ElMaruecan82
The misfortune of Hayao Miyazaki's "Kiki Delivery's Service" is its release the same year than Walt Disney's "Little Mermaid". Disney Renaissance wasn't definitely established and Miyazaki wasn't totally unknown, his "Nausicaa" and "My Neigbor Totoro" pleased both audiences and critics although their commercial success was notable at best, but there's something of a 'missed opportunity' in Kiki.Indeed, everyone praised "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away" as Miyazaki's greatest achievements but to put it simply, the 1989 offering of Stuido Ghibli is nothing short of masterful. It might not play in the same league of escapist fantasy than the story of a little mermaid who dreams to discover the world of humans, but this is a field Miyazaki isn't interested in. He doesn't explore a witch story to satisfy some enthusiastic craving for magic and special effects, his maturity flies over predictability. And what Miyazaki accomplishes is a little miracle: a witch story set in a realistic environment, with a set of rules and limitations Kiki must either obey or overcome, and fantasy as a set-up but not an excuse for plot contrivances."Kiki Delivery Service" can in fact be regarded as a reverse "Spirited Away". While the 2001 journey involved a 'normal' girl evolving in a fantasy universe, Kiki is a 13-year old trainee witch who must find her place in the real world. Her age is obviously a nod to adolescence (the most suitable life chapter for a coming-of-age story) where Kiki will fit in the tough 'normality' of the world and learn the value of hard work, independence and interactions with kids of her age, especially Tombo, a geeky little boy passionate about aviation and Kiki's flying skills. By the way, her magical broom is the only concession made to fantasy archetypes, otherwise, Kiki is as 'limited' and 'normal' than any girl.And that's precisely what makes her evolution so captivating. Kiki looks like a living archetype with the broom, the black dress she must be wearing, not to mention the black cat, a funny little sidekick named Jiji, but at the same time, she has many 'average girl' attitudes, she hates her dress and wears a big pink bow as an accessory. She's not even your typical anguish outsider, she comes from a very loving family and everyone celebrates her departure from the village to discover the world, as a ritual for every witch at the age of 13. Miyazaki intended to make Kiki the embodiment of little Tokyo girls in transitional phase, looking for emancipation.And it doesn't take a Harvard philosophy degree to see in her flying, less a magical power than a real metaphor of girls' emancipation over the burdens of tradition. It might even symbolize Miyazaki's own emancipation from the usual archetypes of animation as his story features no villain, it doesn't overplay the magical elements, Kiki doesn't go to some sorcerer's school à la Harry Potter, but she'll learn to accommodate her powers with a real place in the world by providing a delivery service for a gentle pregnant baker named Osono... and many other things. There's a mix of escapism and realism that could have been a real revolution if it wasn't for thunder-stealer Disney. Yet, the more I saw Kiki (four times in the same weekend) the more old- fashioned "Little Mermaid" appeared.Indeed, Ariel starts as a girl who wants to get off the sea, but once she (literally) sets the foot in human world, her quest turns into a romance with Prince Eric. Kiki might be younger than Ariel, but what Miyazaki offers us is all the steps between childhood and youth: finding your path, your role, your place and gaining enough self-esteem to open yourself to people. The arrival in the city contains many interesting elements such as Kiki's enthusiasm being immediately spoiled by people's carelessness and a policeman's anger. But once Tombo approaches her, she's shown as capable of rejection and their relationship will take time to build.And as usual in Miyazaki's world, like in all the anime I grew up, there are many scenes that (on a script level) shows nothing "special", scenes involving Kiki buying furniture, giving money, asking for receipt, scenes where she goes to the bathroom, scenes that have no other intent than setting the story in realistic world and highlighting the maturity of Ghibli studios over Disney, where even static moments are hypnotic. Time is also capital in the way it can affect Kiki's self-confidence and undermine her power. Miyazaki took liberties with the original story was made of little episodes and needed stronger ordeals for Kiki, and what worse for a witch than losing the ability to fly?That moment is paralleled with a similar story that happened to her friend, a young painter named Ursula, who went through an artist block, and realized it helped her to put in more discipline in her work, to find herself, her voice and style. Losing the ability to fly and communicate with her cat will cause Kiki to lose confidence, but it will also help her to overcome her own personal demons and be able to fit within the others, by staying true to herself and in the process, save Tombo during the film's climax. And in this time where female power is evoked, it's interesting to note that the heroine is a female and she's the one who ends up saving the boy, I don't know if she was meant to be feminist but she genuinely is.If there's ever a world I would associate with "Kiki Delivery Service", it's emancipation, Kiki discovering the world, overcoming her demons and Miyazaki showing that even in the most banal settings, he could draw the most beautiful and poetic stories, proving that Japan wasn't just the land of the rising sun but of a rising awareness of what animation should stand for: beautiful, mesmerizing but respecting people's intelligence, adults and kids.
Brian Davids (rustgold)
There's only a couple of tiny things I thought could have been better. Kiki comes off as rude to the boy, and you can't understand why the boy would like her. However, if you understand old cultural morals, that a girl isn't supposed to talk to strange boys, and not being rude would have been a blight on her character, the perspective of her interactions changes. The original Japanese version also showed an additional reason for her reaction, and when the English version toned down his original comment about her clothes, the English dubbers didn't quite convey it as well.Overall, it's a beautiful rendition of an alternative Europe. When you want to relax and do nothing one evening, get a cup of cocoa, tuck yourself under a warm blanket, and watch this.Btw: Don't listen to those disparaging the English version. Having now watched both versions, the English dubbed version is better in at least 90% of incidences where there's differences. So unless you have an incurable dislike to the westernised version of anything, watch the English dubbed version with Japanese music, it's the best.
bloodshot_sky
Kiki is a witch who has reached adolescences and decides to move to a new town to find her calling. After a series of insightful experiences she decides to be a courier for a bakery. Over the course of her career she grows as a person and as a business person while struggling with all the difficulties of growing up and finding hardship. I realized very early on that this movie can be seen as an allegory for a young person moving to a new town and finding a new job and all the struggles and joys that come with that experience. Once again Studio Ghibli hits the perfect tone to express such a story as this as it's both whimsical and fantastical while still being relatable and set in a real world situation. One of my favorite things about this movie is how much the town is a big character. The setting of every Miyazaki film plays a big, memorable role in his films but I felt like Kiki's town was the most memorable and distinguishable. It might have been the directors approach to taking time to observe the people in the town as they walk around doing their business, or how he explores as many locations as possible. It all feels very real and special. The characters were all very enjoyable and well fleshed out, each one was memorable and added to the great appeal of the community that Kiki is navigating.My only criticism is the ending was a bit abrupt and felt a little rushed. Although Kiki saving her love interest from the blimp made for a heart touching and symbolic moment, it felt a little too over the top for a movie that was very low key and personal. I think by adding this huge disaster situation it took away from the real emotional challenges Kiki had to get over. Almost felt like a superhero ending when I would have rather preferred something more emotional and realistic, like her returning home and giving up then coming back to the city when she realizes what she has given up. I don't know, i'm not miyazaki... I'll have to give this movie another watch to fully appreciate the whole picture, but from my first viewing I do absolutely love it and I'd consider it essential Studio Ghibli cannon. I'd love to have a package delivered by a witch.
