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Porco Rosso
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Animation - 8.8 |
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Sound - 8.6 |
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Story - 7.7 |
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Character - 7.9 |
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Value - 8.0 |
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Enjoyment - 8.2 |
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Average - 8.1 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Porco Rosso is a Frog Prince story taken to spectacularly romantic heights. The proverbial frog is in this case an ace pilot of a pig, Marco, who turns his back on fascist 1930's Italy to be a pirate chasing bounty hunter. The film explores how he came to be the pacifist he is through his pirate hunting adventures and two distinct love stories that he gets involved in. With love portrayed both as the innocent arrow of cupid, and also the evolution of a deep relationship over time, set in pre-WWII Italy, centered around a grandiose imagining of the exotic and heart pounding life style of a sea pilot, Porco Rosso is so romantic that some wealthy sheltered girl somewhere in the world is probably swooning and gushing over it this very instant.
Like most Miyazaki movies, Porco Rosso doesn't follow the general plot structure of a Hollywood flick of this nature where the entirety of the plot is spent layering the conflict between hero and villain until it builds up to the boiling point that is the climax. The inevitability of the climactic confrontation is clear early on, but instead of spending the film hyping up the dramatic bang, we get a look into Marco's business as usual life as well as his relationships with a childhood friend, Gina, and a whelp of a mechanic, Fio. The final dogfight is the airshow spectacle it promises to be, but the real payoff comes with learning about Marco and his associates.
This story is far from a realistic portrayal of warfare and pirate hunting. Who knew that gruff and unkempt pirates would be full of maternal instincts when handling child hostages? In typical Miyazaki fashion, killing intent is absent in the violence, and malice is absent from criminals. It has all the adventurous notions of an Indiana Jones without even an ounce of villainy. Children can easily appreciate the visual beauty and the lofty, loosely historical fantasy world without any objections from their parents, while only teenagers and adults will be able to empathize with the understated but deep affection Marco shares with Gina. In contrast, Fio's love is more in line with the romance that Ghibli has produced in the past: it is beautiful and sweet, perhaps an emotion as wonderful as any, but upon reflection is no more than youthful infatuation. The romances provide nostalgic and heartfelt moments while the softie pirates and a gaudy american womanizer lighten up the drama.
Above all else, this film is a portrait of its characters. While it leaves a few questions unanswered, the characters are fleshed out enough to make reasonable assumptions about the more important ones. The alternative, a happily ever after ending would be too conclusive and abrupt to fit the complex relationships that were established. Unlike Kiki, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso doesn't have a coming of age, or environmentalist message that can be gleaned and summed up in a single sentence. It's a beautiful story that's narrow in its focus on romantic ideas, but broad in the variety of emotions it can express with such a focus.
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Porco Rosso is a 93 minute long movie from Studio Ghibli directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 1992. Although not as impressive as many other Studio Ghibli productions, Porco Rosso is still magnificent in several areas.
Studio Ghibli has been well known for its excellence in animation since the 1980s. It is therefore not surprising that Porco Rosso is outstanding in terms of graphics and animation for an early 1990s production. Porco Rosso features vibrant colours, detailed backgrounds and smooth, well-paced animation. With believable and at-times humorous character designs, Porco Rosso is arguably the best looking anime in 1992.
If nothing else, the sounds and music in Porco Rosso complement their respective scenes, and the cast of voice actors suit their respective characters. Songs are a bit lacking in Porco Rosso, as the movie has no opening theme. Audio wise, Porco Rosso does not amaze, but does not disappoint either.
It is very difficult to determine the targeted age range for Porco Rosso. Despite being a Studio Ghibli production, Porco Rosso lacks the special appeal that several other Ghibli productions have. The pace of the story also feels a bit off at times, and the answers to a number of questions are unclear, or left unanswered. The plot of Porco Rosso is also lacking, the story concluding too early and right before an exciting event. As a result, despite introducing some interesting concepts, Porco Rosso lacks what it takes to become an excellent anime.
The characters introduced in Porco Rosso are very unique and interesting, but their development is poor, partly due to the storyline. Several key questions regarding the characters are unanswered, which damages both character development and storyline.
