{"id":25838,"date":"2014-06-04T06:30:15","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T18:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=25838"},"modified":"2014-06-03T20:08:50","modified_gmt":"2014-06-03T08:08:50","slug":"big-worlds-on-small-screens-features-miyazaki-rebecca-fisher-discusses-kikis-delivery-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2014\/06\/04\/big-worlds-on-small-screens-features-miyazaki-rebecca-fisher-discusses-kikis-delivery-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Worlds On Small Screens Features Miyazaki \u2014 & Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Kiki’s Delivery Service”"},"content":{"rendered":"

~ by Rebecca Fisher<\/em><\/p>\n

Note to Readers:<\/strong> From now on, Big Worlds On Small Screens will be posting every second Thursday, not Wednesday as has been the case. So the next post will be on Thursday, 19 June.
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Introduction:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service<\/strong> was a film made by Western studios, I have no doubt that its eponymous character would fight evil, that she would have a love interest, and that it would be framed as a coming-of-age story. And let\u2019s be honest, the main character would probably be a boy.<\/p>\n

For a film about a young witch, Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service<\/strong> is like nothing you would expect from such a supernatural premise. In terms of plot, it basically revolves around Kiki using her powers of magic to work as a delivery girl. That\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But to dismiss this premise as dull or pointless is to miss the charm of the film. I\u2019ll admit, when I first sat down to watch it I was rather bewildered by its gentle pace and lack of clear conflict. Most of the tension derives from Kiki trying to find work in a new city rather than any magic-related shenanigans, and most of the tension revolves around the difficulties she experiences in finding her inner sense of self. Needless to say, it\u2019s a very gentle film in terms of its pacing and content.<\/p>\n

Premise:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When a witch turns thirteen she has to leave home for a year, going to a new city to train and share her gift with others. Such is the case for Kiki. Leaving her parents and her neighbourhood behind, she flies on her broomstick to a beautiful city by the sea with only her cat Jiji for company.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kiki tells her mother that today\u2019s the day for her to leave<\/em><\/p>\n

Finding a home for herself in a bakery owned by the very pregnant Osono and her strong-but-silent husband, Kiki tumbles to the idea of hiring herself out as a delivery girl. It\u2019s a perfect occupation considering her broomstick-flying skills allow her to flit around the city much quicker than most.<\/p>\n

Story:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s rather difficult to describe the story behind Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service<\/strong>, as it plays out more like an episodic string of vignettes than anything resembling the usual three-act structure of most films. There are no villains to defeat or monsters to overcome, only a slender thread of Kiki trying to gather together her self-confidence as she navigates her new surroundings and reaches a fuller understanding of her place in the world.<\/p>\n

Like a lot of precocious children, Kiki gets on just fine with the adults in her life, but immediately grows shy and awkward when it comes to the attentions of the young flying enthusiast Tombo. Later, when dispiritedness threatens to destroy her business when she finds she can no longer fly, it takes an excursion out into the wilderness to re-inspire her.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kiki enjoys the gift of flying<\/em><\/p>\n

There are other incidents strewn throughout, like a delivery that goes terribly wrong when Kiki loses the package in question, and the climactic finish, where Tombo\u2019s life is put in danger and only Kiki possesses the ability to save him.<\/p>\n

As always, Miyazaki captures the joy and danger of flying when it comes to Kiki\u2019s adventures, especially with his skill at portraying the perspective of a young girl trying to control a broomstick in mid-air. Gusts of winds, flocks of birds, bumpy landings and graceful take-offs \u2013 it can be difficult to really capture the rapture and complexities of airborne heights, but Miyazaki makes it look simple, and all the more exhilarating for it.<\/p>\n

Characters:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As its main character, Kiki is everything you\u2019d expect from a Hayao Miyazaki heroine: intelligent and polite, good-natured and hard-working. She\u2019s also shyer than most, and what little plot there is revolves around Kiki gaining maturity as she gains a handle on her confidence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ursula helps Kiki find her inspiration<\/em><\/p>\n

Kiki is surrounded by an incredibly vivid supporting cast, particularly its women, from the motherly Osono who gives Kiki a place to stay, to the free-spirited Ursula who helps her rekindle her inspiration. But Phil Hartman (best known as Troy MacClure in The Simpsons<\/strong>) nearly steals the show as Jiji the cat, adlibbing many of his lines and making Kiki\u2019s feline companion a sardonic foil to her wide-eyed innocence.<\/p>\n

Even Osono\u2019s largely-silent husband manages to come across as a three-dimensional character with only a few little gestures (such as making a special sign to advertise Kiki\u2019s delivery service).<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service<\/strong> is one of Miyazaki\u2019s gentlest films in terms of plot, and perhaps because of this, one of his most popular. It\u2019s surprisingly relaxing to just watch \u2013 after a long day I could feel myself unwinding with a film in which the stakes were no more pressing than a girl delivering packages on time and trying to find her inner self.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kiki finally warms up to Tombo<\/em><\/p>\n

Next Time: Princess Mononoke<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

We take a turn for the darker and edgier to check out Princess Mononoke<\/strong>, an epic described as the Star Wars<\/strong> of animated features, which holds a place of importance as the first of Hayao Miyazaki\u2019s films to become a hit outside of Japan. This is the Studio Ghibli film that got the world\u2019s attention, and probably the reason that this column exists. Yup, Princess Mononoke<\/strong> was one of my first tastes of Miyazaki\u2019s artistry.
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About The Reviewer:<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com<\/a>, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com<\/a> and her LiveJournal<\/a> blog.<\/div>\n

To read Rebecca\u2019s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding reviews, click on:<\/p>\n

Big Worlds On Small Screens<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

~ by Rebecca Fisher Note to Readers: From now on, Big Worlds On Small Screens will be posting every second Thursday, not Wednesday as has been the case. So the next post will be on Thursday, 19 June. . Introduction: If Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service was a film made by Western studios, I have no doubt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-big-worlds-on-small-screens-with-rebecca-fisher"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25838"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25864,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25838\/revisions\/25864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}