Majo no Takkyuubin

Kiki, a 13-year-old witch-in-training, must spend a year living on her own in a distant town in order to become a full-fledged witch. Leaving her family and friends, Kiki undertakes this tradition when she flies out into the open world atop her broomstick with her black cat Jiji.

As she settles down in the coastal town of Koriko, Kiki struggles to adapt and ends up wandering the streets with no place to stay—until she encounters Osono, who offers Kiki boarding in exchange for making deliveries for her small bakery. Before long, Kiki decides to open her own courier service by broomstick, beginning her journey to independence. In attempting to find her place among the townsfolk, Kiki brings with her exciting new experiences and comes to understand the true meaning of responsibility.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kiki Main

Takayama, Minami Japanese

Jiji ing

Sakuma, Rei Japanese

Ursula ing

Takayama, Minami Japanese

Kopoli, Tombo ing

Yamaguchi, Kappei Japanese

Osono's husband ing

Yamadera, Kouichi Japanese

Osono ing

Toda, Keiko Japanese

Bertha ing

Seki, Hiroko Japanese

Roufujin ing

Katou, Haruko Japanese

Lilly ing

Kokiri ing

Nobusawa, Mieko Japanese

Miyazaki, Hayao Producer, Director, Script

Tanaka, Eiko Producer

Takahata, Isao Sound Director

Isshiki, Nobuyuki Script

Reviews

Apr 10, 2025

BerryBlitz

Recommended

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a charming, heartwarming coming-of-age story that effortlessly blends everyday life with a touch of magic. Directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki and brought to life by Studio Ghibli’s signature animation, it captures the delicate journey of growing up, finding independence, and learning to believe in oneself.

What makes this film so special is its simplicity. There are no high-stakes battles or dramatic twists—just a 13-year-old witch, Kiki, trying to make her way in a new city with her cat Jiji and her broomstick. But within that quiet premise lies an emotional depth that really hits home. The film explores themes like burnout, ... self-doubt, and the search for purpose, all wrapped in a cozy, whimsical atmosphere.

The animation is stunning, from the vibrant European-inspired cityscapes to the little details like Kiki’s windblown hair and the peaceful skies she glides through. Joe Hisaishi’s score is another highlight—beautiful, nostalgic, and emotionally resonant.

Kiki herself is an incredibly relatable protagonist. Her struggles feel very real, and her growth throughout the movie is subtle but deeply satisfying. The characters she meets along the way—like the kind-hearted baker Osono, the free-spirited painter Ursula, and even the quirky customers—make her journey feel all the more lived-in and warm.

I gave Kiki’s Delivery Service a 9/10 because it’s not just a great film for kids, it’s a deeply thoughtful story for anyone who's ever felt lost, uncertain, or in need of a little encouragement. It’s a movie that quietly lifts your spirits, reminding you that it's okay to take your time, make mistakes, and rediscover your spark.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 27, 2024

Shirogari

Mixed Feelings

Kiki's delivery service seems like a pretty good coming of age movie.

There isn't much of a story, instead the movie progresses by following Kiki and her experiences as she starts her own delivery service and attempts to become independent. Along the way she faces hardships, both big and small, that she has to overcome. This did mean that I personally did not like the movie because I find it painful watching things go wrong again and again.

Kiki is a pretty good character for this story but some of her decisions were a bit puzzling. The side characters were good and I liked how expressively ... animated they were. The animation is quite good in general which is impressive considering the movie was released in 1989. The voice acting and music were both good too.

Overall this can be a good story if you like the coming of age genre and don't mind a character driven story where lots of things go wrong.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Mar 7, 2025

Hydre_Ito

Not Recommended

Funny

Kiki is a witch only because she hallucinates talking to her cat and flying 11,300 meters in altitude; in other words, she gets high. Her mother appears to be more of a self-taught pharmaceutical scientist who is probably also an anti-vaxxer as well as someone who believes in free-range parenting, rather than a witch.

We are told about so-called “training” that Kiki will undergo, but we get nothing of the sort. The first nice boy she meets in an unfamiliar city, she decides to hate for unknown reasons. Perhaps it was her insecurity stemming from the lack of interaction with boys, or otherwise (more likely) ... not having enough magic mushrooms at that particular moment to keep her mellowed and grounded while kickstarting her witch alter ego.

She thinks the lady that took her in is exceedingly kind and pure; but we all know that she, blinded by capitalism, was ultimately plotting to expand her business and revamp her brand image because who wouldn’t love a cute 13-year-old happy-go-lucky witch and her tiny black cat? She saw a ripe opportunity to exploit her for child labour and she took it, managing to implement quick strategic thinking while pregnant no less! What a strong, independent woman. This was probably one of the millions of beautiful hidden meanings buried within this ghibli film.

A bit later into this, we are basically told (indirectly) that Kiki’s flying on her broom is comparable to art, yep, art. Nothing Kiki has ever done in this movie can be interpreted as artistic. Ursula, the painter, was the only remotely interesting character, and I’m just a little biassed towards her because I like birds and the idea of producing artwork of them, but that didn’t get much screen time. In the end, the protagonist barely goes through proper hardships or development. So it's not among the best coming-of-age stories out there.

This will either be really boring or relaxing depending on what kind of person you are and the mood you happen to be in. However, by no means would I call this forgettable, clichéd sspiring.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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