Yes, this is a reupload! Apologies for those who saw it the first time, but to explain the context: The original video was performing REALLY well on TH-cam but then got hit with a takedown notice by Studio Ghibli, meaning it was no longer public. I had to fight a long legal battle to have it reinstated on the grounds of fair use (something Ghibli rejected initially), but it took 15 days for that to happen. In the meantime, TH-cam treated the video as if it was public and getting 0 views, meaning it completely died in the algorithm. So, in the desperate hopes of kicking a video I really believe in back to life, this is now a re-upload with the hopes that it doesn't get flagged again! Appreciate your support and if you guys just wanna watch or leave it running again! ALSO, this is exactly why I rely on/appreciate so much the support of viewers on Patreon, where I know my income will be reliable, as opposed to the whims of TH-cam and copyright issues (www.patreon.com/thesoak )! You can also join my Discord server here to discuss media with likeminded people discord.gg/dEF993S9SA
I had this happen with keiju no 8 on a podcast episode but eventually we won the fair use fight 😂 and we aren't big enough for the video disappearing to hurt us
I always thought Kiki's power loss was like creative burnout, hence the artist lady walking her through it. Like, monetize your passions and it'll often bog you down, right?
There's up and down with creativity. A lot of the greats didn't make their work just for the pleasure. Many were commissioned or died in poverty. The art industry is competitive and brutal. So I wouldn't really call an artist a sellout because their resources and time is not cheap and the effort to have reputability is not an easy one. That's quite the connections to have which many known ones had some pretty powerful ones whether backgrounds of nobilities like Michaelangelo, Brunelleschi, or Da Vinci, a family of wealth or due to the political atmosphere of the time. Dr. Seuss was around during the World War II so had had appeal to many war fatigue people who wanted more color back into the world like many who experienced a massive bloody and destructive war. Passion origin from a word mean pain. So these people find meaning in their creative endeavors in spite of the pain. Creativity like many pursuits requires sacrifice which can evokes thoughts and emotions those who appreciate may explore.
I completely agree, I’ve always viewed the film this way. I know Miyazaki liked to put parts of himself and his personal struggles into his protagonists. I think Kiki represents his artistic spirit and work ethic.
I think another interesting thing is the movie represents womenhood in different stages Kiki who is just coming into womanhood The painter who is a young woman still figuring things out The baker who is older and just beginning the next stage of her life as a soon to be mother and newly wed Kikis mother who is older and more experienced in the role as well as being a witch The grandmother who's children have grown but she still cares for her family It reminds me of an animatic i once saw of a woman walking through the stages of life and walking alongside her own granddaughter guiding her into the future Each woman brings an interesting perspective to kiki with their time and wisdom and all are able to relate to her strife and guide her through these rough beginning years giving her the tools to grow into her best self
Oooohh I never catched that! I can think of two smaller instances now, that also fit in that row. The witch girl Kiki meets right in the beginning, who is one year older than her and nearly at the end of her witch year. And that little girl in the very end, who is dressed like Kiki, placing Kiki, who was throughout the movie at the „lowest“ end of the chain of women helping the younger ones to grow, in the place of being an example for younger girls now as well. This movie makes me tear up so much! To think that in this patriarchal world, an old man created this soft movie about healthy relationships between women who empower each other, is the most improbable and beautiful thing I can imagine.
KiKi's delivery service isn't my favorite film, but this analysis and break down has given me a much greater appreciation of it as a whole. Ghibli films have always had a special place in my heart, particularly in the way that they help us love the mundane parts of life. Daily chores, cooking, and care for one's self and others are built up as things to enjoy and be celebrated, whereas in a lot of western entertainment these things "tie you down" and act as a barrier preventing the main character from achieving their dreams.
If you think about it, " Daily chores, cooking, and care for one's self and others" sounds pretty much like female's responsibilities, at least from a Western (American/European) perspective. Someone could argue that Disney's children's films promote patriarchal values, which is not surprising.
@@evanbarth7173 Meaning common chores and small living are seen as a negative and mundane in most western movies. Compared to hustle life, partying, being famous ect. It's a common trope here.
26:10 The granddaughter even recognizes Kiki and it is revealed that she talked about her at the party amongst her friends, who compliment and admire her for her independence from afar, which means she had no ill words or thoughts towards Kiki. So Kiki was the only one judging her negatively based on the small interaction that they had.
I watched this movie dozens of times across many years, and never noticed the girl in the car is the granddaughter :o Also I was forever upset that we never again hear Jiji, although it is hinted in the movie that some of his consciousness still remains, he lost part of his self awareness - but the love for Kiki still stayed
@@alexandrachernysh7 well the whole point is her growing past the need for a supporter like Jiji giving her guidance all the time he's still as smart as he always was she just can't hear his voice anymore
And that is fairly realistic isn't it? We as people often judge ourselves and interactions we have harshly when the other people involved don't feel that way at all or don't even think much of it. It's a small thing like that that works so well
This! The first time I saw this scene it had a HUGE impact on me. As an angsty and artsy teenager who felt "left out" by my peers it really got me thinking. People don't always automatically MEAN BAD. Sometimes I am the one judging, not them.
"Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still, you find reasons to keep living." I think this quote from Mononoke Hime sums up what all the Ghibli movies are all about. The reasons that keep us going.
The Studio Ghibli movie ‘Grave Of The Fireflies’ broke me though their wasn’t a happy ending and I got overly attached to the characters but (SPOILER ALERT) They all died and it was so sad and me and my friend cried so much 😭
@@GodwynDiThe author killed off his self-insert because of survivor's guilt. He felt the guilt of failing her, and wished he had died with her. He wrote the original story as a way of coping, and he eventually lived a long and happy married life, only dying of old age this decade.
Its kinda like Kiki shows, what Tolkien wrote in LOTR. Normal People with small lives, small acts of kindness, no "big powers" involved: “Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? I don't know. Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.” ― Gandalf
For another one in the same spirit, I keep coming back to this quote from Robert Heinlein: "Decency does not make headlines--it is buried in the obituaries--but it is a force stronger than crime."
@Kureemy I'm not sure about the "similar philosophies" Tolkien is all about great acts of braveness in self sacrificing manners to defeat the ultimate evil. He loves discribing huge wars and battles with one side being completely "justified" in the killing it is doing. As well described in this video, that is pretty far away from the humanist world views of Myazaki who portrays characters with conflicting goals, but never motivated by doing or spreading evil. Myazaki despise basically all wars where Tolkien seems to be fascinated by them.
@@useyourheadpliz No, not fascinated, I think that is the wrong thing to take away from it. Nor do I think he is quite so black and white as you suggest, though it is still very much a battle between good and evil, yes. Tolkien loved myths and grand tales and those often had grand battles in them of heroic warriors and brave people taking a stance against evil. But much of his dialogue and characters laments war and its cost, but unavoidable as long as evil rises to destroy good. I think that his "good vs. evil" aproach in his battles might be as a result from his time in WW1, whom he was a soldier in, and that was a war with no clear sides, no clear reason to it, and no clear winner as much as losers who payed the most. A clear "good cause" is a comfort in an escapist tale. Even then we see that not all who could be considered fighting for the "good" is automatically good themselves, and has to be guided or appealed to their better side to take that stance, both Theoden's unwillingnes to challenge Sauroman and initial refusal to aid Gondor, as well as Denethor almost plunging Minas Tirith into surrendering before removed from his post. A good example of Tolkien not being fascinated by war is that he clashed quite often with one of his contemporaries (who's name saddly escapes me) who was writing another fantasy story where war was practically praised and might made right, and who was genuinely fascinated and even idealised war. Tolkien also clashed, though to a much lesser extent, with C.S. Lewis as he found Lewis being even more black and white than his own stories, and he does have a point in that. Lewis is much closer to always having one side being "completely justified in their killing" than even Tolkien might have been. I think we often forget that Tolkien also wrote Bilbo, and that one is far closer to something akin to a Miyazaki story. I think it is fair to say that both have strong humanist sentiments but express them very differently in their works. Tolkien, like Miyazaki, believes in that people are fundimentally good and that there is virtue in the simple life. Both show what corruption can do to even the most virtuous people and that we must beware of falling to it. Both do not favour war, but where Miyazaki abhores it but still recognise that it is often nuanced, Tolkien seem to see it as a sad reality and dreams of wars where if they must happen it is because good is driven to stop evil. Both seem to share a message of harmony with nature, though Miyazaki favours nature far more, an example of his misanthropic tendencies, while Tolkien does not see civilisation as bad, but rampant exploitation causing more harm than good. Miyazaki seem to prefer to reject industrialisation, while Tolkien seem to accept it, even like elements of it, but felt it lost its way, causing that rampant exploitation. And the biggest difference between them seems to be that where Miyazaki dreams back to simpler times and simpler lives, Tolkien idealised the simple life but sees change as inevitable and hope that it can inspire us to be wiser. Of course, all of these examples I have stated is mostly based on their works.
I think teaching kids a sense of morals while also teaching children that the world is both beautiful and full of good people as well as having hostilities, that there are good people to protect from harm.
@Arbaaltheundefeated No offense, but I've burned bridges I regretted doing so because I assumed the worst in people. Being a cynic didn't make me wiser. It just made me see myself as a waste of space. Not saying that there aren't horrible people out there, but don't judge everyone you meet too quickly.
@@crazy13alex Nevermind... can't even talk about nihilism without TH-cam deleting my comments... Suffice to say I disagree, because I actively avoid meeting people.
I remember the HATRED this film got in the 1990s. It came out the same year as Akira, and was always contrasted with Akira. The two anime clubs I belonged to in the 1990s were extremely sensitive about "We don't watch cartoons, we watch mature animation made for adults like Akira and Sailor Moon". I literally made one of the club presidents foam at the mouth by mentioning Miyazaki - "Miyazaki is a sell out" he ranted, "his movies aren't anime because they are kids movies". At one year's "Anime Hell" event, where they show "bad" anime and club members jeer at the screen, they showed "My Neighbor Totoro" and at least half the clubs members showed up and absolutely hated on that film too! Keep in mind, these clubs also shamed any members who used non-Japanese brand VHS tapes like Basf or Memorex. "Japanese tapes are formulated for anime" they claimed. Fortunately the anime fandom today is nothing like it was in the 1990s, and Miyazaki is now revered as the master he is.
@@KairuHakubiSailor Moim is for Teens because it deals with lots of romance. Kids would rather enjoy smth that is about adventure and finding identity and place in group.
It’s kind of interesting that Kiki gets a female role model for each stage of adulthood. Ursula is a young adult working with her passion in life but not yet a full member of society (she lives alone in the woods). Osono has a steady job and is married with her first baby on the way, so she’s pretty settled in her life. Finally the Madam is an elderly woman who’s lived out most of her life, she may no longer be surrounded by her family but she isn’t alone, she has her maid and makes friends easily with Kiki. I love that the movie is about Kiki becoming an adult and she’s shown what that might entail one day, and that it will be alright.
I never thought of it that way before, but you're right! That's actually amazing and really good writing. Thanks for giving me a new way to look at my favorite Ghibli Film! =)
She also has the alternative of being like that fashionable young woman who is successful in her job, and not apparently having any sort of relationship at all, or it at least not being her sole function in society.
your really making me glad i grew up with ghibli rather than disney. my parents tell me that they were surprised the first time they watched my neighbour totoro as the whole movie they expected the mother to die cause every disney movie ever has the mother dead and the overprotective father. and spoilers she just doesn't die. what i mean to say is i feel ghibli movies tend to portray stories that you don't see in western media, in totoros case being worrying about a loved ones health and in kikis case as you've put it being kind to other people.
Most Disney films are based on the Grimm brothers stories, which are all European stories, which are usually dark. Especially German fairy tales, which are usually the darkest stories for children.
@@donotreply8979He is misunderstood and seen horrors growing up that have shaped his outlook. He is a bit strict, and he expects the future generation to do better, but it might come across as mean and miserable.
@@donotreply8979the art will outlast the man and his truly lasting impact will be the joy he spread internationally. People are complex and imperfect and we must understand and embrace that fully.
One Disney movie that positively surprised me and grew to become one of my favorites was Lilo & Stitch. It doesn't have that good vs evil story archetype either. The hardship the two sisters encounter are due to circumstances, not to fundamentally bad people. I loved it. No big adventures, no epic tale, no frightful beast to defeat to save the world, and still it was fun and heartwarming.
And on top of that, in the Lilo and Stitch show, as they collect the other of Jumba's experiments, even though said experiments often cause the conflict of the episode, they aren't treated like they're monsters or evil for whatever destruction they're causing and shows that everyone can have a purpose and belong somewhere.
I mean it kinda did and from an in-universe perspective it was even among the most blatant examples in Disney (look all I am saying is Jumba calls himself an EVIL genius, ect...). But the show approached it in a way Disney just doesn't really do, instead of 'good vs evil' it was more 'sometimes all someone needs to be better is someone to believe in them and a place they can belong'.
@@Nathan-qp9uv I'm not even sure you can call this an in-universe good vs bad. Jumbo may perceive himself as 'evil', but he's just a bit of a trouble maker at best, even in the eye of the big galactic council. He was written to mislead the audience to think he may be the antagonist, while the plot doesn't really have one (like in Ghibli's movies). The only 'real' antagonist that falls into the classic good vs bad dynamic is that shark-alike alien at the end, but he wasn't even necessary to the plot. I understood they added him to create a final tension to unite the protagonists as a real family to overcome this, but it could have been done in a more subtle way. But I guess Disney doesn't believe their audience can understand subtleties 🤷. Still, Lilo and Stitch remains one of my favorite no-bad-guy animated movies.
Heck, even Gantu, the "Bad Guy" of the film, is just a galactic officer who is just doing his job to secure a (alleged) dangerous fugitive. Sure, he captures Lilo, but only because he mistook her for another escaped Experiment. And he's reasonable enough to leave Stitch alone after being pardoned by the Galactic Federation (Or whatever the aliens called themselves).
Tragedy, horror and despair don’t make me cry. I’m used to all that by now. What really makes me cry is hope. Seeing people be good to others because it’s the right thing to do is what makes me emotional in a cold, uncaring world.
