a core theme a surprising amount of people miss in kiki’s delivery service is the ambivalence between tradition and modernity. kiki is a folkloric character, a witch who is entrenched in not only the magic of a past mythical time but who is deeply embedded in customs and traditions. she leaves home at the pre-ordained time for her people, dressed in traditional garb, with the illusion that she will find a neat spot in a new town and bring charm and magic to the locals.
but she is entirely out-of-step with basically everything around her as soon as she arrives: she can’t navigate the traffic with her (handed-down) broom, almost causing a car accident; she envies her fashionable peers dressed in the latest fashions and feels self-conscious; everyone is perplexed, rather than enchanted, to see her. they seem vaguely to have heard of witches but quickly go back about their busy day walking down the busy modern streets. almost a total contrast to kiki’s rural, traditional town (the rural being paired with traditionalism and custom vs the urban city being the site of modernity and emerging technology etc, very classic choice). she gets a place to stay based entirely off the kindness of a stranger; no one feels they owe her anything simply due to her being a witch and this leaving the nest to offer her services elsewhere being what she’s meant to do.
no wonder kiki wonders where she will find her place in this new world that is not at all what she’d expected. people always point out how kiki’s delivery service offers us a portrait of depression, especially in the context of losing passion for something one loves, especially after it’s made one’s job. but this angle of tradition vs modernity feels important to miss, because it’s undoubtedly one of the fundamental factors behind kiki’s eventual dissatisfaction: what does she, with her magic and traditions, have to offer this new, emerging technological world?
no one has made a place for her here. she dresses differently, is unaccustomed to how those her age behave, and her most fundamental and magical gift – flight – is no longer an extraordinary practice reserved for those of myths and legend; hasn’t she seen the fantastic new airship! she is invited to take a ride on it at one point and declines.
if I remember correctly this is one of the last events that takes place before her fall into depression, a portion of the film characterised by kiki losing her ability to fly (and thus her magic). if even this doesn’t amount to much in this new reality, what does she have to offer? what makes her unique and worthy? the answer to this question is down to interpretation I suppose, though I’m guessing kiki realises she just has herself to offer. her customers like her, they return to ask her for favours and work because she is personable and good at what she does. she can’t offer them something fantastical and extraordinary anymore, but hopefully she herself is enough. and I think those feelings are also very potent for anyone who has struggled with feelings of lack of self-worth and purpose in their lives, just as much as getting tired of something you used to love. what about when the world gets tired of you? what do you do then, when life moves on without you?
