MAJO NO TAKKYUUBIN

DESCRIPTION

CAST

SPECIAL RomanceHUNGRY DAYS: Aoharu ka yo.

REVIEWS

• 

  FestivalsOfComf

  80/100
  A slice of life movie with coming of age elements that really showcase Ghibli Studio's abilities in a different context

  To set expectations correctly, this review is being written under a subjective lens and mainly enjoyment. If you come to expect opinions from a very critical sense, wrong place. A lot of people online come to expect reviews as such, this review ain’t gonna be like that. I just like to talk about anime I enjoy. And so this review is about such things. Sorry if this ain't what you're looking for.

  I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum!

  ---

  Majo no Takkyuubin or Kiki’s Delivery Service is a movie produced by Studio Ghibli with the movie being directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Released in the Summer of 1989. Now I’m watching this movie 31 years later, lol.

  Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. Gonna give it a 8/10.

  This movie is its own standalone film without a lot of typical anime tropes and japanese tropes. With a setting based outside of Japan with barely any connection to Japan, it is a rarity of me to see such a story told in anime. There is always that awkward push of japanese connection with the main character being related to Japan or the culture is very Japanese or some sort of awkward connection that makes the world feel not believably outside Japan. But no, instead this story is about Kiki and her world. To me, this is a plus. It’s a focus on doing its own thing and it does it well. It decides to build its own world and with Ghibli at the helm being masters at it, you can expect a really great setting and world they built.

  It’s not an action-packed story. It was never meant to be like that. It’s described as a coming of age story and it’s a goddamn enjoyable one. But I don’t think it should just be described as a coming of age story, it should be described as a slice of life with coming of age elements. Maybe they’re the same thing, lol. I just found that there were nice slices of life moments in the movie and nice character moments. Plot does not have a lot of focus but that’s not the main point, it’s more about the journey of the characters. While preceding events do build-up to thematic messages, it is best to take this movie with its own pace. Never felt like it dragged for me and every moment always mattered to me. Well, except certain points.

  You know how Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki have their own story tropes? Like I mentioned how they’re great at world-building. They’re also sometimes more conservative with technology or certain behaviours for technologies. There’s also always that huge climax. For a slice of movie like this, this can be sometimes seen as unnecessary. Though, I just laughed at certain moments saying Hey, Hayao Miyazaki. Sometimes this can be negative for some people, but it’s a Ghibli movie, you should sort of expect some of it haha. Regardless, the thematic movies are quite profound for coming of age and topnotch. Well-done to Hayao Miyazaki for presenting the multiple threads.

  Even with such things, it’s still an enjoyable film to pick up in this life we call quarantine. Seeing the bustling streets and people without the fear of going out nowadays is refreshing. It’s honestly a nice pick-me-up movie considering the current situation we’re in. And even if we aren’t in lockdown, the movie does a great job of just being wholesome with its people while also showing the realities of such things… if that makes sense. It never feels dull or feels empty with its presentation.

  With Kiki being an adorable protagonist with her cat, the dialogue is funny, endearing, sad, and wholesome. A character with good depth and growth. Hell, a lot of the characters felt unique and their own. Though, if you’ve seen a lot of 80s/90s anime, maybe you disagree lol. I have never been one to watch many 80s/90s anime that much hence my comment on that.

  Special note - I watched this movie in English Dub first. This was a great English dub for me. Props to the English ADR - Jack Fletcher! The voice actors really killed it and I can tell they really got into these characters. I’m confident that if I watched it again in subtitles, I would have an enjoyable experience too. The English dub never felt phoned in, I laughed at the comedic moments in the English dub which really showed how expressive these voice actors put into their lines. So subs or dubs can work. If you want original intention - subs as always. Still, put this on English dub if you want to test the waters, I hope you can enjoy it as much as I did.

  The animation is everything you can expect from Ghibli. Stellar with great character movements and expressions. You can come to expect good animation from how meticulously detailed Hayao Miyazaki is towards how people move and its world.

