The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is based on the Japanese folk tale The Daughter of the Bamboo Cutter, a tale that has been transmitted since the 16th century. This is one of those films that you don't imagine being made by anybody who is not Ghibli related. The tale could have been turned into a simplistic story for dumb kids with showy 3G visuals and little substance. However, Ghibli and Takhata created an animated piece that is both beautiful to look at, but also a complex multi-layered story with archetypal mythical characters, both delightful to watch and true to the myth.
The childhood part is really wonderful, and we delight at seeing Kagugya discovering the world and growing up as a happy child, really cute, tender and fun; therefore, this part is basically experiential. The second part is, on the contrary, very reflective; it portrays old traditional ways of living and societal structure in Japan with easiness and fun, but it is also the tale of Kaguya's increasing sadness and unhappiness.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is related to the Buddhist Bon Festival, which is celebrated on a full moon on the 15th August (this is a hint!). Like any myth, the story is a compendium of human wisdom, an exploration of the human feelings, a depiction of human archetypes, and teaches many lessons. Some of the themes presented in the film are really philosophical and mythological and would require of page after page of analysis: from the creation myth, to the suitors tests, to the complex religious symbolism of the Buddhist ending. Just the analogy of the bamboo plant natural progression, and Kaguya being called Li'l Bamboo is an indication of what we can expect (another hint!). Some of the lessons that this old tale is embedded with are very relevant to our modern fast-paced 21st century:
> Money and status don't equal happiness.
> You cannot, should not, must not impose your ideal of happiness onto your offspring; that it is emotional castration.
> We have an obligation with ourselves to let our voice be heard and our heart be seen, no matter the circumstances.
> We all have to follow our own path, despite any family or societal pressure. It is our life, after all.
> Life is a fleeting moment, and we should live it to the fullest. Seek joy, cultivate ways of living and emotional statuses that are soulful to you.
> Love is not about conquest, is not about trials and games, is not about an ideal of love, the perfect partner. It is about what you feel in your heart and how things flow with another person even if that person is not your ideal.
> Parental love is not just about discipline and rules, is also about letting our children find their own voice and way in the world.
> When we die, all vanishes, no memory is left, even if you are a Buddhist and believe in reincarnation. However, there is a longing in our soul to improve next time we came down, if that ever happens, to try again, to have a second, third or fourth chance to be happy, to enjoy life and get what life is all about.
> Happiness is not in the outside world, it is how you feel about the outside world.
One of the most puzzling things in the film is that Kaguya is not a princess in the Disney sense or in the traditional European sense. Certainly, she has a legendary beauty, she is loving and lovable, and she has many suitors who have to do things to get her love. Yet, Kaguya is not perfect, she is a confused human being, and the story doesn't have a perfect ending either. Actually, Kaguya is truly imperfect, is the anti-heroine, she is a mortal human being, she has regrets, but she is never fake or accepts the system. Her only betrayal she commits is that of not letting her voice being heard at the right time and allowing herself to be engulfed by everything and everybody that surrounds her.
More and more, I feel that 2D animation is really modern, artistic and versatile, and that is far from being replaced by 3G. This film is beautifully artistically drawn and lightened, with a very soft palette of gorgeous colors, and an intentional use of the background for narrative purposes. For example, life in the city is shown mostly through images of people, the backgrounds are basic and barely there, not much action, there is some sort of passivity and slow motion. On the contrary, the childhood period in the countryside and the trips of Kaguya to her native town are the opposite, and have very detailed backgrounds and images, rich colors, full of animals and little creatures and plants, and most of what happens there is movement. And that is, after all, the way Kaguya perceives the world.
The only two downsides I see in the movie are, firstly, that it is unnecessarily long and, secondly the quite dramatic differences in the mood of the first and second part of the tale and there is not transition.
I watched the movie in Japanese with English subtitles, and it was delightful.
The childhood part is really wonderful, and we delight at seeing Kagugya discovering the world and growing up as a happy child, really cute, tender and fun; therefore, this part is basically experiential. The second part is, on the contrary, very reflective; it portrays old traditional ways of living and societal structure in Japan with easiness and fun, but it is also the tale of Kaguya's increasing sadness and unhappiness.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is related to the Buddhist Bon Festival, which is celebrated on a full moon on the 15th August (this is a hint!). Like any myth, the story is a compendium of human wisdom, an exploration of the human feelings, a depiction of human archetypes, and teaches many lessons. Some of the themes presented in the film are really philosophical and mythological and would require of page after page of analysis: from the creation myth, to the suitors tests, to the complex religious symbolism of the Buddhist ending. Just the analogy of the bamboo plant natural progression, and Kaguya being called Li'l Bamboo is an indication of what we can expect (another hint!). Some of the lessons that this old tale is embedded with are very relevant to our modern fast-paced 21st century:
> Money and status don't equal happiness.
> You cannot, should not, must not impose your ideal of happiness onto your offspring; that it is emotional castration.
> We have an obligation with ourselves to let our voice be heard and our heart be seen, no matter the circumstances.
> We all have to follow our own path, despite any family or societal pressure. It is our life, after all.
> Life is a fleeting moment, and we should live it to the fullest. Seek joy, cultivate ways of living and emotional statuses that are soulful to you.
> Love is not about conquest, is not about trials and games, is not about an ideal of love, the perfect partner. It is about what you feel in your heart and how things flow with another person even if that person is not your ideal.
> Parental love is not just about discipline and rules, is also about letting our children find their own voice and way in the world.
> When we die, all vanishes, no memory is left, even if you are a Buddhist and believe in reincarnation. However, there is a longing in our soul to improve next time we came down, if that ever happens, to try again, to have a second, third or fourth chance to be happy, to enjoy life and get what life is all about.
> Happiness is not in the outside world, it is how you feel about the outside world.
One of the most puzzling things in the film is that Kaguya is not a princess in the Disney sense or in the traditional European sense. Certainly, she has a legendary beauty, she is loving and lovable, and she has many suitors who have to do things to get her love. Yet, Kaguya is not perfect, she is a confused human being, and the story doesn't have a perfect ending either. Actually, Kaguya is truly imperfect, is the anti-heroine, she is a mortal human being, she has regrets, but she is never fake or accepts the system. Her only betrayal she commits is that of not letting her voice being heard at the right time and allowing herself to be engulfed by everything and everybody that surrounds her.
More and more, I feel that 2D animation is really modern, artistic and versatile, and that is far from being replaced by 3G. This film is beautifully artistically drawn and lightened, with a very soft palette of gorgeous colors, and an intentional use of the background for narrative purposes. For example, life in the city is shown mostly through images of people, the backgrounds are basic and barely there, not much action, there is some sort of passivity and slow motion. On the contrary, the childhood period in the countryside and the trips of Kaguya to her native town are the opposite, and have very detailed backgrounds and images, rich colors, full of animals and little creatures and plants, and most of what happens there is movement. And that is, after all, the way Kaguya perceives the world.
The only two downsides I see in the movie are, firstly, that it is unnecessarily long and, secondly the quite dramatic differences in the mood of the first and second part of the tale and there is not transition.
I watched the movie in Japanese with English subtitles, and it was delightful.