While I’m glad to be covering another Ghibli film, this one definitely wasn’t on my radar. This isn’t to say I dislike the movie. Honestly, I don’t have strong enough feelings to dislike it. My feelings about this movie are so confusing that I don’t know what to think. That’s the best I can say about it.

I have seen this movie once before, and like most other Ghibli films, the hand-drawn animation is to die for. Besides that, the majority of the story and characters elude me. In fairness, the last time I saw this movie was years ago. Not only was I expecting something different, but I didn’t have the right frame of mind to begin with.

Most other Studio Ghibli films deal with fantastical stories being told in very grounded ways. The Tale of Princess Kaguya is based on a traditional Japanese folk tale. So there are fantastical elements, but most of what I remember was just…weird. It’s about a poor family who discovers a girl in a bamboo shoot…

…I’m not done yet…

…adopts her, and then tries to turn her into nobility. Very basically, that’s what it’s about. Were there artistic choices that still hold up today? Is it possible I watched this at the wrong time? Or is this movie the most random Ghibli film to date? So far, the answer to all these questions is a resounding “maybe.” To know for sure, let’s take a closer look.

Let’s etch our way onto the screen and return to the moon kingdom in The Tale of Princess Kaguya.

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