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Daisuke Akimoto - a Pig, the State, and War: Porco Rosso (Kurenai No Buta)

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Daisuke Akimoto - a Pig, the State, and War: Porco Rosso (Kurenai No Buta) Animation Studies The Peer-reviewed Open Access Online Journal for Animation History and Theory - ISSN 1930-1928 Daisuke Akimoto - A Pig, the State, and War: Porco Rosso (Kurenai no Buta) Date : 01-10-2014 Introduction Historically, animated cartoons and movies have been used as ‘propaganda’ in war (Roffat 2011). Some animated films, however, contribute to conveying an anti-war pacifist point of view (Takai 2011). As such, the film Porco Rosso (1992) can be categorized as “anti-war propaganda” (Okuda 2003, p. 144). 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. 72), this film conveys the important memory of war, especially the interwar era and the post-Cold War world. 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. 519; Miyazaki 2002, p. 95). In this context, the film forwards Miyazaki’s anti-war message. 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. 72). 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. It tells a story of a valiant pig, who fought against flying pirates, for his pride, for his lover, and for his fortune. The name of the hero of our story is Crimson Pig.” Scholarship on this film has focused on issues of “war and peace,” especially in terms of the “non-war” (hisen) message (e.g. Okuda 2003). 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. 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). According Kenneth Waltz, theorist of international politics, the causes of war occur on three levels: individual, domestic, and international. 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). 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. Methodology In the field of animation studies, animation films by Studio Ghibli have been frequently analyzed as a case study. Ghibli animation films are “often considered as artistic productions, both entertaining and meaningful” (Gan 2009, p. 36). There are a large number of publications on the Studio Ghibli’s films, particularly those directed by Hayao Animation Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Animation Studies The Peer-reviewed Open Access Online Journal for Animation History and Theory - ISSN 1930-1928 Miyazaki. Nobuyuki Tsugata (2004), for instance, examined Miyazaki’s works in comparison with the animated cartoons of Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy (1963). Miyazaki’s films also have been discussed compared with Disney animation. For instance, Kaori Yoshida (2011) offered a comparative analysis on Disney’s Pocahontas (1995) and Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke (1997) in terms of national identity. Moreover, some scholars (e.g. Kano 2006; Kiridoshi 2008) provided comprehensive thematic or structural analyses of Miyazaki’s films. However, earlier studies on Miyazaki animation, or Miyazaki-related animation films, do not necessarily focus on the issue of war and peace. Therefore, this paper offers an analysis of Miyazaki-related animation films in terms of war and peace (Table 1). Although the Miyazaki-related films in Table 1 do not directly deal with war themselves, all of them are related to war and peace to a certain extent. Hols: Prince of the Sun (1968) was released in the middle of the Vietnam War (1965-1975) and some combat scenes of the film represent the war. Miyazaki was involved as an animator in the creation of the film with director Isao Takahata, a friend and colleague. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) is a masterpiece, and the film reflects the international politics during the Cold War. The Giant Warrior (kyoshinhei) that caused an apocalyptic war, or the Seven Days of Fire, functions as a symbol of nuclear weaponry. The confrontation between Pejite and Tolmekia, the two powerful countries in the story can similarly be regarded as reflection of the Cold War bipolar structure (Akimoto 2014a). Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) was also created during the middle of the Cold War. The Animation Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Animation Studies The Peer-reviewed Open Access Online Journal for Animation History and Theory - ISSN 1930-1928 number of nuclear warheads in the world reached its peak in the mid-1980s, and the military technology of the legendary castle, Laputa, also symbolizes nuclear weapons. In this film, the word, “peace” is used only one time by Muska, who tries to conquer the world by taking possession of Laputa’s military technology. Obviously, this is a “political satire” by Miyazaki (Akimoto 2014b). Grave of the Fireflies (1988), a fictional film about a Japanese boy and his little sister at the end of the Pacific War (1941-1945), was not directed by Miyazaki but instead by Isao Takahata, another Studio Ghibli director (Akimoto 2014c), but reflects similar anti-war sentiment. In the post-Cold War context, Miyazaki produced Porco Rosso (1992) which depicts the interwar period (1919-1939) of the Adriatic Sea in conjunction with the Yugoslavian War (1991). Miyazaki contributed to the creation of Whisper of the Heart (1994) that has a passing reference to the Second World War (1939-1945). Princess Mononoke (1997) deals with Japanese civil war as well as confrontation between humans and animals. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and the latest film, The Wind Rises (2013) are related to the 2003 Iraq War, and the Asia Pacific War (1931-1945) (Akimoto 2014d; Akimoto 2014e). Thus, the films in which Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli is involved can be analyzed from a perspective of peace research (peace studies), an academic field which examines causes of war and conditions for peace. While ethical and legal issues need to be carefully taken into consideration when teaching Japanese animation (McLelland 2013), Studio Ghibli animation films can be useful as educational materials at the university level (Yonemura 2003, p. 10), particularly in the fields of both peace research and peace education. From the perspective of peace research, Porco Rosso makes a particularly rich case study, particularly because Miyazaki won the best feature film award in the 1993 Annecy International Animation Film Festival (Annecy.org 2013). Due to the award, which is one of the most internationally prestigious animation film festivals, the film was internationally acclaimed, and Miyazaki characterized as “Walt Disney Nippon” (Christin 1997, p. 184). Most reviews of and scholarship on Porco Rosso tend toward general analysis, lacking a specific focus on war and peace (e.g. Animage 1992, 2011; Kazami et al. 2002; Okuda 2003; Kano 2006; Kiridoshi 2008). Moreover, Miyazaki himself has made similar comments on his own work (Miyazaki 1996, 1997, 2013). Yet, none of the earlier studies of the film have investigated them from a perspective of peace research. In order to examine Porco Rosso, which conveys a similar anti-war message to The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) (2013), which narrates Japan’s interwar period and war responsibility (Akimoto 2013a), this paper employs an interdisciplinary approach which combines peace research with animation studies. As an analytical method, this paper combines keyword analysis described above with sequence analysis of character’s lines as well as historical events. The sequence analysis is useful tool to examine timeline sequence (Abbott 1995) and it is applicable to film studies with a particular focus on character’s lines in historical context. Accordingly, the five main characters as well as historical background of this film need to be overviewed in this section. First, the hero of this film is a pig, Porco Rosso who flies in his crimson seaplane, SAVOIA S-21. As a bounty hunter, he cracks down on Aero Viking (Sky Pirates) in the Adriatic Sea after the First World War. He used to be a human (Marco Paggot) and the ace pilot of the Italian Air Force, but he decided to leave the army after the war and cursed himself, turning into a pig. As I outline below, Porco was traumatized by his experiences in the war (Animage 2011, p. 35-37). Second, Madam Gina, a childhood friend of Porco and a Animation Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Animation Studies The Peer-reviewed Open Access Online Journal for Animation History and Theory - ISSN 1930-1928 madam of Hotel Adriano, is one of the two heroines of this film. In the film, it is said that pilots in the Mediterranean Sea tend to fall in love with her and visit Hotel Adriano for her song. She was married to three pilots who were all members of the Flying Club she organized as a child, but all of them died in the Great War, or in a flight accident.
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