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Firefly
Fireflies, in a certain folk tradition, are souls of the dead. There is a
popular song in Japan, "Hotaru no Hikari," which is a song used usually in
farewell. Perhaps the image of the firefly's light as farewell could be the
inspiration for Hotaru's name in BSSM, or the folk belief. As the senshi of silence, her
appearance marks an ending to the present world. The firefly can be a
symbol for spiritual illumination. In Japan, they are also a symbol for
environmental conservation. Also, in Japan they have a ghostly significance,
and in ancient days were thought to have medicinal qualities. Their ointment
was thought to drive away the spirits of evil.
Another aspect of the firefly in anime is its link with romantic feelings, longing, or mono-no-aware (sadness of things). In ep. 9 of Escaflowne, fireflies surround the lake when Van's parents have their fated meeting. In ep. 18
of CCS the Glow Card creates a gentle and slightly romantic setting when Sakura is walking with Yukito, but it lasts only a moment which Sakura thinks is enough. In ep. 37 of RofV, the
night Andre and Oscar finally consumate their love is filled with fireflies and stars, a fated and beautiful moment. Yet it holds sadness as it cannot last and inevitably will be one of their last
nights together.
The symbol of the soul connected to the firefly is seen in ep. 12 of Magical Emi. A man proposed to the woman he loved beside a river, the place known
as Firefly Valley because thousands of fireflies flocked to it. The woman loved him but told him she feared she was a firefly in a previous life as she
knew her life was short, it's implied she will die soon after they marry. This indeed came to pass and the man spent his lifetime protecting the river and valley,
believing the spirit of his wife flew amidst the fireflies.
Fireflies are a symbol in the movie Grave of the Fireflies. They are both ghostly and can represent souls as they are seen around the ghosts of the children. They also appear at the a few
of the happiest moments the children share together, as when they spend the night catching fireflies to fill their shelter with. But images like these are tinged with sadness, as the fireflies die
the next morning, and the viewer knows from the opening that the children will die and suffer. Setsuko asks "Why do fireflies die so soon?" as she buries them.