Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
LucentRivers
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 fligh…
Read at the sourcecameronrb24
Quick Thoughts:
Very forgettable and boring.
Story:
A man finds girl inside of some bamboo, some gold shortly after, and uses that money to move into the capital and groom the girl into a princess. The story be split into 4 parts; Kaguya's childhood before the move, her grooming into a princess, the attempts of multiple people to court her, and then the ending. It's apparently based off an old Japanese folktale, and it shows. None of themes addressed were presented in a unique way, and I found most of the characters annoying if not forgettable. There also seemed to be an attempt at an emotional/sad ending, but it's hard feel bad considering how parents treated her throughout the movie.
Art/Character:
The artstyle looked nice as a still image, but it's not something enjoyed watching anim…
Read at the sourceDarkSakuraVII
I feel compelled to write this review since though I rated it a 10, it may not be as appealing to folks who do not have an affinity for traditional Japanese culture (though since we're all anime freaks here, the expectations might be a bit higher than usual). I feel like this is the sort of movie that culminates to what 40s or 50s might dream of, with Miyazaki getting inspired by Chinese watercolour cinema such as the White Serpent, that deals with themes such as oppression (of women), supernatural chained down among the mundane, with a tragic tone.
Kaguya is a well-known tale in Japan in which a bamboo cutter adopts a fairy child from the moon found in a bamboo and raises her to become a beautiful woman courted by many men of prestige, in many versions even the emperor himself. In most…
Read at the sourceAnimeBW
Isao Takahata has always fascinated me as a director, particularly as a veteran of Studio Ghibli, because his style is so vastly different than that of Hayao Miyazaki that it makes such an interesting contrast when examining their work side by side. Whereas Miyazaki is a master of whimsy and warmth, Takahata favors harsher, more tactile, more unmistakably grounded tales. Whereas Miyazaki finds answers through the art of storytelling, Takahata asks questions that aren’t so easily parsed. One need only look at the different ways the directors explore environmentalism, through Naussicaa and Pom Poko as examples, to see just how different their approaches are. And while I’ve always had a certain amount of trouble parsing Takahata’s work because of that- I much more favor Miyazaki’s emotionally…
Read at the sourceOptigisa
--- This review spoils the entirety of Kaguya Hime no Monogatari, and is advised to be read after completion of the film ---
"It is like a circle, when one ends, the other one begins. So you can always count on it to keep on moving."
If there ever was a quote to perfectly describe the surreal and metaphorical journey that is Kaguya Hime no Monogatari, then this quote would be it. Kaguya-hime no Monogatari, or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, is a Studio Ghibli film that was created and directed by none other than the legendary Isao Takahata, and was released during the year of 2013. You would expect that with Takahata being behind this movie, that it would deliver as always, and you are certainly right in that regard. Please do note that this is a movie that is slow, long, and it takes…
Read at the sourcegwern
_The Tale of the Princess Kaguya_ is the best known Japanese fairy tale: a beautiful child is found inside a bamboo plant; she is raised into a princess, attracting the attention of noble suitors, who fail the tasks she sets them, eventually the emperor himself takes an interest in her; finally, she returns to the Moon from whence she came, having either been exiled for a crime or hidden on Earth during a lunar war for her safety. What can Isao Takahata bring to it, his last film, one which took so many years to create, experiencing the most protracted development-hell of any Ghibli movie? Much, and it is worth rewatching. (I do not know if _The Tale of the Princess Kaguya_, likely Takahata's last, is the best Ghibli film ever, but it is far superior to Miyazaki's last film, _The Wind Rise…
Read at the sourceTriton_330
I'm gonna be flat out honest: this review is definitely of the minority.
I've been on a Studio Ghibli movie marathon lately and I must say this is probably the worst for me (And I love pretty much all the other ones I've seen). This movie made me *angry* most of the time. It's supposed to be sad, but when you're overwhelmed by wanting to punch the father in the face throughout the whole movie it's hard to feel sadness. EVERYTHING WAS HIS FAULT. She could have lived happy in the country. But he has to read too far into the bamboo giving gold. And think that means she should be noble.
No, just... no.
Thus, Character: 3 and Story: 5
---
Art: 6 - I dislike the bland whiteness of the background. I like the style of the other Ghibli movies much more.
