A Review of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Directed by Isao Takahata
She arrives unexpectedly in a glowing piece of bamboo in the middle of a forest, and she brings joy to the lives of an older couple.
“Heaven must have sent her to me as a blessing,” declares the bamboo cutter who finds her. The child is so small she fits in the cupped hands of the bamboo cutter, but she begins to grow quickly.
There’s magic all around in The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and the film—based on a 10th century Japanese folk tale and brought to the screen after eight years in production by Japan’s Studio Ghibli—plays out very much in storybook fashion.
But Princess Kaguya also is quite distinct from the films Ghibli is best known for here in America. The studio is renowned as the home of revered animator Hayao Miyazaki, whose richly detailed animation has found a fervent following around the globe. But Ghibli was co-founded by Isao Takahata, director of several films himself, the best known of which is probably Grave of the Fireflies (1988).
Takahata directs Princess Kaguya and gives it a different animation style than Miyazaki fans might be expecting, but that style makes the film no less affecting than other Ghibli films. More challenging, the story unfolds very deliberately and slows to a crawl for stretches. Sure, it’s pretty, but is there more to it than a nicely told fairy tale? And if not, is that enough for most viewers?
Kaguya grows into a young woman rapidly, bonds with a group of local boys (including one romantic interest) and adjusts to her earthly parents. But she’s destined for bigger things. Convinced she’s a princess, her father builds her a palace in the city, far from her hometown. He also puts her under the tutelage of Lady Sagami, who trains Kaguya in the “ways of a noble princess.”
A long stretch of the film involves failed attempts by several suitors to win Kaguya’s love. She challenges each man to literally make good on the lavish comparisons they draw to illustrate the value of Kaguya’s companionship. One by one, their attempt to fulfill their promise is shown to be fraudulent, or endangering to the suitors.
Once the potential mates are out of the way, the story’s drama shifts to the reclamation of Kaguya by those from the kingdom of the moon. It’s from there, we learn, that Kaguya was sent, and to where she now must return, although her affection for her earthly parents and friends makes her unwilling to go back.
If there’s a lesson to be learned from The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, it may be the preciousness and fleeting quality of life. We’re don’t know how many days we’ll be given here on earth. But our Maker does know. Job says of God, “A person’s days are determined; You have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” (14:5) That’s a truth that can provide some solace when loved ones exit this life. Christians, however, have hope for a later reunion with those who die in the Lord. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya stops short of that comfort, leaving us to ponder the pain and sadness of death, without any sense that it has been overcome. (1 Cor. 15:54-55) That makes for a sad but often beautiful movie—one that will be cherished by those who don’t mind its slow pace and slight sense of heartbreak.
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