The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Play Now The Tale of The Princess Kaguya / Kaguyahime no monogatari /かぐや姫の物語 Animation Movie Online

Taglines: A Princess’ Crime and Punishment

Old Man Taketori performed his daily ritual. He went to the forest to get some bamboo, with which he could count on food. Walking around the district and doing his job, the man saw something strange. What he saw struck and surprised him. It was a baby of tiny sizes, who was completely alone in the forest. Kaguya needs help, because she can get into trouble, being all alone. Old age did not stop the man from taking the baby home. He and his wife were a happy couple, but failed to have children. Loneliness greatly cared for the spouses, and now, they got a chance to raise their own child.

It seems that this is a true gift of heaven, which you could not even dream of. Husband and wife surround the baby with care and attention. They try to provide her with everything they can. The daughter grows up a smart and unusual girl. The heroine turns out to be a real beauty, besides she tries her best to help her family. Time passes, and it’s time to marry her. But the heroine suddenly becomes sad, and it seems that nothing can amuse her. Worried parents cannot understand the reason for such a drastic change in their daughter.

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. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her, but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.

An old man makes a living by selling bamboo. One day, he finds a princess in a bamboo. The princess is only the size of a finger. Her name is Kaguya. When Kaguya grows up, 5 men from prestigious families propose to her. Kaguya asks the men to find memorable marriage gifts for her, but the 5 men are unable to find what Kaguya wants. Then, the Emperor of Japan proposes to her.

Based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

Creators: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
Director: Isao Takahata
Star Cast: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto
Producer (s): Yoshiaki Nishimura
Cinematographer:
Music: Joe Hisaishi
Production House: Studio Ghibli, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners
Original network / Official Sites: Toho
Release Year: 23 November 2013 (Japan)
Runtime: 137 min
Genres: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English, Bengali

A bamboo cutter named Sanuki no Miyatsuko discovers a miniature girl inside a glowing bamboo shoot. Believing her to be a divine presence, he and his wife decide to raise her as their own, calling her “Princess”. The girl grows rapidly, earning her the nickname “Takenoko” (Little Bamboo) from the other village children. Sutemaru, the oldest among Kaguya’s friends, develops a close relationship with her.

Miyatsuko comes upon gold and fine cloth in the bamboo grove in the same way he found his daughter. He takes these as proof of her divine royalty and begins planning to make her a proper princess. He relocates the family to the capital, forcing the girl to leave her friends behind, and the family moves into a mansion replete with servants. The girl is soon saddled with a governess who is tasked with taming her into a noblewoman. The girl struggles with the restraints of nobility, yearning for her prior life in the countryside.

When the girl comes of age, she is granted the formal name of “Princess Kaguya” by a name-father. Miyatsuko then holds a celebration, where Kaguya overhears partygoers ridiculing her father’s attempts to turn a peasant girl into a noble through money. Kaguya flees the capital in despair and runs back to the mountains, seeking Sutemaru and her other friends, but discovers that they have all moved away. She passes out in the snow and awakens back at the party.

Kaguya grows in beauty, attracting suitors. Five noblemen attempt to court her, comparing her to mythical treasures. Kaguya tells them she will only marry whoever can bring her the mythical treasure mentioned. Two suitors attempt to persuade her with counterfeits, the third abandons his quest out of cowardice, and the fourth attempts to woo her with flattering lies. When the last suitor is killed in his own quest, Kaguya becomes depressed. Eventually, the Emperor takes notice of Kaguya’s beauty and tries to kidnap her, but she foils him and convinces him to leave.

Kaguya reveals to her parents that she originally came from the Moon. Once a resident there, she broke its laws, hoping to be exiled to Earth so that she could experience mortal life. When the Emperor made his advances, she silently begged the Moon to help her. Having heard her prayer, the Moon restored her memories and said she will be reclaimed during the next full moon. Kaguya confesses her attachment to Earth and her reluctance to leave; Miyatsuko swears to protect Kaguya and begins turning the mansion into a fortress.

Kaguya then returns to her home village and finds Sutemaru. The two profess their love for one another, and in their joy they leap into the air and fly over the countryside, only to encounter the Moon and fall. Sutemaru wakes up alone and reunites with his wife and child, interpreting the whole experience as a dream.

On the night of the full moon, a procession of celestial beings led by the Buddha descends from the Moon, and Miyatsuko is unable to stop it. An attendant offers Kaguya a robe that will erase her memories of Earth. She is granted one last moment with her parents before an attendant drapes the robe around her, appearing to erase her memory. They leave, and Miyatsuko and his wife are distraught. Kaguya looks back at Earth one last time, and cries silently as she remembers her mortal life.

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