The art style is closer to My Neighbors the Yamadas, and not surprising really since they share the same director, Isao Takahata.
And at 137 minutes it's the longest Studio Ghibli movie to date, with Princess Mononoke a close second.
The story, partly aided by the painterly art style and the opening narration, give the whole story a very fairy tale vibe... of course the fact that it's a story about a baby found in a glowing stalk of bamboo and raise by a bamboo cutter and his wife also helps.
And it does definitely tick off a number of the fairy tale tropes. But at the same time it also has a Japanese historical vibe.
The version we were watching was the English dub, so I don't know if there were some liberties taken with the translation... however there were a few instances of the characters saying things that didn't 100% make sense and also things that made certain characters less likeable.
Overall it wasn't the best of the Ghibli movies, but it wasn't bad.
yani's rating: 2 bamboo shoots out of 5
1 comment:
I was so upset that I missed this at the theater, and will now have to wait for the DVD.
When I saw the previews I thought it looked like My Neighbors the Yamadas. Which is one of my all time favorite Studio Bhibli movie. Now that I know its by the same director, I really cant wait for the video.
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