Sound: 8 - nothing to complain about
E…
Read at the sourcedelta5
This film is perfect. Calling it a masterpiece is an understatement. I have never seen any animated work of any sort that attains what "Kaguya-hime no Monogatari" achieves. Not a single frame is wasted, and its style is painterly yet not so abstract as to detract from one's utter and complete immersion in what is a transformative and utterly moving event.
Not only is this the absolute best animated film ever made, it also ranks with works by Herzog, Eisenstein, Scorsese, Renoir, Ozu, and other masters of cinema.
"Kaguya-hime no Monogatari" is sui generis. It is possible that, in the future, another animated film may attain similar heights of brilliant artistry and extraordinary compassion for humanity, but nothing will ever take this film's place. I would compare it to Renoir's "Grand Il…
Read at the sourceawerture
This Studio Ghibli motion picture is relatively well-acclaimed outside the anime world. As of now it boasts 100% rating on rotten tomatoes and it was nominated for 87th Academy Awards. Unfortunately, for all of its praise it's a surprisingly mediocre work.
The movie has some merits - it has delightful watercolor-like visual style. It's very pleasant to watch, one can simply sit and enjoy the flow of images. Animation is vivid and the art style captures the mood of the period and atmosphere of the folk tale very well. What this movie fails to capture however, is the very point it's trying to make.
Because the movie is adaptation of the 10th century Japanese novel (sort of novel, at least) I initially believed it's the ancient text which is to blame for anime shortcomings. I was really sh…
Read at the sourceaa-dono
I was a child when I first heard of the tale of the bamboo cutter. There were different versions all across Asia. The one thing they shared in common was that the baby princess grew to be a mystically beautiful woman. It was all I remember of the story. A beautiful princess born from the cheap common bamboo shoots. It is also the only thing everyone around Princess Kaguya ever think of. Everyone except her childhood playmates who knew the unruly and curious child in Princess Kaguya. Princess Kaguya try to fight her way into getting what she wants. Her love for beauty was mistaken for a love for a luxury life. His own father wanted to believe she was a princess sent by Heaven and thus sets himself to provide her the necessity he thought fit for heavenly princess.
Regarding the art, I was g…
Read at the sourceKaguyaSenshi
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is phenomenal — yet sweet. It is mind blowing — but nostalgically familiar. It is a deep pool with beautiful, glistening ripples on the poignant surface. I giggled with childish delight, then with youthful humor. A bittersweet tear followed on the trail of a tear of longing hope. Myth and fairy tale dance hand-in-hand with the most down-to-earth reality. The animation is a masterpiece, the music haunting. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya will leave you breathless — and utterly human.
Story: 10
The story is based on the fairy tale, The Bamboo-cutter and the Moon-child. All of the main elements of the original tale are there, but they have been expanded upon in a subtly dramatic and effortless composition.
Art: 10
This is animation at its finest. There are se…
Read at the sourceFirechick12012
Movies have been the main driving force in bringing entertainment to the world, ever since its infancy in the very late 1800s. Movies have evolved since its beginnings, and have now become a daily part of our life, but as a result of there being so many, there are now so few that truly stand out among the rest unless someone looks really hard. But there are people out there who still consider both movies and animation to be art forms in their own right, and combine them together to make a truly magnificent and ambitious viewing experience for a viewer. Studio Ghibli is one such example. They've been making movies since the 80s and are universally loved and praised by all who know them because they love and care for the art form and make movies that everyone of every country can enjoy, that…
Read at the sourcelinnaes
Contains minor spoilers.
As if a nod to the 1988 double-release of My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies, 2013 saw in quick succession the releases of the bittersweet anime swansongs of the legendary directors and co-founders of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Interestingly, Takahata, historically the one with a greater penchant for telling tales rooted in reality (as opposed to the fantastical lens through which most Miyazaki films are portrayed), chose to breathe life into a wistful fantasy with his opus magnum, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Based on an old Japanese narrative, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya tells a beautiful coming-of-age story rife with social commentary. One day, an elderly bamboo cutter discovers a tiny girl clothed in regal garments ins…
Read at the sourceNamoonriver
As soon as I heard that Studio Ghibli were putting production together for a story as famous as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, I knew I had to see it. Growing up on the quirky and relatable characters in Kiki's Delivery Service, to the fantastic visuals of Castle in The Sky, Studio Ghibli never fails to disappoint with their use of musical score, lighting, themes of adolescence, love of nature and companionship. Needless to say, this film did not disappoint.
Story:
True to the folktale, the plot centers on a bamboo cutter, who comes across a bamboo shoot filled with glowing light. Within that bamboo stalk is a tiny girl the size of his palm which he and his wife come to care for. This girl, aptly named takenoko "little bamboo" becomes the center character as the plot revolves around her g…
Read at the sourcepilotMike
The Tale of Kaguya Hime pulls you into the story with the normal Studio Ghibli magic. The art style is unique from what I've seen, as the characters are like a moving work of art drawn in charcoal. The voice acting is top notch and even the sound effects, like the sounds of Kaguya running on wooden floors around the house, caught my attention as sounding like I heard a person 10 feet away running on those floors. While the story is a slow one, it kept my attention the whole time and feed me with the emotions that I believe the director and team members wanted to convey. Overall, I give it a 9.7+. I rated 10, and though I wouldn't rate it at a perfect 10, calling it great (a 9) is an understatement. This is one of the movies that I hope to keep for a long time and possibly share with my kid…
Read at the sourceLockensocke
“The tale of the princess kaguya” is an anime that really needs more attention, though I have to say that it’s not a movie for everybody, especially not for the average anime fan. It’s a movie drama that presents what a noble woman (girl) has to go through in the mediaeval times of japan in order to be socially accepted and be called beautiful. It goes even a bit father and touches the controversy of the mediaeval believe that woman only need to be beautiful and to get a noble husband to be happy. But don’t expect a deep psychological approach on this aspect, since it only barely goings into this topic. However, what you do see is the story of a little girl that tries to refuses these norms and that tries to be her old self which doesn’t succeed and she becomes more and more that, what she…
Read at the sourceSanaeK10
Tale of Princess Kaguya - This was a decent adaptation of Tale of The Bamboo Cutter. The watercolor style in particular portrays 10th Century Japan really well I feel.
I did appreciate how they were trying to do their own thing, so to speak, by characterizing Kaguya as a tomboy kind of girl who doesn't want to be bound by old traditions. However, the addition of a pointless love interest IMO feels not only old-fashioned and out of touch, it adds nothing to Kaguya's character. If anything, it weakens her character by turning her into a girl who lives only for her love interest. This turns what could be a strong independent female character into a vapid person.
Other characters were portrayed alright I suppose. Kaguya's parents in particular were fairly well written.
And the ending was so…
Read at the sourceHaXXspetten
Studio Ghibli have always been at the very forefront in the anime film industry. Their creations have been able to reach out to any and all demographics with great success for decades, and have numerous masterpieces under their belt by now. Most of these are creations of the one and only Miyazaki Hayao, however Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies) released back in 1988, one of the most critically acclaimed Ghibli films was written and directed by the studio's co-founder Takahata Isao. But this was something that was known as a one-hit wonder, as his other works never got anywhere near the same level of praise and attention as his first one did. This changes now however. 25 years after Grave of the Fireflies was released, Takahata's new work titled Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of…
Read at the sourceAnimeZ0id
I don't quite understand people's distaste for this movie. While the art maybe off putting to some and the ending will leave people mad, this movie is truly beautiful in my eyes.
Story: 10/10 - I'm unfamiliar with the folk tale this is based off, with that being said, I'm not sure how far off or close the movie was with it. Either way, I enjoyed the movie for its entirety. Kaguya hime no Monogatari is not a typical princess movie based back on a very historical time period. A time where princesses married noble men as the same of an arranged marriage. Not knowing the person well, but getting hitched for the sole purpose of 'happiness.'
But Princess Kaguya is not seeking that type of happiness. She's a wild flower that blows in all different directions of the wind. Later in the movie, she…
Read at the sourcedankzel
"Kaguya-hime no Monogatari" was such a beautiful movie made by Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata (of "Grave of the Fireflies" fame) based upon the famous Japanese folktale "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter". This is a movie that should truly be considered a "work of art". The classical Japanese art style, which left in sketch lines and seemed to be painted on, took a little getting used to but ended up being spectacular especially with the concluding moon parade sequence. Along with the music and singing, these elements were incredibly immersive and really helped to transport me back to 10th century Japan. The portrayal of all the characters' emotions really stood out to me from the combination of the superb voice acting/singing and vibrant and dynamic art (definitely go with the or…
Read at the source