During a recent viewing of Metropolis, I noted that animated films seem to have a strong relationship with literature. Just after I posted that, I found a rather interesting list of anime inspired by books. It inspired me to try Studio Ghibli's latest The Tale of Princess Kaguya - a beautifully animated watercolour-inspired parable that might be their best yet!
The film is based on 10th century Japanese folk-tale The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter. It focuses on an eponymous princess, Princess Kaguya - a young girl who escapes from the moon to experience the joys of being human. She’s initially discovered inside a glowing piece of bamboo and quickly transforms into a human, growing up in a remote village where she earns the nickname, Little Bamboo.
Her magical origin is evidence of her divinity and she's eventually moved to the 'Capital' (presumably Kyoto) to take on her right as the kingdom’s Princess. She doesn't enjoy this much though and struggles to cope, becoming depressed as she seeks once more to become a peasant back in the village of her childhood friends.
Kaguya’s tomboyish demeanour is constant and her refusal to accept the hand(s) of wealthy suitors adds a strong feminist edge. It’s unfair to say it concentrates too much on a politics. Most of the film is told with loving craft, demonstrating tenderness towards the main character, much like Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday before it.
Overall, it's a simple but effective story of an individual in chaos. I like it a lot.
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