Kiki and I

            A lot of people have a particular piece of media that they keep on coming back to. For some it’s a film or a book that, for whatever reason, speaks to them. There are a ton of books and movies that I love, some of which occasionally I’ll come back to. One such movie for me is the animated film “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” It’s the story of a young witch going out into the world, outside her comfort zone, into a new stage of her life.

            I’m not necessarily a big anime fan. Growing up I never really got into “Pokémon” or “Digimon” or anything like that. In fact, while kids my age were watching the latest dubbed episodes of “Pokémon” to come from Japan, I was getting indoctrinated into the world of “Seinfeld.” But I am a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki and the overall works of his production company Studio Ghibli. I’ve seen all of his films. They’re beautifully and breathtakingly drawn, and they have great stories filled with intriguing characters and adventure (if you haven’t already, you should check out his work).

            I began to encounter the worlds of Studio Ghibli when I was in either middle or high school. At around this time Hayao Miyazaki had won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, for his movie “Spirited Away.” Being naturally curious I checked the film out at my local Blockbuster, and soon I was discovering the rest of his works. At this time the Disney Company was dubbing into English and giving official releases to a bunch of Studio Ghibli’s films (that’s now taken care of in America by a company called GKids, because I suppose Disney has its hands full with Marvel and Star Wars, plus their own animated movies).

            Probably my favorite movie of Hayao Miyazaki’s is “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” It tells the story of a young girl named Kiki, a witch beginning her teenage years. Within the world of the movie, young witches leave home at the mere age of thirteen for a year away from their home and parents, into another section of the world. During this coming-of-age ritual and adventure, they find work and live by both their magic and their wits.

            Before the opening credits Kiki prepares for her journey, saying goodbye to her parents and friends, donning a witch’s dress, and riding off on a broom towards the horizon with her black cat Jiji. She soon finds herself in a Europeanesque city by the ocean named Koriko that she immediately falls in love with. The exact time and place of the story is vague, but I once read that the director Hayao Miyazaki tried to imagine a version of 1950s Europe in which neither of the World Wars happened; so basically, you’re viewing the idealized version of the West as imagined by a Japanese man.

            Kiki ends up meeting a woman named Osono, who hires her as help for the bakery she owns. Kiki also ends up starting her own delivery service (thus the title of the movie), using her broom to fly about town with packages. Throughout the film Kiki explores, meets people, and has some mishaps in her journey to a new stage of her life. That’s more or less the movie. The young witch doesn’t go around fighting evil, going against a bad guy like Darth Vader, Thanos, or Lord Voldemort; in fact there isn’t even really a villain in this movie at all. Kiki just tries to survive and thrive in a world where the unexpected can happen in daily life, deals with conflicting emotional issues, and all during a time when one transitions from child to adult. Sometimes that’s enough for a story.

            There’s a lot I like about this film. For one there is the main character, Kiki herself. She’s simply sweet and friendly, not to mention hardworking. There’s a scene about midway through the film in which she comes to pick up a delivery from an old woman, a baked dish meant for her granddaughter. When Kiki arrives at the old woman’s home, the dish isn’t ready yet (she’s having trouble with her oven) and she apologizes to Kiki for wasting her time. Instead of simply flying off, Kiki actually offers to help her finish baking her dish and ends up helping her about the house, all before actually delivering it.

            I also find her interesting because, despite being a witch who can fly, Kiki isn’t all-powerful or all knowing. Let’s contrast her with Hermione from the “Harry Potter” series. She’s a great character too, but for very different reasons. Hermione is the brightest of all the student witches within Hogwarts, who knows more spells than you can shake a fist at. Kiki only knows how to fly (which is still awesome, don’t get me wrong). Even then she’s still trying to get the hang of it; when she first takes off for her new life, she keeps bumping into trees.

            In addition I also like the reactions of the people in the city when they first spot Kiki. Within the world of the movie witches are a known fact, not a myth or legend. They look up when they see Kiki flying on her broom. But no one goes, “Oh my God! Witches are real!” When people bump into Kiki, reactions are mixed. A few look uncomfortable. Some are more or less disinterested. And others are absolutely fascinated by her. In many ways, she’s like a minority. Her real life equivalent might be a foreign exchange student; some would be uncomfortable or even hostile towards her, others would be disinterested, and there would be at least a few absolutely fascinated by her.

            I think the reason though, that I ultimately keep coming back to this movie, is that I relate to the characters in the film.

            There’s Tombo, a lover of aviation who is immediately drawn to Kiki. He’s kind of nerdy and dreams of being a pilot, so of course he wants to be friends with a real life witch. The two befriend each other (it’s hinted they may want to be more, but they never end up kissing in the movie, leaving that to interpretation). Ever since I was a child I’ve loved airplanes and air travel (might possibly have to do with the fact that my own mother is a flight attendant). Hayao Miyazaki himself is also a lover of aviation; most of his films have some reference to flight, and his own father owned a factory making airplane parts.

            There’s also Ursula, another person Kiki ends up befriending. She’s an artist at least a few years older than her, living in a cabin in the woods just outside the city. I’ve been an art lover for years, and have been drawing and painting for a long time. I actually did the illustrations for my first book, “Mele the Mermaid.”

            And then there’s Kiki herself. A young, eager, wide-eyed girl who wants to explore and see more of the world. Someone who craves a little more adventure, and wants to successfully get to the next level of her life.

            I related to this character when I first saw her as a teenager, dreaming of travel, not yet in college and trying to figure out my next step in life. I related to Kiki again in college, when I was debating majors and careers, trying to figure out what was beyond college. I related to her when I lived for nearly two years in Israel, having my own adventures and coming-of-age journey. I related to her when I lived in the state of Washington, working different jobs, trying to gain skills, dealing with crazy family issues (I’m not detailing those here), and still trying to discover my own place in the world. And once again I relate to Kiki, when I’m living in China and teaching English to little ones, once again having another long-term adventure. I’ll honestly probably relate to Kiki no matter what stage of life I am in, perhaps even to the point where I am an old man.  

            I was actually watching the movie on my laptop about a week or so ago, after a day of teaching. Near the end of the film, there’s a scene where Kiki is spending the night at the artist Ursula’s cabin. Ursula begins to tell her young, magical friend a story of her own youth. “When I was your age,” Ursula begins. “I’d already decided to become an artist. I loved to paint so much – I’d paint all day until I fell asleep right at my easel. And then one day for some reason I just couldn’t paint anymore. I tried and tired but nothing I did seemed any good. They were copies of paintings I’d seen somewhere before, and not very good copies either. I just felt like I had lost my ability. But then I found the answer. You see I’d hadn’t figured out what or why I wanted to paint, I had to discover my own style.” After a little more chitchat between the two girls, Ursula continues. “That same spirit is what makes me paint, and makes your friend bake. But we need to each find our own inspiration Kiki. Sometimes it’s not easy.”

            I think I’ve finally come really close to finding my own spirit, my own inspiration, if I haven’t already found it already.

Note: Along with this blog, I am also working on a fantasy novel, and am putting up the chapters of the first draft one at a time. You can view the novel, "The Princess of Infinite Tomorrows," at https://princessofinfinitetomorrows.blogspot.com/.