Take A Pick Tuesday: "The Tale of Princess Kaguya"

 Take A Pick Tuesday: The Tale of Princess Kaguya “Chances”

 

With the Tale of Princess Kagyua nominated for best animated feature at the Oscars, some might ask or feel it’s not worth to ask, I’ll pose the question though, what are the film’s chances of taking the golden statue home. I say not asking because many have their reservations when it comes to the Oscars, some things tend to be a bit predictable and how many movies have we wished would get nominated and wasn’t. I pose the question though because on occasion the unpredictable happens, I never expected Spirited Away to win best animated feature and yet it did. As an anime fan we feel the rest of the world is far away from understanding what we do, a fair opinion, to us anime is much like TV, you have certain shows with critical acclaim, others less so, something though we watch both. Movies are the same, great films come out at different seasons for different reasons and the majority don’t find their way to the Oscars. To some even playing the foreign card doesn’t work, there is a whole category for Foreign films in the United States and their acclaim can be taken seriously, mostly because it’s help shaped film and Hollywood movies in general. So couldn’t the same be said for anime of the present, the past and the future, well of course it can and I think there is a bit of pride in seeing something you’re a fan of being noticed by others. No it doesn’t need to be noticed per say, we watch it to enjoy it but I can’t really see a fault with an anime film getting nominated or even winning.

  The film is breathtaking in every sense of the word but that might not be too surprising considering it’s coming from Isao Takahata, the director of Grave of The Fireflies, Pom Poko, My Neighbors The Yamadas and many other titles you really should take the time to look for, find and watch. Someone of course had to enjoy the film for it to get nominated and if you’ve kept up on anime news, you’ll see it has been in several film festivals as anime often does. Still some might say it isn’t worth bothering when all the other big wig companies have their films in there for nomination as well, Disney’s Big Hero 6, Dreamwork’s How To Train Your Dragon 2 (which snagged the golden globe), Laika’s Boxtrolls and the Irish film Song Of The Sea. To its competition’s credit all the films nominated were fantastic and certainly they do deserve the nod. I’ve heard a lot things said about 2014’s year in animation but I found it to be stronger than the previous year, not only that but the choices are more diverse, many of the films even the mainstream ones did something truly unique with their story telling and some their animation. Naturally there are plenty that aren’t mentioned but there are certainly far more in the category than when the Academy had reduced the selection to only three.

 

       The reason that people are still interested in the Academy Awards despite films getting a better shot in other awards shows is because I think they’re waiting for something surprising to happen. The chance isn’t all that lost on the film, the director is while not as recognizable as Hayao Miyazaki to the average audience excluding most of the anime community, someone with a amazing track record with film. This is his final film, he’s a part of a prestigious studio in which this would be their fourth nomination. The story in it is very potent and not nearly as predictable and formulated as average film can be at times. So there is definitely a chance but still the question is why bother, well there is a greater reason I think.

 

         That real thing is just simply being pleased that it was nominated at all instead of focusing  on if it stands a chance let’s instead, more so because there is plenty to enjoy about the film. Going into it, I had read that visually it would be stunning and of course the trailer did a good just of making that example, though there shouldn’t be cause for concern with Takahata’s film, the real question was story. What I got from it was something very potent, in fact much is said without the characters really having to say it and then of course there are the things that were said. A middle aged bamboo cuter finds a little girl inside who he brings home to his wife, a girl he can only imagine was sent by those who hoped she would have a great purpose in life, expectations are the key here. The girl who the man begins to call Princess and the kids in the village call Little Bamboo, gets older in a  matter of minutes, sometimes she’ll be doing something like playing with the children and then you’ll see her getting taller, older. It’s subtle though not so much that you don't notice the slight change but it isn’t center stage, naturally the characters notice this too. Right from the start it seems as though this girl has brought something from somewhere, yet as mysterious as being found in bamboo can be, she seems content in the life that she has. Unfortunately she isn’t the only thing that is found in the bamboo, kimonos and gold and this is enough to convince the man that found her, now her father, that she deserves a better life. One in the capital as opposed to life in the village, the problem is he doesn’t ask her if she would want that and while his love for her is clear it shows that a parent’s hopes and expectations being placed on their child, especially when it seems they are the ones getting the pleasure out of it, can be a crushing thing.  It’s sad to see because though the life may have seemed too simple to her father in where she was, it was life that she was truly happy in, the greatest concern that a parent should have.

 

       While it’s sad to see the girl taken from her home, it does show what Takahata always excels in doing, capturing moments in japan, whether present or a part of history, if you don’t know as much about certain eras of japan or certain customs at one time or another than you will find this movie to be the perfect opportunity to introduce you to it. How did they prepare princesses with the make up, what do they change about them, how must they walk at this particular period, how ediquette diticated that they must sit behind  blinds anytime a suitor came knocking, and why was it considered a thing of beauty for those with Kaguya's teeth to be colored black.  The importance of learning to play an instrument. Worth researching and reading about yourself if the film brings the interest to you.  For they are things that are enlightening to those who do not know but all the more isolating for Kaguya.  All of it was meant to be for Kaguya’s wellbeing but at the cost of the girl who once she comes of age seems to have to be subjected to suitors at her father’s whim, spending most of her time trying to drive them away, sometimes with disasterous results. She is torn between her desire to be free as she was and making her father happy.

      It’s unfortunate that her mother can’t change what’s happening but it’s also a sign of the times. Can Princess Kaguya find a way to be happy in a life she had already been happy with in the beginning? In some ways she certainly tries to but the film is realistic in showing the limitations in this. Yet there are moments of escape in simply wishing to be away, something more rooted to her being found in the bamboo.  As heartbreaking as the film can be at times and as serene in other moments it’s easy on the eyes. Resembling a Japanese painting the film is versatile in going from colors warm and loose like a vivid dream, white present in a majority of these moments on the edges, melding with parts of the background to scenes that call for rapid movement, tension or portray the inner turmoil of the girl.  At times grey comes in floods and the animation can depict tranquil beauty as it can show scenes of despair. That’s only a hint of the wonderful animation you would be in store for. Of course one of the scenes that shines in this can be found in the trailer where it seems all she wants to do is run from where she is, breaking down the doors as she runs and shedding the kimonos, the expectations of her father, the life she has come to hate.

 

        The film of course is based on the folktale, The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter. While the story does unravel as if it is one, it also feels very personal, which I’ve always liked about Takahata’s films even when there is humor and in some works a zany factor at times, there is deep heart to the stories. While people might debate on which film is the director’s best for years to come, you can truly say that this was a great symbolic farewell to film and anime in general which he helped change so much. When we look at that it helps to not think about if the film is going to win or not, instead it’s easier to understand that Isao Takahata’s goodbye to anime was so important to so many.