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The Wait For It Podcast
Hosted by MrEricAlmighty and PhilTheFilipino, the guys discuss all things in Pop Culture from movies, gaming, anime and anything in between. New episodes every Wednesday, all you have to do is...WAIT FOR IT!
The Wait For It Podcast
International Feature: Porco Rosso
What happens when you mix the whimsical world of Studio Ghibli with the gritty backdrop of post-World War I Europe? Thanks to one of our Patrons, we explore the often-overlooked, "Porco Rosso," in our latest edition of International Feature. Many consider this film a hidden gem that offers a fresh perspective within the beloved Ghibli collection, standing out against more recognized titles like "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle."
From the breathtaking animation that Studio Ghibli is renowned for to the poignant themes of historical significance, "Porco Rosso" captivates us with its unique narrative style. We unravel the layers of this film, acknowledging both its visual brilliance and its narrative quirks, like unresolved plot points and the peculiar romantic undertones. While some of these elements might prompt mixed feelings, we appreciate the distinctive charm that this film offers, particularly for the biggest fans of the Ghibli universe. Looking ahead, we ponder the future Ghibli adventures on the podcast with titles like "Princess Mononoke" and "Grave of the Fireflies" on our radar.
Letterbox'd Synopsis: In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew’s American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.
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Speaker 1:Mr Eric Almighty and Phil the Filipino. Yeah, they've got you covered, and all you gotta do is wait for it.
Speaker 2:This is the Wait For it Podcast. Hey, everyone, welcome back to the Wait For it Podcast. I am your co-host, phil Barrera, aka Phil the Filipino, and joining me, as always, is your other co-host, mr Eric Almighty. And Eric, we are here with the November edition of the International Feature series still going strong. It's been full of ups and downs, but one thing it has consistently been is fun and entertaining, and that's definitely what you're going to get out of this episode here today. Out of this episode here today.
Speaker 2:So, as we navigate through this discussion, know that we are coming off a very, very successful weekend at NakamaCon 2024. So much fun. Shout out to Sean and the entire team for continuing to have us continuing to partner with the Wave4 podcast. Hi, eric, I know I'm speaking for you and saying that we had an absolute blast. I met a lot of really fun new people and we hope to see a lot of you more in 2025 as that event continues to grow and make its rounds in the convention circuit. But we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about a film that has been requested by one of our I think, really our very first patron, which is Briar. Shout out to him, who has been just an incredible supporter of this podcast, which is why I'm going to do my very best not to upset him here today, because I do not want to lose that patronage from Briar here this evening as you record this episode tonight. So Eric Studio Ghibli, number three, here we go. Let's see what happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, phil, is notorious if you're new to the podcast. Uh, studio ghibli film's been a little bit of a mixed bag, to be honest, phil. We talked about it in the pre-show to uh, to kind of keep it positive, but you straight up sounded like the meme where michael jackson's like but I doing concerts and they make him do it again and he's like I loved going on tour. Then everybody immediately breaks it's. You might need to put that in here. But you, phil, have continued to go against the grain, to go against your initial feelings on it, to give it a shot.
Speaker 1:And this one was perfect because we did get recommended this particular film by our patron briar as well as phil. I've noticed this is one of those kind of like hidden gems for people when it comes to studio ghibli. So, unlike your spirited away or the highly anticipated boy in the heron that we've covered before, this one's kind of an interesting one to tackle because we're featuring it, because it's not one that everyone knows about or has seen as much as the other Ghibli films. So, while it's our first time watching it, I think it's a unique film just to kind of feature here on this series, because it's one that a lot of people either miss, don't know about or just never gave a chance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is definitely one I've never heard of, especially when you tell people that you're not necessarily a big Ghibli fan, they're like, oh, you should watch Howl's Moving Castle or Kiki's Delivery Service or this or that. I had never heard of Porco Rosso until Breyer started mentioning it. So this is a long time coming and, again, we do owe this to him and we promised that we would give it a shot, and that is what we are doing here today, so we'll dive into that conversation here in just a moment. Just want to welcome in any brand new listeners as well as returning listeners. To the way for podcast, we appreciate all your support as we wind down 2024. Crazy to think that we are here at the end of another year and the amount of content that is coming your way, not just for the WayForward podcast, but we got the Christmas special coming up, right, eric. We have a wrap up of the video game fantasy league that we were in with the Friendly Neighborhood Gamers, and then, of course, our end of the year awards 2025 Foresight. Like it is stacked. We like to think that this time of the year awards 2025 foresight. Like it is stacked. We like to think that this time of the year is when we take a little bit of time off because there's like maybe one or two less episodes. That's not what. What's happening on the back end, guys, just so you know we are working and we are working hard. So we appreciate you guys supporting us and continuing to listen as we turn the page into a new year. But let's dive in.