God... God dammit, you really did put it so perfectly clearly into words... The things I've teared up over area always those moments, I realize now that's *precisely* why the endings to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games always tear my poor heart to pieces. It's because they are absolutely overflowing with hope against all hope and that hope really does mean something.
"There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for." So often the "fighting" for good boils down to internally fighting our own negatives-- suspicion, selfishness, greed, paranoia-- by reaching out in love to others, rather than physically fighting an oppressive force on a battlefield.
The video brought tears to my eyes, to have someone recognize a movie that portrays kindness as something good and not something that could be taken for granted.
Yesss I cried too. I love Ghibli movies, and even though I watched Kiki's delivery service multiple times, I didn't fully realize that she actually compares herself and is in the process of finding her inner beauty. I mean, of course I understood what she meant by all her comments but this video made me realize how REAL the Ghibli characters are portrayed. And all this in 1989. I think the best form of art is when you can sense the creators' meaning of life, their wishes and struggles. Unfortunately, Disney lost that. The question is if they ever had it. But same goes for Dreamworks.
Loving but not always supportive is such a distinction. I’ve always perceived the two as inextricably tied (is not supporting someone truly “loving”?), but highlighting that distinction really does make the difference obvious between Disney and Ghibli films. Echoing everyone else’s comments about the reupload! Im glad i got to see it :)
but sadly in irl, I've never seen a supportive community. Few supportive families maybe, but there are always naysayers and malicious people around from what I have seen..
The term "happily ever after" in old stories is slightly misleading, in that the meaning of "happiness" is not exactly the same today as it was in the time when classic fairy tales were formulated. In the older context, "happiness" refers to a pleasant, safe and comfortable life situation. Hence references such as the right to a "pursuit of happiness" in America's formative documents, and references to "securing happiness" by marriage or other financial situation in classic romances. In this sense, "living happily ever after" doesn't suggest that the protagonists spent the rest of their lives in bliss and were never sad or disappointed again; instead, it means they lived the rest of their lives in a comfortable and trouble-free situation, without being plagued by whatever external dangers they have fought to overcome during the story.
The best happily ever after to me is in steins gate. [SPOILER] Okabe spends decades trying to get to the universe where everyone can live happily ever after but in the process, he has to die to let his younger self live a good life instead of his current probably severely traumatized self, It's the most noble sacrifice ever.
I feel the slice of life genre might be something often is portraid as whats happen when everyone is happily ever after and you could make something out of it like little pieces from your daily routine that are either little sad or a bit funny which hits the genre slice of life idk for example what people do when after they get married or how people do gardening etc
Kindness without expectation of anything in return makes me cry. It's almost instant tears, both in media and real life. I'm not sure why that is, but it makes me yearn for a more compassionate world. Lovely video ❤
Ghibli parents are also how many parents actually are, you just don't get to their other side. Think about it: There is no source of conflict. Kiki does exactly what they prepared her for, she follows tradition, she doesn't rebell in any way. The example in the video was, that she left earlier than planned. Like really? Your kid wants to work sooner? Which parent is going to oppose that?
Like with her losing her powers when she loses her way/herself a little and having a role model for each life stage, I feel like it fits. JiJi losing his voice- talking animals in stories are Kid Stuff and once you pass that threshold you can't go back
I grew up loving Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away and Castle in the Sky, and I was extremely aware of how unique and different they were from everything else I watched even as a little kid. Both of my parents were addicts, my mother was abusive and sadly my sister learned early on that I was a very easy target for all of her anger and sadness. I could have let those experiences turn me uncaring and cruel, and some days it seems like for too many people that is the easy path they follow, but there's just something inside of me that refuses to be that way. I think these movies may have shaped me in ways that my family never tried to. They showed me a world full of kindness and caring people that I only got at my grandma's house. Side note: Don't worry, she raised me for more than half of my childhood and for that I am forever grateful. They also showed me who I could be. I love to create things and I especially wanted to be the artist in the woods from Kiki's Delivery service as a kid. I am thankful for your re-upload since it put the video in front of me tonight. I hope to be an author one day and I want to inject this type of kind storytelling into my books. I also haven't seen Kiki's Delivery Service since before I transitioned (female to male) and honestly I relate to her even more now in a lot of ways. I got my magic back after transitioning :)
i had a similiar experience, alot of my childhood influenced me to not be the person that i wanted to be, even small things like being a furry seemed like a monumental secret i had to keep as a secret from my close family as shaming others was normalised in our household because of my abusive mom who often found a host of hurtful insults for each of us. both of my siblings are fundementally kind people but it did not mean some bad habits bled into all of us back then. When i unlearned those bad habits i felt i got my magic back, kindness for kindness sake feels like it is the only way to be for me and i never intend to return :] ps i am also trans (male to female)
First of, sorry you had to go through that. But, your grandma sounds absolutely awesome! Glad, she was there for you. I hope I can be strong as you one day. I would love to see your art, and to be an author, you will do great! Best of wishes to you!
Great that you managed to wrestle yourself away from the abuse with help from kind people. Also respect for being brave enough to listen to yourself and going through the ordeal of the menopause at a young age through hormone treatments. Please keep track of your vitamin D and calcium levels. Put your magic to good use, spreading kindness in the process.
Living in Japan, I see this kindness every day. If I stop to take a picture, someone will come up and talk to me about it. If I accidentally drop a coin, another person will pick it up and give it back to me (and vice versa). I live in a city and yet numerous people will say "Ohayo gozaimasu (good morning)" as I walk through the park. To me, this is how life is in Japan.
I recently visited Japan. Even in a massive city like Tokyo, I experienced exactly this kindness. Multiple times, when I looked at some sign (I don't know much Japanese) or seemingly had a "lost" look about me, someone asked me in English how they could help. Everyone takes notice if you try to take a picture and waits instead of walking into it. It was a very nice change of pace.
i live in a very unkind place where people rarely say hi back and i have no neighborhood friends. i hope someday i can live in a happier place with friendlier people.
@@bastiangugu4083 Same here. I spent a week in Tokyo recently, and this was definitely the standard. An elderly man and I were both trying to take a picture at a park, and it was this very funny (in a good way) exchange of trying to stay out of each other's way and let the other go first. On my way back to the airport I spent _slightly_ too long looking at the train map in a station, and someone walked up and (in English) helped me with my transfer stuff for several minutes. And far too many other little things to mention.
I got strangely emotional throughout this video. I think your explanation of that human instinct for kindness intertwined with the tendency to be self deprecating or burnt out, made me realise we are sort of all connected by those feelings. I don’t know, I don’t really tend to stumble across videos that give me that lump in my throat, however I suspect it was a happy one.
The statement "people are fundamentally kind" is something I used to believe, these past 4-5 years have made me utterly misanthropic and hopeless for humankind. There's some comfort in knowing that nature will prevail in the end.
I didn't watch studio ghibli until I was 18 (aside from seeing a little of princess mononoake at 16) and honestly, had I grown up more with it than primarily disney, I feel I could've been able to step more out of my comfort zone and made more decisions for myself rather than suppress my dreams. I was in a dysfunctional household and only really started being more independent and able to function once I was able to get out of there. Studio Ghibli has touched me in so many ways with every single one of their films. Disney has always been nostalgic but I find it harder to connect to because my parents acted so similar to the ones you compared, as well as the other controversies disney has with their movies making it harder for me to really enjoy them as much (pochahontas, peter pan, the black centaur in fantasia, etc etc; though I also think its super important not to erase these films because that would just erase the history)
I watched my first Ghibli movie when I was 10 but I can't say I grew up with it. I finally watched it again when I turned 21 and instantly watched other Ghibli movies because they are more realistic to me than Disney movies. And I must say I agree with you. If only I had grown up with Ghibli, perhaps I'd step out of my comfort zone much earlier!
Hey, I just wanted to say, while I'm sorry that you had to struggle with the terrors of copyright, this video being re-uploaded brought it to my recommendations when I probably would have missed it otherwise. This was exactly what I needed to hear when I came across it, and like others have said has helped me to understand and appreciate a film that I hadn't really thought much of before. Thanks for all you do, your writing is fantastic and your views on the human experience are beautiful and for lack of a better word, just feel right. Your content is both inspiring and motivating, and I can't wait to see what you do next!
Thank you so much! You may not realise it but comments like yours are exactly the reason why I make these videos! I wanted to make meaningful content that would be thought provoking but also be inspiring and uplifting so thank you for letting me read this 💙
@@TheSoak We need more TH-camrs like you. Some of them have fallen into the games of the corporate world so even if you’re the only tuber like this, I wish you don’t go anywhere 🤝 You’re making the platform & the world slightly better everyday. Keep it up, gentleman🙇♂️
Same here! Glad to have come across it and it’ll make me schedule some time to rewatch the movie (and probably other studio Ghibli films), so I don’t understand the issues the studio has with videos like these!
@@TheSoak People are fundamentally kind IN JAPAN. USA was built on slavery. Americans are not kind. Vivek and Elon Musk just unmasked themselves to the Republican Party who were anti-immigrant
A kids show I LOVED and I will definitely show my kids is little bear. It was such a quiet and loving show. Also the earlier Winnie the Pooh episodes had a similar feeling.
I think part of the “world is a hostile place and every kids are running away from their families” syndrome is because of the idea that a story has to have a core conflict. Almost all western writing guides would tell writers to base their stories on conflicts and problems to solve. When it’s all loving and supportive, it’s harder to find that “problem” the guide is telling you to fill in. It’s embedded in the western media, because it’s how the stories are told to be constructed.
Yes, and I also think there is this a fundamental difference based on religion/philosophy. Western civilisation is influenced by abrahamic relgions with conflict good/evil as its core , while buddist/zen emphasizes all-connectedness of the universe.
Most of those stories are coming of age Epics. There are countless slice of life coming of age stories in folktales, where the world is even largely kind and benevolent. But classic disney works with epic fairytale levels of story telling, not folktales. With disney in particular there are decades with of tv series sequels to movies that are just that: slice of life adventures in a mostly benevolent world with kind parents & community.
I'm glad someone put their finger on it! A lot of Western media stresses me out because the protagonist will be off to save the world/town/friend while also struggling to be treated like a person who matters by the people who matter to them. I've had to abandon multiple stories because the supporting cast have a nasty habit of being jerks
What is always left out is how that conflict can also come down to internal factors, such as a protagonist looking to find their purpose in the world. That can be played as a man vs. self conflict or a man vs. society conflict, or both. Maybe some other ways I'm not thinking. Kiki losing her magic would be a form of conflict, for example. It's not necessarily "harder" when you know where to look and how to spin conflicts in a way that suits the type of story you're looking for. I've seen a lot of coming of age stories end up having the main character end up finding who they are in the final battle against the villain. And maybe that works for some stories, but I think a lot of media relies on anthropromorphizing its problems and driving conflicts into forces of evil in stories that don't benefit from doing so.
Yes! Exactly my toughts as wannabe author. Why so much drama and conflict? Everybody repeat that you have to kick your characters out of their comfort zone. Rising the stakes and trauma level is insane. That drawn me to this video.
I watch KiKi every year for my b-day, it lifts my spirits especially since even though I’m younger I’m usually down in the dumps around that time, and there’s so much to this film that gives me hope and helps me find my way again. Ursula is a big reason for that but KiKi as well. I often feel like I’m constantly losing my ability to fly and breaking my brooms time and time again but somehow I find my courage. Ghibli’s films are a huge part of me, I can’t remember a time I lived without them or when they didn’t teach me a lesson I needed or gave me insight into myself.
The dog taking care of the cat was heartwarming. As u said an act of kindness often inspire another, but i like that he didnt need any in order to make one himself, and when he brings back Gigi to Kiki he turns around like he did nothing crazy and without waiting for something in return. Great analysis for a great movie 👍
Oh, it's back! I wish I remembered my old comment. It was something about me really liking the granddaughter for being able to openly reject a gift she never asked for. Sure I felt bad for Kiki's efforts being unappreciated but you don't owe people your gratitude. The old comment was much better articulated but essentially I liked how the rejection wasn't portrayed as evil. It was the first movie I ever saw do that.
17:18 I think it’s also important that you notice the older witch girl works in the red light district, and possibly that’s why she’s snarky and cynical. She descends down to a city with a glowing red windmill. That’s Moulin Rouge.
0:04 nah, i recently had a child and have told my partner we will be raising our child on anime. Ghibli especially as anime teaches better life lessons than anything disney makes imo
I don't know Steven Universe, but I have no children and absolutely adore Bluey for this reason. I don't know if I'll ever have kids - I still only have a couple of people that I could consider friends - but I look at things like Kiki, Totoro and Bluey (along with live-action films such as Little Forest or Our Little Sister) as movies that are just as important for adults. They show us how to be kind and to love others, and I feel like we are so rarely shown that. Bluey's dad discovering the joy of being a father or the three sisters discovering joy in their lives when they take in the young girl in Our Little Sister are things that parents need to learn as well.
@@ShadowSkyX Great statement there. Care to back it up? I'll make a statement of my own: Movies are not for children. I shall also leave it unsupported.
Seconding the recs for Bluey and Steven Universe. Also, perhaps it's obvious, but classics like Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street are extremely pro-social. And, also obviously, "raising our kid on anime" won't keep them away from antisocial themes, since there is plenty of anime that is just as misogynistic, violent, capitalistic, and individualistic as any Disney thing. Rather than make broad judgments based on country of origin, evaluate the individual works of art.
A small detail about Kiki and her dress is in the end credits when we see a little girl dressed as a witch carrying a little broom passing Kiki. I found that a nice touch. Even if a kind world is unrealistic... “YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME” ― Death, Terry Pratchett's Hogfather While the movie 'The Princes' Bride' has a basic western story, it has some very interesting facets. Of the 5 villains an many minions, only 2 villains and 5 minions get killed. Aside from that, there is a lot of politeness and respect between some of them. The apparently 3 main villains in the beginning are all trying to kill the man in black following them after they kidnapped the princess to be, but all 3 and the man in black stay polite the whole time. 2 of the villain later even become allies to the man in black. The prince, who wants to kill his bride and blame a neighbouring kingdom to start a war lives in the end and stays in power soon to succeed his ailing father. Even enemies can be polite with each other and if we are honest, it costs little to be polite.
