Jiji From Kiki's Delivery Service Wears Many Hats: Anime, Black Cat, And Witch's Familiar
Around since 1989, Jiji is one of the most memorable anime cats of all time and he happens to also be a familiar to Kiki, witch in training. He is Kiki's companion during her formative witch training years. It's the typical black cat is the witches' pet cliché and we love it. What you may not know is that Jiji is actually pretty different depending on if you watch the Japanese or American version of Kiki's Delivery Service.
In Japanese culture, cats are usually depicted with feminine voices, whereas in American culture their voices are more gender-specific. A number of Hartman's lines exist where Jiji simply says nothing in the original. Jiji's personality is notably different between the two versions, showing a more cynical and sarcastic attitude in the Disney English version as opposed to cautious and conscientious in the original Japanese version.
Another difference between the two Jijis is that in the Japanese version, Kiki loses her ability to talk to him. In the American version, she gets that ability back. Hayao Miyazaki explained that the cat symbolized innocence and childhood and Kiki lost her ability to talk to him as a symbol of growing up. Miyazaki has said that Jiji is the immature side of Kiki, and this implies that Kiki, by the end of the original Japanese version, has matured beyond talking to her cat.
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What would a witch be without a her trusty familiar by her side? Jiji supports Kiki throughout her most formative years. He is reliable, kind, trustworthy, and everything that a girl could want in a familiar and more.
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Look!! It me!!
This sweet moment is revisited as Kiki drinks from the Jiji mug that she buys in this scene throughout the film.
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