Kiki’s Delivery Service

Japanese Title: Majo no Takyuubin
Also Known As: Kiki
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Format: 1 Movie
Allegiance: Ghibli
Director: Miyazaki Hayao
Vintage: 1989
Intelligence Agency Report by: Dave K
Kiki is a young witch who has recently turned 13. As per tradition, she must now move away to another city where there is no other witch to train for a year. So with her black cat Jiji and her mother’s broom, Kiki sets off to find a town of her own, unsure just what to expect.

Field Agent Report by: Dave K
Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio
8.50
9.50
9.50
8.75
9.00
Overall 9.00
(not an average)

Kiki’s Delivery Service is quite possibly the most unique movie there is. Throughout the movie, there is a complete lack of an antagonist, yet somehow this lack of major conflict works in a way that is much too difficult to explain in a mere review. Not to say there isn’t antagonism however. Obviously, Kiki still runs into difficulties because otherwise the movie would be completely pointless. The best thing is that movie manages remains very energetic and uplifting as Kiki deals with her troubles and forms new relationships.

The movie’s plot is completely character driven, centering around Kiki and how she deals with the various troubles that come her way. All the other characters are present to either help or hinder Kiki in some way and to make her grow as a character. The interaction between the characters is some of the best you will ever see. Tombo in his own right is a humourous character, but when he and Kiki are together it is just so much better. Jiji is also excellent at bring witty commentary to the movie; all of the side characters bring with them something that nearly anyone can relate to. The concept of relationships is a topic Miyazaki tries to drive home in this movie.

Like most Ghibli films (especially those done by Miyazaki) Kiki is quite well done visually. The artwork probably won’t blow you away like Spirited Away’s or Princess Mononoke’s might; but it is definitely very well done, especially when you take into consideration that it is made in 1989. On the audio side once again Kiki is well done; but once again this is to be expected when Takahata Isao is the music director and Hisaishi Jo is the producer. The seiyuu cast does a marvelous job with the characters which really helps bring the movie to life. The dub cast also does a decent job portraying the characters, although the translation is off by a fair margin at some points. I especially in enjoyed the voice acting of the late Phil Hartman (Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure from The Simpsons) as Jiji.

Overall, Kiki is a great movie, although it may not appeal to people who have a taste for fast paced action anime. However, if you want a feel-good story to help make yourself feel better, there is nothing better then watching Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s like Prozac® without the drugs.