Kaguya-hime no Monogatari MAL Review

A woman trapped in a suffocating home, and a woman trapped in a heavenly palace... what's the difference? Looks the same to me. 

I had really high hopes for this movie, and in the first half, it looked like it was going to exceed my expectations. The script, art, and characters imparted a kind of magic that only Studio Ghibli can do with traditional illustration and color palettes. The Kaguya-hime (Princess Kaguya) that they had chosen to portray had a youthful spirit and expressed herself in ways that most people in this century could probably relate to. She was fun, lovable, cheeky, and beautiful. 

Compared to the traditional folk tale that is well known throughout East Asia, I think they gave her a very elaborate story and setting in this movie. And, probably, because of the opulent setting (e.g. this Kaguya grows up to live in a luxurious mansion, as a noble lady, with many servants), I was hoping that they would also take creative liberties with the ending too. 

They did not.

Despite all the differences, new characters, and priority on a different set of values ("fake vs. real," which doesn't exist in the original story), they still chose to end the movie the same way the original story does: she returns to the moon palace to everyone's dismay (including her own). More than just feeling 'bittersweet,' I felt like I had been hit with a brick, desolate and heartbroken. 

Some people may argue that this kind of ending is just proof that 'it was a masterpiece,' or 'a truly good art makes you feel that way,' but I beg to differ. Good art doesn't have to make one feel awful after experiencing it. We have reality for that reason. In addition to not having a happy ending, I would also argue that this ending does not suit the logic for this story, with all its creative liberties from the original. It should be interpreted as its own story, with its own ending, that suits the Kaguya-hime of THIS movie. 

So, no. While I thoroughly enjoyed the art and visual feast that played for 2 hours before me. I will not be recommending this movie to anyone else. 

It was enchanting, and inspiring (I started taking out my collection of historic Japanese illustrations to reminiscence). But the end result of emotions made me feel pointless and meaningless, that Kaguya-hime was no different being unhappy in her earthly home, and being unhappy in her heavenly one. If a story / media form makes no difference to us watching it, or, in fact, makes us feel worse off having watched it, I don't think it is worth watching.


<p><br /></p><p>The original review on MAL: <a href="https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=423474" target="_blank">View here</a></p>


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