This book takes its “unofficial” status seriously. Aside from the introduction, it doesn’t seem to discuss the films, with specificity, hardly at all. If you’re expecting a match between specific movies and recipes, you’ll be out of luck. For instance, the book doesn’t offer description as one might expect, such as, “This is from Kiki’s Delivery Service, in the scene where it’s presented to her as a thank-you gift;” instead, it merely offers oblique references to “broomstick delivery” in the preface for a “Rewarding and Decadent Chocolate Cake.”
That said, the recipes are legit. And delicious! Each is offered in a clear layout with direct instructions, a lovely, full-page photo, with little fluff or unnecessary description — a welcome omission! Aside from a few European recipes, they are primarily Asian, often Taiwanese, like the giant “crystal skin” Ba Wan dumplings, memorably gobbled up in “Spirited Away.”
The recipes are organized in chapters for Breakfast (Kiki’s fluffy pancakes, for example), Lunch (e.g., bento box school lunch), Dinner, Snacks and Street Food, and Desserts and Bakery Treats — which, appropriately, is the longest chapter, with 21 recipes, including the famous Japanese Souffle Cheesecake, as seen online and at tea time in Spirited Away. YUM!