  Music is again top-notch from Joe Hayashi. A classic of songs that I’ve always heard while trying to study for schooling. Apparently they switched in the Opening song in English, it felt weird initially but it wasn’t that bad. Regardless, music choices were always great.

  And I believe I covered most of it on what I thought about the movie.

  A little bit of spoilers below.

  Favourite characters go to Kiki and Jiji. Favourite scene goes to Osono taking in Kiki. That was quite an endearing moment.

  That’s all, thanks for reading my review. If you liked the soundtrack, listen to the orchestra version from Joe Hisaishi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4LrW5f4dyc

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Aniosophy

  90/100
  Truly a classic, it finds a way to balances relatability and mudaneness, with a sense of otherworldly joy and whimsy.

  

  -
  Prefix:
  As my ongoing quest to complete all the Ghibli movies that I missed as a child continues, I have finally knocked another one off the list, that being Kiki’s Delivery Service and I loved it. Even though I personally still don’t like it more than Howl’s Moving Castle, it has easily shot up to 2nd place for just it’s complete heartwarming an innocent story. The movie does not have some grand overarching plot like most conventional movies have, it is truly all about the journey that Kiki is on of self-discovery to find what kind of witch (and person) she is going to be in life. I don’t usually watch slice of life anime in my daily consumption, but I could watch hours of just Kiki doing her delivery business, just seeing how hard she is trying to really help people in a city that is so unforgiving (at least at the beginning) is heartwarming. Unlike the other post for Ghibli movies, this one isn’t going to be as long because there isn’t much to say about this movie but I’ll try:

  

  -
  Art:
  The fact that I’m titling this section “art” instead of “animation” basically tells you my opinion on how it looked, this movie looked fantastic with almost every scene in this movie being, in its own right, a beautiful painting that could be hung in anyone’s home. Just the brilliant contrast between Kiki’s dark dress on things as simple as the vibrant ocean or the serene skyline was always breathtaking to see.

  

  -
  Sound Design:
  Again guys there really isn’t much to say here, just like every other Ghibli movie the music in this film fits perfectly with the atmosphere and tone they are trying to portray, as well as always almost transporting you to the scenes because of how lush and real everything fields. On top of this (fun fact) Disney does all the voice-over work for Ghibli movies outside of Japan, so it is no surprise that the English dub for the film is amazing. Disney has always been good at finding voice actors who can capture that feeling of childlike innocence, and this film is no exception. Kiki has just the right amount of bravery and confidence that comes with being an independent witch in training, as well as the innocence and naivety that comes with being only 13 years old. And yes all the other character voice actors in this film did a great job as well, but I just wanted to highlight Kiki because we spend the vast majority of our time in this film with JUST Kiki, so her performance could have made or braked this film, and fortunately all it did was enhance it.

  

  -
  Story (this section has spoilers):
  My one issue with the film is with the last 30 minutes because it is almost a complete tonal shift from the rest of the film. The entire movie is a lighthearted fun story where we see Kiki living her life in the city, and while it may not all be fun for Kiki, the story, for the most part, is very lighthearted, that is until Kiki loses her powers. Now I understand that this movie had to at some point have some level of suspense and drama, and I see the metaphor they are trying to imply here that “Kiki is not special because of her magic, Kiki is special because of her determination and willpower to get things done for her friends.”

  But like, I really didn’t need some out of nowhere drama regarding Kiki’s powers in this film. This issue was not even brought up once in the film before this point, no one ever even mentioned that Kiki ever had the possibility of losing her powers or how is she could lose her powers. If they would have just mentioned it, maybe at the beginning with her mother and she just throws that in there before Kiki leaves that this could happen, then maybe this part of the film wouldn’t bother me as much, but that does not happen. By the end everything turns out fine, it’s just that initial metaphorical hard right into suspense and drama when the entire movie up to this point was just lighthearted, is (at least for me) extremely jarring and kind of pulled me out of the experience.

