It won't hold potheads over till the 6th book, but it's good for prepotheads
Written: Jun 20 '03 (Updated Jun 23 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: a good pre pothead book
Cons: episodic
The Bottom Line: Tommy_lop hopes that all the books in kiki series get dubbed, but still fears Disney Kiki's Delivery Service 2 packages come on time
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| tommy_lop's Full Review: Eiko Kadono - Kiki's Delivery Service |
Several years ago Kiki's Delivery Service was released on video by Disney. It was based on a Japanese children's novel which was finally dubbed and released here a couple of months ago, a month before the movie would be re-released on DVD. I of course sick of waiting for the next Harry Potter book and loving the movie decided to pick it up.
I had also heard that the author of the book Kadono had a fight with Myazaki about the story of the movie being different so much that she almost didn’t give him the rights to make the movie. I didn’t know how different it was until after I read the book, the book and the movie only have 1/3 of the story in common, after Kiki's first accident/delivery they both become two completely different story's. So which one was right, well there both right. Kadono was right when she didn’t want her book touched with, it's her story after all. And after all the rings the WB have to jump through to get everything J.K. Rowlings book on the screen; it's only right to have her story the way she wanted on the screen. That said the book would have maid a very dull movie, there's not much drama and only die hard fans of the book would have liked it so it's good that Myazaki decided to make the changes.
Characters.
Here's a short list of the main characters in the book.
Kiki: a young girl who at the age of 10 decided to follow in her mothers footsteps and become a witch. she is now 13 and has witch's custom demands she now has to leave home and live on her own, not being able to return home for a visit for a year. She decides to set up town in a big city of Koriko and her adventures begin.
Jiji: When a girl is born into a witch's family it's customary for the mother to find the baby girl a black cat born on the same day. The cat and the girl are raised together so they can learn to talk to each other. Jiji is Kiki's cat and while he can't really talk, Kiki understands exactly what he says and vice versa. He’s in between the Jiji seen on the Japanese and American version. While he’s a bit more sarcastic and loud mouth then he is in the Japanese version of the film, he’s not quite has mean has the Phil Heartman version.
Kokiri:Kiki's very traditional worrywart mother. Kiki and her sometimes fight over the traditions a witch has to follow.
Okino: Kiki's father who would be called a muggle if he was in a Harry Potter book. But he study's witch's and other supernatural stuff has a profession.
Osono:A baker who lives in the city of Koriko, the city Kiki decides to set up shop. She is very PG when Kiki first meets her and helps her with an errand. Seeing Kiki's plight she gives Kiki a home and helps her set up her Delivery Service. Unlike the movie she has the baby early on.
Tombo:A young boy who part of the flying club has given the task of seeing how the local witch fly’s on her broom. He steals Kiki's broom and then breaking the broom while researching it. After being cussed out by Kiki she forgives him and the become friends.
Story.
Since every chapter is a completely different story about Kiki's first year in the city of Kariko. I'll break it up to a chapter on chapter look. While it is episodic they do form up into a surprisingly amusing story. However it still would have made a lousy movie, a good mini series maybe, but a movie nope.
Chapter 1 Bells on the treetop.
In this one where introduce to Kiki, her family, and the town she has grown up in. This one is definitely a good read for fans of the Myazaki movie who have never read the book. Some questions like what are the bells on the tree's that she crashes into on the beginning of the movie. The bells in the tree top where put up by Kokiri because Kiki likes to day dream while flying and she got into an accident once. The bells are there to wake her up if she day dreams. Another answer found here would be why Kiki lacks powers, while in the movie it does say that all Kiki can do is fly in a part at the beginning. The book goes into more detail why Kiki is a virtually powerless witch. It seems like witches and general have been bad at passing down their spells and witchcraft, add in mudbloods like Kiki and there power has virtually dwindled to nothing.
chapter 2 a new witches broom.
Kiki's has set a night in which to leave for a journey. And her and Jiji have made a new broom. But Kokiri won't let them take it and is giving her old reliable broom instead. This leads to more fights but there things to do and get ready for Kiki's journey.
Chapter 3:Kiki in the big city.
Kiki's last day in time and it's an almost tearful goodbye has she leaves the town. On her journey she bumps into a witch that has completed her first year and gives her some advice. She continues and runs into a city of Koriko and despite her mothers advice about bit city's she decides to set up shop there, despite the citizens lack of welcome for her. She does however bump into the baker's wife named Osono and after doing a delivery she get's a home. This basically goes along with the movie about Kiki's first day in town, except for one thing. In the movie when Kiki lands (after almost causing an acident) the people seem indifferent to her. In the book all though no acident was caused the people seem to fear her because she's a witch. This is a nice way for things to get started has all the stories have Kiki trying to prove herself to the towns people.
Chapter 4:Kiki opens for business.
