Kiki’s Delivery Service: Full Synopsis & Analysis (Spoilers Explained)

“Kiki’s Delivery Service(Studio Ghibli Official)” is an animated feature film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, released on July 29, 1989. Although I was already alive when it was released, the first time I saw it was not in a movie theater, but on a television broadcast. After the box office success of this film, Studio Ghibli’s animators were made full-time employees. In that sense, it could be said to be a turning point for Studio Ghibli.

If you watch the movie absentmindedly, the famous songs by Yumi Arai (Yumi Matsutoya), such as “Rouge no Dengon” and “Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara,” tend to stick in your head more than the movie itself, and you might end up unable to put the story into words. I think the fact that it’s still enjoyable is the magic of Miyazaki, but this time, I’d like to look back at the plot of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and present three mysteries to consider. However, when I say plot summary, I’m going to spoil everything, so if you don’t like spoilers, please read partway and then watch the movie.

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “「魔女の宅急便」のネタバレあらすじと考察ポイント-人物相関図付きでラストまで解説-“

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” Synopsis (Spoilers Ahead)

Quick Summary

A brief summary of the key points of the plot of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is as follows:

Explanation of the Story

If “Kiki’s Delivery Service” were to be described in one phrase, it would be “a story of a girl’s growth.” In the process of this growth, she is unavoidably forced to break away from her position of being unilaterally protected, and in confronting this hardship, the protagonist Kiki loses her magical powers.

Until then, her situation was something given to her by those around her, and Kiki’s magic and her partner Jiji also protected her from within.

Having lost that, it can be said that Kiki grew as a person by once again confronting problems with her own strength.

“Magic” is not a convenient thing that gives the protagonist infinite power, but rather a source of hardship, which is also an important point.

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From here, we will look at the plot of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” in a little more detail.

Kiki’s New Home

The story’s protagonist is a 13-year-old witch named Kiki. On the “Day of Independence,” a custom for witches, she leaves her parents with her black cat partner, Jiji, to find “her own town.” Kiki had a new witch’s broom made for this day, but her mother stopped her, and she ended up leaving with her mother’s old, large broom.

Kiki’s journey continued, battered by wind and rain. Along the way, she meets a senior witch who has already found “her own town.” Kiki, excited about her new life, tries to hear various stories from the senior witch, but her attitude was extremely cold. Despite being fellow witches, Kiki was slightly shocked by the unexpected attitude but continued her journey with dignity.

Then, the weather suddenly turned bad, and she was caught in a heavy downpour. The weather forecast had predicted clear skies, but in the emergency, Kiki took refuge in a train’s freight car. Luckily, the car was filled with straw, so she decided to rest there for a while. Kiki only meant to take a break, but she eventually fell asleep.

When she woke up, the train was running along the coast. Looking outside, she saw a beautiful town. Kiki had found the “seaside town” she was looking for and decided to make it her own if there were no other witches there.

When she arrived, it was a very lively town, but her appearance, flying on a broomstick, attracted a certain kind of curious gaze. In addition, Kiki mishandled her broom and, trying to avoid a collision with a double-decker bus in the busy streets, she “lost control.”

Having “lost control,” Kiki was naturally questioned by a police officer. Kiki insisted, “Witches are supposed to fly,” but her explanation didn’t seem to be getting through. Just then, a shout of “Thief!” was heard from a distance. The officer told her to “stay here” and ran off to find the thief. The person who shouted was a boy named Tombo, who was very interested in the flying witch.

He had lied to save Kiki. While grateful, Kiki perceived Tombo’s “interest” in her as a “curious gaze” and brushed him off. Nevertheless, Tombo seemed satisfied.

Discouraged at the very start of her new life, Kiki looked for a place to stay but couldn’t find any inn that would take in a child alone. Feeling lonely in the new town, Kiki continued to walk aimlessly. Then, the owner of a bakery rushed out of her shop holding a “pacifier.” It seemed a customer had left it behind. Seeing this, Kiki offered to deliver it for her. Kiki took the pacifier and flew off on her broom to deliver it.

After delivering the pacifier, she intended to say goodbye to the owner and leave the bakery, but the owner insisted on thanking her and invited her into the back of the shop.

While having tea, the owner heard about Kiki’s situation and offered to let her stay in a vacant room. It was an offer Kiki couldn’t refuse, so of course, she accepted. The owner was apparently known in the neighborhood as “Osono from the bakery.”

After a hectic day, Kiki finally went to sleep.

The Witch’s Delivery Service and Kiki’s Crisis

Having secured a base thanks to Osono, Kiki considers making delivery services her job. Osono, who was pregnant, allowed her to use the shop to take delivery orders on the condition that she help out at the store. What’s more, the rent was free and included breakfast. Kiki resolved to work hard for Osono.

Just then, she receives a job from a woman living nearby to deliver a stuffed cat as a birthday present for her nephew. The woman was a regular at the bakery and seemed to have learned about Kiki through her conversation with Osono.

Kiki was nervous about her first job but headed to the delivery destination full of anticipation. However, on the way, she was hit by a sudden gust of wind and crashed into a forest. Kiki herself was protected by the tree branches, but she lost the precious merchandise, the stuffed cat. She immediately tried to go back and look for the stuffed animal, but crows, whose nest she had fallen into during the gust of wind, attacked her, preventing her from returning to the forest.

As a last resort, Kiki suggests that Jiji “pretend to be the stuffed animal” to buy time at the delivery house. Having no other choice, Jiji accepts Kiki’s proposal and enters the delivery house.

While searching for the stuffed animal in the forest, Kiki suddenly finds a cottage. On the windowsill of the cottage was the stuffed animal Kiki had dropped. She immediately entered the cottage to look for the resident, but for some reason, a voice came from the roof. The resident of the cottage was painting a picture of crows perched on the roof. It seems she (Ursula) is a painter.

The stuffed animal on the windowsill was something she had found in the forest. When Kiki explained the situation, she gave the stuffed animal back to Kiki, but its neck was damaged.

Seeing Kiki’s predicament, the resident proposed to repair the stuffed animal in exchange for cleaning her room. Without a second thought, Kiki got to work.

After receiving the stuffed animal repaired by Ursula, Kiki heads to the delivery destination to rescue Jiji and complete her delivery job. Rescuing Jiji seemed difficult, but thanks to the fine play of the dog living in the house, Kiki succeeds in rescuing him.

It was a hectic day, but Kiki somehow managed to complete her first job.

Word of mouth spread, and the number of people requesting jobs from Kiki gradually increased. Just then, Tombo, the boy who helped Kiki on her first day, visits the bakery. He came to invite Kiki to a “flying club” meeting. He gives the invitation to the busy Kiki and tells her to decide whether to attend by 6 p.m., when he will come to pick her up, and then he leaves.

Although Kiki acted aloof towards Tombo, she was secretly thrilled about the invitation to the party. However, first, she had to finish the two jobs she had for the day.

After finishing the first job, Kiki goes to pick up the second one. An old woman in that house wanted to deliver a “herring and pumpkin pot pie” as a birthday present for her granddaughter. Unfortunately, her electric oven was broken, and the old woman was about to give up on the idea, but Kiki suggested she help cook it in the old wood-fired oven in the house, and they successfully baked the old woman’s specialty dish.

Kiki rushed to deliver the finished dish. The previously clear sky had become overcast, and it started to rain. Still, Kiki desperately delivered the dish. Her appointment with Tombo was approaching.

When Kiki finally reached the destination, the granddaughter’s reaction to the dish was unexpected. The granddaughter confessed, “I don’t really like herring pie,” and reluctantly accepted the dish without much joy.

Although Kiki had done her job properly, she had an unfulfilled feeling about the granddaughter’s attitude and ended up breaking her promise to Tombo. It was a strange “failure” experience for Kiki.

The next morning, Kiki had caught a cold. Osono made her some porridge and told her to rest, but Tombo visited the bakery again. When Osono told him she was sick, he offered to visit her, but Osono cleverly turned him down (Tombo and Osono are both so kind!).

After a day of rest, Kiki had recovered. To get her back in shape before returning to full-time delivery work, Osono asked Kiki to run an errand for her. It was a job to deliver bread to someone named “Kopori.”

When Kiki arrived at “Kopori’s” house, she realized Osono’s trick. “Kopori” was Tombo.

Kiki was worried about having broken her promise, but Tombo was cheerful. Not only that, but he invited Kiki into his garage and showed her a “bicycle with a propeller.” It was the engine part of a human-powered aircraft, and the recent party was to celebrate its completion.

Tombo suggested they go together to the site where an airship had made an emergency landing. Kiki, who had been sick, didn’t know about this, but she decided to go to the site with Tombo. They headed to the site on the strange vehicle, a propeller-driven bicycle, and after a few accidents, the two arrived at the coast where the airship had landed.

For Kiki, that time was very enjoyable. Just then, Tombo’s friends appeared in a car. Tombo’s “cool” friends tell him they can get a look inside the airship. It was a dream come true for Tombo, but Kiki, feeling a sense of alienation and rejection, leaves the place. Tombo was puzzled, but he headed towards the airship.

Back in her room, Kiki suffers from self-loathing for her behavior. However, the situation in front of her was more serious. Her partner, the black cat Jiji, was just saying “Meow” and no longer responded to Kiki’s words with human language.

Kiki reacted sensitively to this fact. She immediately gets on her broom and tries to fly, but Kiki could no longer fly. Realizing that her magical power was weakening, Kiki tries to fly on the broom again and again, but in the process, she breaks the broom her mother had given her.

Having lost her power, Kiki is bewildered. Above her, the airship passed.

Kiki’s Revival

Kiki, whose only special power was flying, was in despair. Just then, Ursula visits her. Kiki tells Ursula about her situation. Ursula invites Kiki to her cabin.

There, Kiki learns that Ursula also sometimes becomes unable to paint. At the same time, Ursula tells her that there is no choice but to struggle. For Kiki, who was in a difficult situation, Ursula’s words and the time with her were a kind of salvation.

The next morning, an unexpected incident occurs. An airship, blown by a gust of wind, goes out of control. A boy trying to stop it ends up hanging from the airship. That boy is, of course, Tombo.

Kiki, wanting to save Tombo, heads to the scene. Although Kiki is thought to have already lost her power to fly, she borrows a deck brush from a janitor and tries to rescue Tombo.

Kiki, who should have lost her power, soared high into the sky on that deck brush!

Having successfully rescued Tombo, Kiki was greeted with blessings from the townspeople. Jiji appears there. Although Kiki had already regained her magical powers, she could not understand Jiji’s words. Nevertheless, Kiki greeted Jiji with a smile.

Kiki’s days continue. But the situation is completely different from when she first came to the town. She can survive. In the town by the sea.

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That is the plot of “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” Next, we will discuss some points for consideration that one might have while watching “Kiki’s Delivery Service.”

Points for Analysis in “Kiki’s Delivery Service”

Why did she encounter the cold senior witch at the beginning of her journey?

In the film “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” a scene that really sticks with you is when Kiki has a conversation with the senior witch while flying. The senior witch’s curt attitude makes us, like Kiki in the film, feel a sense of unease.

The first thing to consider here is that the story of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” would proceed without any particular disruption even if she hadn’t met that senior witch. Nevertheless, animation resources were mobilized to draw that scene. Why was that? I’ve summarized it in the following article.

Kiki's Delivery Service:Why Was the Senior Witch Kiki met so unpleasant?Why was the senior witch in "Kiki's Delivery Service" so unpleasant?...

I may have been a bit too self-indulgent in my thinking, but please do compare it with your own thoughts.

Why did Kiki become unable to fly?

The biggest incident in “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is, of course, that Kiki became unable to fly. However, thanks to Hayao Miyazaki’s masterful skill, we find it strange but somehow accept it and don’t think too deeply about the reason. But one of the joys of watching a movie is daring to think about such things. In the following text, I have summarized my thoughts on “the reason why Kiki became unable to fly”:

Kiki's Delivery Service: Why Kiki Lost Her Magic and Miyazaki's Theory on TalentWhy did Kiki lose her ability to fly in "Kiki's Delivery Service"? T...

How would you all explain the reason for that phenomenon?

Why did Jiji end up not speaking?

It’s related to Kiki becoming unable to fly, but the phenomenon of “Jiji stopping to speak” is also an important element in “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” Of course, when Jiji first stopped speaking, Kiki’s magical power was gone (or weakened), so it’s understandable that Jiji would stop speaking (or rather, that Kiki could no longer understand his words).

However, at the end of the story, even though Kiki regains her magical powers, Jiji just meows like a normal cat. Why doesn’t Jiji speak human language even at the end (or why can’t Kiki understand his words)? I have also summarized my thoughts on this in the following article.

Why Does Jiji Remain Unable to Speak at the End of “Kiki’s Delivery Service”?Ever wondered why Jiji falls silent in "Kiki's Delivery Service"? We...

I’m sure everyone has wondered “Why?” about this at least once. Please take this opportunity to put your own feelings into words and compare them with my ideas.

The images used in this article are from “Still Images of Studio Ghibli Works“.