Anime is hand-drawn & computer animation originating from Japan . Anime has reached its peak popularity in 90s & some of the most remarkable ones are "Naruto", "Bleach", "One Piece", "Death Note","Dragon Ball Z" etc. With the emerging demand of anime's we’ve been gifted with a number of anime movies like,"Akira","The girl who leapt through time","Grave of the Fireflies","Spirited Away","Your Name","A Silent Voice", "Weathering with you" etc .
Today we are going to review a classic anime movie "The tale of princess kaguya" which is based an old Japanese folktale "The tale of bamboo cutter". It is an unique artistic film based on innovative imagery. It is produced by Ghibli studio which is famous in the anime world for their innovative graphic design. Ghibli Studio is pioneer in anime movies & it has produced classics like ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ & most importantly,’Grave of the fireflies’, over the past few years . The film is directed by Isao takahata . The 137min’s anime graphic designing & animation style is totally based on original artwork without the involvement of computer based design ,making it one of the rare gem in terms of graphic designing & animation style . At a budget of US$49.3million,it is the most expensive Japanese movie as of 2020.
The folktale tells the story of a poor couple who discovers a mystical girl & they take it upon themselves to raise the girl as a princess. Takahata has adopted this story & complemented it with original artwork & metaphorical nuances. He has explored the transient nature of life, the shallowness of wealth & materialism & the absurdity of social roles beautifully in the film, which mesmerizes the viewers by its simplicity & artistic beauty.
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| The unique artwork based animation |
The main theme of the film is, how a simple life spent in the lap of nature can give enormous happiness in comparison with the one spent in affluent materialistic urban localities. This film also portrays the unbound happiness of simple life in comparison with the restriction rich nature of affluent living.The film boasts of a simplistic narrative which is beautifully coupled up with minimalistic fluid graphic design. The design element features the prominent use of water color & charcoal strokes instead of conventional graphic design utilized in anime movies. ‘The Tale of Bamboo Cutter’ is often described as a proto-science fiction, making princess kaguya a more than average Japanese folk tale.
The movie has it’s roots in Japanese folk mysticism .The story centers on a tiny pretty young woman discovered inside a sprouting bamboo plant by a childless bamboo cutter,shocked by the discovery he ran towards home with the tiny princess in his hand . There the bamboo cutter & his wife watch as she transforms into a baby . The baby grows faster than other kids & soon becomes a delightful curious country girl enjoying the forest with the local boys. Oneday, the bamboo cutter finds another shinning bamboo ,this time filled with treasure . With the new found fortune,bamboo cutter moves to city to give his princess a proper “young lady’s” education,complete with an uptight royal governess . Kaguya now only enjoys an outdoor garden made by herself imitating their old home ,despite the wealth of the large mansion of town . When she becomes older,tales of her beauty reach the highest levels of Japanese society, & 5 titled man vie for her hand in marriage . But Kaguya still misses her first crush from the village.
Conclusion:
In my view the story is far from fairy tale or typical happily ever after stories , this classical piece will make the audience to think about everything from parent child relationships, to the oppressive trappings of class to the far-reaching consequences of ignoring your child's potential.
The animation stresses the beauty of the natural and the ridiculousness of the artificial.The story does the same, largely in the form of the governess' demands that Kaguya pluck her eyebrows, blacken her teeth, pull up her hair, and never, ever run or laugh-- which are all depicted as Brave.
Kaguya yearns for the forest, for freedom, and for her beloved Sutemaru, who treated her as an equal, not a prize to possess. Parents may feel a pang of sadness as they relate with both the Bamboo Cutter, who does what he thinks is best for Kaguya's future, and his wife, who understands that what her daughter wants is her forest home and quiet moments of happiness.
This movie has several messages, all disguised in metaphors .
On my personal taste,I'll give this movie a big thumbs up & suggest all anime lovers to give this movie a chance . In the era of 'Your Name' & ' Weathering with you' if you wanna try something off bit yet thought provoking then you should definitely watch this movie.
(P.S. - I'm not a movie critic & the opinion is solely based on my personal preference. )
By- Primavera
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