Majo no Takkyuubin

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]

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

Miyazaki, Hayao Producer, Director, Script

Tanaka, Eiko Producer

Takahata, Isao Sound Director

Isshiki, Nobuyuki Script

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!

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 25, 2009

brand_182

Mixed Feelings

For Kiki, a young witch-in-training, the time has come to spend a year away from home. During this time, she is to mature as a person and develop into a full witch. Accompanied by her talking black cat, Jiji, Kiki will move into a new town where she will make new friends, start her own business, and even develop her first love interest. But most importantly, Kiki will come to truly understand herself and the magic that comes from within.

Kiki's Delivery Service is a very sweet story and is presented in typical Studio Ghibli fashion. Animation is detailed and beautiful, and the soundtrack is enjoyable ... and fits well with the mood of the film. Voice actors are well chosen and professional; in the English version viewers should be pleased to find the lead role of Kiki played by Kirsten Dunst. As for storyline, there isn't much that can be said: the film sets out to provide a cute story about a witch coming of age, and it is successful. If you're in the mood for something like that, you will be satisfied.

Still, when I watched this with a friend that loves stuff like this, even she was somewhat let down in the end. Kiki's Delivery Service is so sweet that it's drab. Throughout the film both of us kept asking, 'what's the plot?' And the fact of the matter is, nothing really happens in the story. Now of course a film doesn't need to have a distinctive plot to be good, but even in other character-centered Ghibli films like "My Neighbor Totoro" there is something unique that makes the movie stand out. Kiki's Delivery Service simply isn't unique, doesn't have much of a plot, and cannot be carried by its characters alone. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the film: upon finishing I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time. But at the very least, I recommend that you spend your valuable time watching the other Miyazaki films first.

Overall Score: B

For snapshots and a high quality download visit my blog at http://animefiend.blogspot.com

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 7, 2025

Hydre_Ito

Not Recommended

Funny

Kiki is a witch only because she hallucinates talking to her cat and flying 11,300 meters in altitude; in other words, she gets high. Her mother appears to be more of a self-taught pharmaceutical scientist who is probably also an anti-vaxxer as well as someone who believes in free-range parenting, rather than a witch.

We are told about so-called “training” that Kiki will undergo, but we get nothing of the sort. The first nice boy she meets in an unfamiliar city, she decides to hate for unknown reasons. Perhaps it was her insecurity stemming from the lack of interaction with boys, or otherwise (more likely) ... not having enough magic mushrooms at that particular moment to keep her mellowed and grounded while kickstarting her witch alter ego.

She thinks the lady that took her in is exceedingly kind and pure; but we all know that she, blinded by capitalism, was ultimately plotting to expand her business and revamp her brand image because who wouldn’t love a cute 13-year-old happy-go-lucky witch and her tiny black cat? She saw a ripe opportunity to exploit her for child labour and she took it, managing to implement quick strategic thinking while pregnant no less! What a strong, independent woman. This was probably one of the millions of beautiful hidden meanings buried within this ghibli film.

A bit later into this, we are basically told (indirectly) that Kiki’s flying on her broom is comparable to art, yep, art. Nothing Kiki has ever done in this movie can be interpreted as artistic. Ursula, the painter, was the only remotely interesting character, and I’m just a little biassed towards her because I like birds and the idea of producing artwork of them, but that didn’t get much screen time. In the end, the protagonist barely goes through proper hardships or development. So it's not among the best coming-of-age stories out there.

This will either be really boring or relaxing depending on what kind of person you are and the mood you happen to be in. However, by no means would I call this forgettable, clichéd slog inspiring.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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