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Dec 16, 2013 7:30 AM
#1
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Jan 2010
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
So, went to see this. I was little bit sceptical at first, but this movie suprised me. It looked like a moving story book. Style really fitted the story they were telling, classic tale of kaguya hime. Especially old Japan looked really amazing, actually it brought me memories of playing Okami years ago.

Music I also liked, songs got stuck in my head.

I think that this is one of the best Studio Ghibli movies, with its unique art style and solid story. The お歯黒(making your teeth black) makes me still grinn. Never have understood that the idea behind that.
Jan 20, 2014 2:01 AM
#2

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May 2008
63
I wasn't too keen on the art style at first, but you get used to it really quickly and it has some beautiful scenes.
The music was magneficent, the story was heart wrenching, the art was simply beautiful. I'd give it a 10 out of 5 if I could.
Aug 9, 2014 4:35 AM
#3

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Oct 2008
4667
Potentially my fave animation style in all of ghibli films. Some scenes are so stunning, particularly when Kaguya "escapes" (it's actually just the dream or vision or w/e) and the animation becomes distorted and scratchy. This was amazing.

The scene towards the end where the moon people come down on the cloud is ridiculously amazing. The music accompanying it is simply the best.

Great movie overall. A little too melodramatic for me at times though. And I didn't buy the romance stuff.

ok goddamn more people need to somehow watch this.

After having listened to the OST, I can't get the scene with the moon people out of my head. The song that plays is one of the most joyous uplifting beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard.

I need to find someone to squee over it with.
TyrelMay 20, 2015 2:57 AM
Aug 17, 2014 1:50 AM
#4

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Oct 2007
245
watched it in theatre yesterday. A very good movie although I wasn't too fond of the ending. That being said, I was somewhat familiar with the source material so I expected it somewhat.
Sep 6, 2014 12:07 PM
#5

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Aug 2009
8330
Watched this at TIFF today. Takahata came out at the end for Q&A, he was pretty cool. Yeah really simple story, but the presentation was great. I could really sympathize with the characters and the oldschool artsyle he used really fit the atmosphere of the movie. Very worth the watch, his best film since Grave of the Fireflies.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Sep 13, 2014 3:40 PM
#6

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Dec 2009
630
One of Ghibli's best. The animation is breathtaking, as the OP said, it's almost like a storybook come to life. The story is simple but still offers enough variation to keep things going. I was also really enamored with the voice acting, which actually lifted up the scenes many times. Overall it's simply amazing.
Ara ara.
Oct 9, 2014 4:28 PM
#7

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Jul 2008
422
I'm not a Ghibli fan but really liked the first part of the movie, it was fun and cute, but after that it started to overstay its welcome more and more. It felt like the original story was dragged out into a 2 hour and 17 minute movie instead of adapted into a 1,5 hour movie. But basically every Ghibli movie feels too long for me.

The artstyle was lovely though and the animation in general was very strong. I especially liked the movements of Kaguya as a baby and small kid.


Oct 17, 2014 4:23 AM
#8

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Oct 2013
2984
seriously top notch stuff
"Urushibara Ruka. The mannerisms and voice of a woman... No... More feminine than any woman. But he's a guy. Taller than Mayuri, but so very thin... But he's a guy. Looks great in a miko outfit... But he's a guy. It's already twilight And yet, it's so hot. The cicadas are crying. But... He's a guy."
Oct 22, 2014 1:12 AM
#9
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Jul 2013
3569
Good stuff.
Nov 8, 2014 10:39 AM

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Jan 2011
3324
Takeo Chii's voice acting was amazing. So much emotion in his doting father role. Such a shame he died after the recording.

I did not like Aki Asakura's singing. Her voice was okay for Kaguya but the singing was awful. Inconsistent tones, voice cracking, poor flow...awful.

I wonder why they always get non-voice actors to voice their movies. In the Kingdom of Dreams and Madness documentary Hayao even makes a statement about how actors give lines identically and over emote. Obviously this wouldn't be an issue with voice actors so why do they almost always hire regular actors for the roles?
Nov 23, 2014 10:40 AM

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Sep 2012
1472
Finally got to see it in cinema.

It was an interesting movie, but it didn't impress me like Kaze Tachinu and From up on poppy hill did. But still an interesting movie, also glad to see the style of Tonari no Yamada again.

