.png){kind=logo}
The Tale of Princess Kaguya An interesting review of this legendary film.
Let me be completely honest with you…
The Tale of Princess Kaguya isn’t just a movie — it’s poetry.
It’s a painting that started breathing… a dream that somehow became animation… a quiet masterpiece that whispers to your heart instead of shouting.
This film doesn’t try to impress you with flashy colors or explosive scenes.
It takes a totally different route — a soft, emotional, watercolor route — that hits deeper than you expect.
Directed by the legendary Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, this movie is one of the most beautiful pieces of animation ever created. Not because it’s big or loud, but because it’s painfully human.
The film is based on one of Japan’s oldest folktales, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
But Takahata didn’t just adapt it — he brought it to life with emotion, raw beauty, and unbelievable storytelling.
So yeah… prepare yourself.
This movie isn’t simple.
It’s emotional.
It’s philosophical.
It’s tragic.
It’s real.
And it leaves you thinking for days.
 |
---
Plot Summary: A Magical Child, A Human Life, and a Heartbreaking Destiny
The story begins when an old bamboo cutter discovers a tiny glowing girl inside a bamboo stalk.
She’s only a few inches tall, but as soon as he takes her home to his wife… she turns into a normal baby.
And from the very first moment, you feel it — this girl is special.
The couple raises her lovingly, calling her Princess, even though she grows up like any normal child.
She runs around the countryside, plays with the other kids, laughs freely, and enjoys life with an innocent and pure heart.
But then…
Everything changes when the bamboo cutter finds gold and luxurious clothes inside the bamboo forest.
He believes it’s a sign from heaven — that his daughter is destined to be a noble princess.
And so begins Kaguya’s transformation…
Not a magical transformation — a social one.
She gets thrown into the strict, suffocating world of nobility:
- etiquette lessons
- forced manners
- learning how to walk, sit, talk like a noble
- losing her freedom
- losing her laughter
- losing herself
- She becomes trapped in a beautiful cage.
As she grows, her beauty becomes legendary, attracting noblemen who want to marry her.
But deep down, she doesn’t want any of this.
All she wants is the simple life she left behind… the mountains, the fields, the childhood friends, and the sense of belonging she once had.
But this story — like real life — doesn’t give her what she wants.
Kaguya begins to remember where she truly came from…
And eventually, her past returns to take her back.
Her ending is one of the most emotional, beautiful, and heartbreaking moments in all of animation.
---
Themes: This Film Is Rich With Meaning
1. Freedom vs. Obligation
- This is probably the strongest theme in the whole film.
- Kaguya is born free — running, exploring, laughing, living wild.
- Then society tries to shape her, mold her, refine her, turn her into something she’s not.
- And the more they push, the more she breaks.
The movie shows exactly how society forces people — especially women — into roles they didn’t choose.
---
2. Innocence and Loss
- Kaguya’s childhood is pure magic.
- The simplicity of village life, the warmth, the laughter — everything feels soft and nostalgic.
- But when she becomes a princess, all of that innocence disappears.
And the film makes you feel that loss deeply.
---
3. The Pressure of Expectations
- The bamboo cutter wants what’s “best” for her…
- But his version of “best” destroys her happiness.
- This theme hits hard because it reflects real life.
Parents, society, culture — they all project their dreams on children, even if it suffocates them.
---
4. The Beauty and Pain of Life
The entire movie feels like it’s saying:
> Life is beautiful… but beauty doesn’t last.
Kaguya experiences love, joy, sadness, longing, and eventually… a painful goodbye to everything she ever cared about.
---
5. The Nature of Human Desire
Everyone wants something:
- Kaguya wants freedom
- Her father wants status
- The suitors want possession
- The people want beauty
- The gods want her back
The movie shows how desire shapes us — sometimes beautifully, sometimes destructively.
---
Characters: Deeper Than They Look
Princess Kaguya — A Soul Too Bright for This World
Kaguya is soft and pure, but strong at the same time.
She feels joy intensely… and pain even more intensely.
