Review of “Cosmic Princess Kaguya!” – A mind-bending anime inspired by Japanese folklore, exploring a pop-infused virtual reality.

Never has a film been more deserving of an exclamation mark than this vibrant animation from Japan. *Cosmic Princess Kaguya!* is a fresh take on a classic Japanese folk tale about a princess from the moon, who is discovered within a bamboo stalk by a poor family in a rural village. A decade prior, Studio Ghibli brought this enchanting story to life with *a breathtakingly animated film*, illustrated in a traditional hand-painted style that resonates with charm and nostalgia. However, this latest adaptation diverges significantly—a high-energy, techno-centric anime set in a near-futuristic world that bursts with visual stimuli, emojis, and stickers that dance across the screen as if energized by the high beats of TikTok.

The narrative kicks off with Iroha, a 17-year-old high school student who discovers a baby girl inside a luminous lamppost—shifting away from the original’s bamboo stalk. Voiced by Dawn M Bennett in the English dub, Iroha is portrayed as a sensible and driven individual; she’s a talented musician and an excellent student who has already taken the bold step of moving out from her family home. Living alone in a cramped studio apartment, she works tirelessly to cover her rent. In her limited free time, Iroha immerses herself in the chaotic virtual reality realm of Tsukuyomi, fervently following her idol, Yachiyo, a musical megastar whose influence saturates this futuristic landscape.

When Iroha takes the baby home, she is in for a wild surprise. Overnight, the newborn grows into a toddler, and within days, she transforms into a pre-teen named Kaguya—a strikingly pale and ethereal beauty. It quickly becomes clear that Kaguya is much more than she seems; she is, in fact, a runaway from the moon, injecting an impulsive burst of energy into Iroha’s otherwise manageable life. Kaguya convinces Iroha to join her in creating songs for an upcoming competition, where they hope to perform alongside the superstar Yachiyo. However, their musical endeavors are anything but conventional, lacking both catchiness and coherence, as the plot zips around with a frenetic pace that might leave audiences over the age of 15 feeling drastically more elderly than the ancient tale itself.