For anyone who knows me, I absolutely love Studio Ghibli (Pronounced Jib-Lee,) films. One of them actually features on my top five favourite films of all time. (Which I probably won't review because I couldn't analyse them critically. It'd be like trying to decide which child is your favourite. You just can't do it.)
In any case, the Tale of Princess Kaguya follows the story of a girl who was found in a bamboo stalk. Her adopted family was gifted with beautiful clothes and gold and thus was lead to become nobility.
It's a tale of rags to riches, with a twist.
Story/Dialogue: Having watched this in Japanese dub, I found myself enthralled in the story that I don't think the English dub could have compared to. Each character is well rounded and though you don't really remember most of the names of the characters (The only ones I really remembered were Kaguya and Sutemaru,) each one plays their part perfectly. The story itself is powerful and Kaguya is a fantastic character to follow. She's so earnest but doesn't allow even the Emperor of Japan to walk all over her.
Animation: For those of you who are familiar with Studio Ghibli's works, this was a bold step in a different direction to their other works. Princess Kaguya feels more like a moving storybook, with each of the characters moving with a slow, deliberate grace. It's arguably the most human animation I've ever seen.
Audio: Joe Hisaishi. That guy could make white noise sound beautiful. From the 13 stringed Koto to the fusion of Japanese and Western instruments to the beautiful, sad song that reminds us to live as nature does. It overwhelms you and makes you feel a part of something bigger. It puts a soft light on your inner demons and makes them weep. I have never been more moved than listening to his music.
Overall: This movie was outstanding. From the beautiful animation to the well rounded characters and the passion that went into this movie, I would be doing the world an injustice if I didn't give this movie 5 stars.
Final Thoughts: I feel as though the only reason this movie lost out to Big Hero 6 is because the Western World relates to Big Hero 6 than Princess Kaguya.
Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE Big Hero 6. I won't even review it because I love it so much.
However, I feel that by such a beautiful and intimate piece of culture being set aside for something more familiar, we're doing the movie a disservice. Frankly, it's like taking a cake that someone makes you and smooshing it against their face.
So please, if you haven't seen it, I insist you do.
Feel free to drop me a line and share your thoughts with me on this movie.
What's your favourite Studio Ghibli film??
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