Majo no Takkyuubin (Kiki's Delivery Service)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Witch's Express Delivery

Japanese: 魔女の宅急便

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Information

Type: Movie

Episodes: 1

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jul 29, 1989

Producers: Streamline Pictures

Licensors: Disney Platform Distribution, GKIDS

Studios: Studio Ghibli

Source: Novel

Genres: Adventure, Award Winning, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Duration: 1 hr. 43 min.

Rating: G - All Ages

Statistics

Score: 8.22¹ (scored by 355,124 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #319²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #366

Members: 546,263

Favorites: 5,335

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Streaming Platforms

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8.22

Ranked #319Popularity #366Members 546,263

MovieStudio Ghibli

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Episodes: /1

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Trailer English sub version

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Synopsis

Kiki, a 13-year-old witch-in-training, must spend a year living on her own in a distant town in order to become a full-fledged witch. Leaving her family and friends, Kiki undertakes this tradition when she flies out into the open world atop her broomstick with her black cat Jiji.

As she settles down in the coastal town of Koriko, Kiki struggles to adapt and ends up wandering the streets with no place to stay—until she encounters Osono, who offers Kiki boarding in exchange for making deliveries for her small bakery. Before long, Kiki decides to open her own courier service by broomstick, beginning her journey to independence. In attempting to find her place among the townsfolk, Kiki brings with her exciting new experiences and comes to understand the true meaning of responsibility.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

The film won the 1989 Animage's Anime Grand Prix Award.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Majo no Takkyuubin
Character:	Hungry Days: Aoharu ka yo.

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Kiki

Main

Takayama, Minami
Japanese

Jiji

Supporting

Sakuma, Rei
Japanese

Ursula

Supporting

Takayama, Minami
Japanese

Kopoli, Tombo

Supporting

Yamaguchi, Kappei
Japanese

Osono's husband

Supporting

Yamadera, Kouichi
Japanese

Osono

Supporting

Toda, Keiko
Japanese

Bertha

Supporting

Seki, Hiroko
Japanese

Roufujin

Supporting

Katou, Haruko
Japanese

Lilly

Supporting

Kokiri

Supporting

Nobusawa, Mieko
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Miyazaki, Hayao

Producer, Director, Script

Tanaka, Eiko

Producer

Takahata, Isao

Sound Director

Medel, Jennifer

Script

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Opening Theme

	"Rouge no Dengon (ルージュの伝言; Message of Rouge)" by Yumi Arai (Japanese version - "Witch Express Delivery")
	"Soaring" by Sydney Forest (English/US Disney version - "Kiki's Delivery Service")

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Ending Theme

	"I'm Gonna Fly" by Sydney Forest (English/US Disney version - "Kiki's Delivery Service)
	"Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta nara (やさしさに包まれたなら)" by Yumi Arai (Japanese version - "Witch Express Delivery")

More reviews

Reviews

Nov 29, 2014

Hias

Recommended

Kiki's Delivery Service resonates with me more than any other movie I've seen. Filled with inspiration, warmth and tenderness, it's perhaps the best example of a coming-of-age story I've seen in anime to date. While most Ghibli fans prefer the likes of Spirited Away or Mononoke Hime, and while I love and adore those films passionately, I personally feel that Kiki's Delivery Service is their best work, and Miyazaki's best directed film.

Everything about this movie just brings me a smile and always brings me up when I feel down. What makes this movie great is that it doesn't have huge ambition; it's not here to ... tell you about the consequences of relying too much on technology, or destroying the natural earth, confronting the spirits of the forest. Of life. But it's simply the story of a young girl coming to terms with growing up and living in an entirely new town with total strangers. Transitioning from the comfort of her quiet country side hometown, to the hustle and bustle of an urban area.

Being independent for the first time is a terrifying experience for anyone, but it's also enlightening, as you can learn more about yourself and others than you thought. Kiki's Delivery Service showcases those ups and downs brilliantly. From an awkward introduction to baffled strangers on the streets, to starting her own business and befriending her clients, to meeting the owner of a Bakery who immediately shows a keen interest in the young girl, taking the role of a sort of mother figure to her. You meet all sorts of characters in this movie, all of them with an interesting or realistic characteristic. From a gruff looking, but gentle husband of the Bakery owner, to a boy who is extremely passionate about flight and aircrafts(even attempting to lodge a propeller onto his bike to try to get some air) who develops an immediate infatuation with Kiki, to a painter who takes comfort living in the middle of the woods, befriending the hordes of crows that live in it.

And then there is Kiki herself; at first glance she is cheerful, if a little naive. Honest, yet surprisingly old fashioned("It's not polite to ask a persons name without introducing yourself first!"). The thing I love about her character is that she's so many things, so many qualities that show how much of a varied, complex, but very realistic character she really is. She isn't a spoiled brat, she isn't selfish, she isn't annoying. She's simply a little girl with her own quirks and principles.

The film showcases the joys and pains of growing up finding your place in the world. At one point, she wearily laments the fact that she doesn't have pretty dresses, and she cannot afford that sparkling pair of red shoes that she gazes at through the window of a clothes shop. She sees her friend Tombo chatting and laughing with girls, sparking an immediate sense of jealousy from Kiki due to her insecurities.

