Why Kiki never gets Jiji’s voice back — an essay on what Miyazaki takes away from a thirteen-year-old on purpose.
Written as the comparison piece for her own work. The reading it lands on — that the talking cat is Kiki’s other self, and its silence is the growing up — is the one that explains the ending.
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989): Japanese animated film produced by Studio Ghibli
Kiki is descended from a witch mother. Kiki sets off for a town with a view of the sea with high expectations. In the town she arrives, Kiki is frustrated and depressed, but with the help of the people, she grows up. This is a warm fantasy work depicting the interaction between an adolescent girl and the people of the town. Hayao Miyazaki's films often feature characters overcoming trials and tribulations, and it can be said that this film also depicts Kiki's recovery from her setbacks.
The main character, who wants to train to become a witch in a city with a view of the sea, chooses a fashionable city that fits her image while flying through the sky. The protagonist meets Ms. Osono, a pregnant woman who runs a bakery. Thanks to her, the protagonist has a room to live, a telephone, and food. In Act 2, where her setbacks begin, she is deeply hurt by something very trivial that seems to happen all the time. This is the departure of 13-year-old Kiki and her struggles in a new town. Kiki's relationship with Gigi, the black cat, is also highlighted as a testament to Kiki's growth.
Kiki's magic is weakened, she cannot understand Gigi's words, and she has difficulty flying on her broomstick. The depiction of the protagonist's frustration in the film is creepy and aftertasteful from the perspective of a child about the protagonist's age of 13. For example, there is a scene in which when the protagonist is sick and catches a cold during a setback, Ms. Osono, the baker who lets him stay in his room, comes into his room to check on the protagonist. The protagonist and Ms. Osono do not talk much, and when Ms. Osono tries to leave the room quickly, the protagonist stops her once, but she says "never mind" and goes back to sleep alone in the dark room. This scene depicts how a 13-year-old girl endures her loneliness and loneliness because she cannot be spoiled by her "parent-like figure" even if she wants to be. In Act 2, Hayao Miyazaki expresses how she has been spoiled by her parents and how she will grow out of it in the new land.
Kiki had lost her confidence in such a way after her setback, but it was the support and bonds of the people around her, including Ursula, who took the depressed Kiki out and let her stay at the hut, that enabled her to get back on her feet and try again.
After her magic power weakens, Kiki is unable to understand Gigi's words, which she had spoken normally before. It was thought that this was due to the weakening of her magic power, but even after her magic power returned, she was still unable to speak with Gigi. The reason why Kiki was able to talk to Gigi the cat was because Gigi was her "other self. Jiji, who was recognized by Kiki as a "dialogue partner with the self," has completed its role through Kiki's spiritual growth. Kiki's growth into adulthood is expressed in the form of "no longer being able to talk to Jiji the cat.
Kiki has taken the first step up the ladder to adulthood and is working hard and earnestly. There is a warmth in this story that encourages us when we feel down.