If you've watched a Studio Ghibli movie and liked it -- for instance, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle or My Neighbor Totoro -- you might enjoy Kiki's Delivery Service, another of director Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece animations. It's one of my favorite movies!
But for this post, I'd like to introduce the children's book series it was based on. The author, Eiko Kadono, just won the 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award for writing.
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| Cover of the 2013 Kadokawa edition. Though it doesn't have the original illustrations, I picked this edition because it was lighter, smaller, and had a gorgeous cover. |
Introducing Kiki
Kiki's Delivery Service is about a young witch whose only magical skill is flying (on her broom) and who runs a delivery service.
The original title in Japanese is "Witch Delivery Service" (Majo no takkyūbin, 魔女の宅急便). Or more literally, "Witch Express Home Delivery." Interestingly, takkyūbin is a trademark word of Yamato Transport, the home delivery company; the term has gradually become synonymous with the dictionary word haitakubin ("home delivery").
I suppose the localized title replaced "witch" with "Kiki" to avoid repulsing a segment of potential American viewers.
Though Kiki is a witch, she isn't a Harry Potter type of witch. In her world, witches have long lost most of their magical powers. Book 1 of the series, which I just finished reading, doesn't delve into the reasons why. The book merely mentions it as the backdrop. So, unlike Harry Potter, Kiki solves her problems without spells; the only magic she uses is flying. She relies on wits, courage, and the kindness of others.
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| Cover of the first edition, 2002 Fukuinkan, has illustrations by Akiko Hayashi |
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| Illustrations by Akiko Hayashi in the Fukuinkan edition |
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| Most recent edition by Kadokawa, 2015 |
Summary of the book
Here's a back-cover synopsis of Book 1 (my translation from the Kadokawa 2013 edition):
Kiki is the only daughter of a witch mother and a normal human father. In the world of witches, when one turns 13, she must learn to live on her own. So, on a full-moon night, Kiki takes to the skies on her broom with Jiji, her companion black cat. With much anxiety and anticipation, she starts a "Witch Delivery Service" in the seaside town of Koriko. As Kiki goes through ups and downs, she grows to become part of Koriko society.
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| Scene from the beginning of the Ghibli movie |
Book 1 covers the first year of Kiki's independent life, during which she tackles interesting requests from clients with her quick thinking.
The chapter titles reflect the book's origin: It was first published in 1982-83 as a series of short stories in a Japanese monthly magazine, Haha no tomo ("A Mother's Companion"). Here's my rough translation of the Japanese chapter titles and, for comparison, Lynne Riggs' English translation in brackets.
Chapter 1: The Story Begins (Bells in the Treetops)
Chapter 2: Kiki Leaves Home (A New Witch's Broom)
Chapter 3: Kiki and Big-City Life (Kiki in the Big City)
Chapter 4: Kiki Starts a Business (Kiki Opens for Business)
Chapter 5: Kiki and the Big Incident (The Broom Thief)
Chapter 6: Kiki is Cranky (Kiki in the Doldrums)
Chapter 7: Kiki Noses into Somebody's Secret (Kiki Shares a Secret)
Chapter 8: Kiki Solves a Captain's Problem (Kiki to the Captain's Rescue)
Chapter 9: Kiki Delivers the New Year (Kiki Rings in the New Year)
Chapter 10: Kiki Delivers the Sound of Spring (Kiki Carries the Sounds of Spring)
Chapter 11: Kiki Goes Home (Kiki Goes Home)
Comparing book and movie
I enjoyed the book for the same reasons I enjoyed the movie: both were about an independent girl and the nice strangers she meets.
The book and movie are similar in tone and begin the same way, with Kiki's preparations to leave home. In both, she meets Osono the baker, Tombo the boy, and an artist. In both, Jiji goes through a trial involving a toy cat.
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| More scenes from the Ghibli movie |
As for differences: The movie's climax is not found in Book 1. And naturally, the movie covers only a small portion of the book's many events. I find the book version of Kiki slightly different too. She's more lively, a little more impulsive and gung-ho.
If Kiki's Delivery Service piques your interest I recommend watching the movie first, partly because the movie is easier to obtain and Hayao Miyazaki has adapted the book skillfully.
As for the book, Lynne Riggs' English translation is out of print. While you can find used copies on Amazon, the price is incredibly steep. If you're curious how it sounds, here's a sample from the first chapter.
I might translate the first chapter for a future post.
Reading for Japanese practice
If you're interested to read the original Japanese book, I think you could probably read it with ease at JLPT N3 or N2 level.
By "ease", I mean understand the main plot without checking the dictionary much. I was able to enjoy it as a book, not just as a form of study. And my reading speed increased over time, especially as certain words were repeated often (e.g. うなずきました, "s/he nodded").
But I still looked up many words and found it hard to understand Jiji the cat sometimes. I diligently took notes for a while, jotting down what I need to ask a native speaker about if I needed to create a precise translation. That amounted to 40 questions. I got tired near the end and stopped taking notes, so in reality I probably have at least 60 questions. That's out of a 240-page book, averaging one question per 4 pages.
I finished the book in 3.5 months. My reading quota increased each month. During the first month, I aimed for 15 pages per week. Each month, I increased the weekly quota by 5 pages. Initially, 15 pages per week felt meaty enough. Gradually, it felt too light and I got used to reading 30 pages per week.
To limit my consumption of English media, I used reading Kiki as a pre-requisite. If I read my quota of Kiki each day, I could read an English novel or play an English game afterward.
But Kiki itself was pleasurable enough to read without an incentive. It didn't feel like a chore; the reading level was just right for me. I'm looking forward to Book 2.