Despite the disappointing storyline, Porco Rosso features a number of well animated and exciting dogfights. As a stand alone movie released in 1992, Porco Rosso is arguably one of the most impressive anime of its time. However, when compared to other successful Studio Ghibli productions directed by Hiyao Miyazaki, Porco Rosso falls behind. For people that adore dogfights, Porco Rosso might be worth checking out. Otherwise, I would recommend watching other titles from Studio Ghibli over Porco Rosso.
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petran79 |
(2006-04-27 14:02:42) 2005-11-30 06:57:07 |
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
0 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
0 |
| Character |
0 |
| Value |
0 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I thought too from the title that this would be an anime aimed for children. Fortunately this anime caught me wrong. It had also the element I like to see the most, whether animated or filmed, namely dogfights with old planes. So another reason to get excited about.
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Wow, this was amazing. I rented it from my public library (!!), and wasn't expecting much of anything. Pigs and airplanes whoohoo, I did not care. Although looking at any promotional images, this looks like a stupid child action film, it's neither. This is an intelligent, thoughtful and beautiful film about the realities of war, and how someone surives after beeing through one. It's much more than I expected, but that's what I get for underestimating the modern day master of anime films.
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rande |
(2005-08-11 04:09:08) 2005-08-05 23:08:47 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Let's not compare Porco Rosso to other Ghibli films, but evaluate it based on its own merits. To this end, I regard it as a classic in its own right.
The animation is absolutely stunning (moreso when you realise it was made in 1992). The backgrounds are bright and colourful and the character designs are done in the usual lovable Ghibli style. The voice-acting is 'only' decent (no stand-outs) but the music keeps up with the standard of the animation. There are many beautiful pieces and each one is used suitably.
The plot moves along at a comfortable pace, but at times you feel there's some missing information. The basic premise of a 'flying pig' should not be taken too lightly. It allows for some interesting developments and certain tracks of thinking that would not have been possible otherwise. From the laid-back Marco to pure-hearted Fio, each character has a strong personality and you'll probably find that you can even identify with the 'bad guys'.
Porco Rosso contains some great dog-fighting scenes and some occasional humour of the subtle/witty variety. These elements round out the anime perfectly and towards the end there is a decided meaningfulness to the whole story (though I would argue it is better to watch this as good clean fun). Porco Rosso should be high on all anime fans' to-watch list and is must-see for Ghibli fans in particular.
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| There's one more Ghibli film I haven't seen yet, that is Howl's Castle. So, having seen the rest of them except that one, I believe Porco Rosso is my all-time favorite. I am not really sure. Its just that Porco Rosso has this maturity and depth that is just so... how can I explain this. Lets just say that out of all Ghibli films I saw I can actually discuss this story with adults and critics, perhaps even with psychoanalysts and historians. And not just tell this story to put my little sister to sleep (and Im sure this one will put her to 'sleep') or to a fellow anime fan who still havent watched (at most). Im not telling that Porco Rosso is serious philosophy material like Ghost in the Shell or Evangelion. Well, it is in a way but since it does so without losing its wholesomeness (its lighthearted fun at its best), you wont even notice the encoded Freud/Jung particulars written between the lines.
I know I was somewhat unclear to my statement above about Porco Rosso. And the truth is, I think I myself haven't fully grasp the entire meaning of the movie. All I can say is that Porco Rosso, despite how it appears to be, is not a show to spark a kid's imagination or to teach values to the young ones. It is a show aimed for the mature intellect to have something to think about (athough subtle) while being entertained at the same time.
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Porco Rosso is a film that doesn't compare to most other Miyazaki films in terms of meaning, however it is undeniably charming and enjoyable, with an intriguing story and great animation.
Read my review for more.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| very fluid and beautiful animation. even though it's more than 10 years old it's still very impressive.
the story was pretty sparse, though, and the ending was a bit too ambiguous for my taste. the characters were enjoyable and fun, but there wasn't nearly enough background given to them. nevertheless, it's a great anime to watch, and is a must-see for ghibli fans.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Surprisingly this is not the best movie from Ghibli, but why bother. This will be a good adition to Ghibli collectors, and considering its done in 1992, the graphics are phenomenal that time. Only missing 3DCGI.