Speaker 2:International feature Porco Rosso came out in 1992. Obviously, studio Ghibli, so it was directed by the highly acclaimed Miyazaki. Here is the letterboxed synopsis. In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War One flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend, madam Gina.
Speaker 2:So, eric, you already kind of touched on this. As far as this not being part of the typical Studio Ghibli gallery, I know you watched this here earlier today and, in the interest of not coming off as negative as possible, I would like you to go. I'm going to hand this off to you and let's see where you would like to to start and see where, uh, on kickoff, where you bring the ball to um out of the, do you bring it out of the end zone? Do you take a knee? What are you gonna do here?
Speaker 1:yeah, no, I mean the first toss up here and, phil, I'm gonna give you a chance to kind of speak to this a little bit, because it's not, it's not anything unique. Uh, to say, studio ghibli films look great. They just really do. I think with this movie in particular. Studio Ghibli films always can capture attention, but this movie did it several times. For me it was a very for the year it came out, for it to still look this good and, mind you, I watched this on Max, I'm sure you did as well. That's where it's currently streaming.
Speaker 1:Has there been a remastered version? Possibly? But even with that, it just looks really good for a film that age and I think, phil, that's a great thing to call out to start. It might be the low-hanging fruit here, but I'm curious what? What has this done for your look or your feeling towards Studio Ghibli, at least from an animation perspective? Did it continue that trend of being a good-looking film that you can enjoy and respect from that aspect, or did this take a step back because it is a little bit of an older Miyazaki film?
Speaker 2:No, it definitely upheld the continued standard when it comes to animation.
Speaker 2:There's actually one shot in here that I really really loved, where Porco is seeing all of his companions and fellow pilots flying into whatever that is. It's some sort of representation of moving on. You just see all of those pilots and, like at first I couldn't really like tell what it was, but then when you kind of do realize what's going on, you know you see all of this happening or all of these pilots flying into the afterlife or whatever it's supposed to represent. I thought that shot was really really cool and kind of just a reminder, especially, you know, as we're recording this here on Veterans Day, you know, kind of reminding you of the really tragic history of World War I and how many people did unfortunately lose their lives. And that shot in particular is the one that will stand out when I hopefully look back on this after some of the negative thoughts have left me and you know we're removed from this episode. I hope that is the one thing I remember, but it will be accompanied by some of the other things that we'll discuss here tonight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and before we get to that, I think on the positive end, phil, I think this will speak to some of your complaints about studio ghibli films in general, but this film, I think, at least, leans into some realism where you have films like your spirited away, your house moving castle. Compared to a film like this, this is a little bit more grounded. Now, yes, our main character is a pig and we don't know why, but outside of that and maybe a couple of other elements, this film at least is grounded from its location, its story, a little bit more directness in its narrative and at least, phil, I feel like we could walk away explaining this film to another person where the last two ghibli films we saw, not exactly knowing what's going on on first watch through. Did you at least feel from a narrative or plot perspective that that's accurate to say, and were there any other additional kind of comments when it came to the story that were positives for you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, structure wise, this is the one that has made the most sense out of all of them. You know it follows a pretty straightforward plot line. Does it explain some of the most important things that are going on in this movie? No, but it does at least go from point A to point B to point C and then, you know, even though it makes some very interesting choices at the end, again, when it comes to some of the really strong parts of this film, that's also whenever you know he's flying around a lot of the air combat is really, really cool, which makes the decision for the climax of the film really really strange. So I'm sure we'll get to that here in just a moment. But no, structurally, storyboard-wise, everything I followed this one better than much, much better than the last two.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean that's pretty obvious when it comes to our experience. I'm curious if there's other, more grounded films out there that you would really enjoy. Now, knowing that and looking back now, do I think we're going to continue to watch Studio Ghibli films for you to get trashed on the Internet for your thoughts? Maybe not, but I will say I think that even though it may not be the outcome that we wanted, especially for this particular episode, I think it's a step in the right direction. But time will tell on this episode whether that comes to fruition.
