Kiki

I’ve tried to get behind anime, really I have. There’s so much to admire. And so much that works my last nerve. Such as central characters who look like this:

That stupid bow.

 

And this:

That stupid face.

 

Then there’s the English dubbing—Lord, how those chirping voices grate. And the constant laughing! Sorry, but watching characters laugh just makes me want to smash something.

PUT A CORK IN IT!

 

Based on the 1985 novel by Eiko Kadano, Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is beloved by many—millions, I daresay. The book/movie certainly has an offbeat concept: At age 13, witch girls leave home to live for a year on their own as they transition to adulthood. In the movie’s “universe,” this witch rumspringa is an accepted part of the world’s workings. Which makes somewhat baffling (and not a little irritating) the ordinary citizens’ gasping and gaping whenever our Kiki (voice of Kirsten Dunst) goes airborne.

Having arrived, with cat sidekick JiJi (voice of Phil Hartman), in the Big City, Kiki hits on the idea of deploying her flying abilities to—you guessed it—deliver stuff for people. Adventures ensue. The narrative drive, such as it is, derives mainly from Kiki’s halting relationship with pedal-pushing Tombo (voice of Matthew Lawrence), who has a passion for aviation.

 PUT A CORK IN IT!

 

Kiki’s world is beautifully rendered and, though conceived in Japan, distinctly European. (This makes sense, since to my knowledge there is no broom-riding witch tradition in Japanese folklore.) The animation, too, is frequently dazzling. It’s delightful to zip along with Kiki above the boulevards, to soar past towers. The “feel” of broom-flying is brilliantly conveyed, especially the liftoffs and touchdowns. If only 1) Kiki were a better aviatrix and 2) her witch frock were better behaved.

If those are plastic, I may be ill.

 

No complaints about the score though—it is excellent.