{"id":21563,"date":"2016-09-25T11:37:19","date_gmt":"2016-09-25T15:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/therockysafari.com\/?p=21563"},"modified":"2021-05-29T23:04:01","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T03:04:01","slug":"why-the-tale-of-the-princess-kaguya-is-my-favorite-film-from-studio-ghibli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therockysafari.com\/2016\/09\/25\/why-the-tale-of-the-princess-kaguya-is-my-favorite-film-from-studio-ghibli\/","title":{"rendered":"Why The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Is My Favorite Film from Studio Ghibli"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya <\/em>is a 2014\u00a0animated film produced\u00a0by Studio Ghibli. I did not have the pleasure of watching it until December of last year. To date, it remains at the top of my list of favorite animated films from the Japanese film studio.<\/p>\n

Warning: This\u00a0post WILL\u00a0have spoilers.\u00a0<\/strong>The movie is AMAZING<\/span> so I really urge you to watch it BEFORE reading my\u00a0post. Ok, I’m going to continue now.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This film is\u00a0truly a work of art. The dark charcoal\u00a0lines and simple color pallet used throughout the animation are\u00a0beautiful from start to finish. The music\u00a0is simply amazing. The depiction of emotion is unrivaled. The message that this\u00a0movie conveys is one that is illustrated unbelievably well. The storyline is in a league of its own.<\/p>\n

I have thought about this post a lot. Since December of 2015 actually. I have come to the conclusion that\u00a0The\u00a0<\/em>Tale of the Princess Kaguya<\/em>\u00a0resonates so closely\u00a0with me because of how much it makes\u00a0me think about my relationship with my boyfriend, Jorge, who spent one\u00a0year with me\u00a0in the U.S.\u00a0before having to return back to his home in\u00a0Spain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In the movie, a bamboo cutter\u00a0stumbles upon a miniature girl sleeping inside of a glowing bamboo shoot. (Hahaha, at this point, I already knew I\u00a0would enjoy\u00a0the movie.) Convinced she must be of a divine presence, he and his wife decide to raise her as their own and name her “Princess.” The mysterious girl grows up rapidly, aging quite\u00a0conspicuously, earning her the nickname, “Little Bamboo.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In many ways, these scenes reminded me of the feelings I felt when I first met Jorge. He was like a gem that came out of nowhere. Vibrant, stunning, and radiating this certain type of energy only he could exude. I found him when he was new to my world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Princess’s father stumbles across gold and fine\u00a0clothes\u00a0presented by\u00a0the same bamboo shoot that Princess was first found in. With this great\u00a0fortune, they\u00a0relocate to a palace where she\u00a0can grow up as a proper princess. Once she comes of age, Princess\u00a0is granted the formal name of “Princess Kaguya” for the light and life that radiates from her.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kaguya grows in beauty, attracting much attention.\u00a0Her father decides to hold a celebration at their palace in her honor. Except, at this\u00a0party, she overhears a group of people ridiculing her. Kaguya flees the capital and runs back to the mountains only to find that her old friends have all moved away. It is no longer feels like the place from which she came.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

During\u00a0a period of great sadness, Kaguya cries out to the moon and prays for help. She\u00a0regains\u00a0her memory\u00a0and\u00a0shares with her parents that she originally came from the Moon. (Yet another one of my favorite scenes, if you can only imagine.) You see, as a past resident of the Moon, she intentionally broke their laws in hopes of being exiled to Earth. It was her wish to\u00a0experience mortal life. So the moon put her in the bamboo. Sadly, having\u00a0sent a\u00a0prayer to the Moon, she would now be\u00a0reclaimed on\u00a0the next full moon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kaguya confesses her attachment to Earth and her reluctance to leave. This is perhaps one of the most well-executed parts of the movie. You see, through Kaguya’s rapid growth, she develops incredibly strong\u00a0relationships with those she loves. She engages\u00a0in so many unique experiences in the short time she has on Earth. The essence of this reminds me so much of how Jorge and I grew close\u00a0and experienced so much while we were together. What may only have been one year’s time\u00a0felt like so much more.<\/p>\n

Kaguya urgently returns to the mountains one final time to find the one person who she truly loved on Earth. Once reunited, they become able to fly. I believe the purpose of this scene is to show that together, they are able to do anything. They soar with the birds, free of all problems, showcasing how powerful their love for one another is.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Except, mid-way through flight, Kaguya loses her ability to fly and they plummet back to Earth. Despite her attempt to escape the palace and the\u00a0inevitable trip back to the Moon, she re-awakens back in the palace<\/strong>. If this is not\u00a0the most clever way of showing how inescapable certain situations\u00a0are, I do not know what is. Of course, this inherently reminded me of me and my boyfriend\u00a0wanting so badly to extend our time together, all the while knowing that he would very well have to return home come the summer’s end.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On the night of the full moon, a procession of celestial beings descends from the Moon. Despite their widespread attempts to stop it, the celestial beings cannot be stopped no matter how much anyone\u00a0wishes they would go away. An attendant\u00a0of Buddha attempts to offer Kaguya a robe that will erase her memories of Earth. Kaguya\u00a0begs the attendant to grant her one last moment with her parents to say goodbye before they go.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The attendant assures Kaguya that upon returning to the Moon, she will be freed of Earth’s impurities. Kaguya responds by explaining that Earth is full of life and wonder. When\u00a0Kaguya is not looking, the attendant\u00a0places\u00a0the robe around her\u00a0and Kaguya appears to\u00a0forget about her life on Earth. The procession then begins to ascend back up to the Moon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kaguya looks back one last time with tears in her eyes. What is truly remarkable about this scene is the beauty and innocence of the celestial procession. The music is so happy. The procession is so beautiful. Yet, everything that it represents is so sad!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This\u00a0look right here in Kaguya’s\u00a0eyes is the same look I remember all too clearly\u00a0from right when\u00a0Jorge stepped onto the train to leave. Right when\u00a0he glanced back one final\u00a0time, before disappearing inside of\u00a0his train. Those precious\u00a0last few moments before our\u00a0summer ended and he began his return back home to Spain. I look at this image and I still recall that imminent fear of what would happen next. Would he ever return? Could\u00a0this be the last time I ever see him? Will he remember me?<\/p>\n