Kiki's Delivery Service

Year: 1989
Country: Japan
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Watched through: library DVD
Also known as: Maho No Takyubin, The Witch’s Express Mail

The scenario: As a thirteen-year-old witch in training, Kiki has to leave home and strike out on her own. She ends up in a seaside town, where she decides to set up a flying delivery business.

First impressions: My first exposure to this film was the Disney channel; I recorded the dubbed version and thought it was alright, but several years later I mentioned the film to a friend, who insisted that I borrow her DVD and watch the subtitled version. And, wow, what a difference it made. The different versions of this film could be a case study in how a character’s voice can change their personality; there were some pretty surprising story differences, too, which make it hard for me to recommend the dub. Overall, the original version is vastly superior, so seek out the subbed version if you’re interested in seeing this film.

Plot and story: The story of this film is very loosely constructed, and the plot has a deliberate pace that suits the “slice of life” content well. After Kiki leaves her parents’ house and arrives in her new city, the rest of the film shows her daily struggles with her job, her peers, and her own confidence. Kiki goes through swells of self-assuredness and self-doubt, just like any young teen, and the film’s most dramatic point is when her loneliness and homesickness cause her to lose her magic. She manages to pull herself together in the end, however, and the epilogue confirms that she has “found herself,” so to speak. More than anything, this is a coming-of-age story, with the emotional ups and downs, difficulty fitting in, and importance of finding one’s place in life played out superbly in the story. 18/20

Characters: Among other things, Miyazaki is known for his realistic, appealing heroines, and Kiki is no exception. As mentioned above, she acts a like a real thirteen-year-old, and responds to the pressures of her life in realistic ways. You can’t help but root for her, whether she’s cheerful or depressed. Her cat, Jiji, is her foil in some ways, being aloof when Kiki is intent and skeptical when Kiki is certain; their interactions are always interesting because of this. The secondary characters, such as Tombo, the artist, the bakers who take in Kiki as a tenant, and the elderly woman she befriends, are all likeable, and they all eventually help Kiki find herself. 19/20

Voices: This is a review of the original Japanese version of the film, so judgments about the English dub don’t apply. However, I feel I have to mention my biggest beef with Disney’s version: the casting. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Kirsten Dunst is a good actress, but she is extremely wrong for Kiki. Primarily, she sounds way too old. Secondly, she’s too high-pitched, changing Kiki from a plucky adolescent to a whiny teen. Even stranger, though, was the choice for Jiji. The late and great Phil Hartman did the voice of Jiji as his last film role, and I can’t say his performance is bad. It’s great, in fact. But it changes Jiji into an entirely different character. In the original, Jiji has a cute voice, and occasionally has sardonic dialogue. By contrast, the Hartman Jiji is a cynical smart-alec with a drawling northeastern accent. Overall, the dub can’t hold its own when compared to the original. All of the original actors perfectly suit the personalities the characters were meant to have, and the performances are great all around. 18/20

Music: The original film features two Japanese pop songs (“Message in Rouge” and “Surrounded by Gentleness”), but neither of these was used in the dub, probably for licensing reasons. This is yet another thing that hurts the quality of the dub, since the original songs are more fitting in both theme and tune than the pale imitations used in the English version. The score is great as well, with the most memorable music being in the scenes with Jiji and the dog. 18/20

Visuals: Studio Ghibli is incapable of producing a bad-looking film; this film showcases the sumptuous color, simple character design, masterful movements, and beautiful backgrounds that the studio is known for. It lacks the computer-aided flair that some of their more recent films have, but what else can I say? Fantastic animation for a fantastic film. 18/20

Overall grade: 91/100 (A)

My Neighbors the Yamadas

Year: 1999
Country: Japan
Director: Isao Takahata
Watched through: Netflix
Also known as: Hohokekyo Tonari No Yamada-kun

The scenario: A series of vignettes about a suburban family in modern Japan, based on a popular comic strip.

First impressions: Having neither the expected anime drawing style nor traditional cel-based animation, this is one of Studio Ghibli’s most commonly overlooked films. In addition, it doesn’t have a central story, or even a single theme to unite the vignettes (unless you count “the foibles of living in suburban Japan” as a theme). It’s still a perfectly coherent and very charming film, however, and the settings, characters, and situations are appealingly relatable. Overall, I’d say this film deserves more attention from anime fans.

