grandfather for running off into the forest and worrying him.
24** When Gin surprises Hotaru by being awake a moment after she removes his mask, she hastily shoves the mask into his face, hurting him.
25* AnachronicOrder: In the anime film. It begins with a present day Hotaru on her way to her grandfather's house in the summer and then goes through her time spent with Gin from a child to a teenager while her present day self is briefly shown in-between.
26%% * AuthorAppeal: Partially covered faces.
27* BeautifulDreamer: While Gin is asleep, Hotaru takes the opportunity to remove his mask and see his face. Subverted in that Gin was pretending to sleep, and when he opens his eyes, she [[AmusingInjuries quickly slams]] the mask back onto him.
28* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Gin accidentally touches a human and disappears, but not before Hotaru and he can finally touch and embrace each other. The youkai thank Hotaru; they wanted to stay with Gin forever, but they know that Gin has always wanted to touch humans. And though Hotaru will be unable to look forward to summer anymore and is saddened over Gin's loss, she will remember Gin's touch, her memories with him, and will be able to move forward.]]
29* BlessedWithSuck: Gin reveals that he is not a {{youkai}} but was originally a human child [[ParentalAbandonment abandoned]] in the forest by his parents. He was found by Yamagami, whose magic keeps Gin alive when he should have died as a child. This magic, however, prevents him from going to Heaven or touching humans (in fear of disappearing), as well as [[WanderingTheEarth keeping him stuck on Earth like a ghost.]]
30%% * BookEnds: Hotaru visiting her grandfather's house over the summer.
31%% * BoyMeetsGirl
32%% * ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth
33%% * CheerfulChild: Hotaru, when she was a child.
34* CuddleBug: Six-year-old Hotaru ''tries'' to be affectionate to Gin with hugs and cuddles, but she only gets reprimanded by him in the process. By the time Hotaru enters high school, she doesn't try to hug Gin anymore, having already learned her lesson. However, there is an exchange between them where she playfully considers it. [[spoiler:And by the end of the film, they finally get that hug.]]
35-->'''Hotaru:''' [''after Gin says that he'll protect her''] When you say things like that, I just want to pounce on you.
36-->'''Gin:''' That would make me really happy. I'm telling the truth.
37%% * CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Gin.
38%% * DeadpanSnarker: Gin.
39%% * [[DidNotGetTheGirl Did Not Get The Guy]]
40* DyingDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:As his spirit fades away, Gin and Hotaru confess their love for each other.]]
41%% * ForbiddenFriendship[=/=]IntergenerationalFriendship[=/=]OddFriendship: Hotaru's and Gin's friendship starts off as this...
42%% ** InterspeciesRomance[=/=]MayflyDecemberRomance: ... But ends up as this.
43* {{Foreshadowing}}:
44** Hotaru's grandfather mentions that when he was younger several kids thought they saw a festival in the forest before Gin tells Hotaru about it.
45** When Gin takes Hotaru to the Summer Festival of Monsters, he tells her that monsters pretend to be humans and sometimes a few humans slip into the festival, and no one can tell the difference. [[spoiler:Gin ends up accidentally helping a human boy and is forced to disappear in the end.]]
46%% * GenkiGirl: Hotaru.
47* HatesBeingTouched: Gin has always wanted to touch humans, but the fear of disappearing prevents him from doing so. During their third summer together, Gin nearly tries to catch Hotaru when she falls off of a tree before stopping himself and remembering that he shouldn't.
48* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler:Hotaru. It is implied in the manga, but it is shown more explicitly in the anime film.]]
49* HoldingHands: Gin and Hotaru are unable to physically hold hands because of Gin's curse, so they find ways around it (e.g. holding each end of a log, wrapping a long piece of cloth around their wrists). During the winter while Hotaru attends junior high school, a male classmate of Hotaru's holds her hand while they're walking so she won't slip on the ice. This gesture only makes her think of Gin.
50* IWillWaitForYou: Gin waits at the Yamagami Forest shrine gate every summer to meet with Hotaru. However, it eventually reaches to a point where Hotaru considers living closer to the forest after graduation so she can see Gin everyday, and Gin tells Hotaru that he can't wait for summer anymore and wants to be near her. This causes Hotaru to realize that next summer, Gin might not be waiting for her at the shrine gate. [[spoiler:She's right.]]
