Master Rank #325

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

2013

GCML Total8.7240% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Isao Takahata

CastAki Asakura · Kengo Kora · Takeo Chii

JapanJapaneseAnimation / Drama137 minPG
GCML CuratedAnimated FeatureModerate pace
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

An elderly bamboo cutter finds a tiny girl inside a glowing stalk and raises her with his wife. The child grows rapidly into a spirited young woman, but her father's move to the capital and parade of aristocratic suitors confine the freedom she knew in the countryside.

Why it belongs

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya's brushlike animation can be delicate or ferocious, making Kaguya's joy, confinement, and impermanence feel drawn in the moment.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Visible lines, watercolor space, blank paper, seasonal growth, court rituals, and an explosive charcoal-like flight give emotion changing graphic density; the unfinished-looking style makes beauty inseparable from transience.

Major award wins

No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.

Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

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