This story is like the frog prince + light story/romance/Last Exile. Its very easy to understand, and it can make you laugh at certain parts, only that the plot is not quite good. Its meant for the whole family.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Light as a feather, This is the type of movies that makes appreciate the little things in life. It’s a movie that's all heart, the story is simple and the animation is brilliant, way up to ghibly standards, and Joe hisaishi never fail to amaze you with the tender music that really gets you right where it should. Overall, It's not an amazing film, but it's better than a lot of other %#%#$ that's been going around, and it's good enough to keep you interested all the way through.2 thumbs up.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Like all other Miyazki films, the animation was again superior and far above its contemporaries. The story being intriguing and although sad at many times, always hinted a blossoming hope that anticipated a great finale to the story. The flight scenes that Miyazki has so artfully mastered took to the skies again. The music never failed to create a subliminal effect that exists in all Miyazki films. I read one of the earlier reviews where the viewer complained that Porco was never uncursed. Which leads me to my last point, a good movie is one that does not have to explicitly tell the story. I hope you enjoy Porco Rosso.
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CoachZ |
(2005-05-25 19:11:09) 2005-03-25 12:54:07 |
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Hayao Miyazaki’s work never seems to fail when keeping his own angle. The artwork was highly decent, and mostly similar with its remarkable landscapes and the town’s scenery. Above all, the airplanes that were designed for Porco Rosso had some very stylishly detailed and diverse models. For the whole concept, I am guessing that this one was based on presumption than being too linear. Many moments of the story were pretty clever. The main character Porco Rosso was a very insightful person, yet in a heartful way that gave it a real boost from the story. It didn't really explain about Porco Rosso's transformation of how he became a pig, which was still alright. In the long run, it does a good job but probably wouldn’t work for people who have very little patience. Recommended for most anime fans.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| What led me to write this review is the following:
-discussion with CurryWu on Ghiblis,
-beginning of my Ghibli's maraton
CuryWu said that here it is:
*Criminally underrated, perfect blend of comedy, action, and drama; last Ghibli movie to have no CG;best ending in a Miyazaki film*
That is true. All those remarks are true and I think that for all of them Porco Rosso deserves much praise. I liked it VERY much, it certainly has this Ghibli touch which is perfect to lift Your humour and spirit. It has the mystery (the curse) which will make You interested, it has the nostalgy every Ghibli has. I cannot see a reason for bashing it - although many people here are saying that it is missing sth. I think it is not missing a thing, You just have to look deeper. :-)
I enjoyed it very much, and as always, in Ghibli's works it is enjoyment slightly coloured by the thing that I know it's a tale, nice tale, nothing more. So I almost always wil rate Ghibli movies for 9 in enjoyment, cause they have this slight unreal feeling. A bit dreamy, a bit fairy... Almost never totally pulling me in, I'm always a little on the side, watching. It's litle fla, but a flaw nevertheless. So Enjoyment goes 9.
For the rest - read the detailed section.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I quite liked Porco Rosso. I had always heard that it wasn't regarded in the same light as the other Ghibli classics and I'm not sure why. This tale is a little more mature than most of the other Ghibli features, but I found it to be very well made. Porco is a great lead, and there is such depth to his character that even without a lot of back story on him, you understand him and all of his ambitions. The flight scenes are so much fun too, really good stuff there. Every time Porco takes flight the viewer is in for a real treat. Overall, I found this movie to be a very good addition to the Ghibli classics.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Old Shibli stuff but still good.
There's no real emphasis in this movie. The scene were taken from when Porco already become a pig and end when that young girl left him. Althou he didn't become a man, I'm pretty sure he break the curse somehow... Also the ending didn't tell us shit, but the story and breezing sound made viewer a good mood and that's enough for me to enjoy this film.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| A friend of mine did say this was his favorite Miyazaki piece. He does have a flare for the artsy. I tend to disagree. Porco Rosso was perhaps too artsy and subtle for me.
