The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
Once in a blue moon, an enchanting experience is born.
Presentation:
Disney move aside, because this gives legacy princess fairy tales a run for its money. Based on an old Japanese legend, this story has a lot of accessible themes of freedom that feel relevant for women, men, asian, western audiences alike. It’s also deceptively gorgeous with the unique impressionistic pencil style, which on first glance seems like it’s low quality of the 90s until you start watching it. This is visually very special but you’ll only realize its high quality after you understand it was made in 2013 and its artistic decision is very much intentional. The first half of the story is absolutely magical with enchanting characters that have depth and relatability. It then becomes quite serious with real world themes of love and connection and quite a bit of pain. This should be mostly enjoyed by adult audiences, which also have some breathtaking sequences with incredible movement and cinematography. Visually, this animation is in a class of its own.
Story:
There are two suggested dream sequences, the one where she runs back to the village and one where she runs back to the village to reunite with Sutemaru. It's very notable that both dreams involve going back to the same place, which is particularly of interest because the finale has her returning home to the moon in a very dream like manner.
Analysis:
This film is ultimately a coming of age tale involving challenging traditional gender and social roles in favor of freedom and love. This is highlighted by her releasing the bird, frogs and other animals through out the film not to mention the recurring song about birds and beasts. It is to suggest that it is better to live free like wild animals than to be a slave for society. Even the luxury and riches don't guarantee happiness, it's sometimes the simple pleasures of life and love that make us feel alive. It's in fact the pursuit of something greater, whether it be wealth, reputation or status that can often imprison and keep us from true happiness.
Conclusion:
Since it’s based on folklore, there are some dream sequences and ambiguity that take away from some of the grounded presentation throughout most of the film. Which is shocking, since it starts out as a supernatural tale. There are some lulls in the second half that make this otherwise 5 chili masterpiece just a fairy tale. I really can’t get over how much of an impression this leaves, especially considering I was very skeptical going in. This anime has been reviewed as one of the greatest anime films of all time. After watching, I can definitely see why. And it might for you, if you wanted to get lost in a truly magical coming of age discovery of life.
Recommendations
Stepping stone for Studio Ghibli’s greatness.