Speaker 1:For me, phil, the last kind of thing I want to hit on, before we talk about some of those nagging things that you're itching to get to, is characters. When it comes to characters in this particular film, there are a couple of standouts. The one I'm going to talk about is Fio. I just really liked that particular character in this particular film and I really liked the spunk, I liked the attitude. There are some things I didn't like revolving the treatment of that character, but that's a sign of the times. There's a lot of other things around it. We're going to get to that. It looks like what character or characters did you kind of come away from the film, enjoying the most, if at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, certainly Theo, and I think again, if this were written differently, I think that could have been a really, really feel good relationship, as opposed to coming away feeling gross, which is a little bit of a precursor to what we're going to talk about here in just a moment. I also thought the American pilot was kind of interesting Again, some gross stuff on that character's end as well, but in terms of just like the representation of kind of like the you know, we just watched like Top Gun earlier in this year right, like the kind of cocky flyboy that has come up here in previous episodes, I thought that character was pretty interesting. But yeah, theo is certainly the standout, which makes the events that happened around her all the more icky, I'll put it that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So icky is definitely one way to describe it. Um, I will say, when it comes to studio Ghibli films, I think when these types of movies are recommended, these are films that you connected with and I I particularly feel this way. You connected with these films at a particular age maybe, and again, I could absolutely see where some things or themes in these Studio Ghibli films kind of go over your head as you're younger and because you've connected with the film, you might enjoy it, despite some of those icky or conflicting themes that some of us may feel on some of the topics.
Speaker 1:This is also just such a different cultural movie compared to many other what you would call cartoons, but this movie makes it kind of feel like it's cartoony. It's for kids, but we know better, it's not. This is an anime film with some adult themes. I think those two things get mixed up quite a bit and that's what makes it hard to provide critiques on a Studio Ghibli film where everybody again mainly just has positives for maybe, that nostalgia. I say all that because we're going to transition now to some of those opportunities, some of the things we didn't like, some of the icky stuff. So, phil, I'm going to ask you to kind of pick the biggest gripe you have with this film. Two, some of those opportunities, some of the things we didn't like, some of the icky stuff. So, phil, I'm going to ask you to kind of pick the biggest gripe you have with this film and then we're going to work our way from that top of the hill, top of the mountain.
Speaker 2:What's your biggest gripe with Porco Rosso Studio Ghibli films? For me are the IPAs of anime, and if you don't know what that means, an IPA beer drinker is the most smug, annoying type of alcoholic. They swear to you that the hops and the ingredients that are in this beer make it really, really good, and then you drink it and it tastes like dirt. And that is what I have been force fed here over the last couple years is you guys swear that I'll love this dirt and I just don't really have the taste for dirt, and that is what's continuing to happen Now. When it's all said and done and reflected in my score, I enjoyed this more than the other two as far as a Ghibli film, as far as the other two Ghibli films that we have watched.
Speaker 2:But, like you alluded to and we're trying to like tiptoe around like we were just talking about everybody fawning over a 17-year-old girl I don't care what time frame, time period we're in, it's gonna be gross and it's just. It's so prevalent throughout the entire thing and it's not, it's not excusable Even if it happens just once. But if it happens, you're like, eh, that's a cultural thing. We've watched enough of these international movies to know, yeah, that's weird, but it's not brought up again. Everyone's in love with this kid.
Speaker 2:Throughout this entire movie and that's what I was alluding to is there was a real chance to make Porco and Fio's relationship like a father-daughter type of thing, which we are big fans of. We've seen that in plenty of shows and movies that we like. But when she kisses him at the end of the movie I'm like, oh, come on, I already didn't feel great about it. And then they do that and again it's just something that doesn't make me feel good. And it's brought up quite a bit in a lot of the more negative reviews on Letterboxd. So it starts there for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know this is a movie that's been out for quite a time, so we're not going to really do much of a spoiler warning for the rest of the episode. But you know again, if you haven't seen it and you want to form your own opinion, definitely do so. But I think, phil, you're definitely on point with it. The reason I say cultural and I mentioned that is because again, there is, there just is a difference, like there just is a difference out there, depending on the time period and depending on, like, the country and the area. Like, again, not excusing it, but I can at least acknowledge it. That being said, you're completely valid. Like it happened one too many times for me from a comfort level. It was just.