I am a student thinking about studying overseas. Kiki's delivery service is a film I used to watch countlessly as a child, and will be my film to watch when I'm feeling down.
I just love the whiplash you get if you watch this one back to back with Nausicaa. Nausicaa was the first Ghibli movie I watched on betamax as 'Warriors of the Wind' in 1992, and I think it's the 'anti-Kiki's delivery service'. You just switch around the optimism vs cynicism ratio and flip wholesome and supportive to brutal and violent
This is a good explanation of why Kiki resonated with me so strongly when I was a teenager. I felt such a strong connection to her and what she was going through even though I was not a witch living on my own in a big city. More so than most coming-of-age movies I watched at the time. Now I am grown with kids of my own and a job I am now good at but I see my oldest daughter soon approaching Kiki's stage of life.
glad i found this video. the last third of this movie always hits me real hard. up until the point she loses her powers, the vibe is so light, so hopeful, that it always felt much deeper than i had understood. i thought that it was simply a portrayal of burnout and depression, but would never put these pieces together. this is such a delicate take on self doubt and lack of confidence that it kinda pisses me off that i didn't notice it. but im glad you pointed it, i really needed to see this, as I'm struggling with those feelings recently. thank you so much
What makes me laugh is the kindness of Kiki's Delivery Service is realistic. Approach with kindness and you will receive it. That's something I learned the hard way.
Disney isnt portraying what parents should be, though. Not necessarily. They show what parents are when they are well intentioned, but concerned more with their child being safe and integrating into society. Most parents want this for their kids. They want them to be safe, and they dont want them to feel ostracized. Most Disney films are about children staying true to themselves in spite of this pressure, and the parents learning to accept their children and be supportive. I think you read something negative into this that DIsney is not obscuring at all, but then not recognizing that the parents also undergo a character arc.
It's probably linked to cultural differences where questioning parental authority is more taboo in East Asian cultures. Hence Ghibli parents are almost never shown to be actually abusive/neglectful but always well-intentioned even if imperfect. Disney portrayal can be more validating for children actually going through difficult family environments, and help parents reflect on their interactions too
Also, much of classic Disney is based on European fairytales, where family conflict/neglect or "missing mothers" was a common trope. Disney didn't invent this. In medieval times, untimely death was much more common, especially women dying in or around childbirth. When this happened, the single father would often try to remarry quickly to help the rest of his family survive. if the new wife brings her own children into the household, and resources are scarce, she is likely to favor (even subtly) her own offspring over those of her new husband's now dead first wife. This is the origin of the "wicked stepmother" trope, a very common thing in such stories.
This video is making me tear up a bit; it's a fundamental disagreement between my parents and myself in our views of the world. Their view is that life isn't fair, so they shouldn't be either in the name of preparing me for it. I, on the other hand, coped very poorly with what amounted to bullying at best from home as well as from school and do not find that a very convincing argument. I feel that everyone needs and deserves a place that is safe for them to be themselves, and that it's always best practice to be kind. You don't even need to do much; just giving a small smile to everyone you pass on the street might be just the thing someone needed to turn their day around.
I agree with most of what you're saying here, but we really should acknowledge that Kiki's parents are INSANE for letting their 13 year old girl travel to the big city all alone without so much as a trusted friend to look out for her while she's there.
The most beautiful thing about the movie other then animation is that how it shows that in in life it's not us vs people who don't like us but it's self vs self , our negative self
30:51 i dont exactly have a theory, but throughout my life as an artist (and just being a regular human) ive always viewed kiki's loss of powers to reflect a skill "decaying" when you're doing poorly mentally or physically. after struggling with life and returning to make art again, there are times i realise that i just dont have it in me as i have before, as i desperately try to re-learn how to fly (or draw in my case) overnight like kiki does. sometimes the best medicine is just a good break or something fresh and spontaneous to uplift your wellbeing ! ideally without your friends ending up in dangerous situations haha
This analysis was the best take on the uniqueness of Ghibli and Myazaki I have ever seen! Kiki’s delivery service is a film I have loved for a long time, but your profound and precise understanding of it’s underlying themes made me love the film even more. I look forward to seeing more of your content.
What I love about the End of Kiki is the fact, that she still can't understand Jiji (at least in the original and the german dub). Which showcases, that she's still struggling, but it's getting better
Thanks for the thought-provoking analysis. One of my Ghibli favorites, along with Kondo Yoshifumi's Mimi o Sumaseba [Whisper of the Heart], another Ghibli film that explores internal emotional and psychological challenges. One aspect that might be missed in an English viewing is just how the opening (Rouge no Dengon | Message in Lip Rouge) and ending (Yasashisa ni Tsutumaretanara | Enveloped in Kindness) songs by Matsutoya Yumi bookend the film perfectly.
i often think of kindness as something we have to actively choose to do. it's not easy to be kind when you're going through something tough and that's when it takes an extra effort to be kind, and you should still have to do it because it's the right thing to do.
Probably my favorite movie of all time, I watched it endlessly as a kid. The themes of kindness may be part of why I loved it so much, when people were never very kind to me in my real life.
I just watched "a real pain" yesterday and it reminded me of this video. I feel like that movie also has the same approach: that it does not rely on a villain. Which is in a way very uplifting and heart-warming. However, in "a real pain" the real pain overwhelms that uplifting vibe. Man I still feel like crying. 😢
Amazing essay! All the things you said in the video about how Miyazaki manages to depict struggle in a realistic way, is what made me fall in love with Ghibli movies. For me, the best Ghibli movies are the ones that don´t need an external force of evil but rather the movies that show how that seemingly external evil is internal weakness that can be molded into something better through kind-heartedness and courage to be voulnerable. Even though I couldn´t explain this as a kid, it was exactly these motives and behaviors of the characters in Kiki´s Delivery Service that made me absolutely fall in love with it. I remember waking up at my dad´s place late at night, when Kiki was running on the TV. Back then I had watched any anime. I mean, I´ve watched western animated movies, but never has an animated world felt so real and as such the struggles and emotions of the characters. Studio Ghibli is peek cinema, and I´m so glad intelligent movies like these exist.
Although I agree with your main points, I don’t know about the other young witch- it starts to rain so abruptly as soon as she leaves (and the clear weather forecast was Kiki’s deciding factor!) that I always thought she made it happen! Throughout the story, Kiki is much more comfortable around adults. She really has to get used to people her own age. The Party Girl (recipient of the Madam’s pie) is part of Tombow’s crowd, and while she’s not actively antagonistic, neither does she have a big turnaround where she’s more appreciative of her grandmother. She fades into the background as Kiki ceases to worry about interacting with Tombow.
The one thing I donn't adore of Kiki's delivery service is that in the japanese version she never hears Jiji again. I know it's supposed to be a metaphor on growing up and leaving childishness behing, but I feel like we shouldn't actually leave childishness fully behind. There's many virtues in childhood we shouldn't shed ourselves from because we're not children anymore, like wonder and kindness and grace
@Posby95 I have no idea, to me it was just an extension of magic, but on an article I read it was mentioned that talking to Jiji was a childish thing and that's why in the original version Jiji never speaks again, because Kiki outgrows talking to him. Apparently in the English dub they do have him speak again when Kiki regains her magic
Your exposition about ambiguous non-happy endings reminded me of the ending of "Little Miss Sunshine" : They drive off into the sunset, Olive was mocked at the contest, Granpa is gone, the car horn still is broken and beeping uncontrollably, Richard is broke, Olive's brother's life dream is in ruins, her uncle Frank's entire life is in shambles... but are so much happier as a family than ever before
Kiki's loss of magic has always struck me as coming from two places: (1) Burnout and depression. She used to love flying, but now that it's her job, it's an activity accompanied with stress, timelines, and expectations. (2) Her learning that kindness is not always met with kindness. The granddaughter isn't evil, she's an ordinary teenage girl. Thus far, every time Kiki's done something kind of someone, they've reciprocated. Kiki works immensely hard for the granddaughter, who is rude and short with Kiki. That Kiki learns the lesson that kindness isn't always met with kindness right as she's beginning to feel burnout is enough to cause her to lose touch with her magic.
responding to (2) Tombo must've been the exception to that then. Also There was a change where it went from more privately known magic to publically known magic.
It is unrealistic not because I expect a house to be broken, but because it's unrealistic to never have real adversity coming from your community. I'm not talking about haters, but there will be people in your life who will try to give you another viewpoint. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows always. Life is ups and downs, but Kiki doesn't have any downs coming from her community, it's unrealistic in that sense. This is an idealized version of what we could be, but it's also a story driven around Kiki. The people are all there for her, we're not a main character in a story. Trying to use stories as examples of what could be will never work, our lives aren't stories written in one perspective, we get shaped by those around us for good or bad. Stories like these are fun to imagine, but the reality is it's a story, and it's not real. Even stories about real life events tend to get embellished because our lives aren't picturesque like we can make in fantasy stories.
This is such a wonderful video! Yes, the world CAN be a better place, and marketing a kind world would definitely be a huge step in that direction. Thank you for doing this.
wow, turns out i really needed to hear this. i actually teared up a couple of times, as i'm experiencing burnout and depression. i think i might go and rewatch Kiki soon. thanks for an awesome video! btw i love your style of video essay, it's so nice to listen to
You said something at the beginning that I’ve been saying for a long time about Disney almost always writing parents being at odds with their kids, and presenting parents as being outdated or foolish. It’s pretty annoying that it’s non stop movies about kids being rebellious/parents holding them back. Like this video talks about, there should be a blend of heeding parents advice, while still being somewhat independent.
It's called Juvenoia, the belief that kids these days don't know better and their lifestyle and beliefs are dangerous. It's as old as humanity itself. Each generation thinks itself more intelligent than the previous one and wiser than the next one (not my quote - I forgot who said it, but it's so true).
@ I know what juvenoia is, but in popular media it often goes the other direction. The older generation isn’t always right, but they aren’t always wrong either. There is some wisdom that comes with age.
Thanks for this, it articalates my thoughts on this gem of a movie far better than I ever could. Losing passion about something you used to enjoy because it is now "just a job", self-doubt and comparison to others are just such relatable things to me, and I love how it is not hammered it, but told in a subtle way. Also I've never caught that the girl in the car is the granddaugter, and was always a bit confused about the sudden strong reaction. But now it makes more sense.
I’m 25, pregnant with my first child, and you’d better believe he’s growing up on Studio Ghibli more than Disney lol. For exactly all the reasons you mentioned, not to mention Ghibli films are generally less overstimulating, loud, and fast paced. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a fair handful of Disney movies, and my kids will grow up with what I consider the actual best Disney movies. The ones worth watching, with morals I really want my child to grow up with. I really think Ghibli films are just far higher quality than most Disney films, and have better lessons, and I want to fill my child’s limited time in front of the TV with truly wholesome, edifying, and _good_ art. I especially have a problem with the extremely common plot in Disney films that goes: “parent gives child a boundary/rule (even if it’s unreasonable or out of the parent’s own fear), child then blatantly disobeyed rule, the whole world is saved, and the parent and everyone else apologizes to the child and tells them that they were right to disobey.” That’s simply not a lesson I want my child to learn! It’s not a good lesson for real life. And Ghibli children really never do that. They are smart, independent, and make a good and bad choices… Without directly disobeying their parents and then being praised for it. That’s a big reason I want to show my children more Ghibli than Disney. I want to present my child with healthy parent child relationships, and they’re just aren’t that many of those in Disney movies. I’m a big believer in inspirational characters, whose character inspires you to be a better, kinder person. There are simply way more of those in Ghibli films than Disney films.
I’m raising my daughter on Ghibli films currently. Cartoon Saloon is also a good studio as well. Same with Bluey. Sesame Street Follow That Bird is great as well. The only Disney films in rotation are Lilo and Stitch, Sleeping Beauty, and Song Of The South. That last one is unfairly demonized for no reason other than lies.
@ - I also love cartoon saloon! Lilo and stitch and sleeping beauty are both high-quality Disney films; my list is super short too, like that. I’ve never heard of or seen song of the south though!
@ Someone uploaded the entire movie of Song Of The South as a “review”. It’s a hybrid movie in the style of Mary Poppins that Disney hasn’t officially released since 1986 because some person started a lie that it’s racist. It’s the reason why the Splash Mountain ride was destroyed. The movie isn’t racist. It doesn’t even take place during slavery. It’s a movie about a little white boy whose parents separate and he befriends an elderly black man who becomes his best friend and tells him stories about Brer Rabbit out smarting Brer Fox and Brer Bear. It’s a movie about the importance of role models.
Perfect video! Phenomenal points! I love Kiki's Delivery Service. However, using this to help us see what life could be like is one of the reasons - I believe - that Studio Ghibli movies are so popular - even with or maybe especially - with adults. SUBSCRIBED!
01:25 i need to know what movie this is. I was 10000% convinced it never actually existed it and it was just a blurry creation of my mind from back when i was a kid
It's Mad Max 2. Much better than the original and arguably better than the other sequels. And you don't need to watch the first one. In fact I would recommend watching 2 first, then the original, then 2 again.
My father and I watched that mad max movie on Netflix a couple nights ago, idk which installment it was.
29 วันที่ผ่านมา +2
This scene is from Mad Max Fury Road, the fourth movie. All the movies: Mad Max (1979); Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981); Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985); Mad Max Fury Road (2015) and Furiosa A Mad Max Saga (2024)
The day I read a chapter in the manga of Kingdom, arguing about human's nature, I went into deep thought. I agree, human is neither good nor evil, but born with slight goodness within us. And I believe that ties with their strong sense of sympathy or, could it be empathy. When a kid see you cry, it will try to do something to cheer you up, hoping that you get better. A child who doesn't understand of such action is because their world was robbed from them.
