Kiki's Delivery Service

Kiki's Delivery Service has never been a favorite movie of mine. I always found the simple story to be rather girlish and silly, the characters flatter than typical of Miyazaki and the conflict/relationship between Kiki and Tombo a bit forced. So, watching it again, I still think I will rank this at the bottom of my list of Miyazaki films. Yes, the story is nice, yes the animation is distinct and cute, yes there is a feeling of simultaneous completeness and never-ending, there is overall likability. However, in Kiki I never feel the same epic quality of Nausicaa or Castle in the Sky, I never feel the same contemplative gentleness as Totoro or the same quirky, mind bending fantasy as Spirited Away. It seems to be a story heard before, about a girl and her cat I've seen before in a town I've visited(only in imagination) before.
In the beginning we see Kiki, bright eyed, naive and enthusiastic. By the end we see Kiki, more mature, perhaps more street wise and accepting of the things she can't control. But how does she get there? That is what the movie focuses on yet fails to explain in a way I can accept.
The only way Kiki can make it in her new town is by the sheer good will of a pregnant baker(Osono) and the luck that this woman also has a spare bedroom and a never-ending generosity. Kiki soon decides to start a business which Osono is delighted by and allows Kiki to setup shop from her room and even provides her with customers. How lucky this young entrepreneurial girl is to get hand outs at every turn.
A young boy(Tombo) who is obsessed with flying quickly becomes infatuated with the witch and so begins the budding relationship of adolescence-for no apparent reason other than that Kiki can fly. Kiki, at first disgusted in Tombo's overt wooing, falls for him because, well, he seems to be the only one of her age interested in her(Something young people are often attracted to). By the end, Tombo conveniently becomes victim to some high flying escapades, rescued by the only woman in town with the ability to fly, cementing their friendship and potential love.
Ongoing through all this is a side thread barely yet obliquely touched on by Miyazaki. Kiki is a thirteen year old girl. While she is a witch in training and this movie is about that, as most Miyazaki films, it isnt really about that. It is about her growth as a young person into an adult. She is honest and curious yet like other pubescent people she is interested in such superficial things as looking pretty-as mentioned by her complaints to her mother about having to wear a black robe-and being accepted by other teenagers. While Kiki walks down the street after shopping, she sees a group of teen girls all tall and thin with the latest fashions on giggling about things only teen girls would know of. Kiki clearly takes note of them and her normal good mood is visibly lowered after this brief encounter as she notes to herself her own boring appearance. Later she delivers a herring pie to a party for an elderly womans grandchild. The grandchild, of Kiki's age, yet rich and chic, accepts the delivery with disdain and ungratefulness. Jiji is appalled, reinforcing Kiki's seperateness from this world. Later we see that this same ungrateful grandchild is friends with Tombo. If Tombo doesn't mind hanging out with someone like this what does that say about Tombo's character? That this girl's abhorring behavior is never addressed after this also seems to be curious. At first Kiki refuses to hang out with Tombo because of his choice in friends, yet later, when she is accepted by them, seems to accept them as well. It is in keeping with Miyazaki to leave thing open ended instead of tied up in pretty ribbon like many american animated fillms, yet this seemed to me a large conflict in Kiki's character.
While Kiki's Delivery Service is not my personal favorite and one may find many things to criticize, I did find many things I enjoyed as well. The character of Jiji was a cute comic character yet also can be seen as a "parenting" equalizer. While Kiki is sent out alone, she is not entirely alone as she has a cat friend. While her cat can't physically help her, he can emotionally keep her grounded and give her advice every now and then. It is interesting that whgen Kiki regains her magic abilities, it is never shown whether she can speak with Jiji again. It seems that she has grown and he has grown perhaps to a point where adulthood has ended their magical ties to one another and while they stay bonded, Kiki can no longer understand Jiji. This is reminiscent of My Neighbor Totoro's loss of an adults connection to nature and magic. While the person gains maturity and confidence, they must lose something as well.