She tries to adapt to the noble life, but deep down, she’s breaking.
Her sadness isn’t dramatic — it’s quiet.
That’s what makes it real.
Kaguya is one of the most emotional characters Studio Ghibli ever created.
---
The Bamboo Cutter — A Loving but Flawed Father
He loves her deeply — no doubt.
But he thinks success and luxury equal happiness, and that mindset destroys the very thing he wants to protect.
His intentions are good, but his actions hurt.
He represents the parents who push too hard.
---
The Wife — The Heart of the Family
- Unlike her husband, she understands Kaguya emotionally.
- She sees her pain.
- She feels her struggle.
She gives warmth to a story filled with pressure.
---
Sutemaru — The Symbol of the Life She Lost
- Sutemaru is Kaguya’s childhood friend — and her deepest emotional connection.
- He represents freedom, innocence, and everything beautiful that she can’t return to.
- Their moments together are simple but incredibly emotional.
---
Animation Style: A Living Watercolor Painting
Let me tell you something — this film is visually stunning in a way that’s completely unique.
It looks like:
- Japanese ink paintings
- hand-drawn sketches
- watercolor dreams
- The softness of the animation fits the emotional tone perfectly.
- It feels nostalgic… warm… like something drawn from memory.
- The “running scene” — when Kaguya escapes from the palace — is honestly one of the most artistic scenes ever animated.
- It’s raw, fast, sketchy, emotional — the art itself becomes part of the storytelling.
- This isn’t just animation.
- This is visual poetry.
---
Music: Joe Hisaishi Being a Pure Genius (As Usual)
Joe Hisaishi doesn’t create soundtracks — he creates emotions.
The music in this film is:
- soft
- haunting
- nostalgic
- spiritual
- unbelievably beautiful
The final song will break your heart completely.
---
Symbolism: The Film Talks in Metaphors
1. Bamboo — Life’s Beginning and End
- She comes from bamboo.
- She leaves through light.
- Bamboo represents the fragile cycle of life.
---
2. The Moon — Perfection Without Freedom
- Her real home is perfect…
- But perfection is prison.
The moon symbolizes a world without pain — but also without joy.
---
3. The Kimono and Makeup
Her transformation into a princess represents society stripping her of her identity.
---
4. Nature vs. Society
- Nature = freedom
- Society = pressure
Simple, but powerful.
---
Why This Film Matters So Much
- It’s emotional
- It’s artistic
- It’s meaningful
- It’s human
- It’s painfully real
- It’s visually stunning
- It’s culturally rich
- It’s spiritually deep
There are very few movies that capture the beauty AND sadness of life so perfectly.
This film isn’t just something you watch — it’s something you feel.
---
The Ending: One of the Most Heartbreaking Finales Ever
If you don’t cry at the ending…
You might be made of stone.
When the moon people descend to take Kaguya back:
- she remembers everything she loved
- every moment of joy
- every moment of pain
- every human feeling
- everything she’ll lose forever
- And as she leaves Earth — her chosen home — you feel the weight of the entire film crashing down.
- The ending is tragic, but beautiful.
- It’s soft, but devastating.
- It’s peaceful, but heartbreaking.
- It’s honestly one of the most emotional endings in animation history.
---
Conclusion: The Tale of Princess Kaguya Is a Masterpiece of Life, Art, and Emotion
This movie teaches us that:
- happiness doesn’t come from wealth
- freedom is priceless
- childhood shapes us
- society pressures us
- life is short and fragile
- beauty is temporary
- emotions matter
- and nothing lasts forever
It’s one of those films that wraps your heart, squeezes it, and leaves you quietly emotional.
If you’re looking for an anime that’s more than entertainment — something deep, artistic, poetic, human — this is the perfect film.
- It’s not just a story…
- It’s a reminder.
- A reminder to live.
- To laugh.
- To breathe.
- To appreciate the simple things.
- To love freely.
And to hold onto moments before they disappear.
.png "Ahmed Ahmed"){kind=logo}