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Cover artist Akiko Hayashi Language Japanese Publisher Fukuinkan Shoten Translator Lynne E. Riggs | 3.9/5 Goodreads Country Japan Series Majo no Takkyūbin Originally published 25 January 1985 Illustrator Akiko Hayashi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Original title 魔女の宅急便
Majo no Takkyūbin Genres Children's literature, Fantasy literature Adaptations Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Kiki's Delivery Service (2014) Similar Akiko Hayashi books, Fantasy books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便, Majo no Takkyūbin, lit. Witch's Express Home Delivery) is a children's fantasy novel written by Eiko Kadono and illustrated by Akiko Hayashi. It was first published by Fukuinkan Shoten on January 25, 1985. It is the basis of the 1989 Studio Ghibli anime film of the same title and of the 2014 live action film also of the same name.
Contents
- Synopsis
- Title interpretation
- Translations
- Differences in title
- English edition
- Film adaptations
- Awards and nominations
- References
The book won numerous awards in Japan. Encouraged by this and by the success of the film, Kadono has written four more novels, over a period of several years, and created a book series. The most recent was published in October 2009.
Synopsis
The book follows Kiki, a young witch. Her mother is also a witch, but her father is not. Kiki is now thirteen and must spend a year on her own in a town without other witches. She must use her magic abilities to earn her living. She is accompanied by her cat Jiji.
Title interpretation
The word takkyūbin (宅急便, literally home-fast-mail) in the Japanese title is a trademark of Yamato Transport, though it is used today as a synonym for takuhaibin (宅配便, literally home-delivery-mail). The company not only approved the use of the trademark — though its permission was not required under Japanese trademark laws — but also enthusiastically sponsored the anime film version of the book, as the company uses a stylized depiction of a black mother cat carrying her kitten as its corporate logo.
Translations
Non-Japanese versions of Majo no Takkyūbin were not published until 2003 when the book became available in English, Italian, Korean and Chinese. The Swedish and Indonesian editions were published in 2006.
Differences in title
Not all translations of the book follow the original title. Some include the name of the central character.
English edition
This edition is translated by Lynne E. Riggs and illustrated by Akiko Hayashi. The cover is by Irvin Cheung. The book is 176 pages and, like the original Japanese edition, has eleven chapters.
Film adaptations
The book was adapted in 1989 as an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Disney was also interested in its own live-action take on Kiki in 2005, but no developments have emerged since then. Jeff Stockwell was assigned to the script, with Don Murphy producing.
A live-action film adaptation of the same novel and with the same name starring Fuka Koshiba was released on March 1, 2014. The film is based on the first 2 novels and have figure skater turned actor Fuka Koshiba playing Kiki premiered in Japan on March 1, 2014.
Disney tapped a screenwriter to script a live-action English-language feature with Susan Montford, Don Murphy, and Mark Gordon as producers.