

Their time together is short, meaningful and ultimately bittersweet. And so, the two spend time together when they can, and as she grows up with him she realizes there will come a day when time will yet again become their enemy. HeĬannot leave the forest for fear of being touched by a human and she cannot see him until three seasons have passed and summer comes again. Much like a fleeting summer's day, the main characters in Hotarubi no Mori e are bound by the chains of time. You come to love the smell of rain in the spring or the cool breeze of a summer night and then poof. Time is responsible for the summers that come and go, for the leaves in autumn that shrivel and fall to the ground at the mercy of the next toddler looking to create satisfying crunching sounds, for the long and cold winters. But, even still, until then, let's stay together." -Hotaru Takegawa
