Written By: Cleo Cuizpn
Date: 21 Oct. 2022
The first step to adulthood; a significant chapter in one's mortal journey, yet it imposes a daunting experience. A societal standard of learning independence and obtaining consistent success, while enduring the overwhelming factors that should contribute to one's growth, makes the experience more disheartening. And amid the naivety to approach life in the most creative potential, one is not immune to the hurdles of demotivation. With reality as harsh as it gets, Miyazaki Hayao creates a silver lining of inspiration through a character that reflects a similar circumstance in a unique and romanticized way.
Studio Ghibli's Kiki Delivery Service centers on a young girl, who is obligated to leave her house at thirteen years old to enhance her skills as a witch. As she experiences new lifestyles and personalities, her adventure to advancement becomes a balanced ride of tribulations and jubilations. But what enhances Kiki's journey occurs through the unique illustration of adulthood and its embellished process, accentuating the imperfections rather than concealing them. An upbeat tone intending to procure as a childhood favorite evokes a greater effect on older audiences like myself, who rewatches Kiki's adventure and resonate with her experience on a deeper level. Through a more mature lens, she embodies a metaphorical message regarding the realities of growth and sustaining one's creative inspiration.
A Witch's Representation of Adulthood
A young and naïve girl bound to enter an unknown land and begin her growth presents the inevitable path of uncertainty and its rewarding lessons. Through a series of mishaps, comical instances, and new beginnings, Kiki persists through unprecedented cases in the real world and its environmental influence. Ironically, she initially embarks on this new chapter to hone her witchcraft skills. But instead of illustrating a realm relating to her field of knowledge, Miyazaki places a realistic setting that establishes a more profound symbolism in her journey.
Her identity as a witch is a crucial example, where Kiki's initial purpose is challenged by the external forces of an urbanized area. Before entering her new chapter, we first see Kiki and the rural background that heavily influences her aspirations in witchery. While she prepares for her departure, many residents gather around to share love and support, implying a sense of familiarity and its prevalence in the town. But as she enters an entirely new region, a pivotal phase of personal growth begins. Surrounded by factors unrelated to her upbringing, it emphasizes this sense of alienation against a society coexisting differently. This notion further escalates in the first part of the film, where she uncontrollably flies through the amazed crowd and experiences a feeling of isolation when asking for a job amongst them. This display of innocence within Kiki becomes significant to her development as the city's environment gradually teaches her its standard. The ability to adapt to its ways while maintaining her creative purpose becomes her responsibility to sustain.
Growth and Disillusionment
As Kiki slowly adapts to the modern city, her life as a witch and a worker becomes a juggling match. Although she utilizes her supernatural prowess in the delivery service, witnessing the community's lifestyle through her job affected her initial ambition. One notable example was her developing relationship with Tombo. After a wholesome time with a boy she initially hated, his friends happened to stop by and find them spending time together. With Kiki feeling uncomfortable from their sly remarks and his hesitation between his friends and Kiki, a journey of disillusionment grows within her and diminishes the charming boy she witnessed a few minutes ago. The loss of innocence continues once she heads back to her apartment and finds Jiji (her pet cat) unable to speak and merely replies with continuous meows. Realizing that she is slowly losing her abilities, she runs to her broom to reassure if she can still fly. However, as the broom becomes unresponsive to her incessant demands, a harsh reality hits Kiki in her current state; she loses her magical prowess.
This climactic part of her ordeal provides a metaphorical demonstration of one's experiencing disillusionment. One thing to remember is that Kiki enters the world as an aspiring witch. Once she acquiesces to the standards of this new society, it poses a means for survival to follow the ways of this world over her personal values. As her friendship with Tombo brings a deeper view of that community, she subconsciously places her initial goals aside to create space for newer ambitions. Little did she know such action does come with some sacrifices. Seeing Jiji transform into a full cat— losing his inability to communicate with Kiki and spending more time with a girlfriend named Lily—became the sudden reminder of her digression. But the unresponsive broom delivered discouraging proof of losing her powers, knowing that she revolved her identity around that skill. Unable to fathom the reality of her creative slump, she sulks into a debilitating burnout and loses motivation to manifest a success she naively thought was a linear path.
Ursula: Guidance and Redirecting Inspiration
The disheartenment of losing the progress built through hard work could dampen any invigorating soul. Therefore, a witch's distressing moment, which seems out of her positive character, calls for a model of guidance and renewal. Ursula, a lone artist, living in the woods, decided to visit Kiki's place after building a friendship in their first encounter. Finding her young friend sulking in her room, losing the will to find inspiration in life, she decided to take her back to her shed and find methods to clear her mind. One notable example is this dialogue between, where Ursula consoles Kiki by the warm fireplace:
Ursula: When I was your age, I'd already decided to become an artist. I loved to paint so much. I'd paint all day until I fell asleep right at my easel. And then one day, for some reason, I just couldn't paint anymore. I tried and tried, but nothing I did seemed any good. They were copies of paintings I'd seen somewhere before… and not very good copies either. I just felt like I'd lost my ability.
Kiki: That sounds like me.
