This column contains major spoilers for “Cosmic Princess Kaguya,” a brand-new anime film on Netflix, so proceed with caution if you plan to watch the movie anytime soon.
There is a well-known Japanese folktale dating all the way back to the Heian period dubbed The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. One day, an old bamboo cutter cuts open a bamboo stalk only to find an infant inside. Having been childless his whole life, he and his wife adopt the child and name her Kaguya. After becoming an adult in only a few months, her beauty attracts many suitors who wish for her hand in marriage, only to be challenged with impossible tasks in order to win her over. At the end, Kaguya’s true origins are revealed and she returns to the Moon, her true home.
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Centuries later, the classic tale returns on Netflix as a brand-new reimagining with modern twists.
Instead of following an old bamboo cutter, the movie now follows Iroha Sakayori, a high school student who splits her time between school and the virtual world Tsukuyomi. However, her world is shaken when she encounters the titular Kaguya in infant form.
Kaguya grows up as quickly as she did in the folktale, but after this the plot begins to deviate. In this modern retelling, instead of dealing with potential suitors, she decides to become a rising star in Tsukuyomi and enlists Iroha to help her reach this dream. Her main motivation comes from a contest within Tsukuyomi where the winner will perform alongside Yachiyo, a digital idol that everyone including Iroha admires. I found this to be a fun and interesting inversion. Instead of challenging others, Kaguya is the one taking on a massive challenge for a chance to stand with Yachiyo.
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I found the overall relationship between Iroha and Kaguya to be endearing and funny. Despite acting cold and annoyed by Kaguya’s antics, Iroha’s initial behavior is understandable, considering the sudden change thrust upon her. However, she does grow to become more supportive of Kaguya’s goals of becoming a popular streamer and develops a genuine bond with her. As a result of this friendship, Iroha learns to loosen up and reconnect with her prior passion for music.
While Kaguya’s childishness and loud energy may come off as annoying to some viewers, it never irritated me. In fact, I found her to be a very fun character throughout the movie. She herself doesn’t undergo as much character development, but Kaguya’s change is quite notable as becomes more mature and caring without losing the cheerful, optimistic attitude that she exuded from the beginning.
Following Kaguya and Iroha’s friendship arc, the movie takes an even wilder turn. As it turns out, Kaguya did try to leave the moon again in order to reunite with Iroha, but had accidentally traveled back 8,000 years in the past. With no way to leave her ship, she waited for centuries until Tsukuyomi could be created, where she could then be uploaded as a digital avatar. Here, the final twist is revealed: Yachiyo was Kaguya as a digital avatar this whole time.
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Even after taking some time to process everything that was revealed in the final act, I am still unsure how to feel about it overall. I didn’t dislike the movie, yet I still cannot let go of the shock and confusion that I felt when I saw the twists for the first time. The movie was already said to take place sometime in the near future, yet I had no idea it would incorporate time travel into its main plot. In the end, however, this does lead to a happy and satisfactory ending, where Iroha manages to successfully bring back Kaguya as an android and the both continue their life as performers.
Finally, this movie is visually very impressive, with one of its most interesting aspects being the use of 3D models within the usual 2D animation. The 3D models are primarily used for the virtual world of Tsukuyomi in order to show off its sprawling landscape and contrast it with the real world. Even though the real world isn’t depicted as being visually dull, the contrast is meant to show just how lively and colorful Tsukuyomi is in comparison. Additionally, the architecture design helps draw a contrast between the real and virtual worlds. While the real world has a futuristic aesthetic, Tsukuyomi remains primarily rooted in traditional Japanese architecture. It helps the film retain the original tale’s ancient and mythological roots while giving it a modern coat of paint.
Overall, I found “Cosmic Princess Kaguya” to be a very pleasant watch. The movie is a creative and fascinating reimagining of the classic Japanese story that takes great advantage of its far more modern setting, even if it does go off the rails in its final act. Even if you have never heard of or read the original folktale, I believe that you will find some enjoyment in this film.
Joon Kim PO ’26 doesn’t have a preference between subs or dubs in anime and would rather stay away from the debate. Sometimes, he will watch the subbed version. Other times, he’s in the mood to watch with a dub.
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