LogFAQs > #979848119

#7 - Porco Rosso

As a kid, one of the few games that I played with my dad was Wings 2, so there was some clear bias in favor of the movie. In fact, if not for that nostalgia, I wonder if I would have been able to overlook the film's lack of a plot, to enjoy it as much as I did

It was charming, funny, and beautifully done, but severely lacked in the story-department. Marco starts off with wanting to repair his plane, only to get shot down mid-flight, and then declare a rematch against the American who did it (someone he doesn't show any real animosity towards). We get a single line about how he was cursed into becoming a pig, hinting that this isn't just a world where animal-people co-mingle with humans, but instead one where actual curses exist... And that's it. Sure, he gets "cured" at the end, but having never shown any struggle with the curse, it feels completely unnecessary.

The real strength comes from the comedy and characters: Children who are excited about pirates, and see a kidnapping as an adventure; Marco, who chooses to no-sell his pig-self, and instead whip out puns about his appearance; An antagonist who wishes he was Gaston. It's a film with little plot, but great comedic moments (especially what the final dogfight devolved in to). Could it have been better, certainly, but it wasn't a bad film.

Porco Rosso - 8.5/10

Side note: One hell of a coincidence, in that Ghibli once again casts a future Straw Hat (Nami-swaaan~), to interact with pirates and brings out their softer, friendly side.