Porco Rosso

This semester was the first time I ever watched Porco Rosso. I have to say I liked it a lot. I personally loved the way Miyazaki set up the opening sequence. In this scene, we the seaplane pilots stealing money from a cruise ship. What made this scene very funny was the fact that the little girl on the ship showed no fear of the pilots. It was nice to see fearless little girls taking advantage of the pilots. Miyazaki creates a strong emphasis over who is dominant by having these large men contrasted with the little girls. I found it very ironic to see that the pilots were losing control of the situation with the little girls. What made the scene even more funny was knowing that the little girls were on the swim team. They didn't have to worry about drowning or anything else for that matter since Porco came to their rescue. By the end of the scene, Miyazaki continues the running gag of the little girls by having them excessively playing around and asking Porco questions.

Something I thought was interesting was how Porco refuses to take a life. Near the end of the film, Porco and Curtiss are shown fighting against one another in a dogfight. After countless barrel rolls, the crowd begins to question why Porco refuses to shoot. The leader of the seaplane pilots then explains to Fio that Porco is “not a killer.” Porco refuses to shoot if he thinks it might endanger or kill Curtiss. I thought this scene showed a different side of Porco that we may not have noticed before.

Another thing I found interesting was how much Fio reminded me of Nasuciaa. They both have short red hair and they are are very talented when it comes to technology. Fio also appears to be brave just like Nausicaa in times when she needs to be. One example is in the scene when Fio confronts the seaplane pilots and lectures them about having honor.