Ghibli animation films are “often considered as artistic productions, both entertaining and meaningful” (Gan 2009, p. In the field of animation studies, animation films by Studio Ghibli have been frequently analyzed as a case study. Accordingly, my analysis of Porco Rosso is situated in the framework of peace research and international relations, such as non-killing philosophy, soft power/hard power, and conflict prevention/conflict resolution. Like Waltz, I argue here that Porco became a pig because he hates the following three factors: man (egoism), the state (nationalism) and war (militarism). According Kenneth Waltz, theorist of international politics, the causes of war occur on three levels: individual, domestic, and international. Building on Kazami et al’s work, this paper attributes the reason that Porco became a pig to the following three aspects: “man, the state and war” (Waltz, 1959).

Similarly, Kazami et al (2002), among others, (Kano 2006 Kiridoshi 2008) provide some answers to the central question of the film: Why did Porco turn into a pig? The primary reason is that he was traumatized by the war. Scholarship on this film has focused on issues of “war and peace,” especially in terms of the “non-war” ( hisen) message (e.g. The name of the hero of our story is Crimson Pig.” It tells a story of a valiant pig, who fought against flying pirates, for his pride, for his lover, and for his fortune. A synopsis of the comic story is literally “typed” at the beginning of Porco Rosso, as follows: “This motion picture is set over the Mediterranean Sea in an age when seaplanes ruled the waves. This paper examines Porco Rosso ( Kurenai no Buta), which is based on 15 pages of Hikotei Jidai ( The Golden Age of the Flying Boat), a comic created by Hayao Miyazaki and released in the animation journal, Model Graphics, No.14-16 in 1990 (Kiridoshi 2008, p. In this context, the film forwards Miyazaki’s anti-war message. Indeed, in an interview just before the release of Porco Rosso, Miyazaki stated that the film is relevant to the Gulf War, and referred to the Yugoslav Wars as ethnic and nationalistic conflicts (Miyazaki 1996, p. 72), this film conveys the important memory of war, especially the interwar era and the post-Cold War world.

Although Miyazaki has been attracted by seaplanes designed and manufactured during the period between the First World War and the Second World War (Kiridoshi 2008, p. As such, the film Porco Rosso (1992) can be categorized as “anti-war propaganda” (Okuda 2003, p. Some animated films, however, contribute to conveying an anti-war pacifist point of view (Takai 2011). Historically, animated cartoons and movies have been used as ‘propaganda’ in war (Roffat 2011).

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