I have a beef with the thumbnail. People aren’t inherently kind - the vast majority of them are indifferent, a handful are self-interested and whatever’s left are the kind ones.
I caught myself on the last minute, that the video is already ended…This analysis was something that I was coming to realise. I totally agree with that, and I see the future in these great thoughts. I hope, that kids and even adults see this model of behaviour even if they didn’t had that, just not to destroy their childish beliefs. That the world is not divided by good and bad, but that there’s always a way from any situation. We don’t need to hate someone for life, we can just accept some broken hearts and live our best reality. The quality of the video and your voice are very enjoyable. Thank you for that.
This is an amazing video. Your own kindness and understanding come through as well, showing that despite the struggles we all go through, we can always have a helping hand or word of encouragement. Thank you.
This movie was one that really stuck with me, because despite how beautiful the world is, it's still so difficult to exist. What you mentioned also made so much sense; and I think a lot of people forget that despite having everything you need, it's hard to be happy if you're not at peace with yourself and the world around you. Sometimes it's easy to blame your broken homes, your upbringing, your community, etc, but as someone who has a loving, supportive communityaround me, it's so hard to allow myself to feel lost or insecure, because after seeing media with broken homes and broken lives it almost feels undeserving for someone as privileged me to feel so much loss. Most of it stems internally, and circumstances just play into it. Kiki feeling disconnected from herself made me bawl because that has been me for who knows how long, and in real life it goes on for so much longer than the movie that it's difficult to connect with reality or the people around you. The way she reacts to the people around her who lead her to her feeling insecure such as the granddaughter, the way she gets upset after seeing tombo's friends, everything hits home. People misunderstand the concept of having a healthy home and a healthy life and think it's always fine and always happy but god, it's not. Life truly gets everyone. I want to find myself too, the way Kiki does in the end.
I love your essay format. PLEASE do one on Princess Mononoke and the “human nature is nature” and it’s incredibly good way it handles the fight of man vs nature but balanced by progress and why it’s uplifting.
Agree with everything except the good vs evil trope. I still believe that children need to be taught that evil exists in their world for them to learn what good is. And the over correction of this led to the overly abundance of "misunderstood villains" in modern entertainment.
This is why I liked Puss in Boots - The Last Wish so much. You had three kinds of antagonists in that: a main antagonist who is not a villain, but a force of nature, an extremely evil full-out villain and a group of secondary antagonists who become allies.
Thank you! What’s better, to acknowledge that evil people DO exist so kids and young adults are better equipped with the tools to handle it in the real world… or pretend nobody evil exists and create an almost sheltered environment lol.
it's sad because the initial form of that development in storytelling was very, very good. villains who aren't just one-dimensional moustache twirlers are a much better lesson, because real life monsters don't go out with their devil horns on, they conceal it. And it helps to get to know what made them that way, avoid that happening to anyone else. Like that 'evil overlord's handbook' thing where it's like "do not raze a village to the ground but leave one kid alive. he's going to come get revenge" but for bad guys instead. Most of the classic villains were totally avoidable situations. But once that situation is at hand and can't be changed, then yeah. it's time to fight.
Also kindness doesn't always make the world behave better towards you. Sometimes you get used or abused. Even the Bible advises people to walk away when their kindness is not well received. Some people thought I was an easy pushover. So when they visited me and behaved despicably I had nothing more to do with them after that. Naysayers are not always jealous either. Sometimes they can be a little paranoid or just concerned. I had one 'friend' who accused me of jealousy when he got a full time job in a call centre with an hour's commuting each way. But I saw that he couldn't even hold a one day a week volunteering job in an office near where he lived without saying he was exhausted by it. Every large venture needs a lot of preparation and practice for it. You don't go on a walking trek of several days without building up stamina with half day walks and then day walks.
Being Dutch, I'm always astounded by the amount of paranoia in US movies and among US parents towards kids. I play my whole youth freely outside, and many young still do. And mostly it's safe. And healthy. Always being guarded is also messing people up. They don't learn to think well for themselves.
I think the magic in the movie comes from goodness. To truly do the good. She loses her power as she becomes disenfranchised and loses her positive and good demeanor. She truly regains her powers as she lets go of her resentments and tries to truly become a good person again.
I only watched Kiki's Delivery Service once and that was a long time ago. I didn't get it and was very disappointed by that. Watching your video now I think I'm starting to understand why I didn't like the film, even though "by the numbers" it should have been my jam. I think at the time I wanted the Easy Solution: a black and white story with a Happily Ever After a la Disney. And I did not want to hear that life was just going to be sad sometimes. Of course at the time I was also a depressed, undiagnosed autistic teenager in a very unsupportive environment. So the Easy Solution was the dream that got me through my everyday. Now I'm in a much better place and listening to your enthusiasm for this film and the very insightful analysis of it makes me want to revisit it and see what I make of it now! So thank you! ❤
How much of the difference between Kiki and Disney movies comes down to fundamental differences in kishotenketsu and 3-act/heroes journey style stories common in Western media? Heroes journey doesn’t work without an antagonist, while kishotenketsu only requires opposing viewpoints which can come from anywhere.
I always thought of Kiki’s as a boring story about a witch with no emphatic calamity stopping ending, oh how wrong I was in denying myself the opportunity to see the wider picture of a beautifully orchestrated life lesson on kindness and being true to oneself in a world full of individuals all going through the same breaks and waves in a life of learning, I needed this video essay, thank you for creating it :)
I just rewatched this movie and it made me cry my eyes out… It’s so brilliant and real and the kindness is so beautiful, especially near the end with the old lady giving Kiki the cake, and her friend coming to visit her from far away and painting her. And at the end, when everyone is fully cheering her on, even though she is struggling just to sit on the broom, something she has done perfectly the whole movie and what a witch should be able to do. My gosh what a wholesome movie, it literally captures why we need keep being kind to everyone around us.
As someone who has struggled with depression for as long as they can remember, this movie is like a breath of fresh air. It brings me so much optimism and helps me pick myself up when I need. I love this movie and I wish those vibes for my life.
@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Book Pinocchio frames his father to be child abuser and leaves home because he wants to bumble around and do nothing productive all day long, drinking, smoking and stuff
@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Yes, so? They both leave home, but in Pinochio's story that is depicted as something dangerous kids are lured into. Lured!! You use that word as if a yearning to be independent and self-guided in a teenager is not something to be applauded! In Kiki's OTOH it is shown to be a healthy sign of independence that is both scary and hard but also rewarding.
@@DutchLabrat Have you actually WATCHED Pinocchio? I mean, really watched it? Despite having no literal strings, Pinocchio is still a puppet and thus extremely easy to manipulate. Throughout the entire film, he is acted upon, and has no real agency nor independent will until nearly the end when he determines to find and rescue Gepetto from Monstro.
@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Are you really this.....? In Pinochia kids doing something on their own is shown as something bad, something that evil wayward kids do when they are manipulated and lured, and then they are punished. Pinochio teaches kids to stay on Moms backseat passively driven around doing the planning their parents made ( Seen the opening of Spirited Away?) because the outside is EVIL. Ghibli movies teaches kids that exploring outside world is fun and full of adventure. Sometimes scary, it is not without danger, but the risks are worth it because the alternative is doing nothing. Most accidents happen at home.
I was meaning to watch this for a while, and seeing the thumbnail for this video made me watch it. I have since returned to this video. great summary, thanks
I think the fairy tale trope is a mirror of Christian values in the Western world. It's summed up as a battle of righteousness versus sin. The be righteous in life earns being with God in Heaven. Studio Ghibli is Japanese. Japan is not a Christian country. The result is a story with values that reflect a different point of view. Rather than a story of good versus evil, we get a story of struggles just being a normal part of life and we can soften those struggles just with simple acts of kindness and make life worth living. When things go poorly instead of finding someone to blame, we help each other to make things right. I wouldn't say that evil doesn't exist, but that evil has an origin story which generally leads back to mistreatment. Evil can be prevented through love and kindness. Hatred in countries can be measured with a prison population that is proportionate to that of the actual population.
This was a really enjoyable and well put together video. Kiki's delivery service is my absolute favorite Ghibli film so its great to see it used as an example
Beware that this video is now too the subject of another copyright strike from Studio Ghibli! Unfortunately, it is just a part of the process with videos like these so I hope that we can overcome this hurdle sooner rather than later, but if you're watching this video and it goes down... it'll be because of inconsiderate copyright claims that don't acknowledge the fair use of this video
I'm grateful that I've found this video. Being kind to others no matter if they are kind or not is something that I truely believe in. Unfortunetly sometimes it is hard to think this way all the time. Other people's statements or actions may make you doubt your own believes. It is heartwarming to know there are other people thinking in the same way as you are.
"A true act of goodwill always sparks another." -Just something someone used to say. Honestly, when I first watched this film, I didn't really get it; I enjoyed it, sure, but it felt like there was something I had missed that made it not fully land with me. Then, after rewatching it last year during a time of artistic burnout, it finally clicked with me. I was finally able to appreciate all the subtle details and the metaphors as Kiki develops and learns throughout the film, all of her inner struggles feeling so relatable and seeing her overcome them now feeling both heartwarming and inspiring. It truly is incredible how this film went from being a Ghibli production I felt unsure about to one of my favorites, and your analysis of it made me appreciate it all the more! Great work on this video! Hope it gets to stay up without issues this time!
You brought so much of this film to my understanding and I was bliwn away by it. These messages are so beautiful. When I was little our teacvher got us to write out the characters, plot etc. for a story. On of the questions we had to answer was "who is the villian?" I remember wondering why there had to be a villian at all. Surely a story didn't HAVE to have a villian all the time. That was when I started to notice that every movie I watched had a villian in it. At first it didn't bother me, but as I've gotten older I have seen countless take-over-the-world villians and started to get bored and annoyed by them. That's why I love the Studio Ghibli films, sonetimes the villians aren't always the villians after all.
Ugh right, studio Ghibli backgrounds and scenery are just so beautiful and is such a supporting roll to their movies. Theses artists don’t get enough credit
Dropping a comment to support your channel!! This movie has always left me feeling bittersweet and the whole arc of Kiki losing her magic has made me experience some kind of eldritch horror in face of something unnamed and therefore unbeatable like a natural disaster It let me to avoiding this beautiful movie despite being touched by its message Your video finally shed light on why this movie is so important for me personally and it helped my love to it to finally overcome my fear of accepting that I had lost my magic like Kiki and that it will happen again Even like with life Kiki's delivery service will still make me sad and I will still love it
Disney's "good vs evil" and "perpetual state of happiness at the end" tropes that you mention, correlate with Christianity's God-Satan dualism and idea of heaven. Ghibli has correlations with certain concepts in Buddhism: Buddha-nature is the concept that every sentient-being has a potential to be on a path of becoming awakened, that no one is inherently doomed or evil; impermanence is the concept that everything is constantly changing, that everyone (including the awakened ones) must deal with a constant flux of change. As you said, Kiki lives in a world where no one is inherently evil (Buddha-nature), and grows to love her place even though she still has to deal with sadness (impermanence).
Yes, this is a reupload! Apologies for those who saw it the first time, but to explain the context: The original video was performing REALLY well on TH-cam but then got hit with a takedown notice by Studio Ghibli, meaning it was no longer public. I had to fight a long legal battle to have it reinstated on the grounds of fair use (something Ghibli rejected initially), but it took 15 days for that to happen. In the meantime, TH-cam treated the video as if it was public and getting 0 views, meaning it completely died in the algorithm. So, in the desperate hopes of kicking a video I really believe in back to life, this is now a re-upload with the hopes that it doesn't get flagged again! Appreciate your support and if you guys just wanna watch or leave it running again!
ALSO, this is exactly why I rely on/appreciate so much the support of viewers on Patreon, where I know my income will be reliable, as opposed to the whims of TH-cam and copyright issues (www.patreon.com/thesoak )! You can also join my Discord server here to discuss media with likeminded people discord.gg/dEF993S9SA
Oh! The duality of Japanese media: great art, scummy corpo bs 😅
@@Das_Ungeheuer Sums it up pretty darn well!
I had this happen with keiju no 8 on a podcast episode but eventually we won the fair use fight 😂 and we aren't big enough for the video disappearing to hurt us
Risks you take covering this kind of subject unfortunately
I didn't see your original video, so I'm glad you reuploaded it! I'm glad it reached me :)
I always thought Kiki's power loss was like creative burnout, hence the artist lady walking her through it. Like, monetize your passions and it'll often bog you down, right?
There's up and down with creativity. A lot of the greats didn't make their work just for the pleasure. Many were commissioned or died in poverty. The art industry is competitive and brutal. So I wouldn't really call an artist a sellout because their resources and time is not cheap and the effort to have reputability is not an easy one. That's quite the connections to have which many known ones had some pretty powerful ones whether backgrounds of nobilities like Michaelangelo, Brunelleschi, or Da Vinci, a family of wealth or due to the political atmosphere of the time. Dr. Seuss was around during the World War II so had had appeal to many war fatigue people who wanted more color back into the world like many who experienced a massive bloody and destructive war.
Passion origin from a word mean pain. So these people find meaning in their creative endeavors in spite of the pain. Creativity like many pursuits requires sacrifice which can evokes thoughts and emotions those who appreciate may explore.
I completely agree, I’ve always viewed the film this way. I know Miyazaki liked to put parts of himself and his personal struggles into his protagonists. I think Kiki represents his artistic spirit and work ethic.
@@boxcat1755why do people aspire to be great though, who cares?
it's kinda both creative burnout and a burnout related to making what she loves a job.
like when you're dead you're dead it's not like fans are children
I think another interesting thing is the movie represents womenhood in different stages
Kiki who is just coming into womanhood
The painter who is a young woman still figuring things out
The baker who is older and just beginning the next stage of her life as a soon to be mother and newly wed
Kikis mother who is older and more experienced in the role as well as being a witch
The grandmother who's children have grown but she still cares for her family
It reminds me of an animatic i once saw of a woman walking through the stages of life and walking alongside her own granddaughter guiding her into the future
Each woman brings an interesting perspective to kiki with their time and wisdom and all are able to relate to her strife and guide her through these rough beginning years giving her the tools to grow into her best self
Wow this is such a great take!