51* InvisibleParents: Because most of ''Hotarubi no Mori e'' takes place during Hotaru's summer visits to her grandfather's house, her parents aren't shown in the manga. [[AdaptationExpansion In the anime film]], her mother appears in the beginning of the anime film, and both of her parents appear briefly while she's at home during junior high.
52%% * ManicPixieDreamGirl: Hotaru towards Gin.
53* MeaningfulEcho:
54** Gin and other youkai in the Yamagami Forest constantly remind Hotaru not to touch Gin or he'll disappear; Hotaru often forgets this and is hit by Gin whenever she tries to hug him. The reminder only sticks in Hotaru's head once she falls out of a tree and Gin nearly catches her before remembering what'll happen if he does. Hotaru, realizing Gin could have disappeared, then reminders Gin not to touch her and starts crying.
55** Gin holds onto a log and lets a six-year-old Hotaru hold onto the other end so she won't get lost. She remarks that it's like a date, and he replies, [[DeadpanSnarker "What an insipid date."]] Years later, when Gin takes Hotaru to the Summer Festival of Monsters and wraps a cloth around their wrists so Hotaru won't get lost, she says the same thing as before. Only this time, Gin replies, "It ''is'' a date."
56* MeaningfulName:
57** Hotaru means "firefly" and her name is also a part of the manga's title.
58** Gin means "silver." Naturally, he's a white-haired guy.
59* MementoMacGuffin[=/=]TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler:Gin gives Hotaru his mask, and it is one of the few things that remain after he disappears.]]
60* {{Motif}}: Butterflies, seasons, and the ability to touch.
61* NightmareFetishist: Hotaru reacts with delight, rather than dread, when she learns that Gin is a monster, and she later gets excited when she encounters a [[AsianFoxSpirit fox spirit]] that initially tries to scare her.
62-->'''Hotaru:''' [''after seeing the fox spirit''] That's so cool! It's my first time meeting a monster!
63-->'''Gin:''' What do you take me for?
64* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:During the Summer Festival of Monsters, Gin helps a young boy who nearly trips while playing with his friends. The boy turns out to be a human, which causes Gin to disappear.]]
65* ParentalAbandonment: Gin's parents abandoned him in the Yamagami Forest when he was a child.
66%% * PluckyGirl: Hotaru.
67%% * ThePollyanna: Hotaru.
68%% * SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Gin and Hotaru.
69* SheIsAllGrownUp: The non-existence of it is PlayedForLaughs at first, but eventually PlayedStraight in the end.
70-->'''Gin:''' [''to a junior high Hotaru''] For some reason, I keep seeing you as a girl.
71-->'''Hotaru:''' I ''am'' a girl!
72%% * ShoujoDemographic
73%% * ShrinesAndTemples
74%% * StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler:Gin and Hotaru.]]
75* VagueAge: Gin. Physically, Gin is a teenager, but he doesn't age at the normal rate of humans because of Yamagami's magic and it is unknown how long he's been kept alive by Yamagami.
76* WeAreAsMayflies: Though Gin was originally a human, Yamagami's magic seems to prevent him from aging at a normal rate. He's a child when Yamagami and the other youkai find him, but by the time Hotaru meets him, Gin is physically a teenager. Hotaru notes that Gin looks the same whenever she visits him and realizes that one day she'll eventually grow older than him.
77* MayflyDecemberRomance: Gin meets Hotaru when she is a child and (given their physical age difference) they have a relationship that's somewhere between [[IntergenerationalFriendship friendship]] and LikeBrotherAndSister, but as Hotaru [[SheIsAllGrownUp grows up]] and the gap between them lessens, they eventually fall in love with each other.
78* YouCantFightFate: Hotaru is aware that someday she will grow physically older than Gin and [[WeAreAsMayflies time will eventually separate them]], but until then, she wants to spend as much time with him as possible and even considers moving near the forest after graduating from high school so she can see him every day.
79%% * {{Youkai}}
80----
81!!The other one-shot stories contain the following tropes:
82
83%% * AlliterativeName: Kaede Kirisato.
84%% * BittersweetEnding[=/=]DownerEnding: ''Deepening the Scar'', a stark contrast from ''Overhearing a Flower Song'' and ''The Following of Autumn Leaves'', which end on [[HappyEnding happier notes]]. In ''Deepening the Scar'', siblings Sou and Ritsu Jinnai develop feelings for each other and are unable to return to the way things used to be between them as children after their eight year separation, so Sou leaves after graduating from high school, and Ritsu is left behind with all the letters she sent him when they were children, wondering if what she feels for Sou is love, if these feelings will ever disappear, and if he'll ever write to her again.
