For nearly three decades, Kiki’s Delivery Service has been widely recognized as an anime classic and one of the very best movies written, produced, and directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. The Studio Ghibli film was based upon the novel by Eiko Kadono, who went on to write a few sequels for Kiki. But Studio Ghibli isn’t in the sequel business, and there’s never been an animated follow up… until now.
In the original story, Kiki was a 13-year-old witch who used her magical abilities to run her own business. Now (via Kotaku), the below Nissin commercial has reimagined Kiki as a 17-year-old girl who is crushing hard on her friend, Tombo.
Although Kiki appears to maintain her powers in this commercial, she seems to have lost her assertiveness as she struggles to tell Tombo that she’s developed romantic feelings for him. Somehow, this is all meant to promote instant ramen.
As you can see, the animation is actually quite nice. The older versions of Kiki and Tombo were designed by manga artist Eisaku Kubonouchi, and they are instantly recognizable despite the passing years. There’s also a fun cameo by Kiki’s cat, Jiji. It would probably be interesting to revisit these characters for a longer story, but the entire concept of Kiki as a pitchwoman for ramen absolutely boggles the mind.
This seems like a good opportunity to mention that fans of the Kiki’s Delivery Service film will have the chance to see it on the big screen next month as part of GKIDS and Fathom Events’s Ghibli Fest. So, on Sunday, July 23 and Monday, June 24, you know where you can find us!
What did you think about Kiki’s new TV commercial? Cast your spells in the comment section below!
Image: NissinÂ