Oooohh I never catched that! I can think of two smaller instances now, that also fit in that row. The witch girl Kiki meets right in the beginning, who is one year older than her and nearly at the end of her witch year. And that little girl in the very end, who is dressed like Kiki, placing Kiki, who was throughout the movie at the „lowest“ end of the chain of women helping the younger ones to grow, in the place of being an example for younger girls now as well. This movie makes me tear up so much! To think that in this patriarchal world, an old man created this soft movie about healthy relationships between women who empower each other, is the most improbable and beautiful thing I can imagine.
@@juliechen8710 That's straight outta the studio Ghibi movie guidebook.
huh for me i just seen this as coming into just general adulthood but hey interesting lens you see though
well said. Absolute masterclass in womanhood.
KiKi's delivery service isn't my favorite film, but this analysis and break down has given me a much greater appreciation of it as a whole. Ghibli films have always had a special place in my heart, particularly in the way that they help us love the mundane parts of life. Daily chores, cooking, and care for one's self and others are built up as things to enjoy and be celebrated, whereas in a lot of western entertainment these things "tie you down" and act as a barrier preventing the main character from achieving their dreams.
If you think about it, " Daily chores, cooking, and care for one's self and others" sounds pretty much like female's responsibilities, at least from a Western (American/European) perspective. Someone could argue that Disney's children's films promote patriarchal values, which is not surprising.
It's still hilariously ironic that Miyazaki is a miserable and mean man. He doesn't practice what he preaches in his films.
I’m sorry, but I don’t really understand what you mean by Western movies see these behaviors as holding you back?
@@evanbarth7173 Meaning common chores and small living are seen as a negative and mundane in most western movies. Compared to hustle life, partying, being famous ect. It's a common trope here.
@@grimsonforce7504oooooh I see. Also, Happy New Year!!
26:10 The granddaughter even recognizes Kiki and it is revealed that she talked about her at the party amongst her friends, who compliment and admire her for her independence from afar, which means she had no ill words or thoughts towards Kiki. So Kiki was the only one judging her negatively based on the small interaction that they had.
I watched this movie dozens of times across many years, and never noticed the girl in the car is the granddaughter :o
Also I was forever upset that we never again hear Jiji, although it is hinted in the movie that some of his consciousness still remains, he lost part of his self awareness - but the love for Kiki still stayed
@@alexandrachernysh7 well the whole point is her growing past the need for a supporter like Jiji giving her guidance all the time he's still as smart as he always was she just can't hear his voice anymore
And that is fairly realistic isn't it? We as people often judge ourselves and interactions we have harshly when the other people involved don't feel that way at all or don't even think much of it. It's a small thing like that that works so well
This! The first time I saw this scene it had a HUGE impact on me. As an angsty and artsy teenager who felt "left out" by my peers it really got me thinking. People don't always automatically MEAN BAD. Sometimes I am the one judging, not them.
@@alexandrachernysh7the bit about Jiji really soured the movie for me. Witches have familiars. There were other ways to make this metaphor work
"Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still, you find reasons to keep living." I think this quote from Mononoke Hime sums up what all the Ghibli movies are all about. The reasons that keep us going.
The Studio Ghibli movie ‘Grave Of The Fireflies’ broke me though their wasn’t a happy ending and I got overly attached to the characters but (SPOILER ALERT)
They all died and it was so sad and me and my friend cried so much 😭
Every moment is a golden one for he who has the vision to recognize it as such
@vlogsbymaggie IIRC that is based on a book that is mostly through memoirs of someone who survived WWII.
@@GodwynDiThe author killed off his self-insert because of survivor's guilt. He felt the guilt of failing her, and wished he had died with her.
He wrote the original story as a way of coping, and he eventually lived a long and happy married life, only dying of old age this decade.
what book from?
Its kinda like Kiki shows, what Tolkien wrote in LOTR. Normal People with small lives, small acts of kindness, no "big powers" involved:
“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? I don't know. Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.”
― Gandalf
For another one in the same spirit, I keep coming back to this quote from Robert Heinlein:
"Decency does not make headlines--it is buried in the obituaries--but it is a force stronger than crime."
It's ironic that Miyazaki hates Tolkien (or so I heard), since the two of them have similar philosophies.
Please, Gandalf praises hobbits to get a discounted friend price for the Longbottom leaf. You know he imported pipe-weed to Valinor by the boat load.🤣
@Kureemy I'm not sure about the "similar philosophies" Tolkien is all about great acts of braveness in self sacrificing manners to defeat the ultimate evil. He loves discribing huge wars and battles with one side being completely "justified" in the killing it is doing.
As well described in this video, that is pretty far away from the humanist world views of Myazaki who portrays characters with conflicting goals, but never motivated by doing or spreading evil. Myazaki despise basically all wars where Tolkien seems to be fascinated by them.
@@useyourheadpliz No, not fascinated, I think that is the wrong thing to take away from it. Nor do I think he is quite so black and white as you suggest, though it is still very much a battle between good and evil, yes. Tolkien loved myths and grand tales and those often had grand battles in them of heroic warriors and brave people taking a stance against evil. But much of his dialogue and characters laments war and its cost, but unavoidable as long as evil rises to destroy good.
I think that his "good vs. evil" aproach in his battles might be as a result from his time in WW1, whom he was a soldier in, and that was a war with no clear sides, no clear reason to it, and no clear winner as much as losers who payed the most. A clear "good cause" is a comfort in an escapist tale. Even then we see that not all who could be considered fighting for the "good" is automatically good themselves, and has to be guided or appealed to their better side to take that stance, both Theoden's unwillingnes to challenge Sauroman and initial refusal to aid Gondor, as well as Denethor almost plunging Minas Tirith into surrendering before removed from his post.
A good example of Tolkien not being fascinated by war is that he clashed quite often with one of his contemporaries (who's name saddly escapes me) who was writing another fantasy story where war was practically praised and might made right, and who was genuinely fascinated and even idealised war. Tolkien also clashed, though to a much lesser extent, with C.S. Lewis as he found Lewis being even more black and white than his own stories, and he does have a point in that. Lewis is much closer to always having one side being "completely justified in their killing" than even Tolkien might have been.
I think we often forget that Tolkien also wrote Bilbo, and that one is far closer to something akin to a Miyazaki story. I think it is fair to say that both have strong humanist sentiments but express them very differently in their works. Tolkien, like Miyazaki, believes in that people are fundimentally good and that there is virtue in the simple life. Both show what corruption can do to even the most virtuous people and that we must beware of falling to it.
Both do not favour war, but where Miyazaki abhores it but still recognise that it is often nuanced, Tolkien seem to see it as a sad reality and dreams of wars where if they must happen it is because good is driven to stop evil. Both seem to share a message of harmony with nature, though Miyazaki favours nature far more, an example of his misanthropic tendencies, while Tolkien does not see civilisation as bad, but rampant exploitation causing more harm than good.
Miyazaki seem to prefer to reject industrialisation, while Tolkien seem to accept it, even like elements of it, but felt it lost its way, causing that rampant exploitation. And the biggest difference between them seems to be that where Miyazaki dreams back to simpler times and simpler lives, Tolkien idealised the simple life but sees change as inevitable and hope that it can inspire us to be wiser. Of course, all of these examples I have stated is mostly based on their works.
I think teaching kids a sense of morals while also teaching children that the world is both beautiful and full of good people as well as having hostilities, that there are good people to protect from harm.
Agreed, kids should learn about conflict resolution, caution, hope, and not assuming the worst in people all at the same time.
@@mintkit1064 Whereas growing older has made me realize I should have assumed the worst the whole time.
@Arbaaltheundefeated No offense, but I've burned bridges I regretted doing so because I assumed the worst in people. Being a cynic didn't make me wiser. It just made me see myself as a waste of space. Not saying that there aren't horrible people out there, but don't judge everyone you meet too quickly.
@@crazy13alex Nevermind... can't even talk about nihilism without TH-cam deleting my comments... Suffice to say I disagree, because I actively avoid meeting people.
@@Arbaaltheundefeated Seems kind of sad to me but you do you. Best wishes to you!
I remember the HATRED this film got in the 1990s. It came out the same year as Akira, and was always contrasted with Akira. The two anime clubs I belonged to in the 1990s were extremely sensitive about "We don't watch cartoons, we watch mature animation made for adults like Akira and Sailor Moon". I literally made one of the club presidents foam at the mouth by mentioning Miyazaki - "Miyazaki is a sell out" he ranted, "his movies aren't anime because they are kids movies".
At one year's "Anime Hell" event, where they show "bad" anime and club members jeer at the screen, they showed "My Neighbor Totoro" and at least half the clubs members showed up and absolutely hated on that film too!
Keep in mind, these clubs also shamed any members who used non-Japanese brand VHS tapes like Basf or Memorex. "Japanese tapes are formulated for anime" they claimed.
Fortunately the anime fandom today is nothing like it was in the 1990s, and Miyazaki is now revered as the master he is.
Fuck man that's hilarious 😂
It's good that we as a community have moved on from that weird mindset.
WOW, I'm amazed by what you've written. Sorry you had to put up with such toxic fans
I wonder what the response was by those old anime fans for films like Grave Of The Fireflies and Princess Mononoke? 🤔
... Most of that sounds familiar, but.. they liked Sailor Moon?
@@KairuHakubiSailor Moim is for Teens because it deals with lots of romance. Kids would rather enjoy smth that is about adventure and finding identity and place in group.
It’s kind of interesting that Kiki gets a female role model for each stage of adulthood. Ursula is a young adult working with her passion in life but not yet a full member of society (she lives alone in the woods). Osono has a steady job and is married with her first baby on the way, so she’s pretty settled in her life. Finally the Madam is an elderly woman who’s lived out most of her life, she may no longer be surrounded by her family but she isn’t alone, she has her maid and makes friends easily with Kiki. I love that the movie is about Kiki becoming an adult and she’s shown what that might entail one day, and that it will be alright.
I never thought of it that way before, but you're right! That's actually amazing and really good writing. Thanks for giving me a new way to look at my favorite Ghibli Film! =)
She also has the alternative of being like that fashionable young woman who is successful in her job, and not apparently having any sort of relationship at all, or it at least not being her sole function in society.
your really making me glad i grew up with ghibli rather than disney. my parents tell me that they were surprised the first time they watched my neighbour totoro as the whole movie they expected the mother to die cause every disney movie ever has the mother dead and the overprotective father. and spoilers she just doesn't die. what i mean to say is i feel ghibli movies tend to portray stories that you don't see in western media, in totoros case being worrying about a loved ones health and in kikis case as you've put it being kind to other people.
It's still hilariously ironic that Miyazaki is a miserable and mean man. He doesn't practice what he preaches in his films.
Most Disney films are based on the Grimm brothers stories, which are all European stories, which are usually dark. Especially German fairy tales, which are usually the darkest stories for children.
@@donotreply8979He is misunderstood and seen horrors growing up that have shaped his outlook.
He is a bit strict, and he expects the future generation to do better, but it might come across as mean and miserable.
@@donotreply8979the art will outlast the man and his truly lasting impact will be the joy he spread internationally. People are complex and imperfect and we must understand and embrace that fully.
Yeah kindness just doesn't feature in Disney films. Is that the idea?
One Disney movie that positively surprised me and grew to become one of my favorites was Lilo & Stitch. It doesn't have that good vs evil story archetype either. The hardship the two sisters encounter are due to circumstances, not to fundamentally bad people. I loved it. No big adventures, no epic tale, no frightful beast to defeat to save the world, and still it was fun and heartwarming.
Same with "Lady and Tramp".
And on top of that, in the Lilo and Stitch show, as they collect the other of Jumba's experiments, even though said experiments often cause the conflict of the episode, they aren't treated like they're monsters or evil for whatever destruction they're causing and shows that everyone can have a purpose and belong somewhere.
I mean it kinda did and from an in-universe perspective it was even among the most blatant examples in Disney (look all I am saying is Jumba calls himself an EVIL genius, ect...). But the show approached it in a way Disney just doesn't really do, instead of 'good vs evil' it was more 'sometimes all someone needs to be better is someone to believe in them and a place they can belong'.
@@Nathan-qp9uv I'm not even sure you can call this an in-universe good vs bad. Jumbo may perceive himself as 'evil', but he's just a bit of a trouble maker at best, even in the eye of the big galactic council. He was written to mislead the audience to think he may be the antagonist, while the plot doesn't really have one (like in Ghibli's movies). The only 'real' antagonist that falls into the classic good vs bad dynamic is that shark-alike alien at the end, but he wasn't even necessary to the plot. I understood they added him to create a final tension to unite the protagonists as a real family to overcome this, but it could have been done in a more subtle way. But I guess Disney doesn't believe their audience can understand subtleties 🤷. Still, Lilo and Stitch remains one of my favorite no-bad-guy animated movies.
Heck, even Gantu, the "Bad Guy" of the film, is just a galactic officer who is just doing his job to secure a (alleged) dangerous fugitive. Sure, he captures Lilo, but only because he mistook her for another escaped Experiment. And he's reasonable enough to leave Stitch alone after being pardoned by the Galactic Federation (Or whatever the aliens called themselves).
Tragedy, horror and despair don’t make me cry. I’m used to all that by now. What really makes me cry is hope. Seeing people be good to others because it’s the right thing to do is what makes me emotional in a cold, uncaring world.
God... God dammit, you really did put it so perfectly clearly into words...
The things I've teared up over area always those moments, I realize now that's *precisely* why the endings to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games always tear my poor heart to pieces. It's because they are absolutely overflowing with hope against all hope and that hope really does mean something.
"There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for."
So often the "fighting" for good boils down to internally fighting our own negatives-- suspicion, selfishness, greed, paranoia-- by reaching out in love to others, rather than physically fighting an oppressive force on a battlefield.
When I read this comment I thought of Suzume. Kindness was visible here.
The video brought tears to my eyes, to have someone recognize a movie that portrays kindness as something good and not something that could be taken for granted.
