Porco Rosso (1992)

To be really frank I didn't except much from this movie when I decided to catch it earlier tonight, all I knew about it was that it's about a pig that flies, as hilarious as it sounds. But it turned out that it's one of the best watched movies I have seen in life. It was such a well-thought masterpiece with a perfect balance between humour and seriousness all at once. It was a movie about egoism, nationalism, militarism, humanity, romance and feminism. And perhaps much more subtle messages that I may have missed.

The movie depicts the post WW1 period where the protagonist, a former Italian WW1 ace pilot, Porco Rosso who has seen the mass destruction and lost of lives during his near-death experience at war, was being hunt down by the Fascists government as he turned anti-war and won't fight for his government anymore. The anti-war sentiment and anti-nationalism were brought out coherently via conversations and behaviours of Porco in the storyline. Which could be the reason behind him turning into a pig due to a curse that wasn't clearly explained in the movie, to differentiate himself from a human being and become a stubborn individualistic pig instead, and I also sense a bit of sarcasm in Hayao Miyazaki's film that even a pig is less filthy than humans.

P: I'd rather be a pig than Fascist.
F: The age of dare-devil aviator is over. Now we can only fly in the service of worthless causes like 'country' or 'nation'.
P: I only fly for myself.

Country' and 'law' don't mean anything to a pig.

A guy who makes money from war is evil, a guy who can't make money from bounty hunting is incompetent'

All around me, friends and foes were falling like flies.The good guys were the ones who died.

Porco earns a living by becoming a bounty hunter fighting off air pirates without killing anyone, later on he encountered Curtis, an American pilot turned pirate who yearns for fame and pride by taking Porco down. Curtis shots down Porco's plane while he was flying back to Italy to fix his plane, later on Porco met one of the strong female characters in the movie, an intelligent, enthusiastic and brave young aircraft engineer. The movie depicts both sexism and feminism perfectly throughout the story and turned the tables when the young fine lady, Fio, earns much respect and admiration from the male air pirates after recognising that single handed designed and fixed Porco's fighter jet, and for her courageous showdown against the male characters in the movie.

F: You are nervous because I'm a woman, aren't you? Or am I too young to do it? P: Both, Miss.

P: Making an aeroplane isn't the same as cooking pancakes.

F's grandfather: Out God who art in Heaven, we were on the edge of bankruptcy, yet thou didn't give our company, bread and work. Please forgive us who are deep in sin for using women's hands to make a fighter plane.

While my favourite part of the movie remains largely on Fio's strong feminism character,  I am also very much in favor of the ending of the show when Curtis has a rematch with Porco. Even the villain are just humans too, there is no absolute evil in this world. In the movie, both the gorgeous diva Gina and the outspoken Fio have fallen in love with Porco the pig, although it's really not difficult to see why anyone wouldn't fell for him. I think all of Hayao Miyazaki's movies are indeed deeply moving, being both entertaining and meaningful to a great extent. And that it would be a shame for me to miss any of his works ever. Till the next one. 

If the pig opened fire now, he would hit the American, so, he's going to wait and hit Curtis' engine with a few bullets after Curtis gets tired. He said this is not war, but... That guy is just too smug.

You make me think that humanity is not a complete waste.