miyazaki on kiki's delivery service __ hayao miyazaki web

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The Hopes and Spirit of Contemporary Japanese GirlsBy Hayao Miyazaki

The English foreword to the book The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service

Disclaimer

© 1989 by Tokuma ShotenTranscribed without permission for personal entertainment purpose only.

=============================================

Eiko Kadono's original story, Majo no Takkyubin "Kiki'sDelivery Service" (Published by Fukuinkan Shoten

Publishers Inc.) is a fine work of children's literature warmlydepicting the gulf that exists between independence andreliance in the hopes and spirit of contemporary Japanesegirls.

At one time the main characters of stories for youngpeople gained financial independence, which was thenequal to spiritual independence, after struggling throughdifficulties. In today's society, however, where anyone canearn money going from one temporary job to another, there

is no connection between financial independence andspiritual independence. In this era, poverty is not so muchmaterial as spiritual.

In an era when leaving the security of one's home is nolonger anything special, and living among strangers meansnothing more than going to a convenience store for anything you need, it might be more difficult than ever toachieve a real sense of independence since you must gothrough the process of discovering your own talents andexpressing yourself.

The only unusual thing that the heroine, 13-year old Kikican do is fly through the sky. Moreover in this world witchesare not much more talented than normal girls. She has theduty to live for a year in an unfamiliar town and exercise her talents to make people acknowledge her as a proper witch.

This is like someone who wants to be a cartoonist comingalone to Tokyo. Today there are said to be around 300,000





young men and women who are hoping to make it ascartoonists. Being a cartoonist is not that unusual a job. It iscomparatively easy to get started and to make some sortof living. But a characteristic of modern life is that once theneeds of daily life are taken care of the real problem of selfrealization begins. Kiki is protected by mother's old butwell-looked-after broom, she has the radio that was a giftfrom father, and the black cat she is so close to that it isalmost like a part of herself, but Kiki's heart waversbetween isolation and longing for human company. In Kiki'slife we see reflected the lives of so many young Japanesegirls today who are loved and supported economically bytheir parents, but who long for the bright lights of the city,and are about to go there and become independent. Theweakness of her determination and the shallowness of her understanding are also reflected in the world of today'syoung people.

In the original, Kiki solves difficult problems with her naturally good heart. At the same time her circle of alliesincreases. In filming this we have had to make a fewchanges. The process of her developing her talent is surelypleasant but the spirit of our young girls living in the capitaltoday is not so simple. The biggest problem for manyyoung girls is the fight to break through the barrier of independence, and there are too many people who feelthey have received not a single blessing. We feel,therefore, in this movie that we must give serious treatmentto the problem of independence. As movies always createa more realistic feeling, Kiki will suffer stronger setbacksand loneliness than in the original.

Our first image of Kiki when we meet her is of the form of asmall girl flying through the night sky over the capital. Manylights shine, but there is not a single light to warmly beckonher. She is isolated as she flies in the sky. It is usually feltthat the power of flight would liberate one from the earth,but freedom is accompanied by anxiety and loneliness.

Our heroine is a girl who has decided to identify herself byher ability to fly. Quite a few TV cartoons about little witcheshave been made before this, but the witchcraft has alwaysmerely been the means to fulfill the dreams of young girls.They have always become idols with no difficulties. Thewitch of Majo no Takkyubin (Kiki's Delivery Service) doesnot possess that convenient kind of power.

The talents of witch of this film are really little more thanthose possessed by any real-life girl.





We are planning a happy ending. As Kiki flies over thetown she feels a strong bond between herself and thepeople who live below, and is happy being herself. We arehoping to make the film persuasive enough that viewerswill conclude that the ending is happy, rather than merelywish it to be so.

I feel that this film will fulfill its goal of reaching out with afeeling of solidarity to our young viewers: the young girlsliving in today's world who do not deny the joy of youth, nor are carried away by it, torn between freedom anddependence (because we were all young men and womenonce, and the young members of our staff have these veryproblems now). At the same time I feel that the basicpotential of this film as entertainment lies in this point andthat it will inspire sympathy in the viewers.

-- Hayao Miyazaki

miyazaki on kiki's delivery service __ hayao miyazaki web

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