Early in 2007 I decided I would try and teach myself Japanese. To that end, I began buying various books on the subject, but also thought it would be a good idea to buy various Japanese anime too. I'd always been a fan of Japanese cartoons as much of my early life was spent abroad, so often it was the only kind of cartoon I encountered.

'Porco Rosso' was released in 1992 by Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli is probably one of the better known animation houses from Japan in the west, having produced some of the most popular animations in Japan, many of which have been exported to the west and have had an English script and soundtrack dubbed for them. Films such as 'Spirited Away', 'Princess Mononoke' and 'Kiki's Delivery Service' to name but three. 'Porco Rosso' is the second in a series of DVDs being released for the western market.

'Porco Rosso' is about an Italian seaplane pilot, originally named Marco, who has had a curse placed on him and was turned into a pig. Having deserted from the Italian air force after The Great War, (or the First World War as it was later known), Porco Rosso becomes a bounty hunter, protecting the skies in the Adriatic from pirates. Due to his red place, he is nick-named 'The Crimson Pig'.
Like many other Studio Ghibli animations, this movie is set in a kind of 1930/1940s era, but an era where the Second World War never happened. As such we see Porco and various other characters flying around in propeller-powered aeroplanes, both mono-winged and bi-winged.

The movie itself is well animated - indeed, if nothing else with Studio Ghibli, you always know that the animation is going to be first rate - with plenty of visual splendour that should keep children entertained, as well as impressing adults too. I have found that they always animate water very well, as well as smoke. For some reason in almost every Studio Ghibli animation I've seen someone is always smoking.
In addition to the animation, there are also some excellent performances from the voice talents. The English version of the movie stars Michael Keaton (Beetle Juice, Batman) and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men In Tights) as Porco Rosso and his nemesis Curtis respectively. It also stars Kimberly Williams as Fio, the young girl who redesigns Porco's plane after a crash and goes with him as his "on-board" engineer, as well as various other talented actors and actresses providing various other parts.

I think where the movie suffers most is from a lack of detail regarding the back-story. For example, you know that Porco Rosso has been cursed, but you never find out why or what he did to deserve it. That said, I realise that looking at this through the eyes of an adult, (well, physically anyway - I probably still have the mental age of a five year-old in fairness), it is possible to over analyse the plot; however it has to be remembered that in Japan, much more so than in the west, animation is not solely for children's entertainment. I've watched many other Studio Ghibli animations that were rated 'U' or 'PG' and thought that there was something for everyone to enjoy, regardless of their age. 'Porco Rosso' however felt a little underplayed. I can accept a pig flying a plane, but I would have liked to of known how that came to happen.

Another potential issue some people might have with the movie is the ending. Rather than the expected '…and they all lived happily ever after', there's a more '…life continued as it always was' sort of vibe. I myself found this a refreshing change, though it did seem a little odd in an animation of this sort. I wouldn't say I was disappointed by the ending, but I was left with a few questions I would've liked answered.

That said, the script overall is very well written and does have some genuinely funny moments. For that reason I found I wasn't too annoyed about not having more back-story or by the ending and was still able to enjoy the movie in its own right. Equally, there are some well written sections where the back-story is revealed wonderfully. For example, we find that when Porco returns to Milan the authorities have a warrant for his arrest, but it's not immediately clear why. Soon after we discover that he deserted his post as a fighter pilot in the air force. These sections I felt where well done and helped to engage the viewer, whilst at the same time helping to explain certain events.

With regards to the DVD itself, like every other disc in the Studio Ghibli collection, the disc is a fairly basic affair, without any booklet or chapter-sheet. This, however, is not any great disappointment for myself as I purchased this on special offer from Amazon for around five pounds or so. I think if you were to pay the recommended retail price, (I think that's about £9.99) then the lack of a booklet might be a little disappointing - however, if you're interested in this movie, I'd recommend shopping around as I think you'd be able to get it fairly cheap.

The DVD itself comes on one disc, which also contains some 'Special Features', these are: -

- Complete Storyboards
- Interview with producer Toshio Suzuki
- Original Japanese Trailers

On top of these Special Features, the disc also allows you to play the movie with both the English soundtrack, with English subtitles for the hard of hearing, or alternatively play the original Japanese version, (which also features English subtitles).
I myself have always enjoyed watching these sort of animations in their native tongue, as often the English scripts are different to the script and the story is often changed. If you're interested in learning Japanese, this is also quite a useful means of hearing the language in its natural state, rather than the "Received Pronunciation" often encountered in books and tapes - what you're taught and how the language is actually used can often be very different.

Navigating the disc is very simple, with the menus easily accessible and it is very easy to find your way around to the Special Features, or to change the language set-up, etc. I've always found DVDs menus from the Studio Ghibli Collection to be of a high standard and 'Porco Rosso' is no exception.

The special features aren't really at that impressive to be honest. The interview with Toshio Suzuki is interesting, but very short. He says that this is the first movie by Hayao Miyazaki that was aimed more at adults than children, which I found a little surprising to be honest.

The storyboard feature is something that I occasionally find interesting as, although it is just rough sketches, it can often be insightful to see alternate angles, etc. that perhaps didn't make it into the final cut. For those people who enjoy this sort of thing, this is probably the best Special Feature on the disc.

Had I paid full price for this DVD, I think I'd be a little disappointed by the amount of the Special Features. Having bought it at a reduced price I myself am not so bothered by the lack of features, as what is there is of a reasonable standard - however, it's worth baring in mind should you be tempted to pay full price for this disc.

Personally, I would say that 'Porco Rosso' isn't the best Studio Ghibli movie I've seen in terms of plot, but the animation is still enjoyable and the movie does have some interesting ideas, as well as being entertaining overall. I would recommend this to people who know they already enjoy Japanese animations, especially if you're a fan of Studio Ghibli in particular, but if you've never encountered this sort of thing before, or you've toyed with the idea of getting in the anime, but never actually watched any, then I think there are more captivating movies available, (such as 'Spirited Away' or 'Princess Mononoke' from Studio Ghibli alone) which would be a better introduction to the genre. Recommended, but not my first choice personally.