Plot and story: There really isn’t any, as mentioned above. n/a

Characters: Interesting characters are an important part of any film, but they have double the importance when they must carry a film with no story. Fortunately, the mother, father, brother, sister, and grandmother who comprise the Yamada family are well-rounded, funny, and very realistic; each tries their best, but no one is perfect. My favorite character is the proud, opinionated grandmother who is never afraid to be rude; she isn’t scared to cover other peoples’ posters with her own, insult the neighbor’s flower garden, or confront the motorcycle-riding hooligans that tear through the neighborhood. My next favorite is the caring but sometimes lazy mother who cuts corners in her housework so she can watch more romance movies on TV. The frustrated father, harried teenage son, and indomitable young daughter complete the family, and they constantly bounce off each other in unexpected and humorous ways. To say more would spoil some of the vignettes, but suffice to say that most of them are both touching and funny because the characters are so real. 19/20

Voices: I didn’t have time to watch the English dub of this film, which has some famous voice actors, but the original Japanese has wonderful voices. They’re just great parts of already great characters, and there isn’t a bad performance to be heard. 18/20

Music: Because of the “slice of life” nature of this film, non-diegetic music is de-emphasized. The sparing use of music works well with the realism of the film, and most of what we hear is existing classical pieces. There is also a charming karaoke number sung by the mother and father, and swells of music highlight the poems that accompany some scenes. 16/20

Visuals: This film stands out in the Studio Ghibli repertoire because of its unique style. Rather than using the hyper-realistic style that most Ghibli films (and, indeed, most anime films) have, this film seeks to imitate the style of the comic it’s based on. The figures and backgrounds are very simply drawn, and only the most important areas of the screen have color. Everything is rounded and friendly, with a lovely pastel color palette. Though the scenes look like watercolor paintings, the film was actually drawn digitally, which was a first for the studio. The visuals are cute while being quirky, and overall they help make the film memorable. 18/20

Overall grade: 71/80 = about 89/100 (A)

First Review: Catnapped!

Year: 1998
Country: Japan
Director: Takashi Nakamura
Watched through: streaming
Also known as: Totsuzen! Neko no Kuni Banipal Witt!

The scenario: Brother and sister Yasuo and Meeko have lost their dog, Papadoll. Meeko is sure the dog was abducted by aliens, but they get some even stranger visitors in the middle of the night: anthropomorphic cats from an alternate dimension. In the alternate dimension, the children find a heap of trouble in the form of an insane princess, a misguided sorcerer, and their own beloved pet, who has been transformed into a giant monster. In a race against time, the children have to subdue Papadoll and get back home before they, too, morph into monsters.

First impressions: Well, my first impression was frustration, because this movie is pretty hard to find on DVD; luckily, the internet came to the rescue, and I was able to watch both the English dub and the original Japanese with subtitles. It’s creative, in a madcap sort of way, and as children’s fantasies go it’s pretty original. It’s not exactly perfect, however, so here’s the breakdown.

Plot and story: Well, the story is great, but the plot is. . . so-so. The biggest problem with the plot is the order some of the story information gets presented in. For example, we know that Papadoll is Yasuo’s pet, but we don’t really know anything about their relationship until the film is almost over, when we get a lengthy flashback right in the middle of a climactic action scene. Another important bit of the backstory was also given at an odd time. One interesting plot point is the villain’s ability to inflate people like balloons when she touches them, and the reason she can do this is explained in the middle of the film, through a dream sequence. Apparently, she caused a magician’s daughter to fall to her death, and the grieving father cursed her to turn every person she touched into a balloon. Um, okay. Apart from being a weird punishment for causing someone’s death, the odd placement of this information really slowed the plot down. Aside from the poorly-placed flashbacks, the film was also hampered by one story point that didn’t make any sense. The entire alternate world is physically supported by an enormous sleeping cat, and the world will be essentially destroyed if it ever wakes up. The evil princess has a grand scheme of constructing a giant rat to rouse the sleeping cat and pretty much destroy the world she lives in. And she wants to do this. . . why? It makes no sense in either the dub or the original. 14/20

Characters: This is the film’s strongest element. Though the plot is very action-driven, the characters all have distinct personalities, and many of them are fleshed out quite well. Meeko and Yasuo are appealingly normal (in the original, anyway; in the dub they both sound unnaturally smart), and act like real kids. Yasuo is lonely and somewhat sullen (though his good traits come out in the end), while Meeko is cheerfully indomitable. The princess is spoiled and hysterical, while her chief henchman, Doh Doh, is both evil, in a cackling sort of way, and goofy. The best of the supporting characters is Chu Chu, the tough cat girl who helps the mains in their quest. 17/20

Voices: Well, I can’t comment much on the casting, as all of the voices are unknowns, but I must say that the original voices are remarkably better than the dub voices. There isn’t a single bad performance in the original, but the English equivalents are. . . ugh. SO ANNOYING. Skip the dub and watch the original with subtitles. 17/20

Music: Not much to say here, as this isn’t a musical, but the score is decent. All of the music is appropriate and pleasant, but not outstanding. I must say I loved the song in the end credits, though. 15/20

Visuals: I’ve come to expect a lot from anime films, and this one delivered in terms of both design and movement. The characters are cutely drawn, the backgrounds are wonderfully imagined, and everything is very colorful. The animation is full and smooth, but there are no outstanding moments. 16/20

Overall grade: 79/100 (B+)