Yesss I cried too. I love Ghibli movies, and even though I watched Kiki's delivery service multiple times, I didn't fully realize that she actually compares herself and is in the process of finding her inner beauty. I mean, of course I understood what she meant by all her comments but this video made me realize how REAL the Ghibli characters are portrayed. And all this in 1989. I think the best form of art is when you can sense the creators' meaning of life, their wishes and struggles. Unfortunately, Disney lost that. The question is if they ever had it. But same goes for Dreamworks.
Loving but not always supportive is such a distinction. I’ve always perceived the two as inextricably tied (is not supporting someone truly “loving”?), but highlighting that distinction really does make the difference obvious between Disney and Ghibli films.
Echoing everyone else’s comments about the reupload! Im glad i got to see it :)
but sadly in irl, I've never seen a supportive community. Few supportive families maybe, but there are always naysayers and malicious people around from what I have seen..
where morals differ is where loving does not mean supporting.
The term "happily ever after" in old stories is slightly misleading, in that the meaning of "happiness" is not exactly the same today as it was in the time when classic fairy tales were formulated. In the older context, "happiness" refers to a pleasant, safe and comfortable life situation. Hence references such as the right to a "pursuit of happiness" in America's formative documents, and references to "securing happiness" by marriage or other financial situation in classic romances. In this sense, "living happily ever after" doesn't suggest that the protagonists spent the rest of their lives in bliss and were never sad or disappointed again; instead, it means they lived the rest of their lives in a comfortable and trouble-free situation, without being plagued by whatever external dangers they have fought to overcome during the story.
Interesting
The best happily ever after to me is in steins gate. [SPOILER] Okabe spends decades trying to get to the universe where everyone can live happily ever after but in the process, he has to die to let his younger self live a good life instead of his current probably severely traumatized self, It's the most noble sacrifice ever.
@@Narko_Marko Reminds me of Stephen King's time travel book 11/22/63.
I feel the slice of life genre might be something often is portraid as whats happen when everyone is happily ever after and you could make something out of it like little pieces from your daily routine that are either little sad or a bit funny which hits the genre slice of life idk for example what people do when after they get married or how people do gardening etc
I think Into the Woods has a darker tone in the second act, showing us that real life isn’t what we expect in your kids movies.
Kindness without expectation of anything in return makes me cry. It's almost instant tears, both in media and real life. I'm not sure why that is, but it makes me yearn for a more compassionate world. Lovely video ❤
I know right? I've teared up on my way in a train while watching this lovely video essay several times!
Charity
pure love
Disney parents are how many parents actually are. Ghibli parents are how parents should be
@@danisarmi30 This is why the fathers in Disney movies are just victims of toxic masculinity and relationships.
Ghibli parents are also how many parents actually are, you just don't get to their other side. Think about it: There is no source of conflict. Kiki does exactly what they prepared her for, she follows tradition, she doesn't rebell in any way.
The example in the video was, that she left earlier than planned. Like really? Your kid wants to work sooner? Which parent is going to oppose that?
JiJi becoming a normal cat as Kiki matured always struck me as so sad. Yes she has this new life, but there is no going back 😢
Like with her losing her powers when she loses her way/herself a little and having a role model for each life stage, I feel like it fits. JiJi losing his voice- talking animals in stories are Kid Stuff and once you pass that threshold you can't go back
I grew up loving Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away and Castle in the Sky, and I was extremely aware of how unique and different they were from everything else I watched even as a little kid. Both of my parents were addicts, my mother was abusive and sadly my sister learned early on that I was a very easy target for all of her anger and sadness. I could have let those experiences turn me uncaring and cruel, and some days it seems like for too many people that is the easy path they follow, but there's just something inside of me that refuses to be that way. I think these movies may have shaped me in ways that my family never tried to. They showed me a world full of kindness and caring people that I only got at my grandma's house. Side note: Don't worry, she raised me for more than half of my childhood and for that I am forever grateful. They also showed me who I could be. I love to create things and I especially wanted to be the artist in the woods from Kiki's Delivery service as a kid.
I am thankful for your re-upload since it put the video in front of me tonight. I hope to be an author one day and I want to inject this type of kind storytelling into my books. I also haven't seen Kiki's Delivery Service since before I transitioned (female to male) and honestly I relate to her even more now in a lot of ways. I got my magic back after transitioning :)
i had a similiar experience, alot of my childhood influenced me to not be the person that i wanted to be, even small things like being a furry seemed like a monumental secret i had to keep as a secret from my close family as shaming others was normalised in our household because of my abusive mom who often found a host of hurtful insults for each of us. both of my siblings are fundementally kind people but it did not mean some bad habits bled into all of us back then. When i unlearned those bad habits i felt i got my magic back, kindness for kindness sake feels like it is the only way to be for me and i never intend to return :] ps i am also trans (male to female)
First of, sorry you had to go through that. But, your grandma sounds absolutely awesome! Glad, she was there for you. I hope I can be strong as you one day. I would love to see your art, and to be an author, you will do great! Best of wishes to you!
Great that you managed to wrestle yourself away from the abuse with help from kind people.
Also respect for being brave enough to listen to yourself and going through the ordeal of the menopause at a young age through hormone treatments.
Please keep track of your vitamin D and calcium levels.
Put your magic to good use, spreading kindness in the process.
Glad you're doing great in life now
I wish you all the best in your endeavours I think you’ll be a great author 👍🤗🤗
Living in Japan, I see this kindness every day. If I stop to take a picture, someone will come up and talk to me about it. If I accidentally drop a coin, another person will pick it up and give it back to me (and vice versa). I live in a city and yet numerous people will say "Ohayo gozaimasu (good morning)" as I walk through the park. To me, this is how life is in Japan.
I recently visited Japan. Even in a massive city like Tokyo, I experienced exactly this kindness. Multiple times, when I looked at some sign (I don't know much Japanese) or seemingly had a "lost" look about me, someone asked me in English how they could help. Everyone takes notice if you try to take a picture and waits instead of walking into it. It was a very nice change of pace.
i live in a very unkind place where people rarely say hi back and i have no neighborhood friends. i hope someday i can live in a happier place with friendlier people.
@@bastiangugu4083 Same here. I spent a week in Tokyo recently, and this was definitely the standard. An elderly man and I were both trying to take a picture at a park, and it was this very funny (in a good way) exchange of trying to stay out of each other's way and let the other go first. On my way back to the airport I spent _slightly_ too long looking at the train map in a station, and someone walked up and (in English) helped me with my transfer stuff for several minutes. And far too many other little things to mention.
sounds like one big small town
I got strangely emotional throughout this video. I think your explanation of that human instinct for kindness intertwined with the tendency to be self deprecating or burnt out, made me realise we are sort of all connected by those feelings. I don’t know, I don’t really tend to stumble across videos that give me that lump in my throat, however I suspect it was a happy one.
I don't think a kind world is always realistic, but I don't think that matters, it's aspirational, and that's a good thing to be.
Exactly. The world isn't kind. It's cruel often, but that means we should strive that much harder to BE the kindness
The statement "people are fundamentally kind" is something I used to believe, these past 4-5 years have made me utterly misanthropic and hopeless for humankind. There's some comfort in knowing that nature will prevail in the end.
I didn't watch studio ghibli until I was 18 (aside from seeing a little of princess mononoake at 16) and honestly, had I grown up more with it than primarily disney, I feel I could've been able to step more out of my comfort zone and made more decisions for myself rather than suppress my dreams. I was in a dysfunctional household and only really started being more independent and able to function once I was able to get out of there.
Studio Ghibli has touched me in so many ways with every single one of their films. Disney has always been nostalgic but I find it harder to connect to because my parents acted so similar to the ones you compared, as well as the other controversies disney has with their movies making it harder for me to really enjoy them as much (pochahontas, peter pan, the black centaur in fantasia, etc etc; though I also think its super important not to erase these films because that would just erase the history)
I watched my first Ghibli movie when I was 10 but I can't say I grew up with it. I finally watched it again when I turned 21 and instantly watched other Ghibli movies because they are more realistic to me than Disney movies. And I must say I agree with you. If only I had grown up with Ghibli, perhaps I'd step out of my comfort zone much earlier!
Hey, I just wanted to say, while I'm sorry that you had to struggle with the terrors of copyright, this video being re-uploaded brought it to my recommendations when I probably would have missed it otherwise. This was exactly what I needed to hear when I came across it, and like others have said has helped me to understand and appreciate a film that I hadn't really thought much of before. Thanks for all you do, your writing is fantastic and your views on the human experience are beautiful and for lack of a better word, just feel right. Your content is both inspiring and motivating, and I can't wait to see what you do next!
Thank you so much! You may not realise it but comments like yours are exactly the reason why I make these videos! I wanted to make meaningful content that would be thought provoking but also be inspiring and uplifting so thank you for letting me read this 💙
@@TheSoak We need more TH-camrs like you. Some of them have fallen into the games of the corporate world so even if you’re the only tuber like this, I wish you don’t go anywhere 🤝 You’re making the platform & the world slightly better everyday. Keep it up, gentleman🙇♂️
@@TheSoakI’m glad you decided to fight the “matrix” and win. I needed to watch this video a second time anyway.
Same here! Glad to have come across it and it’ll make me schedule some time to rewatch the movie (and probably other studio Ghibli films), so I don’t understand the issues the studio has with videos like these!
@@TheSoak People are fundamentally kind IN JAPAN. USA was built on slavery. Americans are not kind. Vivek and Elon Musk just unmasked themselves to the Republican Party who were anti-immigrant
A kids show I LOVED and I will definitely show my kids is little bear. It was such a quiet and loving show. Also the earlier Winnie the Pooh episodes had a similar feeling.
Oh yeah! I remember watching that as a kid. My family has been showing it to my nephew.
@@PixelaGames2000 it taught a lot of patience, which as someone who works around kids, is not often taught now.
I think part of the “world is a hostile place and every kids are running away from their families” syndrome is because of the idea that a story has to have a core conflict.
Almost all western writing guides would tell writers to base their stories on conflicts and problems to solve. When it’s all loving and supportive, it’s harder to find that “problem” the guide is telling you to fill in. It’s embedded in the western media, because it’s how the stories are told to be constructed.
Yes, and I also think there is this a fundamental difference based on religion/philosophy. Western civilisation is influenced by abrahamic relgions with conflict good/evil as its core , while buddist/zen emphasizes all-connectedness of the universe.
Most of those stories are coming of age Epics. There are countless slice of life coming of age stories in folktales, where the world is even largely kind and benevolent. But classic disney works with epic fairytale levels of story telling, not folktales. With disney in particular there are decades with of tv series sequels to movies that are just that: slice of life adventures in a mostly benevolent world with kind parents & community.
I'm glad someone put their finger on it! A lot of Western media stresses me out because the protagonist will be off to save the world/town/friend while also struggling to be treated like a person who matters by the people who matter to them. I've had to abandon multiple stories because the supporting cast have a nasty habit of being jerks
What is always left out is how that conflict can also come down to internal factors, such as a protagonist looking to find their purpose in the world. That can be played as a man vs. self conflict or a man vs. society conflict, or both. Maybe some other ways I'm not thinking.
Kiki losing her magic would be a form of conflict, for example.
It's not necessarily "harder" when you know where to look and how to spin conflicts in a way that suits the type of story you're looking for.
I've seen a lot of coming of age stories end up having the main character end up finding who they are in the final battle against the villain.
And maybe that works for some stories, but I think a lot of media relies on anthropromorphizing its problems and driving conflicts into forces of evil in stories that don't benefit from doing so.
Yes! Exactly my toughts as wannabe author. Why so much drama and conflict? Everybody repeat that you have to kick your characters out of their comfort zone. Rising the stakes and trauma level is insane. That drawn me to this video.
I watch KiKi every year for my b-day, it lifts my spirits especially since even though I’m younger I’m usually down in the dumps around that time, and there’s so much to this film that gives me hope and helps me find my way again. Ursula is a big reason for that but KiKi as well. I often feel like I’m constantly losing my ability to fly and breaking my brooms time and time again but somehow I find my courage. Ghibli’s films are a huge part of me, I can’t remember a time I lived without them or when they didn’t teach me a lesson I needed or gave me insight into myself.
The dog taking care of the cat was heartwarming.
As u said an act of kindness often inspire another, but i like that he didnt need any in order to make one himself, and when he brings back Gigi to Kiki he turns around like he did nothing crazy and without waiting for something in return.
Great analysis for a great movie 👍
Oh, it's back! I wish I remembered my old comment. It was something about me really liking the granddaughter for being able to openly reject a gift she never asked for. Sure I felt bad for Kiki's efforts being unappreciated but you don't owe people your gratitude. The old comment was much better articulated but essentially I liked how the rejection wasn't portrayed as evil. It was the first movie I ever saw do that.
17:18 I think it’s also important that you notice the older witch girl works in the red light district, and possibly that’s why she’s snarky and cynical. She descends down to a city with a glowing red windmill. That’s Moulin Rouge.
0:04 nah, i recently had a child and have told my partner we will be raising our child on anime. Ghibli especially as anime teaches better life lessons than anything disney makes imo
might i recomend bluey for when they are younger and Steven Universe aswell they are shows that also show people as fundementally kind
I don't know Steven Universe, but I have no children and absolutely adore Bluey for this reason. I don't know if I'll ever have kids - I still only have a couple of people that I could consider friends - but I look at things like Kiki, Totoro and Bluey (along with live-action films such as Little Forest or Our Little Sister) as movies that are just as important for adults. They show us how to be kind and to love others, and I feel like we are so rarely shown that. Bluey's dad discovering the joy of being a father or the three sisters discovering joy in their lives when they take in the young girl in Our Little Sister are things that parents need to learn as well.
Anime is not for children
@@ShadowSkyX Great statement there. Care to back it up? I'll make a statement of my own: Movies are not for children. I shall also leave it unsupported.
Seconding the recs for Bluey and Steven Universe. Also, perhaps it's obvious, but classics like Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street are extremely pro-social.
