- Since the release of the beloved Studio Ghibli film “Kiki’s Delivery Service” in 1989, Japanese fans have long wondered why the young witch Kiki can no longer hear her talking cat Jiji by the end of the film.
- The official Twitter account of Nippon TV’s “Kinyo Roadshow” shared behind-the-scenes information last week that could help solve the mystery for fans.
- “It appears that Kiki is now able to fly again but Jiji remains silent. Actually, it’s not because Kiki’s magical powers have weakened, but because Kiki has progressed to a new stage that Jiji has returned to being a ‘just a cat,'” the “Kinyo Roadshow” account wrote.
- Another tweet provided new information from one of the film’s producers: “Regarding this topic, this is what producer Toshio Suzuki has to say: ‘Jiji is not just a pet, he’s another self [for Kiki]. So when she’s conversing with Jiji, she’s really just talking to herself.”
A Studio Ghibli producer shared information about “Kiki’s Delivery Service” that could help Japanese fans solve a decades-long mystery surrounding the beloved film.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” tells the story of Kiki, a 13-year-old witch who lives with Jiji, her talking cat, in a seaside town for a year. In the film’s final act, Kiki loses her magic abilities, making her unable to fly or talk to Jiji. She eventually regains her ability to fly, but she can no longer communicate with her cat, as suggested by his “meow” in the final scene of the film’s original Japanese version.
Since the film’s release in 1989, fans have wondered what exactly happened between Kiki and her cat. The official Twitter account of Nippon TV’s “Kinyo Roadshow” helped solve the mystery last week after posting a series of behind-the-scenes information to coincide with the film’s recent rebroadcast on Japanese television.
According to one of the tweets, as translated by SoraNews24, Kiki appears to be “able to fly again but Jiji remains silent. Actually, it’s not because Kiki’s magical powers have weakened, but because Kiki has progressed to a new stage that Jiji has returned to being a ‘just a cat.’”
再び飛ぶことができるようになった #キキ🧹ですが、#ジジ🐈⬛は喋らないままです。実はキキの魔女の力🔮が弱くなってしまったからではなく、キキが新たな一歩を踏み出したからこそ、ジジが「ただの猫」に戻ったということなんです。👉続く pic.twitter.com/6C8g8Ad0lc
— アンク＠金曜ロードショー公式 (@kinro_ntv) April 29, 2022
Director Hayao Miyazaki has hinted at something similar in the past. In previous interviews, he claimed that by the end of the film, Kiki has already grown and no longer needs to communicate with Jiji.
A follow-up tweet provided new information from one of the film’s producers: “Regarding this topic, this is what producer Toshio Suzuki has to say: ‘Jiji is not just a pet, he’s another self [for Kiki]. So when she’s conversing with Jiji, she’s really just talking to herself.’”
続き👉このことについて、#鈴木敏夫 プロデューサーは次のように語っています。「（#ジジ🐈⬛は）ただのペットじゃなくて、もうひとりの自分なんですね。だからジジとの会話っていうのは、自分との対話なんです。👉続く
— アンク＠金曜ロードショー公式 (@kinro_ntv) April 29, 2022
This is further explained in the next tweet: “Her being unable to speak with Jiji at the end means that she no longer needs her alter ego, and that she can now do well in the town of Koriko. Kiki will grow into a fine witch who can do things by herself without having to rely on the existence of Jiji.”
続き👉ラストで #ジジ🐈⬛としゃべれなくなるというのは、分身がもういらなくなった、コリコの町でちゃんとやっていけるようになりました、という意味を持っているわけです」#キキ🧹は、ジジという存在に頼らなくても、きちんとひとりでやっていける、立派な魔女へと成長していくんですね😆#金曜ロード
— アンク＠金曜ロードショー公式 (@kinro_ntv) April 29, 2022
For the English-dubbed version of the film, Disney changed the Japanese version’s ending to show Jiji speaking to Kiki again in the final act.
“Kinyo Roadshow” shared other interesting trivia, such as details about the inspiration behind Ursula’s painting, which was based on “Niji no Ue wo Tobu Fune” (“The Ship That Flies Over the Rainbow“), a piece of artwork created by special needs students from Hachinoheshi Ritsuminato Junior High School.
#ウルスラ🎨が描いている絵には実は元になった絵があります。八戸市立湊中学校養護学級の生徒さんたちが共同で制作した版画「#虹の上をとぶ船」です。元の絵には #キキ🧹をモデルにしたという少女は描かれていないそうです。🤗#金曜ロードショー#魔女の宅急便 pic.twitter.com/iqkYCJ0Qab
— アンク＠金曜ロードショー公式 (@kinro_ntv) April 29, 2022
According to another tweet, the girl riding a horse in Ursula’s painting does not appear in the original artwork.
Hayao Miyazaki’s cameo in the film was also mentioned: “Pay attention to the person behind the old man bragging, ‘I lent her that scrubbing brush!’ The man wearing glasses in the upper right corner of the screen… Do you think he looks like someone?”
おじいさん「あのデッキブラシはわしが貸したんだぞ！」
自慢げに話している後ろの方に注目してみてください。画面の右上にいる眼鏡👓をかけた男性……誰かに似ていると思いませんか❓👉続く pic.twitter.com/a3Zl3u9j15— アンク＠金曜ロードショー公式 (@kinro_ntv) April 29, 2022
Feature Image via @kinro_ntv
