Kaguya-hime no Monogatari

Deep in the countryside, a man named Okina works as a bamboo cutter in a forest, chopping away at the hollow plants day after day. One day, he discovers a small baby inside a glowing shoot. He immediately takes her home, convinced that she is a princess sent to Earth as a divine blessing from heaven. Okina and his wife Ouna take it upon themselves to raise the infant as their own, watching over her as she quickly grows into an energetic young girl. Given the name Kaguya, she fits right in with the village she has come to call home, going on adventures with the other children and enjoying what youth has to offer.

But when Okina finds a large fortune of gold and treasure in the forest, Kaguya's life is completely changed. Believing this to be yet another gift from heaven, he takes it upon himself to turn his daughter into a real princess using the wealth he has just obtained, relocating the family to a mansion in the capital. As she leaves her friends behind to enter into an unwanted life of royalty, Kaguya's origins and purpose slowly come to light.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kaguya-hime Main

Asakura, Aki Japanese

Me no Warawa Supporting

Tabata, Tomoko Japanese

Sutemaru Supporting

Koura, Kengo Japanese

Ouna Supporting

Miyamoto, Nobuko Japanese

Okina Supporting

Chii, Takeo Japanese

Isonokami no Chuunagon Supporting

Kojou, Tamaki Japanese

Abe no Udaijin Supporting

Inbe no Akita Supporting

Tatekawa, Shinosuke Japanese

Sumiyaki no Roujin Supporting

Nakadai, Tatsuya Japanese

Kitanokata Supporting

Asaoka, Yukiji Japanese

Nishimura, Yoshiaki Producer

Takahata, Isao Director, Screenplay, Creator

Asari, Naoko Sound Director

Pannetier, Jean-Marc Script, ADR Director

Reviews

Nov 21, 2024

Aegidrom

Recommended

Kaguya-hime was Isao Takahata-san's last film before he died. After watching most of them, I arrived at Kaguya-hime when it arrived in cinemas in Sweden. Loving his previous films under Ghibli's banner, I had immense expectations, and I fully enjoyed the very special occasion.

Going by the experience of the film, it felt like a 9/10. However, after the film ended I was seized by how masterly everything was forged and put together. In the same way I can't deny how "Fanny & Alexander" is a 10/10 classic (you just have to surrender flat), I can't deny Kaguya-hime. The music, the artstyle, the story, how they ... tell it. Everything about this film makes it clear: It is an absolute Japanese masterpiece.

Rest in piece Isao Takahata. Ghibli will never be complete without you.

(This review was posted for my own sake without any ambitions.)

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 10, 2024

HoozyOne

Mixed Feelings

Most of the film can easily be considered a masterpiece in all aspects, but the final act sours the experience. The ending is great though! And fits in with the message the authors are trying to tell.
The final act introduces the secret background of Kaguya rapidly, which feels like an exposition dump and sours the experience. If those elements had been introduced in small pieces throughout the story, the pacing would have been fine and the ending would have had a greater emotional impact on the viewer.
The hand-crafted animation is beautiful, one of the best in animated media overall, and definitely elevates the emotions one ... can feel for the main character.
If not for anything else, Kaguya-hime no Monogatari makes one just a little bit more intrigued by Japanese literature.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 3, 2022

LucentRivers

Not Recommended

There's a danger here, which Studio Ghibli has willfully evoked, of misinterpreting the oldest surviving novel in Japanese history. I've seen this story adapted in other formats, or given a small nod to in other media like the game Okami, and even just reading short plot synopses of the various ancient versions of the original tale evokes something more than this film did.

The overall story is there, true, but character development is muddled, and some characters, such as the Emperor and the bamboo cutter are turned into rather indecent characters, removing the restrained, bittersweet maturity of the original tale.

The art and music are ... fairly par for the course for Ghibli. It's a nice getaway for a couple of hours, though... overlong and boring at times. There are some tacked on flights of fancy that do nothing for the story.

It's a pet peeve of mine when historically significant cultural tales are re-imagined and presented as if they are faithful representations of the original thing. This is the way propaganda is born, or at the very least, degradation of culture and history, and while there's nothing particularly devious about the portrayals in this film, it certainly falls on trite modern stereotypes, particularly in its representation of male characters, in a way that is both culturally and historically insensitive, as well as pessimistic.

I wouldn't watch it again. Its soundtrack and some scenes that are clearly based on 20th century woodcut prints of the tale are the most memorable aspects. I have to admit there are times where I kept imagining how much better the film could've been if it was a full-fledged animation and not just watercolor sumi-e style. At times the audio felt the only thing immersive while the screen looked a bit blank.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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