@lanblade: I think they wanted it to sound like this. On my language the singing was also very ehm yeah, strange.
Trying to watch all available anime series so you won't have to anymore, the list of anime I can recommend is still in progress, tho
Dec 5, 2014 11:18 PM

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Apr 2013
4346


Oh boy. This was such a beautiful (BUT SAD) movie made by Isao Takahata based upon the famous Japanese folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. The art style took a little getting used to but ended up being spectacular especially with the moon parade ending sequence. The portrayal of all the characters' emotions really stood out to me from the combination of the superb voice acting/singing and art (definitely go with the original Japanese VAs). I could really feel all the pain, suffering and emotions that Kaguya was experiencing throughout the movie. It was just all around top notch work.

The story itself was heart-wrenching to me at least. You could really feel the love between Kaguya and her parents, but things just didn't go right. I felt so frustrated at times that I just wanted to slap the shit out of her father. I'm a sucker for happy endings and I definitely got hit with the feels train at the end. That beautifully animated flying sequence when Kaguya and Sutemaru were finally "reunited" had me going but then BOOM. It was all a dream (I think) and then they showed Sutemaru already married and with a kid. That might have been rock bottom for me where I knew "the ending" was coming (or at least some version of it).

All in all, an excellent watch and definitely Takahata's best work since Grave of the Fireflies. I hope that Ghibli will continue to take on more eccentric projects like this in the future. I would have definitely loved this movie even more if it had ended on a happier note, but this is how The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter goes. You don't mess with 1000+ year old classic.
dankzelDec 6, 2014 10:53 PM
Dec 6, 2014 2:55 PM

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Jan 2014
674
That was marvellous. I am completely out of speech, such wonderful hand drawn lines. The plot was great and so touching... The dream sequences played with my mind, i am still not completely sure if any of those things really happened or they just were dreams. It was so sad to see the princess leave world behind, and lose all memories in the end. I really hoped for a relatively happy ending, but that was just not how it was going to be ._.
Dec 6, 2014 3:16 PM
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May 2014
986
Beautiful, the soundtrack, art style, directing, story telling, everything blended together so well and it results in a wonderful movie that is Kaguya-Hime no Monogatari. Can't praise this enough, what a great watch.
The anime industry is dead, the otaku fanbase killed it.
Dec 6, 2014 4:28 PM

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Jul 2010
2403
It was a pretty amazing watch. The animation for this movie was really fitting of a folktale though I was a little surprised by the art style at first.

Almost seemingly having everything, everything being so close yet so far away.

I really liked how Kaguya was really interested in the new mansion at first. How she would be the perfect princess at the right times. Being fast growing was also interesting too, as she kept on growing up. I liked the little thinks how his dad didn't talk about the gold until the silk and dresses came falling down. It makes me wonder, what would he had done with that money if the message wasn't clear.

The scene where she was running away after being called a commoner. . That animation with its rough and slightly blurry style was really interesting in depicting the mood.

The 5 people of high rank, the emperor with Kaguya declining them. How the death and the touch of the emperor changed her and almost pushed her on wanting to leave this world. When she was having the most fun, she was torn away from Sutemaru to nothing of a dream to him.

The father failing to realize what Kaguya wants and what he wants before it is too late. It was really sad that she had to go. It was indeed an amazing watch. Is this perhaps one of the last if not the very last Ghibli film? :/
Dec 6, 2014 5:45 PM

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Mar 2014
339
Well I just got done watching this and I was blown away the animation/art-style and simple but yet compelling story. I watched this in sub and I gave it a 9/10. But I decided to watch this movie with a family member in dub two hours after the first watch and fell in love with this movie even more. I give it a 9.5/10 now.
Dec 6, 2014 8:14 PM

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Nov 2011
785
Beautiful iteration of Princess Kaguya. The animation style was perfect for a classic folktale. Joe Hisaishi's soundtrack is always a great complement without being overwhelming. Not my favorite Takahata film, but it sits high among Ghibli movies.
Dec 6, 2014 10:11 PM

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Jun 2012
6493
Good to see this finally get subbed, I really wanted to see this in theaters but I balked on it.
I enjoyed it even though Im not a fan of Takahata. The art honestly turned me off a bit but the music was great.

Watched the dub as well now. Have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. It does suffer a little due to its length, some parts are mind numbing slow but the story is truly beautiful and sad.
ShuhanDec 9, 2014 10:27 PM
Dec 7, 2014 8:01 PM

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Dec 2013
68
It was an ok movie. It had a strong start, but I wasn't feeling the second half.

