Type: Movie
Rating: Any Age
Runtime: 103 min
Directed By Miyazaki Hayao
Produced By Studio Ghibli
Year Produced: 1989
The To Aru Kagaku no Home Theater Miyazaki Marathon... and then some... continues, despite public protest!
This is a "festival" where I sit down at spend about a week and a half watching all of the Miyazaki movies that I want to. I didn't mention this last time, but I don't have any particular interest in Ponyo.
What's still to come are:
Friday - Porco Rosso (1992)
Saturday - Whisper of the Heart (1995)
Sunday - Princess Mononoke (1997)
Monday of Next Week - Spirited Away (2001)
Tuesday of Next Week - Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
I've already reviewed Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and My Neighbor Totoro, so if you're interested in that, then check it out... back there.
Set in what I gather is roughly 1900 Germany, this movie is about a young witch: Kiki... I don't know her last name. And her black cat Jiji. Kiki and Jiji... okay.
Together in all kinds of weather.
When witches turn 13 (-ish), they are fully independent, and as such are supposed to venture out into the world to seek a career in whatever they want to do... magic-wise. If they ever become something like a surgeon, the Black Book Guild will hunt them down and shove a broom up their ass.
Now officially a teenager, Kiki has been waiting for the perfect day to set out on her epic journey... and it has come. And what luck! Just in time for her movie! All of the planets are aligning.
On the night of the full moon, Kiki and Jiji set out (on a broom), searching for their new home, with the only stipulation being that it be big and near the ocean. Shouldn't be that hard to find.
GO!
Kiki and Jiji find their ideal city after only like... a day.
While trying to make a good first impression on the normal human citizens of this new town, Kiki almost flies into a double-decker bus. After what I thought was some pretty impressive air evasive action, Kiki... gets a ticket.
After escaping the full extent of the law (including a strip-search and experimental interrogation permitted under the Patriot Act), she is treated rather rudely by everybody except the good-natured... old man locked at the top of the clock tower...
She mets the boy who managed to distract the cop long enough for her to make a calm getaway. His name is Tombo... which totally doesn't sound like any language on Earth. Would you name your son Tombo?
Then again, he does look like a Tombo.
Since the only thing that she's consciously good at is flying (though I didn't get that impression from her takeoff. If that's her best, what's her worst skill... and how many people have died?), Kiki decides to start a delivery service (again with that sneakily simple plot... damn you, Miyazaki!).
I don't know how much I can say that it was pretty good. It was fun, but not as... (grinds teeth) sweet as Totoro.
Actually, thinking back on it, I was worried yesterday after finishing the review on Totoro, that I might just be biased and blindly supporting Miyazaki. I don't think that I am, but I'm probably not the best judge.
All that I can say is that Miyazaki's made some movies that I wouldn't stop to watch if I didn't know that he was involved in, but since I do know, I watch them... and they're pretty good. I guess that's kind of what he is to me.
The music was shoujo anime music, which kind of fits because this was almost a shoujo movie, but it wasn't lovely-dovey gooey enough (thank God). No offense, but I just can't handle that kind of stuff. When guys start talking like that, their either homosexual... or lying. Maybe not technically lying, but laying in on pretty thick.
I personally watched this in Japanese (because I'm like that)... until I figured out that Phil Hartman was in it, playing Jiji. Phil... Hartman...
For your information, Phil Hartman is a god to me on many levels, from the work he's done, to what I can gather of his personality, and I greatly appreciate all the influence that he's made on my life.
Sounds like something Hartman would say.
The English cast of one of the versions also had Kirsten Dunst out of Spiderman. This I don't care so much about, but it was still interesting.
I've got one more thing to say about the language thing, and if you watch the movie, you'll figure it out yourself... but what is going on with the languages in this world?
I mean, you've got Japanese people listening to a radio with an American DJ... in Germany! Could someone please explain this to me?
This movie was better than My Neighbor Totoro on the action front, but for some reason, it was loaded with a lot of upskirt shots.
She's also awfully flexible...
... Sorry, that's the way I am, I get perverted thoughts and can usually only control them for fear of reprisal or the idea that they might be misunderstood or whatever, but here, you don't know who I am, and I've done a lot worse... I mean just look at Midori no Hibi... and not even under the spoiler, right there in the visible body! Besides, nobody's reading, so what do I care?
Miyazaki's style is becoming more unique and noticeable through his works. A lot more colorful and pronounced, and seemingly smoother. He's also taken on a big task with this movie. Inter-city animes are very difficult to do, what with all of the detail that you need to add into the background.
On works like Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa, it was good that Miyazaki kept the background to a minimum (maybe it wasn't intentional), and in My Neighbor Totoro, it was set in a pretty remote location without a lot of fine detail needed, but in this one, you need some extra time to keep things... city-like.
I also noticed that the environmental theme was tuned way down on this one. Actually, I don't think there was anything about the environment in here, but that's not disappointing, but rather kind of shocking after seeing Nausicaa which was all about it, and Totoro which featured a strong natural side.
On works like Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa, it was good that Miyazaki kept the background to a minimum (maybe it wasn't intentional), and in My Neighbor Totoro, it was set in a pretty remote location without a lot of fine detail needed, but in this one, you need some extra time to keep things... city-like.
I also noticed that the environmental theme was tuned way down on this one. Actually, I don't think there was anything about the environment in here, but that's not disappointing, but rather kind of shocking after seeing Nausicaa which was all about it, and Totoro which featured a strong natural side.
Coming up next!
Day 5: Whisper of the Heart!
Alert!
If you don't like spoilers, or still want to watch the show now, you'd better stop reading!Despite all of the ass-hole people that she's encountered along the way, Kiki still managed to find someone nice. Osano and her overly quiet husband run a small bakery overlooking a residential area (very good location).
That dude's also got mad skills.
Those are bread pans... with dough in them... damn.
After returning a pacifier to a baby, Kiki is allowed to stay in their spare room, and providing that she help out around the bakery, she will be allowed to stay there free of rent.
Kiki begins her delivery service, but during her time spent around town, she experiences the same worries that all teenage girls have, namely fashion. Or lack thereof. Kiki's only got the one outfit, her black robe, and that's a problem. She's got no money, and that's another problem. But she does have a job, that's the answer to both of them.
And so Kiki starts working, with her first... second job being the delivery of a small doll (that looks like Jiji) to the customer's nephew outside of town. And so Kiki... and Jiji... and the Jiji doll, set off for their first... second (son of a bitch!) job.
En route there, they encounter a flock of geese, and Jiji has a little chat. Well, more like the geese say "There's a strong wind coming", and then everybody getting blasted by a force 5 hurricane of a wind.
As Kiki spins around, trying to control her flight, the present drops towards the forest. Kiki bullets towards it, grabbing it, but not in time to pull up, and so they go smashing into the trees in such a way as she was lucky not to get a branch rammed through her.
And just when things probably couldn't get much worse, they land almost on top a crow's nest... filled with eggs. So Kiki gets the hell out of there.
After recovering, Jiji points out the fact that somewhere along the free-fall, they lost the doll. When they try to get back to the scene, the crows amass and attack them.
This is bull, birds do not form squadrons. I don't think they give a shit about each other's eggs, actually.
Unable to recover the doll, they only have one choice... Jiji...
Kiki delivers Jiji to the little boy and then goes back to the forest to find the doll, which she does... in a mysterious, ax-murder type cabin, inhabited by... a painter? An artist, whatever. Her name's Ursula either way.
The artist agrees to a trade, Kiki'll wash the floor, and Ursula'll fix the doll (it's head was coming off). Meanwhile, Jiji's seriously panicking inside the house, staring at the snout of a huge dog.
Ursula manages to fix the doll, and Kiki brings it to the house, but before she can break in and rescue Jiji, the dog brings Jiji out because he could apparently care less about it. Kiki gives him the doll and he goes back inside.
A couple days later, Tombo visits the shop, carrying an invitation for Kiki for a party later that night. Kiki becomes very excited about the idea, but still doesn't have anything to wear. Osano says that she doesn't need any other clothes, the robe is fine. "Mysterious", she says. What I want to know is if anyone outside of anime can pull of that bow and still look cute in a natural way.
