I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Instant Favorite.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I loved every bit of the movie and the only reason I'm giving it 9/10 is because it ended too soon for me.This is the kind of animation movie that makes one feel good about living in this world. Such beautiful and breath-taking art work of the sky and numerous planes that fly in it! There is no real villain in this story and that is why it feels so good to watch it. It's a happy story (albeit a bit short) and the animation style is a treat to watch.The story is one that kids and adults alike will enjoy. And adults especially will enjoy it more as it brings back memories of a childhood of ambitious heroes and shiny gadgets. Porco Rosso himself is adorable and he made me nostalgic and happy at the same time.You should definitely watch it.

I have very fond memories of this film. I saw "Kurenai no buta" (1992) as part of a retrospective of Miyazaki's works in Bologna presumably some five years ago, and I have fond memories not only of the film but the experience of seeing it in Italy (I'm an Italian teacher and studied at L'Università di Bologna). This is a wonderfully detailed trip to the Adriatic Sea and Milan, and the language is used to great effect. Yet what has stayed with me the most ever since is the wild sense of fun the whole film exudes. Now that I'm slowly marching through most of Miyazaki's oeuvre, it's a nice moment for a dear revisit.And wild fun it is, one of the funniest works of film art I've had the privilege to witness, including what I consider to be funny: "Bakumatsu taiyôden" (1958), the best of Chaplin and Keaton, "The Falls" (1980). If going to the movies would always be like this! I think the filmmakers' love for film can make the viewers love film, and this is an example of perfectionist, lovely filmmaking. Miyazaki is not only talented, he's intuitive and able to translate that intuition into the film. It's very impressive how he sculpts mood and atmosphere, at times lingering nostalgically, at others romantically, at others tragically. But the undersong is always satiric, heavily ironic and quite simply such a hoot there were many moments when I just couldn't stop laughing and applauding the wit and imagination behind it all.Much of this stems from Marco being such a marvellous character. Falstaffian in his glee, he embodies the film. Surrounded by beautiful women, Fio becomes our surrogate by the end, and Jina-sama (Gina) the other end of the spectrum; not rash and wild just as Fio, but reasonable, steadfast. It's a wisely and successfully created web of interaction.An etymological obiter dictum: the word that became part of the anime studio's name, "ghibli", is an actual Italian word. It comes from the Arabic "qibli", another word for the sirocco (the word "sirocco" comes from the Greek 'sirokos'). It was the point of Studio Ghibli to bring some fresh air to the anime industry. But the word has another context, and the film integrates it beautifully: "Ghibli" comes from the name of an Italian Caproni aircraft used in World War II, and in the film the new engine installed to Marco's aircraft bears the name. In that sense Marco's mission becomes not only the embodiment of Miyazaki and the studio, but also of a whole ideal. And still Marco, or the Marco in Fio (or vice versa), will always be our surrogate for adventure.It's a lovely ending, as well. During the whole film Miyazaki has played with us when it comes to Marco's spell, and much is made of how things seem. Yet, in a stroke of genius and wholly appropriate to the context of the film, we never really see. It's all a secret, that is, something so personal that it ceases to exist, in fact couldn't exist, in words or images. It is only implied, and then carried in our hearts.

First of all, I want to clarify some misconceptions about the film that might have appeared in the comment section. First of all, the movie plays in the time frame after the rise of Fascism in Italy from 1922 on to before the second world war. There is a flashback scene playing in the World War I. In the end, there is a time lapse and they mention World War II.Secondly, the film is not a story about how a man got jinxed to be a pig. Marco having the appearance of a pig can be interpreted in different ways and is often used in word plays and ironic statements, like "better to be a pig than to be a Fascist". The reason why it was never explained is probably that it would be totally unnecessary or even harm the story, including the grand finale. It is the great strength of this movie that it does not want to cover all the stories details, but leaves in a very poetic way so much room for speculation and dreaming.The drawings are just beautiful in all of their details and animation and the music by the ever ingenious Joe Hisaishi surprises. While Hisaishi does take notes from European classical music, it is surprising how he managed to fusion his particular style of music with the nostalgia of the twenties and Italian and Austrian (or rather Dalmatian) influences. This movie is an absolute masterpiece in story telling, animation and music and is greatly underestimated. While other works of Ghibli might be cineastically great, they serve completely different audiences. What makes Porco Rosso so outstanding is that it realistically gives us viewers strong emotions about bygone days that actually never existed in the way they had been depicted and thus sends a strong message to everyone about things we might want to preserve, ideas of freedom,solitude, guilt, adventure and love that do actually exist.

This is another brilliant movie from Hayao Miyazaki. He creates a beautiful world where Adriatic sea is controlled by Air Pirates. Where you can have your own hideaway island. Where you get around using your own seaplane. At it's core this is children's cartoon. It's very bright both in terms of atmosphere and colour. Maybe this is what made me like it so much as an adult. Watching this movie brought me back to my childhood when I used to dream of adventure. The movie is beautifully animated, full of humour and eccentric characters. There is a little love story. There is a little coming of age story. The plot is pretty straightforward but very consistent. Overall, an amazing movie, go see it.