Had some really nice visuals and animation.
Dec 8, 2014 6:16 PM

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Jul 2011
4411
The animation was very nice. I love the folk-tale atmosphere it had and the sketchy animation. But it did feel dragged on, they probably could have shortened quite a bit instead of having it at 2 hours.

Oh Sutemaru... I'm a little sad the story didn't have a happy ending with him, but he had a wife and kid anyways (I realized the kid was his before he met Kaguya). I'm a bit surprised at how it ended though, because they couldn't do anything at all to stop her from leaving. It just... ended. Well, that's how it is I guess. o.O

I did love Kaguya frolicking around though, that made me happy to watch. Especially in the first half when she was younger. ^^
Dec 10, 2014 3:22 PM

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Jan 2013
2149
A truly wonderful, wonderful movie. I really loved it! Especially the art, it was breathtaking.
But the movie was so sad...all the time I thought why they didn't stay in the woods where they lived before...this would have been true happiness for her.
LichtspielDec 10, 2014 3:29 PM

Dec 10, 2014 10:34 PM

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Feb 2013
850
She just wanted to be happy :'(

I knew it'd end that way, but it's still hard to watch.

The animation style was unorthodox, but really beautiful once I got used to it. All in all a nice night at the theater.
Dec 11, 2014 2:58 PM

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Feb 2011
10104
Loved it. I especially loved the animation which is just incredible.

The only thing I disliked about the whole movie was the ending. Maybe it's just me but I can't stand it. If only they stayed in the mountains...

8/10 for me, could've been a 9.
Dec 12, 2014 3:12 AM

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Nov 2011
4001
Loved the art style, a little bit cultural for my taste, the second half dragged, felt they could have done this in 100 mins at most.

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Dec 13, 2014 8:07 PM

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Nov 2012
2045
This was a faithful take on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Seeing it in a movie was done nicely. Kaguya's take on her infancy and childhood life was something I enjoyed a lot. Ending wise, I feel like they should have continued past the ending. By that, I meant there was more to the ending of the actual story as cited by Wikipedia:


Other than that, the movie deserves more recognition for its high quality adaptation of a Japanese folktale.
Dec 18, 2014 8:22 PM
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Jul 2014
606
The art style reminded me of watercolors. Really nice.
It was sad how she never found happiness though, even at the end.
Dec 22, 2014 3:53 PM

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Mar 2013
236
wow, what a great ghibli movie.. didnt expected ghibli to make something this great after the recent years and espeically after the terrible failure of "Kaze Tachinu", which was kinda the exact oposite (with an emotionless doll as main character).. well ofc they are made from different directors :D

Anyways, the movie had a bit of a slow start, with the baby thing which kinda bored me.. the childhood though was at least to build up for later, the story was very interesting and reminded me of the movie "Memories of a Geisha" (only the main character has the opposite attitude since she does NOT want to become a pretty doll) The main protagonist is a very interesting character, with nice character development. I would have hoped a bit more deeper message with the happiness thing.. especially in confrontation with her father who seemed to have different believes what happiness is. But there is still a lot of selfinterpretation that can make this up^^ For example is the end kinda exactly what she wanted to avoid.. he sitting besides a man like a pretty doll.

Arstyle and soundtrack where so perfectly fitting, they made up all the emotional scenes. The artstyle was also so unique and i loved how even the artstlye changed with the tone of the movie.

Overall i give this movie a 9/10
LockensockeDec 22, 2014 4:10 PM
Dec 22, 2014 11:47 PM

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Jul 2012
1912
Art, animation, and music were all great. It felt like the dad only cared for himself until the very end. Pretty sad ending. I'll probably need to read a few analyses on this film to understand it more.
Dec 23, 2014 11:30 PM
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May 2014
342
Ando- said:
Art, animation, and music were all great. It felt like the dad only cared for himself until the very end. Pretty sad ending. I'll probably need to read a few analyses on this film to understand it more.


I think the dad cared about her the whole time but he didn't understand anything about what made her happy. He genuinely believed he was making her happy because of his own delusions, and that miscommunication was paramount when he finally found out how miserable she was. The wife had to know but in that patriarchal society she was largely ignored by the husband. He definitely figured it out by the end though, which was pretty sad. All Kaguya wanted was happiness.
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Dec 26, 2014 4:45 PM
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Oct 2008
546
Its Been awhile since I walked out of a Ghibli film completely blown away

9/10
Dec 29, 2014 12:42 AM

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Oct 2007
2932
That was a really crushing ending that I knew was coming since I'm familiar with the original tale but was still just such a mix of tones. The inevitability of it all is what really made it kind of surreal and haunting. That last shot of Kaguya looking back at Earth, the sheer expressiveness of the animation and Hisaishi Joe's score really sticks with you after it all.
PeacingOutDec 29, 2014 1:00 AM
Dec 31, 2014 2:06 PM

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Sep 2008
4059
Damn it!
That ending was so heartbreaking!
I couldn't stop crying!

