Kiki's Delivery Service

As a child, I probably watched the English version of this over 100 times. "Soaring" and "I'm Gonna Fly" are precious songs to me, to the extent I felt I'd tear up if I heard them again, and I did. I remember my mother would constantly quote Osono's lines about the pacifier. As odd as it may be to admit, Kiki is a childhood influence of mine; the first character in an anime I looked up to. She partly helped shape my personality as a child, and is a big reason why I talk the way I do to this day. As this child, I was completely changed by the world of Kiki's Delivery Service, and the purity of it's cast and personalities. Somewhere, my old VHS copy is still there, though I cannot play it anymore. Now, I got the chance to sit down and finally take a look at the original Japanese version of this after all these years. The differences are surprising.

Sitting down and watching this film again after all these years felt like sitting down during a reunion with an old friend. As much as I appreciate it, I was making fun of it also while watching it. I was treating this film more like a friend, as embarrassing as that is. Still, the differences are many, as I could not help but notice, considering that the film had been burned into my memory from all those years of watching it. The original is much more quieter. Maybe the Western attention span is that bad it needs more noise in dubs. The kids mention disco's, drink coffee, and at some point Kiki threatens her broom with death. Most surprising of all, is what the English version does with Jiji.

Because of my bias, I can't give this anything lower than a 10. I was too immersed and connected emotionally with it, and still am, that I can't go any lower. Still, all 10 out of 10's feel biased anyways.

Thinking about it now, Kiki's journey of leaving home at 13 to become a successful and independent witch feels a lot more dangerous. This could easily have turned into a dark story, as the fortune teller witch said: a lot can go wrong. Kiki is essentially throwing herself out into the wild city life as a minor and practically homeless. The city she happens to find appears to never have had a witch. She gets crushed that she doesn't feel she belongs, and the thought of failure and starting over in a new city felt hard for her to accept. It's not for certain, though it's implied by Bertha that witches are unfamiliar and more like legends there. Considering that, it's not surprising how everyone is shocked or scared to see Kiki for the most part. Seen as an anomaly, and asking permission to stay by asking random people for some odd reason, she gets outcasted. It gets even more ridiculous. She almost causes a bloody multi-vehicle car accident, evades arrest on broom, and becomes a fugitive. Sitting alone eating a sandwich she took, with her cat, and little money, the situation felt hopeless. If not for Osono, what could have happened? She's not Yabuki Joe, who could probably adapt to a jungle if he had to, though that unsettling feeling of isolation and hopelessness felt harsh to watch.

Not being used to the city life, Kiki even almost gets run over by a car, as she is not used to looking both ways. All she could do at the moment was window shop and wish about material possessions that seemed impossible for her to acquire, and feel frustrated by the stylish clothes of the street kids because she still had not accepted and embraced her weirdness. She meets a kid named Tombo that seemed as if he was an obsessed stalker that is into witches, though he actually means well. Kiki gets upset with him seeing as though she is very formal, and he isn't. Not only that, he was showing her off as something cool rather than human. After a few more frustrating interactions, she does decide to go to a party of his, despite that she was mad at him. Was she being nice? She was already talking about boyfriends, and looking out the window bored looking a bit envious of the couples passing by the bakery. Why not give him a chance? Regardless, it's also a good way to make friends since she had barely any at all at the time. Then there is Osono, pulling strings in the background for Tombo.

It's interesting now, considering Ubereats exists, that she takes up a flying delivery service. Hopefully this doesn't inspire someone to try to revive and probably ruin this film by modernizing it. The music is elegant and invokes emotions in me. Maybe the main theme repeats too much in the songs, though I was and still am charmed by it. Listening to the bittersweet end of "On a Clear Day..." fills me with elegance and makes my mind dance. To me, that's Kiki's theme song. I close my eyes, as it reminds me of my childhood and takes me into the world of this film with imagination. Then I have to pinch myself and remind myself to stop taking cartoons so seriously.

Eventually, Kiki begins to lose confidence and direction in her life. Despite her and Tombo start to bond, she could not accept his friends because the one rich snobby one was among the group. Not only that, she was going through a depressive state; a sort of writers block, though with flying. All she needed was a reason to get her powers back, and she finds something out of misfortune that aids her in this way.

My only complaint is that there is very little closure in the end, despite there is an epilogue. I was left with a wide gap of emptiness from the lack of it. It doesn't feel like it reaches a meaningful conclusion. Not everything needs an answer, though you would think the climax of the film would lead to something more overtly intimate. Despite it all, this film will always stay with me and in my heart. It's become more than a part of my life, but a part of me.