The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (2015) - Film Review

Starring: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii & Nobuko Miyamoto

Screenplay: Isao Takahata & Riko Sakaguchi

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Certificate: U

 

Anime is one of those oh-so-many things in my life that I'd be interested to get into, but for some reason or another … I haven't. However, the exception to the rule was The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, based off the Japanese folklore story The Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter. Ever since I saw the trailers, The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya seemed to hypnotize me, to the point where I eventually sat and watched it. Now having watched it multiple times, I'm confident in saying that this is a film that everyone should see, regardless of whether or not they're interested in Japanese cinema.

 

One day, Sanuki, a bamboo cutter, discovers a miniature girl growing inside one of the forest's bamboo shoots. Believing her to be a princess, Sanuki and his wife take care of her as their own, as she grows at a rapid rate from a baby to a beautiful young woman. The Princess forms an attachment to her home in the country, and forms a close relationship with Sutemaru, one of the boys from the village. Meanwhile, Sanuki becomes more and more convinced of his daughter's divine royalty and begins plans to move his family to the capital. But when the Princess is forced to leave her home and live in the capital, she struggles to adapt to a noble lifestyle.

 

Make no mistake, The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya is undeniably a fairytale, to the point where towards the end of the film, there's even a dream sequence that sees Kaguya and Sutemaru magically flying around. But while the film is heavily pushed as a magical tale disconnected from reality, its messages and morals resonate so well with real life. The important themes at the heart of The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya are what makes it a timeless never-ageing tale – a life without fun, enjoyment and the ability to choose your own path, is no life at all. This is best seen in the scenes Kaguya shares with her tutor, Lady Sagami. It's brilliant to watch Kaguya string Sagami along during the lessons, only for her to pull off a noble appearance flawlessly in front of others.

 

Even with any language barriers that may crop up, its these themes that make the film a universal experience. I know there are people out there who really enjoy their films, but have little interest in Japanese cinema, but I implore you to watch this particular film because its messages mean something to everyone. They apply now more than ever in the modern world – a world where creativity and enjoyment seem to be something under threat. Furthermore, The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya provides a fantastic takedown of certain out-dated attitudes and ways of life, specifically the patriarchal family structure and having the head of a family decide everyone else's future path.

 

Even if you're one of the few people who doesn't think much of the film, there's one thing that nearly everyone can agree on – and that's that the quality of the animation here is off the charts. The animation here is simply unmatched, with beautiful use of colour akin to a watercolour palette. The hand-drawn style of animation suits the film so incredibly well, and it's perfectly matched with the film's ethereal and magical tone. The animation reaches its peak in the best and most powerful scene of the film, when Kaguya runs away and escapes her own naming ceremony. There are whole videos to be found online that break this scene apart, but in short, its a moment that exemplifies just how the animation can reflect the character's emotions – the more Kaguya breaks down, the less clear-cut and more hazy the animation becomes. After eight years in the making, the film was even nominated at the 87th Academy Awards for Best Animation. It eventually lost out to Big Hero 6, and while that film features some amazing animation as well, The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya really should have won the award.

 

Production-wise, pretty much everything works here. I've already talked about the animation, but it would be wrong to forget everything else, such as Joe Hisishi's wonderful music score. Often the best tracks here are the lighter and more delicate ones, as heard in the extended trailer, but when it needs to, the music can ramp up to become suitably tense and dramatic. Isao Takahata and Riko Sakaguchi's script also deserves plenty of credit, not least for how well it fleshes out and makes us sympathize with its lead character. Princess Kaguya is a strong, pure and engaging character, and once the film passes the forty-minute mark, you can't help but sympathize with her. By this point in the film, she has little to no control of her own life, whether this is down to her father, or (Spoiler Warning!) the circumstances in which she has to leave at the end of the film. Her hopeless desire to remain on Earth a little longer is just heartbreaking to watch. The weakest parts of the script involve the film's pacing. At nearly 2hrs 20m long, The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya is quite a long film, but I'd argue it didn't quite need to be this long. It feels as though the film could have been edited down to just over two hours long, if some scenes towards the middle of the film were omitted. The scenes that will stick in your head long after you've watched it are probably going to be found in the first hour, or at the end of the film. This is particularly noticeable when Kaguya sets her five potential suitors their own challenges, and while these scenes aren't bad, they can feel repetitive.

 

But by the time the closing twenty minutes come along, the film redeems itself thanks to a spectacular ending. It's at this point where the film becomes a full-on fairytale, to the point where there are quite a few people who regard it as too strange and bizarre. While I can see why a lot of people would think this, I find the closing scenes to be utterly profound, yet also devastating to watch. The film closes on such a high note, and reminds us once again of its teachings: “There is grief and sorrow here. There is also joy and happiness. All who live on this Earth experience them in different shades. All feel compassion.”.

 

To conclude, The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya is a must-watch for anyone – it's a tragic and heartbreaking masterpiece, but it reminds us why life on this Earth can be so much better than we think. On a personal level, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to world of anime, and I'm keen to see what else Studio Ghibli has to offer. I watched the original Japanese dub out of preference, but the English dub takes nothing away from the experience, so whichever version you watch, you're guaranteed a brilliant time. This is one of the most beautiful films I've ever had the pleasure of watching, from a production, story and character point of view, and it can teach us so much about our own lives - “Answer back by simply being alive.”.

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya



9/10