Film Review|| The Tales of Princess Kaguya, かぐや姫の物語

Studio Ghibli- The Tales of Princess Kaguya|| かぐや姫の物語

Okay, can I just rave about how AMAZING this movie is?! Most definitely, this has to be on par with many of the other well known Ghibli movies out there. I simply cannot stress enough the heartfelt emotions and just the movie as a whole- it is some that just captivates and engulfs the audience.

This is the Japanese trailer:

This is the Official US trailer:

Whats the movie about?

The movie begins with a bamboo cutter who encounters a little miniature girl inside one of the bamboo trees- believing the little girl to be some sort of divine presence, he brings her home and with the help of the wife; they both nurture the young child. As you will see throughout the film- the young girl grows and develops as an exponential pace(obviously having some sort of special power or ability) and eventually the other kids in the village name her Little Bamboo(Takenoko).

At this point, the bamboo cutter has maintained this firm belief that Little Bamboo should be raised and cared for in a more wealthy home and to be served by others rather than living in a farm. So with over flowing amount of new found gold that was discovered within another one of the bamboo trees- the bamboo cutter, the wife and Little Bamboo move away from the village and friends to embark on the journey to a higher status of nobility and a struggle-free life.

As you would be able to tell right off the bat with this film is the interest animation concept- personally I think that this was a great idea. It’s almost as if you are looking at a series of paintings within every scene in the movie- with water painted colors and rough sketch like animations, i really do believe that a whole lot of work was put into the movie.

Also in addition- i really have enjoyed the cultural context that was incorporated throughout the film such as the everyday life of nobility.

The amount of hard work and dedication that was put into this movie can really be felt through the story of the film- Little bamboo(later known as Kaguya); simply wanting to live a life that was filled with laughter and struggle, free from the confines of nobility- Kaguya begins to adhere to her father’s wishes and forces herself to climb the ladder of status all the while feeling unsatisfied and depressed.

This is definitely a move that will bring you to tears, many tears! I strong recommend this movie; it’s so emotionally captivating and for some reason you just feel like you can relate one way or another to Kaguya and the challenges that she goes through throughout the film!