Name: Porco Rosso, The Crimson Pig, Kurenai no Buta
Genre: War, Historical
Episodes: N/A
Released: July 18, 1992
Based On: Manga The Age of the Flying Boat by Hayao Miyazaki
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Produced By: Studio Ghibli, Japan Airline, NTV, Tokuma Shoten
US Distribution By: Walt Disney

Cast

Review

Porco Rosso is a movie about an ex-World War I Italian air force ace who, instead of staying part of the military of a nation being taken over Mussolini fascists, decided to go on his own as a bounty hunter, chasing down and capturing air pirates in order to make money.

Porco is unlike any other ace, however: he has literally turned into a pig,  flies a very distinctive red plane, and is in love with Gina, the owner of a club where pilots go to drink and hang out (though he tries his best to not show it or deny to himself that he does).

Of course, Porco’s job as a bounty hunter isn’t a completely noble job as Porco has a tendency to allow the pirates to get away since he gets paid for recovering whatever loot they stole, and thus keeps his bounty hunter business going. Nevertheless, the pirates wish to take down Porco once and for all, and so they join forces to enlist an eccentric and perhaps overly prideful American ace pilot to shoot down Porco.

Porco, who is shot down by the American on his way to get his plane repaired in Milan, meets Fio, an aspiring aeronautical engineer who works in the shop that Porco takes his plane to to get repaired. Her feisty nature gives Porco a renewed hope in mankind, a hope he lost after losing his friend in World War I and the rise of fascism in Italy.

I’d say that this was only really an average movie. The animation was good – after all, it is a Ghibli film. However, I felt that the story in Porco Rosso lacked focus compared to the other Ghibli films I’ve seen. First off, there was the whole deal with Porco’s curse which was sort of explored, but never fully explained – either in how he got it or how, or whether, it was ever lifted, despite the fact that it appeared to be an important aspect of the story.

When the movie ended, I felt like asking: what has changed from the start of the movie? And really, other than events that occurred independent of the movie, the answer seems to be “not very much.” Don’t get me wrong, the movie was pretty entertaining. I suppose Porco has a renewed hope for the world, and I guess that may have been the story that was meant to be told.

One aspect of the film that I did like was the airplanes. Both the airplanes – and the dogfights they were in – were very well done. Overall, I think the average anime or movie viewer will probably like this movie, though it isn’t necessary one of Miyazaki’s best.

Scores

Animation: 4/5
Story: 2/5
Music: 3/5
English Dubs: 4/5

Overall: 3/5

First Watched: July 2006
Do I Own: No
Do I Recommend: Yes

• Ai Yori Aoshi
• Castle in the Sky
• Chobits
• DearS
• Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventures
• Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
• Koi Kaze
• Love Hina
• Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind
• Onegai Twins
• Princess Mononoke
• Video Girl Ai
• World of Narue, The

Well…i’ve done well. I’ve reviewed…well…Chobits and Dual! it looks like (though I have reviewed some others that I have watched since then). Here is my now updated list:

• Ai Yori Aoshi
• Akane Maniax
• Castle in the Sky
• DearS
• Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
• Koi Kaze
• Love Hina
• Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Onegai Twins
• Porco Rosso
• Princess Mononoke
• Spirited Away
• Video Girl Ai
• World of Narue, The

Soo…take off the two I did, and add two new anime (Porco Rosso and Evangelion) and two I had forgotten about before (Spirited Away, Akane Maniax) with I”s Pure and the rest of Cardcaptor Sakura coming around the corner (assuming I’m not forgetting anything). And, as I said in a previous post, I own four of these series. Not much of an excuse there to not review them lol.

UPDATE: I decided to add a page listing Anime and Manga to be rated.

If you’re dead to the anime world and don’t know who the new characters in my header are, they are, from left to right:

Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura
Keiichi from Ah! My Goddess
Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle
Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Itsuka from The World of Narue
Sen from Spirited Away
Edward from Fullmetal Alchemist

and on the far right, is Midori from Midori Days.

10. Try to Wish – Ah! My Goddess: The Movie

9. Ame Agari – Angelic Layer

8. Catch You, Catch Me – Cardcaptor Sakura

7. Hoshizora no Waltz – Kimi ga Nozomu Eien

6. Raison d’Etere – Chobits

5. Ice Cream – The World of Narue

4. The Appearance of Rivals – Angelic Layer

3. Open Your Mind – Ah! My Goddess (TV)

2. Fruits Candy – Cardcaptor Sakura

1. Sunny Sunny Happy – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

This was probably a middle of the pack series, but I believe it was the third one that I rented from blockbuster when I started watching anime. However, I only watched the Japanese version, and I had wanted to wait until I watched the English version to write a review. That time appears to be soon now that a box set is out and at a non-outrageous price (with tax and shipping I got it for about $50 on circuit city).

Of course this reminds me of all the series I have yet to write reviews on, including Ai Yori Aoshi, The World of Narue, and Please Twins – which I have no excuse over since I own them all. I’ve also received Porco Rosso and Akira from blockbuster (cause they refuse to send me any of the top 6 discs in my queue, even though 4 are listed as available now) so those should be coming in not too long (assuming I don’t get majorly busy).

As for series I’m currently watching, I have 3 discs (and the second movie) left in Cardcaptor Sakura. I also have two discs left in Ah! My Goddess (though blockbuster lists volume 5 as “coming soon” even though the sixth disc has already been released).