I recently got to see a trully wonderful anime by Miyazaki.
I've so far seen a number of Miyazaki's and Takahata's works,
Whispers from the Heart, Mononoke Hime, Laputa:
Castle In The Sky, Only Yesterday, Grave Of The Fireflies and
I Can Hear the Sea. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) is a
DVD which came out recently in Japan and I decided to spoil
myself by getting it. Actually I exchanged a
copy of a fansub for the original release.
It's a bit pricey but I do not regret the purchase. Being in the
writing mood recently I decided to type away a few disjointed
sentences to come up with what some might call a sort of a review
of this great work. Go Kiki! :)
Kiki's Delivery Service is a charming coming of age film which
both adults and kids can enjoy. It contains NO VIOLENCE,
yet has plenty of action, a lot of wisdom, inspiration and a
story which ties you down to the TV from beginning to end. Sadly
this movie has not been released outside of Japan and the US (dub
VHS only).
Please note that this is a Japanese animated film or an anime. It
is a Studio Ghibli anime to add. This is not a Disney/WB whatever
production and unlike these kitchy productions it is definately
worth watching.
When Kiki, a witch, turns 13 she must according to custom
leave home for a year in order to train. She leaves behind her
loving
parents and comfy house to embark on a journey of self discovery.
The plot is set in north Europe - sometime in this century.
What makes this movie good is the fact that there is a total
absence of violence. Yes there are no villains at all here.
Unlike in Mononoke Hime where arguably the evil nature of man or
the dark force behind the possessions of the animal
spirits could be considered bad there are no bad guys here. Yet
as in real life, there are situations. Sometimes things go well
and sometimes things don't go so well, that's life - basically.
Kiki leaves home and as every young person who leaves home
for the first time faces both happiness as well as uncertainty,
success and failure. Kiki grows through this and learns some
important
lessons about life and herself. She also gains valuable friends,
who enrich her life as much as she enriched theirs.
Note there are no cute girls in this anime, or robots or
explosions.
Kiki.....
Kiki is a 13 year old witch. No she's not a devil worshipper,
she's just a young girl who can fly on a broomstick
and talk to her cat. We are assured of this in the opening
sequence when she and her
mother discuss the importance of a good heart, which makes a good
person and so a good witch. Kiki is a kind hearted soul,
with a great deal of self-doubt at times but nethertheless an
even bigger measure of courage (which like in most people
remains hidden away until it is needed). Kiki's not afraid of
working hard even if that means carrying heavy parcels (as
part of her airborne express delivery system) or scrubbing
floors.
Tombo
Tombo is mad about flying and even more so about Kiki. He
develops a crush on her from the moment go, but unfortunately
in the beginning Kiki has neither the time nor the trust for him.
He's also rather clumsy by saying things which
are quite insulting about her in her presence but not realising
it.
Jiji
Kiki's sidekick black cat. A very cynical critter who.... well
gives Kiki advice where he can. Jiji is the type who dislikes
becoming
involved in others' problems and who prefers to stick to the
letter of the law.
Osono:
She's the owner of the bakery where Kiki works, lodges and from
where she runs her delivery business.
She and her husband look out for Kiki.
The artwork is brilliant. The backgrounds are of a high quality
and rival today's films - yet this one was made in 1989.
The characters are drawn in the Studio Ghibli style found in
Heidi, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke and
Whispers from the Heart. The faces and body movements convey more
emotion and mood than any CG Disney
show I've seen. As I said - Disney eat your heart out!
Presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 - ie Pro-Logic Stereo. The English
audio was slightly better in depth.
Both tracks are good however the English voice actress does make
Kiki sound less timid than the Japanese
version. Whether this is good or bad I leave that to personal
taste. The Opening and Closing music has
however been changed and is different.
Video: Good quality transfer without artefacts.
Tech: Double layered Region 2 NTSC DVD with
Dolby Digital 2.0 Eng and Japanese soundtracks.
There are also two subtitle tracks, English and Japanese. See
later.
In conclusion a trully excellent uplifting
film. It is not as heavy and certainly without the blood found in
Mononoke Hime
neither does it possess the tragedy of the masterpiece Hotaru
no Haka (Graveyard of the Fireflies), yet it's worth
watching.
A coming of age film which leaves you with a good feeling and an
urge to see it again, and again and aga......hehe.
I loved it.....and so did my girlfriend, my mother, my boss, her
kids and husband.
If you're looking for family viewing without violence of
inappropriate behaviour go for Kiki's Delivery Service.
Oh just to mention, you don't need to be 10 to love this film. I
know that :).
Edition / Disc Data:
Title : Majo no Takkyubin
aka Kiki's Delivery Service
Film Production year: 1989
Catalog No.: VWDZ-8008
Number of Discs/Cassettes: 2 both double layered
Release Date: 2001/06/08
Price: 4935Yen(41.23 USD)
The DVDs are both double layered.
The Video is widescreen.
Packaging: Amaray jewel case with
a tab in the middle for the second DVD,
however this causes some problems with
insertion and removal of the disc.
Where to get your copy??? Supplier: www.cdjapan.co.jp
About CD Japan: Ordering is easy. No need to fax card details to
them. They do charge a small handling fee. Express EMS
gets the parcel to you within 3-5 working days (3 always for me)
- faster than Fedex, Airborne Express and DHL, and you get a
tracking number too.
About the images : Images captured using WinDVD 2.1.
To go back click here.......!
© Copyright All Images to Studio Ghibli. Review Copyright 2001 by Sasamikawaii.org. All rights reserved.