I know this story, I know she will return to moon,
I still was like "no, please... don't go!"

First I wasn't really happy with animation style, but I quickly get used to this
and this style give nice mood to story and anime.

Music was just amazing!
Really love main song! *.*

They should make more movies like this one!
Based on Japanese folk tales!
I want Tanabata! *.*

5/5 from me!
Jan 15, 2015 1:51 PM
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Sep 2013
1811
wow. i couldn't handle that ending :'( i really wanted her to be with Sutemaru.. she seemed so happy with him
Jan 22, 2015 10:48 PM

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Jul 2012
1912
mike_197 said:
Ando- said:
Art, animation, and music were all great. It felt like the dad only cared for himself until the very end. Pretty sad ending. I'll probably need to read a few analyses on this film to understand it more.

I think the dad cared about her the whole time but he didn't understand anything about what made her happy. He genuinely believed he was making her happy because of his own delusions, and that miscommunication was paramount when he finally found out how miserable she was. The wife had to know but in that patriarchal society she was largely ignored by the husband. He definitely figured it out by the end though, which was pretty sad. All Kaguya wanted was happiness.

Ahh, you're right. It was pretty obvious in the very last scene now that I think about it xP I just find it really hard to believe that he didn't know she wasn't happy this whole time. He was too enamored with his riches to notice for all those years I guess :(
Feb 12, 2015 4:28 PM

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Dec 2012
1487
This was very good. The art, the music, the story. Very good and thought provoking. 9.5/10
Feb 23, 2015 8:03 AM

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Nov 2007
31743
The story is a bit different from what I know. Not just being it looks like picture book style. It's interesting. She grows up and learns so fast.
tsubasaloverFeb 23, 2015 8:18 AM
I Two Syaorans from Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and TRC!!!
Mar 3, 2015 2:24 PM

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Dec 2013
3404
IS THIS REALLY GHIBLI??? Wow, this was actually good.

It took what's good in other Ghibli movies - namely animaition fluidity and music but also added a good story and interesting art style. The ending was a letdown though..I hoped for some twist but we just got to see Hime departing for like 5-7 minutes.
Mar 10, 2015 5:11 PM

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May 2012
25828
Ghibli did it again guys! What an amazing movie if you ask me. The art style and overall story development was just so damn suiting.

At first I had a very big Mushishi vibe but in the end I teared up a bit just how perfectly everything flowed together and the way they dramatically showed me how everything ended.

All in all a fantastic movie!
Mar 11, 2015 9:45 AM

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Jul 2014
13353
wow this is awful. This is a new low. Wasted 2 hours of my life for this crap. Boring, lame characters, uninteresting story, and I hated the art style. The OST is mediocre.

Bad movie. Bad. 3/10
Mar 13, 2015 6:52 PM

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Apr 2009
4299
The art style was something I'm not accustomed to but I liked it! The father's voice which is always seem to be in the point of exhaustion and breaking both in joy (when she was little and calling her to walk to him) and despair (when she was taken back to the Moon) really gets to me. As always, Joe Hisaishi's music was superbly done in all scenes. While I would have wished in all the world she and Sutemaru would be together forever and all that, I'm glad that this was faithful interpretation of the Japanese classic folktale as I know it to be. Overall, IMHO this is indeed a Ghibli, a term I've often used to refer collectively to most of that eponymous animation studio's great anime titles. 10/10
You see there's no need to wonder where your god is,
Coz he's right here! ...and he's fresh out of mercy.
Mar 24, 2015 7:32 AM

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Apr 2009
5
Just finished this movie. I love the traditional style of drawing. It had a totally different kind of feel. And I like how they make everything, from the drawing, theme, and story traditional. The culture stuff was there too. Bleaching one's teeth black was weird and caught me off guard! Anyway, I love the amazing music especially the part when the people of the Moon came to pick Kaguya up. That was truly amazing! Out of this world piece!