85%% * BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Fujimura and Shima.
86* BrotherSisterIncest: Between Sou and Ritsu, who develop an attraction towards each other and are unable to regain their sibling relationship after eight years of separation. Because of this, Sou decides to leave after he graduates.
87%% * ChildhoodFriends:
88%% ** Fujimura and Mikako Noguchi in ''Overhearing a Flower Song''.
89%% ** Kaede Kirisato and Tsubaki Kemumaki in ''The Following of Autumn Leaves''.
90* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Kaede and Tsubaki. Shima thinks there's something between Fujimura and Mikako, which may or may not be true (or at the very least is [[AllLoveIsUnrequited one-sided]] on Fujimura's part), but Mikako turns out to have a boyfriend.
91* ChildrenAreInnocent: A big factor in ''Deepening the Scar'' is that Sou and Ritsu [[InvokedTrope start off]] as innocent when they are children, but because they are separated for eight years and grow up apart from each other, they grow attracted to each other when they are finally reunited and [[DiscussedTrope realize]] that they aren't as "innocent" as they used to be and cannot go back to the way things were when they were children.
92* DeclarationOfProtection: Initially gender-flipped between Kaede and Tsubaki, but it eventually becomes a two-way street.
93* {{Delinquent}}: Fujimura comes off as this with his intimidating physical features and tendency to pick fights.
94* DisappearedDad: After a fight, Ritsu's and Sou's father decides to leave. Sou goes with their father, and Ritsu stays with their mother.
95* DontYouDarePityMe: Tsubaki comes to the conclusion that Kaede may not want her defending him, as it only wounds his pride. Kaede seems feel more concerned with the fact that Tsubaki isn't treating friendship on equal terms and that he's unable to protect her.
96%% * ForbiddenFriendship: Between Kaede and Tsubaki due to their different social classes.
97%% * GenderBlenderName: Kaede.
98%% * GenkiGirl: Tsubaki.
99* GreenEyedMonster: Subverted in ''Overhearing a Flower Song''. Played straight in ''The Following of Autumn Leaves'' and ''Deepening the Scar''.
100%% * HappyEnding: ''Overhearing a Flower Song'' and ''The Following of Autumn Leaves''.
101* ImportantHaircut: Ritsu cuts her hair short like it was when she was a child in an attempt to regain her sibling relationship with Sou. It doesn't work.
102%% * LoveAtFirstNote: Shima towards Fujimura.
103%% * MeaningfulName: Kaede means "maple."
104%% * NewTransferStudent: Ritsu's older brother Sou.
105* {{Ninja}}: Tsubaki always wanted to become a ninja to protect Kaede. She eventually learns that protecting Kaede might not be the best thing (as she feels that it might [[DontYouDarePityMe wound his pride]]), but she ultimately decides to continue it nevertheless in order to be by his side.
106%% * OfficialCouple: Fujimura and Shima in ''Overhearing a Flower Song'', and Kaede and Tsubaki from ''The Following of Autumn Leaves''.
107%% * OppositesAttract: Kaede and Tsubaki.
108%% * SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Kaede and Tsubaki.
109%% * ShoujoDemographic
110* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: According to Fujimura, Mikako has a gentle boyfriend and is the complete opposite of [[TroubledButCute him]]. Shima develops feelings for Fujimura because {{beneath the mask}}, [[HiddenHeartOfGold he's a kind person]].
111%% * SliceOfLife
112* SolomonDivorce: In ''Deepening the Scar''. Sou left with their father while Ritsu stayed with their mother. The parents eventually get back together, but the eight year separation [[BrotherSisterIncest leaves]] [[IncestSubtext repercussions]] for Sou and Ritsu.
113* TragicKeepsake: The letters that Sou and Ritsu have written to each other as children. Sou and Ritsu both keep these letters and have a moment where they tease each other for writing corny things (e.g. ''"Onii-chan, I'm really lonely. Please come back soon."'' ''"Ritsu, even though it's really cold here, everyone is warm and kind."''). They eventually becomes a TragicKeepsake for Ritsu once Sou goes away after graduation and leaves behind the letters Ritsu had given him.
114%% * TroubledButCute: Fujimura.
115%% * UptownGirl: Reversed between Kaede (rich boy) and Tsubaki (poor girl).

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