Cosmic Princess Kaguya Review: Flawed story, phenomenal characters

Brighton Nelson

26 Feb 2026 — 5 min read

A big shoutout to my favorite worker at my nearby Regal Cinema, Ashley, for letting me know about the new, original anime movie that dropped on Netflix, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! As soon as I heard the elevator pitch of this film, I was quite intrigued. While I was a little skeptical of its lengthy runtime, I'm often glad when great films are even longer, so it wasn't a turn-off at all. I'm not quite a weeb or a major anime watcher because I struggle to justify the time commitment required to watch most anime, but I check out every anime movie I can, with hits like Weathering with You, A Silent Voice, and Your Name all placing within my top fifteen movies of all time. So, I'm maybe not the most qualified reviewer around, but I'm still an anime lover nonetheless, so I hope you can forgive my shortcomings as we dive into today's Cosmic Princess Kaguya! review here on The Reel Ranker. Thanks so much for joining me, and I hope you enjoy this article!

As I do in most reviews, I will start with the negatives and then move into the positives, so we can save the best, juicy bits for last. My only notable negatives with this film are its slightly rushed conclusion and its runtime being a little too bogged down by the virtual stuff. The conclusion has deeply emotional elements about the lengths one will go to for those they love, yet it doesn't fully unpack the strong subject matter in a way that's as satisfying as I'd like. More importantly, while the film's runtime is exactly as long as I want it, I felt there should've been far more emphasis on the real-world scenes and cosmic elements, since every scene in the real world is pure magic. In contrast, the virtual world stuff feels more like traditional anime fare plus a mobile gacha game. While I wouldn't remove the virtual world entirely, focusing far more on the duo's true emotional core would've made this an instant anime hit for me, rather than "just" a really good movie.

However, the emotional core of this film is incredible throughout and entirely captivating. Seeing the sisterhood between Kaguya and Iroha blossom into something more was beautiful, and, while it was a little odd that Kaguya starts out as a baby and not a romantic interest, the speed at which she grows up makes it feel more like that's how people are delivered from the moon than any sort of, you know, weird anime pedophilia. I don't think anyone who watches this film will be too weirded out, unless they're just homophobic or something.

Bro's just asking to be a secondary antagonist in the next Fire Emblem game.

Anyway, to get back on track, both the lead characters have so much charm and personality that, despite not loving the plot, I loved the film. I love films that focus on the beauty of mundane actions that bring people closer together, and how the mundane supersedes the wonder of the plot's fantastical elements. This is a common theme in the recent works of Makoto Shinkai, and there's a reason I absolutely eat those films up; after all, this feels like a marriage of my favorite elements of Shinkai's work and Mamoru Hosoda's Belle, though it does some elements better and some worse than those films.

The style and animation here are also perfectly done. While some of the virtual world stuff wasn't the most interesting to me in its storytelling, its presentation was just a visual wonder. I mean, it looks like a lot of other anime projects, but those all also look incredible. Look at the picture below... the attention to detail in this one room is just absurd, I couldn't have even thought of enough unique items to put in this frame to make it look this good!

The Reel Ranker Verdict

Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 78%
Letter Score: A
Star Ranking: 4 out of 5

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is a beautiful film, both visually and narratively. While it gets bogged down in some weaker animated tropes rooted in virtual avatars and MMO experiences, the core sisterhood and eventual blossoming romance are extraordinary beyond my expectations. If you love fun characters and the beautifully mundane bonds that can overcome anything that comes their way, this is a film that you will hold close to your heart for years to come.

Interested in checking out my reviews for some other recent animated projects? Check them out below!