*Spoiler Warning*
Studio Ghibli films are some of the first anime films I ever watched, excluding Pokemon when I was a child of course. With the recent release of their films on Netflix, I can now enjoy Ghibli's works in full 1080p, which until now, was difficult to find; the first one I turned to in this batch of releases was Kiki's Delivery Service. The story accompanies Kiki, a 13-year-old witch as she leaves home, a tradition for all witches of that age, for her year of training with her familiar, a black cat named Jiji. She travels far on her broom in search of a new town to stay in, eventually settling in the port town of Koriko. Life is difficult for her to begin with, being ostracised by people she encounters until she meets Osono, a kind-hearted and heavily pregnant baker who lets Kiki stay with her in exchange for odd jobs around the bakery. Over time, Kiki also begins to make deliveries on her broomstick, starting her own business and building up a reputation for herself. It's along these journeys that the true stories and themes shine.
From the beginning of the film, it is clear to see that witches aren't really highly regarded in Koriko, people tend to ignore Kiki when she asks them questions or make fun of her for being different; her attire being the subject of many harsh comments. In the small village that she's from, everyone seems to know each other and treat one another with respect, but in Koriko people are strangers, judging each other in one glance and specifically Kiki as she's different from them. This view on people's attitude is reminiscent of how we tend to treat each other, even now in this day and age. Kiki's attitude shifts after her first encounter with the people in town, a young boy called Tombo helps her out of a sticky situation, yet she doesn't acknowledge him. By the end of the film, the townsfolk realise their mistake in judging Kiki and Kiki likewise in judging Tombo. I get a strong sense of 'don't judge a book by its cover' with this film, it focuses on the fact that we should be accepting of others and not concentrate on what makes them different from us.
Kiki's Delivery Service seems to revolve a lot around trying to find oneself, Kiki leaving home at such a young age requires her to mature at a rapid pace. Through the course of the film, it is clear that she struggles with her identity and finding ways to fit into the society of a large town. One of my favourite quotes from the film pushes a strong message across;
Maybe I can stay and find some other nice people who will like me and accept me for who I am. – Kiki
She says this after being found and accepted by Osono when doubts about her choice of town were at their highest. The only problem is that Kiki doesn't accept herself this point, constantly worried about her attire, stumbling over words and troubled by what people think of her. It isn't until later in the film when Tombo gives her words of encouragement that she finally begins to gain more confidence in herself. She is also helped along her journey by us, the audience, through Jiji; I consider him to be a manifestation of our feelings throughout the show, encouraging her and being an emotional support. There are times during the film when Jiji says exactly how we feel or what we're thinking in a given situation, extending our affection to Kiki giving us the impression that we are helping her along the journey she's taking.
Unfortunately, I found the visuals to be a little dated, which is completely understandable considering the film was released in 1989. For its time, however, I think it looks pretty good; the movement in the animation is fluid and quite calming. The attention to small details Studio Ghibli puts in is brilliant to see, consistently having Kiki hold the broom in the same manner each time she dismounts, or even the movement of the animals scattered throughout, perfectly mimicking the movement of those in real life.
My biggest qualm with Kiki's Delivery Service is its childish nature, it felt a lot like an allegorical story, used to teach children a lesson on ethics. It does give us much to think about, leaving many questions unanswered, giving the audience a chance to make their own interpretations of the film, however, it just felt a little young for me. I enjoyed the film and could potentially watch it again, giving it an overall rating of 7/10.
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