Live Action Kiki's Delivery Service

Photo: Danny Choo

If you’re someone who feels an intense need for independence, feels like an outsider, or you’re going through a rough patch where your creative state of mind isn’t functioning, this is the film for you. About a year ago I heard my favorite YouTuber CutiePieMarzia (Marzia Bisognin, also known as Pewdiepie’s girlfriend) talk about this movie in one of her favorites of the month video. I thought about watching it along with other Studio Ghibli movies but I kept forgetting cause that’s just how my brain works. Then I joined the Japanese Culture Appreciation Club at my university and this movie was on the movie list, I totally forgot about it even after I had it on my agenda. But no more! I decided to look it up on YouTube and thankfully they had the full version. God bless! After having watched My Neighbor Totoro last semester I just knew director Hayao Miyazaki would not disappoint. Kiki’s Delivery Service touched my heart, as a young adult I felt identified with Kiki and I just fell in love with her character.

Kiki is a 13-year-old witch who decides to leave her home to begin her with training, because that was the age all witches were supposed to leave. Though skeptical at first her parents support her, her mother gives her a black dress that’s traditional for witches to wear and even though Kiki doesn’t like it her mother reminds her it’s what’s on the inside that matters. She leaves flying her mother’s broom along with her feline companion Jiji, looking for a city to live in; preferably one close to the ocean. She finally arrives to the city of Koriko which is near the ocean and has this elegant European style architecture, when she tries to introduce herself to people they just try to avoid her because they feel uncomfortable after seeing her arrive on a broomstick. At first she feels very lost on where to stay at, until she helps out Osono the owner of a bakery and she offers her a place to stay behind the bakery. Kiki then decides to start a delivery service by broomstick to earn some money and she occasionally helps out at the bakery. She starts to make friends, like Tombo a boy she met when she first arrived but found him to be very annoying along with his friends until they go out to test his bicycle, Ursula an teenage artist who lives alone in the woods and helps Kiki one time her first delivery went wrong, and a friendly old lady who needed help baking her special pie when her modern oven wasn’t working. Even so she feels like an outsider, and suddenly she can’t fly anymore which leads her into depression, along with her not being able to understand Jiji anymore. She doesn’t understand what’s going on, she doesn’t do deliveries anymore and doesn’t talk to Tombo either. Then Ursula comes to visit and explains that maybe she is suffering from a sort of mental block, that in order to get her powers back she needs to find a sense of purpose. One day she visits the old lady she once helped and then sees Tombo on T.V. in danger gaming from the air craft. She runs downtown to save him and regains her flying powers.

This film basically talks about the struggles of living on your own, you’re so excited to be independent but there are many things to consider like : money, a place to stay, transportation, a job, food, clothing, the bills you need to pay,etc. Kiki was very lucky by meeting Osono and that she was able to provide money and a roof for Kiki. Also the outsider theme is something we can all relate to when were in a new place, seeing people different than us and feel we need to be like them to fit in. The theme I loved the most was the mental block she had which didn’t permit her to fly, I’m a film mayor and I get writer’s block a lot of the time (my main inspiration is music) it makes me feel as if I’m no good like I have no purpose in the world if I can’t write anything. But thanks to my classes I don’t feel so alone when I’ve heard other people have felt the same as me and have managed to create great films. So this movie will be close to my heart, it was definitely for me in a sense and for a lot of young people that need to find themselves. It was a colorful and imaginative film putting the concept of witches on a new perspective, the European style of the city was so charming and just separates the story a bit from what we see in normal Japan.

This movie won around 15 well-deserved awards including: Best Anime, Best Theme Song and Best Female Character at the 12th Anime Grand Prix and was the first movie to be released under the partnership of Studio Ghibli and The Walt Disney Company.

I highly recommend this movie and the rest from Hayao Miyazaki, don’t give it a second thought, just make sure you get cozy and no one bothers (I’ve had to pause it many times but I still managed to enjoy it). Have fun!

I rate this movie 5.8 out of five Broomsticks