One of her next jobs comes from an elderly woman and her elderly... maid I guess. She's baking a pie for her granddaughter's birthday, but upon Kiki's arrival, she hasn't managed to get the electric oven going, and so the pie's not ready, and the job's a bust.
... sounds kind of... unique to me. Herring?
Kiki, being the kind and generous soul that she is offers to stay and help them out working an old wood-burning stove, and changing a couple of lights along the way. The two elderly ladies are glad for the company and the help.
Time sure does fly when you're standing on your knees for so long. And on top of such a hard surface, shit, I hate to imagine it (and I'm still young, seriously!), and before she knows it, Kiki's late to meet Tombo, so Kiki blasts off with the pie, through the rain and the hail and the tornado until she finally gets to the granddaughter's mansion, where she's told that the granddaughter hates her grandmother's pies. This really gets to Kiki for reasons that I get and don't get at the same time, one of the weirdest feelings in the world.
Kiki wanders back to the bakery, passing Tombo (whose been waiting for quite a while), but not stopping because she's lost all interest in everything else.
Kiki goes comatose for a while... and then gets sick. After she's all better, she's sent out by Osano to make a delivery. When she finds out that the recipient is that Tombo dude, she gets kind of pissed, but when she sees what he's invented, kind of forgets about it.
It's pretty much an impossible flying machine. If you can make it work, then make sure to post all the videos... of you failing on Youtube and send me the links.
... yeah, no way.
She and Tombo go out to see a dirigible that's under construction. Oh, and a dirigible is a special kind of blimp (as you'll see) that I was worried was the Hindenberg.
Now I don't know who's clever idea it was to go out onto the highway, but they do, and end up almost getting run over on several occasions, but during the course of their close calls, they get some air... and then go sailing over the cliff.
After crash-landing below, they recover and have a chat while looking at the ocean. At a high point of the conversation, Tombo's buddies and some girls drive up and tell him that they managed to get the captain to allow them to look around inside.
Kiki realizes that one of the girls is the ungrateful granddaughter, and then gets pissed off, storming home without an explanation. A couple of days later, she sees Jiji, but can't understand him. In a panic, Kiki tries to fly, but can't, and Kiki understands that she's beginning to lose her magic.
That night, Kiki attempts to fly over and over again, but can't get more than a foot off the ground. In a last-ditch effort, Kiki goes flying off a small cliff, and then hits the ground hard, snapping her broom.
Well at least it wasn't your spine...
Kiki takes a forced break from her work and just helps around the bakery for a while until she sees Ursula again, coming into town to get supplies and also to pick up Kiki for a portrait. Kiki agrees and heads off with Ursula for a while.
While on her vacation, Kiki and Ursula have a philosophical discussion about losing your "gift" (I suppose that's what I should call it. For Ursula, it was artistic originality, for Kiki, it's magic, for one of my friends, it's Super Smash Bros. Melee butchery skill (okay, I stole it from him... Shiek rules, though I don't agree with the way known pros play her (how self-important of me!))).
When Kiki gets back, she stops by and visits the elderly women again. While there, everybody gets watching the dirigible's takeoff... until it gets owned by the same strong with that slaughtered the geese.
In the aftermath of the wind, everybody there is trying to keep the dirigible tethered to the ground, but to no avail, and the dirigible takes off with Tombo, the only person who could hold on, in tow... along with a police car.
Kiki freaks out and runs to where he dirigible is floating... right towards the clock tower. Actually, right into the clock tower... and then it falls down onto a building across the street.
Kiki realizes that the only chance that she's got to save Tombo is to use her nonexistent magic, so she borrows a brush from someone on the street and... the whole thing catches fire, along with a couple of onlookers.
Okay, sarcasm takes a back seat to reality. The brush frizzles and then Kiki takes off... uncontrollably because she's still rusty I guess.
Kiki manages to get to the clock tower and within agonizing reach of Tombo, but still can't control her flight, and Tombo losses his grip and falls, but Kiki doesn't give up, and she manages to catch him before he splattered on the ground. good, I don't think that the ratings committee would've let Miyazaki get away with that.
Happy ending. Kiki got her magic back, Tombo went on to finish his... flying bike thing, Osano had a baby, and Jiji had kids.
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