She wants nice things, she wants to wear a nice dress, she wants to talk to boys and make friends. But cannot afford it, nor does she have the time. She simply desires a lot of what girls probably want at that age or slightly older. It's what makes her human and convincing as a character.

Even if you're not the same age group, or even gender, I feel that a lot of us have lived through moments where we feel so unsure of ourselves, feeling a sense of loneliness and isolation in the process.

And even though she goes through times of insecurity, depression and feeling like she's in a rut. She also befriends and meets many people that find her remarkably charming, sweet and sincere. She experiences friendships, success in her business and feeling accomplished.

The music, composed by the master himself, Joe Hisaishi. Is nothing short of perfect, the soundtrack has a very distinct European sound to it, also induces a large sense of nostalgia. From the early 60s pop sound of the opening, to the tender folk ballad of the ending. The soundtrack compliments nearly every scene in the movie to considerable effect. As expected!

The animation and designs are also incredibly top notch. It's crisp, it's clear(I just recently purchased the bluray version), it brilliantly showcases the varied areas and backgrounds. Everything is just straight up gorgeous. The town itself, Koriko, an ideal version of a pre-WWII Northern European city is one of my favorite designed places in fiction. To the hectic main-roads, the quiet alleyways and side areas you could casually stroll through, to the gorgeous beaches and scenery. It's very romantic and exhilarating. I would personally love to live in a city like this.

Despite what it does right, does it do anything wrong? Well, I wouldn't have minded if the movie went a bit more into the witch culture. In the story, when 12-13, a witch must leave her town and spend a year elsewhere, growing and learning, broadening their horizons essentially. But it's not really explained too much, but this is simply a nitpick as the film is more about Kiki and her experiences than all that.

There's a certain warmth to this film that makes it feel like you're revisiting an old friend. I find it difficult to find any major faults in this movie. I've grown up watching it on tv dozens of times, and later in life revisiting it, only to truly then realize how special this film is to me. I never said that I would be objective or impartial in this review, that would be pointless and a disservice to the film. Kiki's Delivery Service makes you passionate, or just really happy and relaxed, whichever works for you.

It's anime like this that proves to me yet again that animation can be a wonderful expression of art. If you've never seen this film, do yourself a favor and do so soon. Set up some free time during a quiet weekend afternoon and let yourself be enveloped in tenderness.

Any constructive feedback is appreciated on this review!

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Jun 26, 2007

jet2r0cks

Recommended

For my second Hayao Miyazaki movie, I’d say it was pretty good.

I liked the plot of Spirited Away much, much better though. Spirited Away had a more complex and interesting plot, while Kiki’s story was simpler. I guess the advantage of that is it’s easy to understand. As much as I like stories about witches living amongst normal humans, Kiki didn’t really act or live like a witch. She was more of a human who can fly and happens to own a cat that talks.

Since I brought up the subject of the talking cat, I’m glad I picked the English dub over the original ...

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Apr 15, 2010

olivecrayola

Recommended

The first time I heard of this movie was when one of my friends mentioned it as one of the movies on his "to watch" list. I remember looking over the synopses and cover of the movie and wondering what the heck had gotten into him. It's a cartoon, for heaven's sake, how good could it be?
Just a few weeks ago I came down with a cold. It was no ordinary spring cold, but the great granddaddy of all spring colds. I was stuck in bed for around 3 days, during which time I re-acquainted myself with my inner child. ... In other words, I watched Kiki's Delivery Service. Then something happened. While I had begun the movie with very low expectations, and a "childish" mentality, I found myself wholly captured by the movie.

Story: The plot is simple. Super simple. So simple, in fact, that an overtired anime newbie with a head cold can understand it. It begins when Kiki, a 13 year old witch makes the traditional journey away from home to begin her training in a new city for one year. Within the city, Kiki finds an occupation, along with many new friends who help her find place in the world. It is a cheerful and optimistic plot which is both uncommon and appreciated.

Animation: Like the storyline, the animation is simple. Since it was made in 1989, I wasn't expecting anything fantastic, but I was pleased to find that both the simplicity and the colors matched the tone of the story and the characters.

Sound: I think this is what really hooked me. The music isn't absolutely fantastic, but it fits right into the scenes where you'd want it to be. It is comfortable, and fun. The voices were also impressed me (I watched the English dub). Perhaps that is because I started the movie with such low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the voices matched up with their characters quite nicely.

Characters: Ah, here is where the fun part begins. Kiki is truly the heroine in the story, and while she isn't saccharin sweet, she has a definitive moral standard. She has the added complexity of being a tween, and having to deal with new feelings of insecurity and affection. Her cautious and decidedly unadventurous cat, Jiji, is perhaps my favorite character, and his snide remarks had me laughing out loud every time. The rest of the characters are distinctive, and memorable (though maybe that is because this was my first anime movie. . .).

Overall: I thought it was a sweet, cheerful, "breath of fresh air" movie that I will probably watch more than once. It isn't on my list of top favorite movies (not that I have one...), but then again, it doesn't need to be. It is entertaining and sweet, and just the right thing to watch when you're feeling down - or when you've caught the great granddaddy of spring colds.

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Jiji

Ursula

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Osono's husband

Osono

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Majo no Takkyuubin

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Background

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