Kaguya-hime no Monogatari Episode 1 Discussion

AironicallyHuman said:
Kinda depressing that The Wind Rises has nearly four times the ratings, purely because Miyazaki directed it; irrespective of the quality of the actual sodding film.

I liked the visual style and, as ever with Takahata, character-focused goodness. Especially during the running part Simo mentioned. So raw and powerful. But the pacing REALLY ruined the film. It went on for well over 2hrs when 90mins would've been more than enough. Aside from time spent on baby Kaguya, the first 'tomboy' part was good/fun... but then roughly 75% of film was jarringly spent beating the viewer over the head with the fact Kaguya is unhappy and males want to treat her like an object. I GET IT. And the 'dad' deserved to be punched repeatedly for being a conceited moron.

I thought the film might redeem itself at the last with some happy thoughts. But Sutemaru's return was trollish misdirection, and then WTF moon people parade dragged out the film for another 20-30mins. So, yeah: like the film/premise/way it was directed... but not the pacing or how it started fun then become decidedly unfun.

Btw, question: why did the bamboo give Idiot Dad those clothes if they were only going to make Kaguya unhappy? WHAT WAS THE POINT!?

Kaioshin_Sama said:

The Wind Rises honestly fell kind of flat to me. It wasn't a bad movie, but really just not a particularly strong one like this was either. I also felt Anno did a really poor job as a voice actor and was extremely wooden, largely unable to carry a scene as a lead character. That was a big mistake Miyazaki made casting a personal friend that IMO took away from the film.

Also I have to say, all of my favorite Ghibli films like Grave of The Fireflies and My Neighbours The Yamada's and now this have been directed by Takahata, not Miyazaki. I feel like Takahata just has more of a human touch to his films while Miyazaki seems to often have a personal agenda behind them. Again Miyazaki is by no means a bad director or creator, I just don't think he's ever been on the same level as Takahata despite being the more popular and well known of the Ghibli people.

In any case I frankly feel that quality and the finer details haven't mattered to the general community for a long time and that people aren't really considering them and that goes beyond just Ghibli films. People rarely look below the surface anymore and just tend to see what they want to see and react based on names and hype. What can you do really, there's no point in arguing it either cause people aren't really listening to each other in this community anymore. To borrow a line from Princess Mononoke that always stuck with me, "Well...you can't win against fools".

In any case I never had a problem with the pacing of it's film nor did I feel it spent too much time on how Kaguya was unhappy though that is a crucial point there are actually layers to why it is that are threaded throughout the movie and come together in the end. Kaguya was being punished by the moon people so it stands to reason they gave the family the gold because they knew it would eventually lead to her unhappiness which was part of the punishment. Frankly I don't think you got the tone or purpose of the film either just by reading your reaction, like it's not supposed to be a pleasant watch all the through as it IS a tragic tale that's being adapted here.

mike_197 said:


I mean....it's cool that The Wind Rises wasn't really your thing, and I also have a preference for Takahata's style of directing, but not on the same level? That sounds like someone would say if they only watched his movies superficially, without really drinking in all the themes under the surface in addition to the fantasy with an environmental message.

Now, do you think if people REALLY pay attention to these films, they'll come away thinking Miyazaki is overrated and simply a big name? Because they DO watch them closely; they analyze them, deconstruct the symbolism and metaphors, examine the cinematography and pay attention to things like pacing and dialogue. And they still come away with the conclusion he's a genius. I would say Takahata is underrated, and Kaguya happens to be my favorite film of all time, but Miyazaki is certainly on his level. They're both among the greatest directors of all time, with nearly flawless records.

Believe it or not, some people do feel like finer details matter; including in this community. That one guy posted an annoyingly obtuse opinion of the film, but he doesn't represent the entire website.

All that said, this is one of the greatest films ever made. Takahata managed to put a lifetime of regret, sorrow, longing, wonder, joy, vanity, and misery into this one character. Her punishment for curiosity of life on earth, a life where bad things happen to everybody, was to have to live that life and experience everything a person would feel. The moon people represent a life without negativity, where there is no grief, anger, or sadness, but also no true happiness. The irony is that they punish Kaguya with life on earth and she decides in the end she would rather have that than to be an empty shell. The details in the film are unbelievable as well.....one thing I never heard anyone talk about was how each prospective husband was a sort of comedic skit where Kaguya outsmarts and rejects them; however, as she grows more jaded, the jokes start to get more cynical, starting with her seeing herself as the 'fake' rat robe and culminating in the death of the last one, a moment of black humor that pulls her into a worse depression. Another moment is her going to see the blossoms in spring; ever since her talk with the old man in her old home during winter, she tried to see the silver lining (spring representing the hope that follows winter) that came with accepting a series of difficult responsibilities. However, as it is in real life, sometimes the thing you've been looking forward to for ages disappoints you, and spring turns out to serve as a reminder of how alienated she is.

There's so many things like that, I could write an essay. But for those that think it's a simple adaptation and just a story about a princess that longed for nature, just know that there's a LOT more to it. But it that's what you get out of it, that's fine too, it works perfectly fine as that sort of film. Peace everybody.

mayukachan said:
I liked it, but mostly for the music. The story itself wasn't very great.

7/10

mayukachan said:
I liked it, but mostly for the music. The story itself wasn't very great.

7/10

5layer said:
The art and animation were very nice.

I enjoyed the first half of the movie a lot more than the second half. The ending was disappointing.

Xenocrisi said:
Lol Buddha, didn't see that coming xD

rasenshiruken973 said:
Surprised to hear this was made by the same guy who did Grave of the Fireflies, which I didn't really like at all. This movie was pretty good, I like the music and art style. Especially the scenes when Kaguya is running away was done very well. Very nice story, not sure what to think of the ending though, and the 2nd half may have dragged on a little bit. But overall it was a good investment of over 2 hours.

8/10

tipsymoon said:

I agree with the whole ending part though. I wasn't sure what to think of it much like, it was going well then suddenly shes from the moon? Personally if felt as if the animators weren't sure how to end it and then just made it that she was taken back to the moon. I know this isn't the case but that's just the feeling it gave off