  

  -
  Conclusion:
  Overall This film is very good and I liked almost every aspect of it, from the animation and sound design, to the character progression and overall story, this movie (for the most part) was just a bag of heartwarming goodness that clears your mind of all the bad things in the world. Which is why for me I am going to rate the film 90 / 100, with me taking a point from a perfect score for that story issue that I mentioned before. In the end, this movie is one of those films that I could recommend anyone to watch at any time in their life, because it is just such a heartwarming story that I’m pretty sure anyone could enjoy it. So yes, if you haven’t watched the film yet I would highly recommend you do so😊😊😊

  
  Continue on AniList
• 

  MayIsHere

  80/100
  Kiki's Delivery Service and Pragmatism

  Miyazaki’s fourth directorial effort comes as an adaptation of the children’s novel by the same name. He was working on a different feature during the making of Kiki, and it was relegated to a different director and animation team. However, when Miyazaki viewed a draft of the film he was displeased and swiftly took control of production.

  Kiki’s Delivery Service is about a young witch in training going through the typical, yet critical period of pre-adolescent learning. Kiki as per the traditions of witches in her world packs her broomstick, radio, and cynical cat Jiji on what she hopes is an idyllic journey to self-actualization. She's portrayed as wandering and socially inexperienced, making her one of the many young, spry Ghibli girls on the cusp of adolescence. Kiki, like many excitable young boys and girls, wants to live in a romanticized city with a beautiful view of the sea. She has her idealized view of the witch fantasy and she is adamant about materializing it.

  Her first encounter with the city is a candid reality check, she stumbles on her broomstick and almost crashes into an alien, 20th-century European setting, starkly contrasting her rural village. This contrast is a staple in Miyazaki's films, the interactions between myths, old worlds, and nature with modernism, technology, and industry. She is stopped by a police officer who inquires about her parents and her residence, Kiki runs away in fear and settles next to a bakery. A woman who had just left that bakery forgets her baby's pacifier and the owner, Osono, rushes to return it but the woman is many miles away by that point. Kiki offers to use her flying powers to return the pacifier and in return Osono hires her for the delivery service.

  Immediately we are introduced to a far more down-to-earth and realistic presentation of the city. Kiki has to work, clean, and make connections with kids her age to establish her presence and fulfill the purpose of her training. The romantic and picturesque visualization is shattered for a far more pragmatic one. Moreover, Kiki's self-actualization does not just come in the form of meeting her financial and basic needs, but through social flourishing. Kiki meets a young boy named Tombo. He is almost just as excitable as she but Kiki has a snotty and introverted attitude when interacting with anyone her age. She is put off by Tombo’s casual introduction, befitting of a city boy. This is yet another idealization that is broken when Kiki’s first encounter with a boy her age is not in line with her aestheticized worldview. After many trials and tribulations, Kiki begins to open up to Tombo, and their relationship blossoms.

  The film caps off with an exciting spectacle, as Kiki experiences her lowest point in the loss of her flying magic, a representation of her festering self-doubt and insecurity. However, shortly after meeting the free-spirited artist Ursula she reacquires it and saves Tombo from a dirigible crash. The ending is grand and spectacular which slightly contrasts with the economical and realistic picture the movie paints of Kiki's growth. However, it remains consistent with the themes of the film, that self-actualization leads to the manifestation of personal dreams. Ans it's earned when considering the struggles, and emotional development she achieves on her short yet arduous journey of self-discovery.

  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE

• MOVIE

  AdventureSen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
• ANIME

  Slice of LifeFlying Witch
• MOVIE

  ComedyLittle Witch Academia
• ANIME

  ComedyLittle Witch Academia (TV)
• MOVIE

  AdventureHowl no Ugoku Shiro
• MOVIE

  AdventureMimi wo Sumaseba
• MOVIE

  AdventureMary to Majo no Hana
• MOVIE

  AdventureHinata no Aoshigure
• ANIME

  DramaViolet Evergarden
• ANIME

  DramaAkagami no Shirayuki-hime
• MOVIE

  AdventureTonari no Totoro
• ANIME

  AdventureMajo no Tabitabi