Kiki's Delivery Service

I’m going to give a small spoiler for Kiki’s Delivery Service that you’re not too likely to see anywhere else – this movie is basically plotless, which doesn’t stop it from being great.

Kiki is a witch. Following a tradition in her family, she’s leaving home after turning 13 years old to train for one year on her own in a new town, with her black cat Jiji. This is what sets the stage for the movie, but it really isn’t the plot per se.

The town that Kiki arrives in seems like an eccentric mix of the Chicago loop and a stereotypical European capital. Some people are mean, some people are friendly, one particular boy with an obsession with flight is a bit too friendly for Kiki’s taste initially, and a baker decides to give her a place to live and refer a few first clients to Kiki’s Delivery Service.

This is a “day in the life of” movie, but it’s also a “coming of age” movie. Kiki matures, but it’s not through some monumental event (regardless of what some other people might say). Characters get to know each other gradually, and change slowly. This strength is also this anime’s weakness – while the more action oriented final had my eyes glued to the screen, I felt like I was going to fall asleep thirty minutes or so into the film. That said, if you’re willing to stick with it, Kiki’s Delivery is superb. That, and the idea of a witch being invited to an aviation club still makes me laugh.