And, also obviously, "raising our kid on anime" won't keep them away from antisocial themes, since there is plenty of anime that is just as misogynistic, violent, capitalistic, and individualistic as any Disney thing. Rather than make broad judgments based on country of origin, evaluate the individual works of art.
A small detail about Kiki and her dress is in the end credits when we see a little girl dressed as a witch carrying a little broom passing Kiki. I found that a nice touch.
Even if a kind world is unrealistic...
“YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME”
― Death, Terry Pratchett's Hogfather
While the movie 'The Princes' Bride' has a basic western story, it has some very interesting facets. Of the 5 villains an many minions, only 2 villains and 5 minions get killed. Aside from that, there is a lot of politeness and respect between some of them. The apparently 3 main villains in the beginning are all trying to kill the man in black following them after they kidnapped the princess to be, but all 3 and the man in black stay polite the whole time. 2 of the villain later even become allies to the man in black.
The prince, who wants to kill his bride and blame a neighbouring kingdom to start a war lives in the end and stays in power soon to succeed his ailing father.
Even enemies can be polite with each other and if we are honest, it costs little to be polite.
Something I love about stories that leave things to the interpreter, is that it allows us to learn whatever lesson we need to from the media
I am a student thinking about studying overseas.
Kiki's delivery service is a film I used to watch countlessly as a child, and will be my film to watch when I'm feeling down.
I just love the whiplash you get if you watch this one back to back with Nausicaa. Nausicaa was the first Ghibli movie I watched on betamax as 'Warriors of the Wind' in 1992, and I think it's the 'anti-Kiki's delivery service'. You just switch around the optimism vs cynicism ratio and flip wholesome and supportive to brutal and violent
This is a good explanation of why Kiki resonated with me so strongly when I was a teenager. I felt such a strong connection to her and what she was going through even though I was not a witch living on my own in a big city. More so than most coming-of-age movies I watched at the time. Now I am grown with kids of my own and a job I am now good at but I see my oldest daughter soon approaching Kiki's stage of life.
glad i found this video.
the last third of this movie always hits me real hard. up until the point she loses her powers, the vibe is so light, so hopeful, that it always felt much deeper than i had understood. i thought that it was simply a portrayal of burnout and depression, but would never put these pieces together. this is such a delicate take on self doubt and lack of confidence that it kinda pisses me off that i didn't notice it.
but im glad you pointed it, i really needed to see this, as I'm struggling with those feelings recently.
thank you so much
What makes me laugh is the kindness of Kiki's Delivery Service is realistic. Approach with kindness and you will receive it. That's something I learned the hard way.
Disney isnt portraying what parents should be, though. Not necessarily. They show what parents are when they are well intentioned, but concerned more with their child being safe and integrating into society.
Most parents want this for their kids. They want them to be safe, and they dont want them to feel ostracized.
Most Disney films are about children staying true to themselves in spite of this pressure, and the parents learning to accept their children and be supportive.
I think you read something negative into this that DIsney is not obscuring at all, but then not recognizing that the parents also undergo a character arc.
It's probably linked to cultural differences where questioning parental authority is more taboo in East Asian cultures. Hence Ghibli parents are almost never shown to be actually abusive/neglectful but always well-intentioned even if imperfect. Disney portrayal can be more validating for children actually going through difficult family environments, and help parents reflect on their interactions too
Also, much of classic Disney is based on European fairytales, where family conflict/neglect or "missing mothers" was a common trope. Disney didn't invent this. In medieval times, untimely death was much more common, especially women dying in or around childbirth. When this happened, the single father would often try to remarry quickly to help the rest of his family survive. if the new wife brings her own children into the household, and resources are scarce, she is likely to favor (even subtly) her own offspring over those of her new husband's now dead first wife. This is the origin of the "wicked stepmother" trope, a very common thing in such stories.
@@Velereonics It’s obvious that the real villains are the ruling class.
This video is making me tear up a bit; it's a fundamental disagreement between my parents and myself in our views of the world. Their view is that life isn't fair, so they shouldn't be either in the name of preparing me for it. I, on the other hand, coped very poorly with what amounted to bullying at best from home as well as from school and do not find that a very convincing argument. I feel that everyone needs and deserves a place that is safe for them to be themselves, and that it's always best practice to be kind. You don't even need to do much; just giving a small smile to everyone you pass on the street might be just the thing someone needed to turn their day around.
When I was a kid I thought when the old woman is giving Kiki the cake, I thought she had developed dementia and didn't recognize her lol
I agree with most of what you're saying here, but we really should acknowledge that Kiki's parents are INSANE for letting their 13 year old girl travel to the big city all alone without so much as a trusted friend to look out for her while she's there.
The most beautiful thing about the movie other then animation is that how it shows that in in life it's not us vs people who don't like us but it's self vs self , our negative self
In Japan there is a saying "for cute children let them out on a journey" hence why Kiki's parents r willing and supportive of her journey and choices
Man, I wish when I was instinctively kind as a child that meant kind things happened to me instead of it being taken advantage of.
30:51 i dont exactly have a theory, but throughout my life as an artist (and just being a regular human) ive always viewed kiki's loss of powers to reflect a skill "decaying" when you're doing poorly mentally or physically. after struggling with life and returning to make art again, there are times i realise that i just dont have it in me as i have before, as i desperately try to re-learn how to fly (or draw in my case) overnight like kiki does. sometimes the best medicine is just a good break or something fresh and spontaneous to uplift your wellbeing ! ideally without your friends ending up in dangerous situations haha
10:30 at first I thought, well she's pregnant, but another reaction she could have was "I can't look after this kid, I have MY OWN kid to worry about"
Well, thatl positive n hopeful vibes,
This analysis was the best take on the uniqueness of Ghibli and Myazaki I have ever seen! Kiki’s delivery service is a film I have loved for a long time, but your profound and precise understanding of it’s underlying themes made me love the film even more. I look forward to seeing more of your content.
What I love about the End of Kiki is the fact, that she still can't understand Jiji (at least in the original and the german dub). Which showcases, that she's still struggling, but it's getting better
Thanks for the thought-provoking analysis. One of my Ghibli favorites, along with Kondo Yoshifumi's Mimi o Sumaseba [Whisper of the Heart], another Ghibli film that explores internal emotional and psychological challenges. One aspect that might be missed in an English viewing is just how the opening (Rouge no Dengon | Message in Lip Rouge) and ending (Yasashisa ni Tsutumaretanara | Enveloped in Kindness) songs by Matsutoya Yumi bookend the film perfectly.
i often think of kindness as something we have to actively choose to do. it's not easy to be kind when you're going through something tough and that's when it takes an extra effort to be kind, and you should still have to do it because it's the right thing to do.
Probably my favorite movie of all time, I watched it endlessly as a kid. The themes of kindness may be part of why I loved it so much, when people were never very kind to me in my real life.
I just watched "a real pain" yesterday and it reminded me of this video. I feel like that movie also has the same approach: that it does not rely on a villain. Which is in a way very uplifting and heart-warming. However, in "a real pain" the real pain overwhelms that uplifting vibe. Man I still feel like crying. 😢
Wonderful analysis. Kiki is one of my favourite Ghibli films.
Amazing essay! All the things you said in the video about how Miyazaki manages to depict struggle in a realistic way, is what made me fall in love with Ghibli movies. For me, the best Ghibli movies are the ones that don´t need an external force of evil but rather the movies that show how that seemingly external evil is internal weakness that can be molded into something better through kind-heartedness and courage to be voulnerable. Even though I couldn´t explain this as a kid, it was exactly these motives and behaviors of the characters in Kiki´s Delivery Service that made me absolutely fall in love with it. I remember waking up at my dad´s place late at night, when Kiki was running on the TV. Back then I had watched any anime. I mean, I´ve watched western animated movies, but never has an animated world felt so real and as such the struggles and emotions of the characters. Studio Ghibli is peek cinema, and I´m so glad intelligent movies like these exist.
Although I agree with your main points, I don’t know about the other young witch- it starts to rain so abruptly as soon as she leaves (and the clear weather forecast was Kiki’s deciding factor!) that I always thought she made it happen! Throughout the story, Kiki is much more comfortable around adults. She really has to get used to people her own age. The Party Girl (recipient of the Madam’s pie) is part of Tombow’s crowd, and while she’s not actively antagonistic, neither does she have a big turnaround where she’s more appreciative of her grandmother. She fades into the background as Kiki ceases to worry about interacting with Tombow.
The one thing I donn't adore of Kiki's delivery service is that in the japanese version she never hears Jiji again. I know it's supposed to be a metaphor on growing up and leaving childishness behing, but I feel like we shouldn't actually leave childishness fully behind. There's many virtues in childhood we shouldn't shed ourselves from because we're not children anymore, like wonder and kindness and grace
Why would understanding a cat's language be childish?
@Posby95 I have no idea, to me it was just an extension of magic, but on an article I read it was mentioned that talking to Jiji was a childish thing and that's why in the original version Jiji never speaks again, because Kiki outgrows talking to him. Apparently in the English dub they do have him speak again when Kiki regains her magic
Sometimes when I watch a new Disney film ,I could see characters tried to act sincerity; but always fail in the end
The new archetype
Encanto? That has sincerity
@ you mean in the concept art?
Your exposition about ambiguous non-happy endings reminded me of the ending of "Little Miss Sunshine" : They drive off into the sunset, Olive was mocked at the contest, Granpa is gone, the car horn still is broken and beeping uncontrollably, Richard is broke, Olive's brother's life dream is in ruins, her uncle Frank's entire life is in shambles... but are so much happier as a family than ever before
Kiki's loss of magic has always struck me as coming from two places:
(1) Burnout and depression. She used to love flying, but now that it's her job, it's an activity accompanied with stress, timelines, and expectations.
(2) Her learning that kindness is not always met with kindness. The granddaughter isn't evil, she's an ordinary teenage girl. Thus far, every time Kiki's done something kind of someone, they've reciprocated. Kiki works immensely hard for the granddaughter, who is rude and short with Kiki.
That Kiki learns the lesson that kindness isn't always met with kindness right as she's beginning to feel burnout is enough to cause her to lose touch with her magic.
responding to (2) Tombo must've been the exception to that then.
Also
There was a change where it went from more privately known magic to publically known magic.
It is unrealistic not because I expect a house to be broken, but because it's unrealistic to never have real adversity coming from your community. I'm not talking about haters, but there will be people in your life who will try to give you another viewpoint. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows always. Life is ups and downs, but Kiki doesn't have any downs coming from her community, it's unrealistic in that sense. This is an idealized version of what we could be, but it's also a story driven around Kiki. The people are all there for her, we're not a main character in a story. Trying to use stories as examples of what could be will never work, our lives aren't stories written in one perspective, we get shaped by those around us for good or bad. Stories like these are fun to imagine, but the reality is it's a story, and it's not real. Even stories about real life events tend to get embellished because our lives aren't picturesque like we can make in fantasy stories.
This is such a wonderful video! Yes, the world CAN be a better place, and marketing a kind world would definitely be a huge step in that direction. Thank you for doing this.
wow, turns out i really needed to hear this. i actually teared up a couple of times, as i'm experiencing burnout and depression. i think i might go and rewatch Kiki soon.
thanks for an awesome video!
btw i love your style of video essay, it's so nice to listen to
You said something at the beginning that I’ve been saying for a long time about Disney almost always writing parents being at odds with their kids, and presenting parents as being outdated or foolish. It’s pretty annoying that it’s non stop movies about kids being rebellious/parents holding them back. Like this video talks about, there should be a blend of heeding parents advice, while still being somewhat independent.
It's called Juvenoia, the belief that kids these days don't know better and their lifestyle and beliefs are dangerous. It's as old as humanity itself. Each generation thinks itself more intelligent than the previous one and wiser than the next one (not my quote - I forgot who said it, but it's so true).
@ I know what juvenoia is, but in popular media it often goes the other direction. The older generation isn’t always right, but they aren’t always wrong either. There is some wisdom that comes with age.
Thanks for this, it articalates my thoughts on this gem of a movie far better than I ever could. Losing passion about something you used to enjoy because it is now "just a job", self-doubt and comparison to others are just such relatable things to me, and I love how it is not hammered it, but told in a subtle way. Also I've never caught that the girl in the car is the granddaugter, and was always a bit confused about the sudden strong reaction. But now it makes more sense.
I’m 25, pregnant with my first child, and you’d better believe he’s growing up on Studio Ghibli more than Disney lol. For exactly all the reasons you mentioned, not to mention Ghibli films are generally less overstimulating, loud, and fast paced.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love a fair handful of Disney movies, and my kids will grow up with what I consider the actual best Disney movies. The ones worth watching, with morals I really want my child to grow up with.
I really think Ghibli films are just far higher quality than most Disney films, and have better lessons, and I want to fill my child’s limited time in front of the TV with truly wholesome, edifying, and _good_ art.
I especially have a problem with the extremely common plot in Disney films that goes: “parent gives child a boundary/rule (even if it’s unreasonable or out of the parent’s own fear), child then blatantly disobeyed rule, the whole world is saved, and the parent and everyone else apologizes to the child and tells them that they were right to disobey.”
That’s simply not a lesson I want my child to learn! It’s not a good lesson for real life. And Ghibli children really never do that.
They are smart, independent, and make a good and bad choices… Without directly disobeying their parents and then being praised for it.
That’s a big reason I want to show my children more Ghibli than Disney. I want to present my child with healthy parent child relationships, and they’re just aren’t that many of those in Disney movies.
I’m a big believer in inspirational characters, whose character inspires you to be a better, kinder person. There are simply way more of those in Ghibli films than Disney films.
I’m raising my daughter on Ghibli films currently. Cartoon Saloon is also a good studio as well. Same with Bluey. Sesame Street Follow That Bird is great as well.
The only Disney films in rotation are Lilo and Stitch, Sleeping Beauty, and Song Of The South. That last one is unfairly demonized for no reason other than lies.
@ - I also love cartoon saloon! Lilo and stitch and sleeping beauty are both high-quality Disney films; my list is super short too, like that. I’ve never heard of or seen song of the south though!