The animation was beautiful in the air fights. I did not particularly like the environment art style and main characters art style, which differs from the other minor characters and other Ghibli character styles. The music was ok, but not as impressionable as other Ghibli titles. Porco and Gina's (as well as others) almost seem like flat characters, if not for Porco's brooding over his past and one final realization toward the end.
Not quite the Ghibli great I would push for first.
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De Baer |
(2005-03-04 17:50:10) 2004-09-14 16:59:01 |
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| Average |
5.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
3 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| So leid es mir tut es zu sagen aber Porco Rosso ist mit riesigem Abstand das wohl schwächste Werk aus dem Hause Ghibli! Der Verlauf des Films ist schrecklich eintönig und unspektakulär. Die Charaktere zeigen zu Beginn noch einiges an Potential, es deuten sich vielversprechende Beziehungen an und besonders der Hauptcharakter scheint eine äußerst interessante Geschichte mit sich zu bringen. Doch ehe ich mich versah war der Film zu Ende und NICHTS aber auch GAR NICHTS entwickelt sich oder klärt sich auf, sowohl was Figuren als auch Story betrifft und man hat das Gefühl der Film sei unvollständig. Nichts ist von der Magie zu spüren die die vielen anderen Ghiblifilme geprägt und bei mir so beliebt gemacht hat und auch auf moralischer Ebene ist Porco Rosso im Vergleich zu Meisterwerken wie "Chihiro" oder "Mononoke Hime" ein Dünnbrettbohrer. Erstmalig bin ich richtig enttäuscht nach einem Film aus der Ghibli-Schmiede und mit diesem Streifen ist die "weisse Weste" die dieses Studio bei mir bisher durchgängig inne hatte zum ersten Mal befleckt worden.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| It's damn good fun. A tad weaker than Nausicaa, but Miyazaki did quite well. It's an intirgiuing time in history made very appealing. Marco is quite a unique character, and Fio continues Miyazaki's legacy of strong, independent females in leading roles. I thought the animation was scratchier than in Nausicaa, which was a bit surprising. Plus I didn't think there was enough given on characters besides Marco and Fio to truly relate to them. And it seemed like things flowed too quickly to the final battle. It seemed like another 30 mins of material would have given this the meat needed to make it an epic. The cloud field scene was lovely. Another fine part of the Miyazaki legacy that is well worth seeing. Italy never looked better.
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Moezkat |
(2004-06-02 09:16:24) 2004-05-01 17:00:06 |
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Not at all the best movie from Miyazaki, but still great. I thought it was a little too cartoonish, especially in the end. But the landscapes, the planes and the fights are very very great and enjoyable.
The story is simplistic, cliche and has the traditional Miyazaki elements a little forced in. It also didn't really filled my 'needs' for this movie. I wanted more of certain elements in the movie, yet I didn't get it.
Some of the characters are as always copies of earlier movies by Miyazaki. It's like Tom Cruise playing in more movies. And that's not good, because Tom Cruise is not good.
Although the idea of a man changed into a pig that lives as a flying bountyhunter is very great. He's one of the better characters ever in a Ghibli movie. Too bad about the rest.
To sum it up: look at the mark for enjoyment, that's actually enough to know if you want to see this movie.
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| Average |
5.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| This is a pretty nice Ghibli offering but has some flaws.
The characters are weak - there isn't anyone who really shines or catches your eye. Even tho the main character is a pig (and hence very noticble), his personality is lacking.
The story average. It's entertaining, but has no depth and can't seem boring at times when there isn't any action occurring. (There is a ridiculous hand-to-hand fight scene that occurs which just takes too long.) This anime is best when in flight - the plane scenes are very watchable.
Music and sound are ok - they fit the feel of the film well. The voice acting is also alright except for Porco Rosso himself - he feels a bit non-existent at times.
The visuals are typical Ghibli goodness, especially at the aircraft scenes. For it's time, I would have almost expected something a bit better tho, hence not giving it a higher score. The animation at times seems similar to Castle In The Sky.
I've enjoyed plenty of other Ghibli films much much more than this one, but it's still alright for a look-see.
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