The suffocation of female oppression in “The Tale of Princess Kaguya”

“The Tale of Princess Kaguya”

5/5 *****

“The Tale of Princess Kaguya,” directed by Isao Takahata, is a 2013 anime retelling the Japanese folktale “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” The film is about an old bamboo cutter (Takeo Chii) and his wife (Nobuko Miyamoto), who adopt a young girl who appears from a stalk of bamboo. The girl eventually grows up to become the Princess Kaguya (Aki Asakura). After finding gold and fine clothes in the bamboo he cuts, the Bamboo Cutter is able to afford to make his daughter into a proper princess, and Kaguya’s mythical beauty becomes known throughout the land. While all of that seems positive, the film shows just how oppressive and isolating Kaguya’s situation is, making this film equally beautiful and heartbreaking. 

The film’s animation takes inspiration from sumi-e watercolor paintings, an art style that was popular in Japan during the 16th century. The style does a good job with setting the mood, immersing the viewer into the scene and creating visuals reflecting Kaguya’s strong emotions. During one scene, the world dissolves into harsh and jagged paint strokes, reflecting Kaguya’s pain. In another scene, the world is full of color and delicate brush strokes, reflecting her happiness.  

(Spoiler warning from this point forward. Normally I do not put a spoiler warning, but I believe that this is a film to go into completely fresh, so if you plan on watching, continue at your own risk.) 

The film’s main theme is how systemically-oppressive societies can smother one’s love and appreciation for life. It is revealed that Kaguya is from the moon, and that she came down to Earth to experience a mortal life. However, all that she ultimately found was a life full of oppression. Upon becoming a princess, she is forced to obey the societal expectations for women: staying quiet and looking pretty. After her first period, suitors from all over come to seek her hand in marriage, despite the fact that she is still a child. Five high-ranking suitors, who only want to marry her for her beauty, clamor to win her affection by comparing her to rare and priceless artifacts. Kaguya recognizes immediately that they see her as an object, a shiny gem to collect, rather than as a person with thoughts and feelings. In one heartbreaking scene, one of the suitors, Prince Ishitsukuri (Takaya Kamikawa), tries to manipulate her love for nature and freedom in order to convince her to marry him. Before Kaguya can agree, the prince’s wife finds him and, while the young princess sobs, the wife asks if Kaguya would “be just like all the others? Plucked from the field like a flower and then thrown away?” 

Kaguya eventually gains the attention of the Emperor himself (Shichinosuke Nakamura), who refuses to take “no” for an answer. After Kaguya refuses his proposals by letter, the Emperor pays the family a surprise visit. Once he lays eyes on Kaguya playing the koto, he comes up from behind and grabs her, attempting to kidnap her. The assault causes Kaguya to inadvertently beg to return to the moon. Once the Emperor leaves, Kaguya tries to convince the people of the moon to let her stay on Earth, but it is too late. Kaguya’s return to the moon can be interpreted as death. All the years of institutionalized sexism she has faced cause her to lose faith in humanity as well as faith in life. Her begging to stay can be interpreted as her begging with herself to continue to live. By the end, however, Kaguya is forced to forget her time on Earth and return to the moon. All Kaguya wanted was to experience Earth, but oppressive institutions smothered her to the point where her heart begged to be free of her pain. 

This film is an absolute masterpiece. The beautiful animation and storytelling makes “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” a film that will stick with you forever. The portrayal of female oppression is raw and authentic, and it shows how sexism is baked into past- and present-day society.The men who oppress and objectify Kaguya do not bat an eye because they truly believe that women are only objects. Despite the deeply tragic ending, the film still offers hope. Viewers are encouraged to cherish the little things in life, for they are the most beautiful parts, like the sprouting of the cherry blossoms or the time spent with friends.