Studio Ghibli pseudo-literature isn’t for reading, but is still something fans will want on their shelf.
Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku has a sub-brand called Donguri Closet. Aimed at fashionably minded women, Donguri Closet’s name is meant to bring to mind a closet filled with tastefully playful anime-inspired apparel, but today we’re looking at something from them that looks like it’d be more at home on a bookshelf or coffee table.
Though the 1989 anime film is Kiki’s Delivery Service’s internationally best-known incarnation, it was originally a children’s novel, published four years before Studio Ghibli adapted it to the big screen. Looking at the above photo, you might be thinking that such a beautiful hardcover edition of the book would be worth picking up even if you can’t read Japanese, since it’d make for a cool conversation piece to display in your home.
But your level of Japanese reading ability won’t have any effect on how much joy this brings you, because this isn’t really a book at all.
It’s actually a cleverly designed storage box made of wooden fiberboard. Open the cover, and instead of pages you’ll find a lined space in which to store accessories, stationery, or other household knickknacks.
Perhaps because there’s no saying that you shouldn’t judge a box by its cover, Donguri Closet’s designers have done a fantastic job on the cover’s aesthetics.
To those who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the anime yet, the design might just look like a random assortment of quaintly charming items, but for experienced fans, starting at the top left and swinging your gaze around clockwise is almost like doing a condensed rewatch of the movie, as we see the potions made by Kiki’s mom in her hometown, the clocktower of the city the young witch moves to, various delivery parcels and other items of significance, and, finally, a rather important brush.
The illustration style is a touch more subdued than the anime’s visuals, further fitting with a literary vibe.
▼ The book box’s back cover
Though Donguri Closet is a sub-brand of Donguri Kyowakou, the Kiki’s Memories Book Case (to use its official name) is available through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store here, priced at 4,620 yen (US$29) following a recent restock.
Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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