Although I enjoyed it, it was tragic and sad in the end. It reminded me of Grave of the Fireflies and I realized that it was the same director! Well done! I'll give it a 9. Since it was tragic, I won't give it a full score.
Mar 25, 2015 8:15 AM

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May 2009
913
What a lovely story. Sweet and sour. My favorite part was the beginning when she lived in the mountains, and the end, the very dream. As soon as they wanted to make her princess i knew it would destroy her spirit. Still I enjoyed the whole movie, it kept my attention all the time.

Morals of the story:
Parents, don't force your ideals on your children. Let them live, and find their own happiness.
Children, look for your happiness, fight for it! Don't live trying to fulfill everyone's expectations, but your own.
There is sorrow in this world, but there is also happiness and beauty. It's all a part of a circle. And the feelings are what let us experience it all. It's unclean, it's human.
When you feel you want to escape life, you really want to live it... the way you wish. Put your wishes into memories you do not want to forget.
Mar 26, 2015 3:18 PM

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Apr 2013
1392
Such a beautiful movie.
Mar 29, 2015 4:50 PM

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Oct 2009
634
Beautiful movie. Especially from an artistic point of view is the art style, animation, soundtrack and overall aesthetic gorgeous. Absolutely fitting for the kind of folklore they're trying to tell and very refreshing in these times. Tragic to watch for sure, which, to me, makes it even better.
Mar 29, 2015 5:22 PM
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Aug 2007
468
This is an amazing movie.. The art style is so beautiful and it matches the folklore setting perfectly. The soundtrack is superb, as expected of Joe Hisaishi

I really enjoyed the story, it was tragic and bittersweet, and it had that typical Ghibli message of giving importance to the simple things in life.

That one scene where Kaguya escapes is easily one of the best scenes I've ever seen in any anime. It is so intense... the build up, as you see her anger increase until it erupts by turning the art into a beautiful mess, was extremely well done. It is such a mesmerising scene, I could watch it again and again and still get chills down my spine every time I see it.

Also, was it just me, or did she stop growing up really quickly once she moved to the capital? And was that related to her not being as happy as when she was living in the farm?
Mar 30, 2015 5:51 PM
Ceasefire NOW

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Aug 2009
3738
Raitei said:


Also, was it just me, or did she stop growing up really quickly once she moved to the capital? And was that related to her not being as happy as when she was living in the farm?


I totally agree with you on that Raitei. 3 years passed after she lives in the mansion so shouldn't she be older than 16 at least?

So she said that she came down to Earth to live. What was the point of sending gold and clothes to her? I thought she wanted to live the life she wanted to.

I kind of think the introduction to her past life was somewhat abrupt, and the end was a little sad. But at least it stuck to the original tale. Well done SG.
Apr 15, 2015 7:58 PM

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Jun 2007
2253
Kinda depressing that The Wind Rises has nearly four times the ratings, purely because Miyazaki directed it; irrespective of the quality of the actual sodding film.

I liked the visual style and, as ever with Takahata, character-focused goodness. Especially during the running part Simo mentioned. So raw and powerful. But the pacing REALLY ruined the film. It went on for well over 2hrs when 90mins would've been more than enough. Aside from time spent on baby Kaguya, the first 'tomboy' part was good/fun... but then roughly 75% of film was jarringly spent beating the viewer over the head with the fact Kaguya is unhappy and males want to treat her like an object. I GET IT. And the 'dad' deserved to be punched repeatedly for being a conceited moron.

I thought the film might redeem itself at the last with some happy thoughts. But Sutemaru's return was trollish misdirection, and then WTF moon people parade dragged out the film for another 20-30mins. So, yeah: like the film/premise/way it was directed... but not the pacing or how it started fun then become decidedly unfun.

Btw, question: why did the bamboo give Idiot Dad those clothes if they were only going to make Kaguya unhappy? WHAT WAS THE POINT!?
Apr 17, 2015 5:17 AM

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Sep 2014
1042
It was intriguing, but also pretty damn boring thanks to almost nothing happening for the majority of the movie. The ending made me really sad, though, so props for making me emotional
Apr 23, 2015 8:07 AM

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Apr 2015
15
Music was amazing!
Apr 30, 2015 6:16 PM

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Apr 2015
359
I just saw this. It was fantastic.

It's amazing that such a slow-moving film kept my attention throughout. The visual and music and sound were great.

The ending and the revelation seemed a bit rushed, especially given the pace of the rest of the film, but otherwise this was flawless.
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