Porco Rosso has the perfect touch of high quality animation, a clear hero-like tale, music, and wonder. All while being a silly satire of a Pig that flies a plane.
It's astonishing that some satire works like this, i.e. high school of the dead, can live up to have higher production in their casual attempts at showcasing touching moments than most other shows that actually try too hard.
But why exactly is this such a great movie? For one, consistency. It's a fun story about a pig-pilot, bandits, flight battles, and a casablanca type of side romance.
No long and pointless scenes. No mystery behind "when is the plot going to get here." No need for absurd high production in stuff like windmills, the stitch of fabric, wrinkles, etc. The art is all through out this movie, well balanced to showcase the beautiful sea setting and atmosphere.
Plus the characters. I have no idea what that one reviewer is saying by the characters being too dull. Like, the characters are fine and it's a joy to actually see the cast more alive than in other movies. Even the workshop women were a bigger delight to watch than other characters in bigger movie roles. The characters in this movie all have their own personality without needing much backstory. It's never like, thats "the dumb one" or "the stooge" or "the tsundre." They're all individual in their own ways.
But the real thing that bothers me is how LITTLE appreciation this movie gets. Having been on MAL for a while, it's obvious most light hearted films earn a standard 7. Like, people see a pig in the preview and they just think "its watchable."
No, this is far better than a comedy. It's a complete standalone classic just Castle in the Sky. From start to end, Porcu Rosso is an amazing watch.
Most people would rate this as a 8. I would say its at least a 9 because of the production quality, going up to a 10 for having a complete story, a mixture of sound and animation, and a lovable cast. Like, I feel sorry for those that didn't love the climax for whatever reason, the art, or the hero ending.
10/10.
