Among Takahata's finest works. This film starts slow but pulls you in as it runs. It has a soft pastel palette evocative of watercolors. The shots are extremely calming, though perhaps not as technically enthralling as, say, Hayao Miyazaki's animations--some shots are drawn with a beautiful roughness that you would not find in his works. I consider this a must watch for anime fans, especially those interested in Japanese folklore, as this film is based on perhaps the most well-known folk tale of Japan.
It tells the tale of a girl descended from the moon, who is found in a bamboo stalk and fills the lives of a bamboo cutter and his wife with joy. The beginning of the film--when the girl is a baby--is not as strong as the rest of the work, so I'd advise people to at least watch until they get past that part. It is worth the ride, which starts very unassumingly but builds slowly into something utterly enchanting. Princess Kaguya is happy in her earthly life at first though her foster parents aren't rich, nor do they possess nice things. She loves to run around in the fields with the other kids (especially Sutemaru) and play with the wildlife. She is content to work with her hands. The rustic life really is the one for her.
But one day her father,
in a misguided attempt to make her happy as well as do service to her celestial origins, decides Princess Kaguya should live the life of a noble. And so he uses gold nuggets he finds in bamboo stalks to build her a mansion in the city worthy of a princess. He finds a tutor attendant to teach Princess Kaguya the ways of a noblewoman, but she is not a serious student at first. Her father blindly keeps her in these lessons on how to be ladylike and beautiful, and the longer she is on this path, the unhappier she becomes. It gets even worse when marriage proposals start rearing their ugly heads when news of her beauty spreads. Men declare their love for her even though they have never met her or seen her before, hidden as she always is behind a screen. They bring her beautiful objects to win her heart and hand in marriage, but these objects are as fake as their love for her.
This film, at least the way I interpreted it, is at times a blistering critique of old Japanese court customs, where princesses were hidden from sight from suitors, and made to pluck their eyebrows and paint their teeth black.
Even on an occasion celebrating her acquiring a new name, she is kept alone and away from the party, not allowed to partake in the fun.
One of my favorite aspects of the movie was the little details. For example, having your robes look picture-perfect as you sit and bow seems to be an important thing, so there's this attendant to Princess Kaguya who's always smiling and fixes people's robes when they sit; the tutor attendant, too, fixes Kaguya's robes at a choice time. It sounds like nothing but it tickled my funny bone. That's Takahata's gentle sense of humor for you.
Anyway, watch this film for its different art style, to remind yourself that sometimes a simple life is best, and that being a princess ain't all it's cracked up to be. Overall 8/10.
Art & Animation 8/10
It's a pleasant, albeit sometimes rough, watercolor style. The colors are very soft and pastel, which might be a bit monotonous throughout the entire film. The outlines aren't always perfectly filled in; I don't think everyone will be enamored with it, and I don't think it's as technically precise as Miyazaki's works, but it's still nice. There can be joy and charm to shots that feel slightly unfinished, I feel. There's this one breathtaking scene in particular of Princess Kaguya running from the mansion that was in all the trailers, and for good reason.
Sound 8/10
Good voice acting from the lead character. Some good sound effects, too, especially the sound of people walking on the wooden walkways of the mansion or on the tatami mats of the bamboo cutter's hut. It's hard to complain about Joe Hisaishi's music, which was lighter and more subdued than usual to fit a softer film.
Story 7/10
It's not an original story by any means--it's literally a folk tale, something retold over and over again. The story of a princess unhappy with the realities of a noble life is about as tried and true as it gets. But it all comes together quite well regardless. It successfully makes you sad and wistful for Princess Kaguya; it makes you wish things could've turned out slightly differently.
Character 6/10
Princess Kaguya's plight during court life is what makes her the sole memorable character. I guess I took some humor from her suitors too, though.
Value 8/10
It's always nice to see a movie that might encourage more experimental art styles in anime.
Enjoyment 9/10
Takahata's gentle style and sense of humor are fully apparent in this work. That one attendant girl who was always smiling made me smile too.