@ Someone uploaded the entire movie of Song Of The South as a “review”. It’s a hybrid movie in the style of Mary Poppins that Disney hasn’t officially released since 1986 because some person started a lie that it’s racist. It’s the reason why the Splash Mountain ride was destroyed. The movie isn’t racist. It doesn’t even take place during slavery.
It’s a movie about a little white boy whose parents separate and he befriends an elderly black man who becomes his best friend and tells him stories about Brer Rabbit out smarting Brer Fox and Brer Bear. It’s a movie about the importance of role models.
@@princesspikachu3915 Why only Lilo and Stitch Sleeping Beauty and Song of the South though?
@@abbfilmann3735 Those are the only ones that my 7 year old is willing to sit through.
Perfect video!
Phenomenal points!
I love Kiki's Delivery Service.
However, using this to help us see what life could be like is one of the reasons - I believe - that Studio Ghibli movies are so popular - even with or maybe especially - with adults.
SUBSCRIBED!
01:25 i need to know what movie this is. I was 10000% convinced it never actually existed it and it was just a blurry creation of my mind from back when i was a kid
That’s just mad max I think
It's Mad Max 2. Much better than the original and arguably better than the other sequels. And you don't need to watch the first one. In fact I would recommend watching 2 first, then the original, then 2 again.
My father and I watched that mad max movie on Netflix a couple nights ago, idk which installment it was.
This scene is from Mad Max Fury Road, the fourth movie. All the movies: Mad Max (1979); Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981); Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985); Mad Max Fury Road (2015) and Furiosa A Mad Max Saga (2024)
The day I read a chapter in the manga of Kingdom, arguing about human's nature, I went into deep thought.
I agree, human is neither good nor evil, but born with slight goodness within us.
And I believe that ties with their strong sense of sympathy or, could it be empathy.
When a kid see you cry, it will try to do something to cheer you up, hoping that you get better.
A child who doesn't understand of such action is because their world was robbed from them.
@9:40 "A true act of good will, always sparks another." -Klaus
I have a beef with the thumbnail. People aren’t inherently kind - the vast majority of them are indifferent, a handful are self-interested and whatever’s left are the kind ones.
I caught myself on the last minute, that the video is already ended…This analysis was something that I was coming to realise. I totally agree with that, and I see the future in these great thoughts. I hope, that kids and even adults see this model of behaviour even if they didn’t had that, just not to destroy their childish beliefs. That the world is not divided by good and bad, but that there’s always a way from any situation. We don’t need to hate someone for life, we can just accept some broken hearts and live our best reality. The quality of the video and your voice are very enjoyable. Thank you for that.
This is an amazing video. Your own kindness and understanding come through as well, showing that despite the struggles we all go through, we can always have a helping hand or word of encouragement. Thank you.
This movie was one that really stuck with me, because despite how beautiful the world is, it's still so difficult to exist. What you mentioned also made so much sense; and I think a lot of people forget that despite having everything you need, it's hard to be happy if you're not at peace with yourself and the world around you. Sometimes it's easy to blame your broken homes, your upbringing, your community, etc, but as someone who has a loving, supportive communityaround me, it's so hard to allow myself to feel lost or insecure, because after seeing media with broken homes and broken lives it almost feels undeserving for someone as privileged me to feel so much loss. Most of it stems internally, and circumstances just play into it. Kiki feeling disconnected from herself made me bawl because that has been me for who knows how long, and in real life it goes on for so much longer than the movie that it's difficult to connect with reality or the people around you. The way she reacts to the people around her who lead her to her feeling insecure such as the granddaughter, the way she gets upset after seeing tombo's friends, everything hits home. People misunderstand the concept of having a healthy home and a healthy life and think it's always fine and always happy but god, it's not. Life truly gets everyone. I want to find myself too, the way Kiki does in the end.
I love your essay format.
PLEASE do one on Princess Mononoke and the “human nature is nature” and it’s incredibly good way it handles the fight of man vs nature but balanced by progress and why it’s uplifting.
Agree with everything except the good vs evil trope. I still believe that children need to be taught that evil exists in their world for them to learn what good is. And the over correction of this led to the overly abundance of "misunderstood villains" in modern entertainment.
This is why I liked Puss in Boots - The Last Wish so much. You had three kinds of antagonists in that: a main antagonist who is not a villain, but a force of nature, an extremely evil full-out villain and a group of secondary antagonists who become allies.
Thank you! What’s better, to acknowledge that evil people DO exist so kids and young adults are better equipped with the tools to handle it in the real world… or pretend nobody evil exists and create an almost sheltered environment lol.
Laputa: Castle in the Sky has a pure villain. It was technically the first Ghibli movie.
it's sad because the initial form of that development in storytelling was very, very good. villains who aren't just one-dimensional moustache twirlers are a much better lesson, because real life monsters don't go out with their devil horns on, they conceal it. And it helps to get to know what made them that way, avoid that happening to anyone else. Like that 'evil overlord's handbook' thing where it's like "do not raze a village to the ground but leave one kid alive. he's going to come get revenge" but for bad guys instead. Most of the classic villains were totally avoidable situations.
But once that situation is at hand and can't be changed, then yeah. it's time to fight.
Also kindness doesn't always make the world behave better towards you. Sometimes you get used or abused. Even the Bible advises people to walk away when their kindness is not well received. Some people thought I was an easy pushover. So when they visited me and behaved despicably I had nothing more to do with them after that.
Naysayers are not always jealous either. Sometimes they can be a little paranoid or just concerned. I had one 'friend' who accused me of jealousy when he got a full time job in a call centre with an hour's commuting each way. But I saw that he couldn't even hold a one day a week volunteering job in an office near where he lived without saying he was exhausted by it.
Every large venture needs a lot of preparation and practice for it. You don't go on a walking trek of several days without building up stamina with half day walks and then day walks.
Thanks for your content. It's so amazing and soft at the same time!
Being Dutch, I'm always astounded by the amount of paranoia in US movies and among US parents towards kids. I play my whole youth freely outside, and many young still do. And mostly it's safe. And healthy. Always being guarded is also messing people up. They don't learn to think well for themselves.
I think the magic in the movie comes from goodness. To truly do the good. She loses her power as she becomes disenfranchised and loses her positive and good demeanor. She truly regains her powers as she lets go of her resentments and tries to truly become a good person again.
I only watched Kiki's Delivery Service once and that was a long time ago. I didn't get it and was very disappointed by that.
Watching your video now I think I'm starting to understand why I didn't like the film, even though "by the numbers" it should have been my jam.
I think at the time I wanted the Easy Solution: a black and white story with a Happily Ever After a la Disney. And I did not want to hear that life was just going to be sad sometimes.
Of course at the time I was also a depressed, undiagnosed autistic teenager in a very unsupportive environment. So the Easy Solution was the dream that got me through my everyday.
Now I'm in a much better place and listening to your enthusiasm for this film and the very insightful analysis of it makes me want to revisit it and see what I make of it now! So thank you! ❤
How much of the difference between Kiki and Disney movies comes down to fundamental differences in kishotenketsu and 3-act/heroes journey style stories common in Western media?
Heroes journey doesn’t work without an antagonist, while kishotenketsu only requires opposing viewpoints which can come from anywhere.
I always thought of Kiki’s as a boring story about a witch with no emphatic calamity stopping ending, oh how wrong I was in denying myself the opportunity to see the wider picture of a beautifully orchestrated life lesson on kindness and being true to oneself in a world full of individuals all going through the same breaks and waves in a life of learning, I needed this video essay, thank you for creating it :)
Thank you, SVB. I've been thinking about many things lately. The topics work as a man, too. And I needed a voice to organize/explain those thoughts.
I just rewatched this movie and it made me cry my eyes out… It’s so brilliant and real and the kindness is so beautiful, especially near the end with the old lady giving Kiki the cake, and her friend coming to visit her from far away and painting her. And at the end, when everyone is fully cheering her on, even though she is struggling just to sit on the broom, something she has done perfectly the whole movie and what a witch should be able to do. My gosh what a wholesome movie, it literally captures why we need keep being kind to everyone around us.
As someone who has struggled with depression for as long as they can remember, this movie is like a breath of fresh air. It brings me so much optimism and helps me pick myself up when I need. I love this movie and I wish those vibes for my life.
❤️
I really needed this video right now, man. Thanks for your effort in both making it and reuploading it.
Oh yes! Compare Kiki with Pinochio. They both wanted to leave their home to work on themselves but how different the story!
Kiki wants to leave home, while Pinocchio is lured away, then seized and TAKEN.
@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Book Pinocchio frames his father to be child abuser and leaves home because he wants to bumble around and do nothing productive all day long, drinking, smoking and stuff
@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Yes, so?
They both leave home, but in Pinochio's story that is depicted as something dangerous kids are lured into.
Lured!! You use that word as if a yearning to be independent and self-guided in a teenager is not something to be applauded!
In Kiki's OTOH it is shown to be a healthy sign of independence that is both scary and hard but also rewarding.
@@DutchLabrat Have you actually WATCHED Pinocchio? I mean, really watched it? Despite having no literal strings, Pinocchio is still a puppet and thus extremely easy to manipulate. Throughout the entire film, he is acted upon, and has no real agency nor independent will until nearly the end when he determines to find and rescue Gepetto from Monstro.
@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Are you really this.....?
In Pinochia kids doing something on their own is shown as something bad, something that evil wayward kids do when they are manipulated and lured, and then they are punished.
Pinochio teaches kids to stay on Moms backseat passively driven around doing the planning their parents made ( Seen the opening of Spirited Away?) because the outside is EVIL.
Ghibli movies teaches kids that exploring outside world is fun and full of adventure. Sometimes scary, it is not without danger, but the risks are worth it because the alternative is doing nothing.
Most accidents happen at home.
I was meaning to watch this for a while, and seeing the thumbnail for this video made me watch it. I have since returned to this video. great summary, thanks
I think the fairy tale trope is a mirror of Christian values in the Western world. It's summed up as a battle of righteousness versus sin. The be righteous in life earns being with God in Heaven. Studio Ghibli is Japanese. Japan is not a Christian country. The result is a story with values that reflect a different point of view. Rather than a story of good versus evil, we get a story of struggles just being a normal part of life and we can soften those struggles just with simple acts of kindness and make life worth living. When things go poorly instead of finding someone to blame, we help each other to make things right. I wouldn't say that evil doesn't exist, but that evil has an origin story which generally leads back to mistreatment. Evil can be prevented through love and kindness. Hatred in countries can be measured with a prison population that is proportionate to that of the actual population.
@@robertgaines-tulsa Fairy tales in both European and eastern countries have a mortality to their stories. Such as karma and stranger danger.
This was a really enjoyable and well put together video. Kiki's delivery service is my absolute favorite Ghibli film so its great to see it used as an example
Beware that this video is now too the subject of another copyright strike from Studio Ghibli! Unfortunately, it is just a part of the process with videos like these so I hope that we can overcome this hurdle sooner rather than later, but if you're watching this video and it goes down... it'll be because of inconsiderate copyright claims that don't acknowledge the fair use of this video
I hope so as well, it's a great video that I think more people should get the chance to see
May it be that these things are automated? My first thought was that you should have left the first video up.
How is it so many other channels get away with it
@, maybe they don't. Maybe they obscure the material somehow. Maybe they use less and shorter clips.
I'm grateful that I've found this video. Being kind to others no matter if they are kind or not is something that I truely believe in. Unfortunetly sometimes it is hard to think this way all the time. Other people's statements or actions may make you doubt your own believes. It is heartwarming to know there are other people thinking in the same way as you are.
"A true act of goodwill always sparks another." -Just something someone used to say.
Honestly, when I first watched this film, I didn't really get it; I enjoyed it, sure, but it felt like there was something I had missed that made it not fully land with me. Then, after rewatching it last year during a time of artistic burnout, it finally clicked with me. I was finally able to appreciate all the subtle details and the metaphors as Kiki develops and learns throughout the film, all of her inner struggles feeling so relatable and seeing her overcome them now feeling both heartwarming and inspiring. It truly is incredible how this film went from being a Ghibli production I felt unsure about to one of my favorites, and your analysis of it made me appreciate it all the more! Great work on this video! Hope it gets to stay up without issues this time!
You brought so much of this film to my understanding and I was bliwn away by it. These messages are so beautiful. When I was little our teacvher got us to write out the characters, plot etc. for a story. On of the questions we had to answer was "who is the villian?" I remember wondering why there had to be a villian at all. Surely a story didn't HAVE to have a villian all the time. That was when I started to notice that every movie I watched had a villian in it. At first it didn't bother me, but as I've gotten older I have seen countless take-over-the-world villians and started to get bored and annoyed by them. That's why I love the Studio Ghibli films, sonetimes the villians aren't always the villians after all.
Completely unrelated but i love how studio Ghibli draws nature
Ugh right, studio Ghibli backgrounds and scenery are just so beautiful and is such a supporting roll to their movies. Theses artists don’t get enough credit
Dropping a comment to support your channel!!
This movie has always left me feeling bittersweet and the whole arc of Kiki losing her magic has made me experience some kind of eldritch horror in face of something unnamed and therefore unbeatable like a natural disaster
It let me to avoiding this beautiful movie despite being touched by its message
Your video finally shed light on why this movie is so important for me personally and it helped my love to it to finally overcome my fear of accepting that I had lost my magic like Kiki and that it will happen again
Even like with life Kiki's delivery service will still make me sad and I will still love it
Disney's "good vs evil" and "perpetual state of happiness at the end" tropes that you mention, correlate with Christianity's God-Satan dualism and idea of heaven. Ghibli has correlations with certain concepts in Buddhism: Buddha-nature is the concept that every sentient-being has a potential to be on a path of becoming awakened, that no one is inherently doomed or evil; impermanence is the concept that everything is constantly changing, that everyone (including the awakened ones) must deal with a constant flux of change. As you said, Kiki lives in a world where no one is inherently evil (Buddha-nature), and grows to love her place even though she still has to deal with sadness (impermanence).
saying people are fundamentally kind is like saying a hornet is going to calmly tell you to not disturb her nest
You... what? I don't even understand what you're even babbling about.