52in52: The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

This week’s movie was The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the movie, but it’s usually mentioned as a second-round draft pick from the Studio Ghibli catalogue. It’s one that I kept telling myself to watch for a couple of years, but I found myself picking Howl’s Moving Castle or Princess Mononoke instead. The first thing that stuck out to me is the art style. It follows a watercolour style and is reminiscent of the depiction of the original material. They used soft, consistent strokes at times of calm. Then, during times of distress, the lines were harsh, rushed and jagged. There was a great attention to detail, from the babies’ pigeon-toeing when they walk to the vibrations of the Koto strings after they are played. It is evident that they put a lot of care into the details, even though the style is “simpler”.

Thematically, there is a lot that could be talked about. Kaguya has a great appreciation of nature, and her father’s pursuit of nobility took her away from that. She followed along because she didn’t want to disappoint her parents. She put her happiness below her parents’ expectations consistently throughout the movie, and that ultimately led to her goodbye. The movie touches on traditional lifestyles where women are seen as objects to be acquired rather than people. The movie concludes with themes of loss.

The length and pacing of the movie are what get me, though. It is 2 hours long and definitely feels that way. I don’t think it was wrong to make it that long, but it wasn’t to my taste. Compared to other Ghibli movies and being able to tell their stories quicker, this one felt slower (not that it’s a bad thing, just not my taste). I do think it’s still worth a watch, and I give it a 3.6/5. Next week’s movie is When Harry Met Sally!

The rest of the 52in52 series: