Homework: Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

[nickperkins 52]

I might need some help with this; I can't find it for rent on Amazon or Vudu, or streaming/On Demand anywhere. Are there any streaming services specific to anime? I am terrified of Googling it.

[RobertBoberts 62]

I checked Fandor, TriBeCa Shortlist and Mubi. It's not available there either.

[Head Spin 112]

I love Film Crit Hulk!!!! Hope we get that episode.

[NathanGordon 1096]

As far as I know, Disney still has the rights to most (all?) of the Ghibli catalog. Furthermore, Disney signed an exclusive streaming deal with Netflix three years ago; so far, none of the Ghibli films are available yet.

 

The easiest way to watch this, apart from buying it (the BluRay is excellent), is via torrents. It's probably on sites like Putlocker, too.

 

It's a wonderful film, one of Miyazaki's best works, and an equal to any Disney greats.

[NRoberson86 78]

As far as I know, Disney still has the rights to most (all?) of the Ghibli catalog. Furthermore, Disney signed an exclusive streaming deal with Netflix three years ago; so far, none of the Ghibli films are not available yet.

 

The easiest way to watch this, apart from buying it (the BluRay is excellent), is via torrents. It's probably on sites like Putlocker, too.

 

It's a wonderful film, one of Miyazaki's best works, and an equal to any Disney greats.

 

Devin's not going to like this response.

[NathanGordon 1096]

Devin's not going to like this response.

Why, because I mentioned the availability of it via piracy? I've bought the film twice, along with most of Ghibli's other work, before and after Disney licensed them. I feel no shame about pirating Disney products.

[phred2321 57]

This seems like a good time to remind everyone to check with your local library or video rental place (if you still have one)

[nickperkins 52]

This seems like a good time to remind everyone to check with your local library or video rental place (if you still have one)

 

Thanks for the reminder! I've been spoiled by digital for too long. Reserved my copy at the library.

[Marsellus_H 118]

I don't need to go to the library this time... I'll just ask that crazy anime guy at university who keeps telling me I should watch it.

[HoldenMartinson 221]

I want anime, and I'm gonna vote yes on this, but I feel like a Bernie supporter having to vote for Hillary. Don't get me wrong: I like Kiki's Delivery Service. It's a fine film that encapsulates a lot of what Hayao Miyazaki does well. That said, I wouldn't even pick a Miyazaki film if we're going with anime. He's kind of like the Wes Anderson of animation. Yeah, his work is solid, and there are a few films of his that I adore deeply, but you're just inches away from better, lesser known filmmakers. And sometimes a Ponyo just can't make up for Howl's Moving Castle.

 

Personally, I'd go with Ghibli's real champion, Isao Takahata. While Miyazaki has an eye for ornate design, and a deep optimism and humanity to him that informs nearly every character of his, I'm never blown away by anything he's done. The Wind Rises, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away are breathtaking achievements--I am personally not a fan of My Neighbor Totoro. But Takahata does more with storytelling and craft that is head and shoulders above what Miyazaki does. I prefer the ambition and experimentation. I prefer that, while Miyazaki may come up with better characters, Takahata lends more complexity and subtlety to his characters and their arcs. Takahata is far more daring, and willing to confront actual social issues, like class or gender politics--like in The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. I like that he allows his characters to fail, despite doing their best, something that Miyazaki would never do--see Grave of the Fireflies. I like that he'll talk about smaller things very candidly, like menstruation and flawed parent/child relationships--as seen in Only Yesterday. And the fact that there is nary a raccoon-dog testicle parachute in a single Miyazaki film--unlike Pom Poko--is an honest-to-God transgression against the medium.

 

This, to say nothing of how Takahata will use something like pastel coloring to give an aged look to a film, or give a faint, computer animated tinge in order to suggest something lighthearted. Hell, the opening shot of Only Yesterday--which is of a reflection of a huge city off a tall, glass building--is more profound than most shots in live action films. We're not looking at the city. We're looking at a secondhand view of the city, which lends itself to the themes explicit ideas of memory, and also suggests that our main character reflects the world around her. That's in one five-second shot. Takahata then does things like animate flashbacks flatly, or allows for fantastical sequences to illustrate a specific sensation. Hell, we can even start arguing the veracity of how hard her dad hit her in that one scene, or how stupid her sister and mother thought she was. Takahata is never heavy-handed about this sort of thing, but he puts the pieces there. Also, it's a miracle of filmmaking that Takahata can give us a set of kids, as in Grave of the Fireflies, that are so goddamn annoying and frustrating, and yet, I still cry profusely when I get to the end of the film.

 

When all is said and done, Takahata has more to say, and fits more in five films than Miyazaki does in twice as many. His films offer more on repeat viewings, and aren't just pretty and well designed the way Miyazaki's are--who does include a lot of references to Japanese folklore and history in meaningful ways, to his credit--but Takahata's style offers greater utility with simple choices. I hope we get to discuss him at some point, because he's as canon as they come.

 

I hate to be a spoiled brat, because this could be the only chance we get to do something like this, but I don't know. I kinda wish we would be doing something else. THAT SAID, I love Film Critic Hulk, and I'm positive that he'll have really smart things to say about Kiki's Delivery Service--which is still a pretty good picture.

[bri-witched 60]

I adored this film as a child and haven't seen it in probably 10 years. Really happy to revisit it.

[slinky 147]

Holden knows what he's talking about up there.

Grave of the Fireflies is unreal.

[Cronopio 127]

This is my six-year-old's second favorite movie (after My Neighbor Totoro) - I don't know if I could vote no.

[NathanGordon 1096]

He's kind of like the Wes Anderson of animation.

say that to my face and not on the internet, motherfucker

[ZZZ 63]

To the Library!

[HoldenMartinson 221]

say that to my face and not on the internet, motherfucker

I totally would. But really, that remark mostly reflects my similar feelings to both filmmakers. I like, and occasionally LOVE both of them--or hate one more than the other, depending which way you swing. They've both got a misfire or two, but they're worth celebrating, even if they're not my first picks.

 

This is my six-year-old's second favorite movie (after My Neighbor Totoro) - I don't know if I could vote no.

Right? These are a lot of fun to watch with young kids. I've shown some of these to my cousin, who's four, and she really adores them. They're real magical works, these movies.

[AlexChristianLovendahl 34]

We can have a Grave of the Fireflies discussion another time, especially because as Ghibli films go I think it's one of their three worst. Let's talk about some other anime geniuses if Miyazaki should be set aside! How about Satoshi Kon, whose Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Paprika are masterpieces which begot masterpieces (Black Swan, Holy Motors, and Inception, respectfully!) themselves? How about Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira? How about Masaaki Yuasa's Mind Game?

 

That all said, Miyazaki is my favorite director. You cannot go wrong with the man, and Kiki's Delivery Service is a perfectly lovely introduction. I hope, if it gets voted in, that we can make Devin watch one that's more to his taste; maybe Porco Rosso which is about love, war, and mixed loyalty, or maybe The Wind Rises and its tragic view of passion.

[RobertBoberts 62]

So is the only option to download this illegally?

[bleary 333]

For anyone within 3 1/2 hours of Los Angeles, it's playing at the Nuart Theatre in West LA tonight at midnight.

[Threshold 93]

Here's the important question:

Dubs or Subs?

I just saw Phil Hartman is in the Dubs version, so I think that's enough to sway me-

Or is that considered blasphemy in the Anime world?

[Head Spin 112]

Usually dubs are considered rotten, but the dubs for Miyazaki films are produced by Disney and are generally great. I've seen most of them recommended over the subs, and that includes Kiki's.

 

The version I got was subbed, though, so I can't speak to it directly.

[NathanGordon 1096]

Here's the important question:

Dubs or Subs?

I just saw Phil Hartman is in the Dubs version, so I think that's enough to sway me-

Or is that considered blasphemy in the Anime world?

Voice actors in Japanese anime long ago achieved a level of respect for their craft that Western cinema has only figured out in the last decade or so. Subs vs dubs have been the longest standing debate in fandom since forever.

 

The Disney dubs have generally been excellent. In the past, the genre was on part with your average kung fu flick, memorable more for hilarious line readings than actual dialog.

[ZZZ 63]

I assumed this movie would be shelved with the rest of the movies in my library and instead ended up awkwardly following the librarian through shelves of puppets into the kids section.

[HoldenMartinson 221]

Here's the important question:

Dubs or Subs?

I just saw Phil Hartman is in the Dubs version, so I think that's enough to sway me-

Or is that considered blasphemy in the Anime world?

You know, subs is the way to go. But I think dubs get a bad rap. Disney ones are reliable, even if they don't surpass the performances of the original voice cast.

[nickperkins 52]

I got the dubbed version from the library; a pretty good performance by a 7-year-old Kirsten Dunst, I thought.

 

This was my first Miyazaki; hopefully not my last. It's good to have reminders that G movies can still be incredible even for a jaded old fart like me. I am REALLY looking forward to the podcast with Film Crit Hulk.