by When the heroine decides to do something, the wind blows, and her puffy hair sways. It is an expression of the feelings of director Hayao Miyazaki. It also appears at the beginning of the anime version of “Kiki’s Delivery Service.”
At 13, Kiki lies down on the meadow, bathes in the wind and gazes at the clouds, and decides to train to become a witch. In the scene where she runs to tell her parents, the wind stops.
On the other hand, the wind hardly blows in the live-action version. The story progresses in the house from Kiki’s birth to her departure. After setting off on a broomstick with his black cat Jiji, they reach an island where they can see a panoramic view of the town from the top of the mountain.
“Beautiful town,” and Kiki’s eyes shine. Shodoshima was chosen as the filming location as “a town in the Orient where the existence of witches was believed.” four peaksShiboutou It was taken around the observatory (560 meters above sea level). It is close to the tourist attraction Kankakei summit, and the sea and houses spread out behind the overlapping mountains.
Having decided to train on the island for a year, Kiki chose to live in the “Guchoki Bakery” that she and her husband run with the help of Osono, whom she met by chance. And she raises the signboard of “Takkyubin” and starts delivering packages with flying magic.
The store set was relocated to Roadside Station Shodoshima Olive Park (Shodoshima Town, Kagawa Prefecture), where it operates as ‘Zakzakoriko.’ A black cat umbrella stand reminiscent of Jiji is placed at the entrance, and cat brooches made of olive wood are lined up in the store.
At the park, “magic brooms” are available for free rental, and many people straddle them like Kiki and jump to take commemorative photos. “I feel like I’m a witch, and I’m flying. I want to watch a movie when I get home.” A 9-year-old third-year elementary school girl who visited with her family from Osaka laughed. Whether it is anime or live-action, the park has become a “sacred place” for fans.
The training, which seemed to go smoothly, faced an unexpected situation. Because she is a witch, misunderstanding spreads that she “carries a curse,” and Kiki loses her confidence and becomes unable to use “flying magic.”
“They say a broom can make you feel like a witch… but if you can’t fly, you’re not a witch.” Kiki spits out the pain in her chest to the boy “Dragonfly” who she became friends with.
One day, when a storm is approaching the island, the zoo director asks him to transport a weakened hippopotamus to a veterinarian outside the island. “Don’t refuse what I’m asked to do. I’m counting on you.” Encouraged by Osono, Kiki runs to the zoo.
Kiki straddles a broom with a hippo and stares at the leaden sky. The wind blows my hair back. As soon as the wind stops, she makes up her mind and floats in the air, pushing through the storm.
At first, the breeze that brushed Kiki’s cheeks when she arrived at the island turned into a storm and blocked her. The wind depicted in the live-action version was not Kiki’s feelings but was a symbol that impresses those who see the girl’s growth by rebelling against her. (Keisuke Uranishi)
Directed by Takashi Shimizu, known for his horror films, the masterpiece of children’s literature written by Eiko Kadono, adapted into an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, will be made into a live-action movie. It was released in 2014 with Fuka Koshiba as Kiki and Machiko Ono as Osono. Mr. Kadono also serves as a narrator and has made a cameo appearance.
