Amateur Recommendation Hour: The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya

Today’s recommendation is the final Studio Ghibli film directed by Isao Takahata before his passing in 2018. One that I believe is too often forgotten about when discussing the best Ghibli films ever made. I suppose since it is an adaptation of an already previously established work it may be harder to make the case for it but even so that does not mean that it is inherently worse than any "original" work designed from the ground up for a specific medium.

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, is based on the 9th or 10th century (no one knows for sure the exact time period) "Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter" which, fun fact, is considered the oldest surviving work in the "monogatari" storytelling form. Think of it as comparable to what we would know as the epic novel. It is a story that has stood the test of time throughout Japanese folklore. I can't tell you how many times I've seen it referenced in other types of media such as Animal Crossing and Okami.

A tiny girl is found in a shining bamboo stalk by a bamboo cutter and his wife. The girl goes through a rapid aging and growth process into an exquisite young lady. The bamboo cutter dreams of a lavish life for this still relatively new family. Moving to the imperial palace, believing the young girl to be worthy of such an honor as that of a princess. Princess Kaguya.

It is a beautifully realized piece that will ask of you to cherish every waking moment you have left, the good, the bad, the mundane, and everything else in between. Coming from a man years away from his eventual passing I believe that it means more.My personal interpretations of this work are that it is trying to say you can’t force your idea of happiness onto someone else expecting them to feel the same way, and that the most opulent lifestyles often restrict what being human is all about. The most humble of lives bring out the best in our species.

I believe at a time like this, where we are all waiting for better, healthier, and safer days to come, we can confide in a work such as this. An ethereal and absolutely visually stunning piece that is as beautiful on the surface as it is beneath it's watercolor art style. Let's let people be people, and try not to force them into what we want them to be, because at that point are they really even themselves if they were never really given a chance to be?