The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

What’s it about?

Kaguya, a beautiful young woman, is sought after by five noble men who want to marry her. To try and avoid becoming the wife of a stranger she doesn’t love, she sends the men on seemingly impossible tasks to prove their love.

The facts 

• Directed by Isao Takahata
• Japanese language, with English subtitles
• Runtime: 137 minutes
• Animated film by Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Ponyo)

Why did it get this rating? 

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Violence

There is some low level violence which may upset young viewers, the strongest scenes include: 

• A character receives a scrape from falling downhill. After noticing blood, they bandage the wound.
• A young man is beaten in the head and chest before he falls unconscious.
• One person falls on his back, and it is later revealed that he died shortly afterwards.
• Some arrows are shot at people, but no one is hit.

Nudity

There are a few scenes depicting non-sexual nudity. Naked cartoon children and babies and a male toddler’s genitals are shown in one scene. Two scenes show women breast-feeding their babies, one of which depicts a close-up shot of the mother’s nude breast and nipple.

Mature themes

An older man grabs a young girl, telling her that he means to abduct her and make her one of his girls. She is shocked and frightened upon hearing this.

When content stays with you: 

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters