Iroha Sakayori, left, and Kaguya appear in “Cosmic Princess Kaguya!” (Netflix)
By Bennett Cohen
She’s a girl who lives alone. She works hard and barely gets by. Her friends care about her, but there’s not much they can do to help her with her situation. That description fits many students at Cape Cod Community College, but it also describes the main character of the movie “Cosmic Princess Kaguya!,” Iroha Sakayori.
The anime film, which released directly to streaming on Jan. 22, is a retelling of “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” a classic Japanese folk tale, about a princess from the moon, that ends in tragedy. With beautiful character designs by illustrators Hechima and Akihiro Nagae, the movie has become popular online.
There’s a lot to love about “Cosmic Princess Kaguya!,” including Iroha’s character arc. Initially cynical and self-sacrificing, she slowly learns to rely on others. She befriends the titular princess and finds joy again in life due to her influence. Over time, she becomes an adult who uses her connections to do exactly what she wants to do.
While it is a retelling, this movie differs a lot from the original story. This Kaguya is a lot more self-centered and spoiled, at least at first. Her main reason for coming to Earth is to escape her boring life. The two girls have one goal, ultimately: to make their own happy ending.
Asking the anime club at 4Cs led to some insight on why anime has become so popular lately. “[It’s] a combination of many things,” Caleb Costello-Haskell said, “… bandwagon trends, a decrease in people finding animated things too childish, and people being more willing to try things.”
Another member, Chelsey Whalen, said, “Covid-19 made people stay home and watch Netflix.”
It’s true that the pandemic exposed many to Japanese animation who would not have otherwise watched it. Will anime like “Cosmic Princess Kaguya!” continue to grow in popularity? We’ll have to wait and see.
“Cosmic Princess Kaguya!” is available to stream on Netflix.
