Summary Notes!
Hi! These notes contain spoilers for the film so keep reading at your own discretion
-A bamboo cutter named Sanuki no Miyatsuko discovers a miniature girl (smaller than his hand) inside a glowing bamboo shoot
-he thought she was a divine presence, Miyatsuko and his wife decide to raise her as their own, calling her "Princess" because she looked beautiful
-She grows rapidly, aging to her teen years in the span of maybe a few months, so kids from a nearby village gave her the nickname "Takenoko" (Little Bamboo)
-Sutemaru, the oldest among Kaguya's friends, develops a close relationship with her
-the father sees a bright light from the bamboo trees again, this time he finds gold and then fine cloth -sees this as proof of her divine royalty and begins planning to make her a proper princess - relocates the family to the capital (after her mansion was built), forcing her to leave her friends without notice
-after her journey to the capital she finds servants and fine clothing, appears to be happy
-She is guided by a governess who is tasked with turning her into a proper noblewoman. -Takenoko struggles with the restraints of nobility, as she grew up with a lot of freedom
-When she comes of age, she is granted the formal name of "Princess Kaguya", her “Name Father” was astounded by her beauty and presence
-father holds a celebration in commemoration of Kaguya's naming (lasted 3 days and nights) - At the celebration, Kaguya overhears guests making fun of 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* >explain this scene >Kaguya’s emotions are stipped away and replaced with formalities, almost like she was manufactured to be someone she doesn’t want to be >the style’s fluidity crumbles at this point, showing very expressive emotions (this is probably now my favourite scene out of any movie I’ve watched) >she knocks over walls and doors and loses layer after layer of cloth that symbolized her imprisonment, she was breaking free of the life she did not want
- a stranger near the village informs her that they may be back in a decade when the mountain is full of life again
- Kaguya passes out in the snow with pink flying creatures flying around her and wakes up back at the party
-Kaguya changes drastically, she no longer disobeys the governess and agreed to pluck her eyebrows and colour her teeth black, she is fixated on her studies
-She grows in beauty, attracting hordes of suitors. Five men of the most noble men in the land try to court her, comparing her to mythical treasures -not wanting to marry any of them, Kaguya tells them she will only marry whoever can bring her the mythical treasure that they described her to be
-Two suitors unsuccessfully attempt to persuade her with fakes, the third abandons his quest out of cowardice, and the fourth attempts to woo her with flattering lies, only to be caught by his wife -when one of the men is killed in his quest, Kaguya falls into depression -she destroys her garden yelling “fake”
-eventually, the Emperor takes notice of her, but Kaguya refuses, so the emperor decides to make a quiet visit
-he is taken by her beauty, he makes advances toward her (embraces her from behind), revolting her
-Kaguya then demonstrates the ability to disappear at will??
-Understanding that he has been too forward, the Emperor takes his leave.
-Kaguya cries to the moon, praying for protection
-She reveals to her parents that she originally came from the moon??
-Once a resident of the Moon, she broke its laws, hoping to be exiled to Earth, so that she could experience the emotions another woman felt (she was also exiled to earth but returned)
-When the Emperor made his advances, she silently begged the Moon to help her -having heard her prayer, the Moon will reclaim her during the next full moon (in 15 days)
-Kaguya confesses her attachment to Earth and her reluctance to leave.
-Miyatsuko swears to protect Kaguya and begins assembling defensive forces (he also created a wall around the mansion
-Kaguya returns to her hometown in the mountains once more. She finds Sutemaru and tells him she would have been happiest with him; Sutemaru vows to protect her.
-The two run around the grass field and Kaguya demonstrates the ability to fly.
-she loses the power after seeing the moon and drops into the water
-Sutemaru wakes up on the grass field, thinking it was a dream, while Kaguya wakes up back in the carriage
-On the night of the full moon, a procession of celestial beings descends from the Moon, and Miyatsuko is unable to stop it
-one of the celestial beings offer Kaguya a robe that will erase her memories of Earth. Kaguya begs the attendant to grant her a last moment with her parents.
-The being assures her that upon returning to the Moon, she will be free of Earth's impurities
-Kaguya exclaims that the Earth is full of wonder and life -the being drapes the robe around Kaguya, and she appears to forget about her life on Earth
-the procession ascends to the Moon, leaving Miyatsuko and his wife distraught, as Kaguya looks back one last time with tears in her eyes