Kiki has decided to open witch's express delivery service (I do believe this is what the Japanese novel is named). But it gets put on hold by Osono and her baby but after she gets it up she gets a job to deliver a stuffed cat that looks like Jiji that sits in a cage. But when Jiji decides to try to get into the cage she looses the doll (this compared to being attacked by crows). What happens to poor Jiji next is still has funny has in the movie. While Jiji is a decoy, Kiki goes out to find the real doll and runs into an artist who wants to a picture of her. This part for the most part plays out like the movie except it's Jiji's fault for the accident, and not a gust of wind and some crows. Also the artist (Ursula in the movie) does pop up again but plays no real important part in the overall story.
After Chapter 4 the movie and the book completely separate and from now on fans of the movie are on completely unexplored territory.
Chatper 5: The Broom thief.
It's summer now and it's hotter then Hades so Kiki and Jiji are out at the beach to cool off. When Kiki lays down to take a nap Jiji and a kid are watch out to sea on a float. Luckily Kiki can fly out and get, or can she it seems like her mothers broom has been stolen and broken by a young boy named Tombo. Will Kiki be able to fly on the lame broom and save the day, and will the boy be able to survive being cursed out by a witch. I kind of liked this chapter we finally get a different story that's different then the movie. I also like the part where she meets a woman who tells how cute that she is impersonating the witch that living in town. This chapter was also a better way to meet Tombo then the way in the movie, but unlike the Myazaki movie Tombo doesn’t do much. He pops up and helps her in the next chapter and he makes a few cameo appearances after that but he doesn’t really do much.
Chapter 6:Kiki in the doldrums (but she still has her limited powers)
Two stories in one in this one. The first part wraps up Chapter 4 and Chapter 5. Kiki has to deliver the painting to a museum but her new broom hasn’t started to fly smoothly yet so she calls in Tombo to help. They find a solution and Kiki delivers it. In the 2nd part Kiki gets depressed. But when she has to deliver a gift from an eccentric make doer (see extremely cheap person) she learns how to make do with what she's got. The 2nd part of this one is the closest we see to the moody Kiki we see in the movie but there's no lose of powers.
Chapter 7.Kiki Shares a secret.
When a young girl Kiki's age comes into the shop to deliver a love letter to a boy she has a crush on, Kiki can't help but read it but she looses it and has to write her own before anybody figures out she screwed up.
Chapter 8.Kiki to the captain's rescue.
It's becoming winner now and it's starting to get cold in Koriko. Kiki get's an order to deliver a tummy warmer from an eccentric old lady (makes the make doer look normal) to her son on a steam ship. But when the steam ship captain wants Kiki to deliver the whole ship to port Kiki's going to have to think of something fast or make an exception to her carry everything slogan. This is also the last chapter was Kiki has to deliver something for a mentally ill patient.
Chapter 9:Kiki rings in the new year
It's Kiki's first new years away from home and in Koriko she finds that it's custom to run in a marathon that starts when the big clock tower in middle of town strikes 12. But when the clock tower breaks down (no it's not because a giant blimp crashes into it) the mayor sends her and Jiji to another town to "borrow" the part they need.
Chapter 10:Kiki carries the sounds of Spring.
It's Spring time again and this excites Kiki because it means her first year is almost over and vacation time with her family is almost her. Kiki gets hired by a stationmaster to get some instruments for a band of snotty musicians. The only problem is that she has to board a moving train to get the instruments this is going to be Kiki's most dangerous delivery yet. This is another good chapter and it’s funny what finally happens when Kiki steals the musicians show and how they react when everybody leaves after she finishes delivering the instruments.
Chapter 11:Kiki goes home.
A years is up and Kiki's going back home for some R and R but how long will she be able to stay before getting homesick for her new town.
Illustrations.
Despite the rather ugly picture of Kiki flying on a broom stick on the cover the illustrations are quite nice. There simple pencil drawings, the type you see in an average Rold Dahl book. There quite nice too look at and add a nice sense of depth to the book.
Dubbing.
Ok I haven't read the Japanese version of the book, for an obvious reason, couldn’t read a line of any of the Japanese texts if my life depended on it. So I have to go with dubbs, and the dubb in the book seems to be pretty good especially with the usual dubbs I am used to seeing in the games like Final Fantasy. The English is good for the most part with an occasional confusing line or two that is bound to happen but there far and in-between it's done in good English. The only part I don't understand is the bakery's name. It's changed to buy bye bakery, instead of rock paper and scissors which is what the translation of the original book, and the name of the bakery on the movie is the same so I am confused on why the translator changed it.
Final Recommendation
While the book isn’t has good has the movie and it's defiantly not going to satisfy die hard Harry Potter fans intill the 6th book comes out after they get done with the 5th. But it will be enjoyed by the to young to read Harry Potter and those who are big fans of the Myazaki movie.
Please see my video review of the movie
http://www.epinions.com/content_101213834884
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tommy_lop
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Member: tommy
Reviews written: 962
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About Me:
Ran over a grandma, punched a kid, and still diden't get a PS3. (just kidding.)
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