Source: Amazon

Recently, my friend and I watched Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989). Now, I’ll be honest, I’m not much of an anime or manga type of person. I really enjoyed this, though. It had some sweet themes of friendship, growing up, uncertainty, romance, and magic. I’ll give you some context, but not spoilers. 

In this family/fantasy film, Kiki is a witch who just turned 13. She’s extremely excited on her birthday; once a witch turns thirteen, she gets to leave home for a year and go to a city. So, broom in her hand, her loyal cat Jiji, and some luggage– she heads for the city. Her start is a little rocky, but soon she ends up at a bakery.

Here, she meets a lovely family who care for her and take her in. She starts a delivery service and delivers goods around the city, always taking Jiji with her. Through all of her ups and downs, she has made some great friends. She learns the power of finding yourself, too. Growing up for her is something that she was excited about, but once she finds out the truth about growing up, she seems scared.

Source: The Globe

As everything around her changes, she tries to stay the same, but soon realizes that life doesn’t work like that. But as she grows, she realizes that sacrifices sometimes are necessary in order to save the day. 

Some key points of this film are the humor from Jiji. Jiji is a small cat who talks to Kiki. He helps guide Kiki and gives her advice, while also being really blunt but funny. He has some twists of his own, but overall was my favorite character. I loved how raw he was and how heartfelt, but also how lazy he was. 

If you want a good movie, watch Kiki’s Delivery Service. It taught me some things about friendship. The artwork of the movie was beautiful too. Ghibli Studios has always been known for its amazing movies, and this one really lives up to it with a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score! Need a good watch? This is the perfect one for a cozy fall movie!

The run time is 1 hour 52 minutes and can be streamed on HBO Max or rented on Amazon Prime, Apple TV or  Fandango.