Kurenai no Buta

A watchable movie, although nothing really to talk a lot about.

The flight aspect was interesting, but there was a lack of depth in the story. The best thing going for it was the director/directing. The light-heartedness gave the movie a nice calm aspect. Some of the scene/backgrounds were amazing for not real life.

I enjoyed the build up of the "fight" but it ended up disappointing, the movie's ending was also disappointing. They summed up the story or ending in about 10 seconds.

"Something something fascism"

I can't help but notice that a lot of people who love this anime tend to quote a certain line about fascism that's uttered in it. I get the strange feeling that some people conflate current real world events with historical events, and use media aimed at children to re-confirm their beliefs. That's cringe.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I was disappointed by this movie. Studio Ghibli-films are nearly always held in a very high regard by most people, but every time I put one on it's like I've just spun the chamber of a revolver in a ... Russian roulette-game, there's a solid chance that the movie is going to be very good, even a masterpiece, but there's also the risk that it's going to be a beautifully drawn dud that just leaves me bored at the end. Sadly, Porco Rosso comes much closer to the latter outcome than the former.

Maybe I am just the wrong age group, I never saw this anime as a child, and it does seem aimed at children in some ways. Nevertheless, when watching it as an adult I can appreciate the beautiful art and animation, but the story is meandering and doesn't really go anywhere. There's violence in it and allusions to death, but there's not much consequence to the violence we see happen, which just feels strange to me (are we in a dangerous situation, or are we not?). Everybody seems to love the main character, but I have no clue as to why, he's not especially charismatic. I guess he's heroic and helps people, but is that enough for every woman in the movie to fall for him? I don't know, just seemed a bit strange and un-earned.

All in all, 6/10, perfectly fine to put on if you are bored and want to watch something pretty, but it's not exactly a Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke.

I seriously hope this isn't the sign of Ghibli movies not being for me.

Slice of life, with fantasy elements, and a whimsical comfort no other films can give you. It's an appeal that globally touches people's souls. A world where pirates take care of children, where bullets don't bust eardrums, where the highest form of conflict comes one hour after the film began. I don't have a problem against it, and I get the appeal so many people have over movies like it. It feels like a comfortable blanket that covers your emotions at any point in your life, but it's not for me. ...

I don't care for the characters, I don't care for the plot, the vibes don't appeal to me, and the movie itself felt like a boring chore to finish. It might be my mood, my need to experience something worth it, but this movie is just a vibe, plastered on 90 minutes of screen time. At least it was consistent, it had a clear vision, and a clear reason to exist, but I just don't care all that much.

I like the main character's design, but for others they have the same face, simple shading, not too complex.

There's just not much I can talk about when I can't even engage with it. The ending felt nice, but it makes me feel like it should've been shrunken to a 40-minute short film. They have all the elements necessary to make it interesting, but that's the kind of movie for me, not for what it's going for.

5/10. I can't be angry at it, would give it worse based on my boredom. However, I'll chuck it to the fact that it's probably not for me.