Kiki's Delivery Service (novel)
.jpg) Japanese book cover | |
| Author | Eiko Kadono |
|---|---|
| Original title | 魔女の宅急便 Majo no Takkyūbin |
| Translator | Lynne E. Riggs |
| Illustrator | Akiko Hayashi |
| Cover artist | Akiko Hayashi |
| Language | Japanese |
| Series | Majo no Takkyūbin |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Fukuinkan Shoten |
Publication date | January 25, 1985 |
| Publication place | Japan |
Published in English | February 1, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 259 pp |
| ISBN | 4-8340-0119-9 |
| OCLC | 166865908 |
| LC Class | MLCSJ 86/174 (P) |
| Followed by | Majo no Takkyūbin 2: Kiki to Atarashii Mahou (Kiki's Delivery Service 2: Kiki and Her New Magic) |
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.
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.
Development
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[1] — 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.[2]
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.[3]
- Kiki's Delivery Service, (English edition) Annick Press
- Kiki, consegne a domicilio, (Italian edition), Publisher's website
- 魔女宅急便, (Chinese edition), Publisher's website
- Kikis Expressbud, (Swedish edition), translates as Kiki's Fast Delivery Publisher's website
- Titipan Kilat Penyihir (Indonesian Edition) Publisher's website
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.
Related media
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.[4]
A live-action film adaptation of the same novel and with the same name starring Fuka Koshiba was released on March 1, 2014.[5][6] The film is based on the first 2 novels and have figure skater turned actor Fuka Koshiba playing Kiki[7] premiered in Japan on March 1, 2014.[6]
Novel sequels
| Title | Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Majo no Takkyūbin 2: Kiki to Atarashii Mahō (魔女の宅急便その2 キキと新しい魔法, Witch's Express Home Delivery 2: Kiki and Her New Magic) | June 30, 1993 |
|
| Majo no Takkyūbin 3: Kiki to mō Hitori no Majo (魔女の宅急便その3 キキともうひとりの魔女, Witch's Express Home Delivery 3: Kiki and the Other Witch) | October 20, 2000 |
|
| Majo no Takkyūbin 4: Kiki no Koi (魔女の宅急便その4 キキの恋, Witch's Express Home Delivery 4: Kiki's Love) | March 10, 2004 |
|
| Majo no Takkyūbin 5: Mahō no Tomarigi (魔女の宅急便その5 魔法の止まり木, Witch's Express Home Delivery 5: Perch of Magic) | May 9, 2007 | |
| Majo no Takkyūbin 6: Sorezore no Tabidachi (魔女の宅急便その6 それぞれの旅立ち, Witch's Express Home Delivery 6: Each and Every Departure) | October 2009 |
Awards and nominations
- 23rd Noma Award for Juvenile Literature
- 34th Shogakukan Award for Children's Literature
- Holds a place on the IBBY Honour List for 1986[9]
References
- ^ Institute of Intellectual Property "Overview of Japanese Trademark Law by Dr. Shoen Ono." Retrieved on 2007-2-11.
- ^ IBM e-business: jStart Program: Case studies: Web services: Yamato Transport Group. Retrieved on 2007-1-4.
- ^ Kadono's Kiki's Delivery Service Works page in English, Retrieved on 2007-6-22
- ^ http://www.donmurphy.net/dm21_variety.html
- ^ "Kiki's Delivery Service To Get A Live-Action Film Adaptation". Japanverse. April 23, 2013.
- ^ a b "Live-Action Kiki's Delivery Service's Teaser Video Streamed". Anime News Network. 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
- ^ "Take Your First Look At Shimizu's Live Action KIKI's DELIVERY SERVICE". twitch.com. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
- ^ Novel Pictures of Kiki's Delivery Service at Nausicaa.net Retrieved 2007-6-22.
- ^ IBBY Honour List (1956-2006), a browseable pdf archive at Austrian Literature Online, retrieved 2007-06-22
External links
- Eiko Kadono's Official website in Japanese with some information in English