Ursula: It's exactly the same, but then I found the answer. You see, I hadn't figured out what or why I wanted to paint. I had to discover my own style. When you fly, you rely on what's inside of you, don't you?
Kiki: Uh-huh. We fly with our spirit.
Ursula: Trusting your spirit! Yes, yes! That's exactly what I'm talking about. That same spirit is what makes me paint and makes your friend bake. But we each need to find our own inspiration, Kiki. Sometimes it's not easy.
(Note: this script is based on the English Dubbed version)
The encouragement from a wiser model of creativity compelled Kiki to perceive beyond the pressures of success. Anxiety over the uncertainty seemed to be Kiki's subconscious tendency after all the circumstances that tested her will to be a proficient witch. The gradual changes resembled in her cat and the broom became that tipping point of a reality she dreaded to happen. When she unknowingly realized that such obstacles were part of the process of her improvement. Ursula was the model she needed at that moment, an external semblance that endured similar instances but proved to overcome its challenges. Like an elder sister, her reassurance gave Kiki leverage to perceive beyond the abyssal pit that separates her goals and progress, extending out a hand that will ease her worries over the unknown.
Ursula's pivotal role in renewing Kiki's relentless spirit becomes an essential embodiment of one's journey to creativity and growth. As an artist, she explains the essence of her imperfection, highlighting the normality of feeling burnt out or losing inspiration. Although she claims its detriment, she emphasizes how important it was to experience that circumstance to renew her purpose. Moreover, living alone in a shed, with little to no sign of civilization, create this uniqueness in her character while preaching her ideals. Her sheer independence and persistence in her creative ambition accentuate an admiration for her role. Seeing Ursula not only address these realities but prove them through her life contributed to Kiki's willingness to take her example. Through Ursula, Kiki learned that her struggle was part of the process, and that her flaw was a precious example of her humanness.
Growth & Creativity is Not a One-Shot Success
Kiki's story provides this overall aesthetic ambiance while enduring relatable human experiences, further romanticizing its aspects with wholesome resolutions. However, amid Miyazaki's efforts in creating this ornamental setting, the challenges accentuate the most meaningful messages. The juxtaposing effect on Miyazaki's works occurs through this idea of aestheticizing the problematic concepts of human experiences. However, he creates this impression that alleviates the burdening feeling when addressing this issue, rather than concealing its essence in totality. He suggests that even if one were to endure a most difficult moment in life, it is vital to perceive challenges with constructive optimism and persist through grace. A source from Susan J. Napier perceives a similar view in Miyazaki's works, where she mentions this aesthetic effect he portrayed, "in whom he provides a crucial potential for change, growth, compassion and empowerment" (154).
Losing her witch powers creates this realistic idea by symbolizing a moment of losing one's inspiration, where external forces impose an inability to perceive an ambition amid the harshest lessons of reality. Despite the story giving a fantasy touch to its concept, it remains relatable to the demonstration of self-discovery and growth. By formulating aspects of the conventional vs. modern, Kiki's evolution to maturity embarks on this loss of innocence to the simple notion of success. A source from Dani Di Placido emphasizes this idea, "it's a tale of how tradition, safely incubated within rural communities, is doomed to fade, as the youth migrateo the cities and adapt, forging fresh culture with the fragments of the old." (2020). Although she continues to enhance her witch abilities in the ending, she changes into a mindset that acknowledges her flaws yet continues with assured hope for her future.
Aside from perceiving the protagonist's message, other characters signified that similar idea through their contributions. Kiki's friends became that pivotal support in her development, directly sharing their wisdom or embodying that concept. Based on the previous section, Ursula provided this guidance based on someone wiser yet understanding her internal struggle. Another interesting portrayal is her mother. From the beginning to the end of the movie, we see a mother continuously trying to create potions that usually end in a puff of smoke. A hidden message elucidates through the simple gesture; that despite how mature and grown she has progressed in life, her mother continues to make mistakes and continues learning. Such depth in her small appearance creates a bigger effect in its timing, as we reflect on Kiki's journey and the goal she placed on herself.
The path to maturity prevails to be a difficult journey. But Kiki shares a meaningful reminder that such adversities are bound to be critical in one's development. The shift of lifestyle that imposed change to the people that educated a healthy mindset all contributed to the Kiki that renewed her optimism, but possesses a more durable will for her ambition. Furthermore, her path entailed a gentle lesson in self-love and acceptance, incorporating the aestheticized aura to emphasize the beauty of life in its harshest angles. Such subtle messages from Miyazaki show that if she eventually advances in her witch abilities, growth and creativity will always be a prevalent work in progress; a process that deems a key ingredient to genuine success.
References:
Miyazaki, Hayao, director. Kiki's Delivery Service. Studio Ghibli, 1990.
Napier, Susan J. Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.
Placido, Dani Di. "Looking Back on 'Kiki's Delivery Service,' A Timeless Tale of Self-Discovery." Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 May 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2019/07/29/looking-back-on-kikis-delivery-service-a-timeless-tale-of-self-discovery/?sh=230d4f49be8f.
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