Speaker 1:It was such a weird plot line to have, especially because again it seemed like Porco had a romantic interest, or at least in him, so that didn't really make that much sense. It also wasn't needed in the film for the story they were telling. I don't think any romantic element here enhanced the film or changed it in any way. You could have done the movie without it. So when there are things like that that you don't enjoy, that are kind of in the film for no reasons, apparently, I can definitely see that being an absolute negative. What are some other things that stood out to you that bothered you? Because I really only have a handful, but they were definitely enough to bother me, and what you just mentioned was one of them I feel like we never really got an answer as to why he is a pig.
Speaker 2:Is it how he views himself? Because, remember, there's that moment where feel like sees him through like blurred eyes as a man, and then we just never really go back to it. So, yes, I know that it's very much talking on like survivor's guilt and everything like that and that, in and of itself, relating it to like I don't feel human anymore is an interesting concept. But why, like you gotta finish, you gotta go all the way through with this story and give us some answers and we just don't get that and I don't think there was ever. Really I don't think Miyazaki does sequels right, so it's not like we were going to get an answer later down the road.
Speaker 2:And I think that's one of the most frustrating things about all of these that we've watched so far is there is so much we've talked about this extensively on the podcast when you have to go two or three layers deeper to find the meaning. I think once in a while that is obviously okay when you have to find a deeper meaning to a certain character's personality or backstory or something, or their intentions or whatever that is, but when it's like the focus of the entire movie, all the time like, oh, this is what this means, this is what that means, this is what he was trying to portray here. If that's all you're doing, then like you're gonna lose me. You know, and you asked me right before we had gotten started did I watch any videos about this before we recorded? And no, I didn't, because I really didn't care to learn more about this. So the fact that they didn't give us some sort of answer on that was definitely frustrating, because it was one of the other more interesting plot lines that they were handling in the film.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know I'll help you out with maybe some of the the social media content because, like the ipa clip is gonna bang so hard. I'm so excited to watch the comments on that one. Uh. So yeah, great clip content there. Thank you for that. The internet's gonna go wild.
Speaker 1:For me, studio ghibli is one of those franchises in anime and just in general that I think constantly applies to the I don't want to watch a YouTube video afterwards complaint that many people have, including you and me. Now, do we do that deep dive and enjoy the movie or appreciate it a little bit more at times? Absolutely. But if you're gonna sit there and say that you watched a Studio Ghibli film and you understood the symbolism and all of the little hidden things you're lying On your first watch through, you did not. Maybe you caught onto it over time and maybe some of you did, like there is a small amount of you that culturally understood everything and that story really resonated with you.
Speaker 1:But for most of us I think we can try to admit to ourselves this is something that kind of goes over your head and has been our experience in watching some of these films. My example spirited away. I watched spirited away. The first time I did not like it like at all and then I watched it a second time, with the intention of just going with the vibe, and I enjoyed it a lot more. I also read up on some things about it. So my second watch through I could appreciate it a little bit more.
Speaker 1:I don't think personally you should criticize people for having to do that and I don't think you should sit on this entitled pedestal thinking that you got it the first time you watched it too Like. It's that behavior that I think bothers me the most, because if that movie didn't resonate with you, you didn't like it, it wasn't your thing. You shouldn't have to watch a movie multiple times, read a book, understand the youtube breakdown of the film and its ending and its themes to then join a fan base or be appreciated on your opinion. That's where I kind of stand on it, but I just don't feel I I definitely understand where you're coming from when it comes to these films. This is another example more straightforward story, but still so many different things that aren't explained or are underlying themes or symbolism that, unless you want to go find it, you're never going to learn about and you're never going to watch this movie again ever going to watch this movie again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that is very well put because, you know, as we prepare for any type of backlash, you know the whole thing is going to be. You know we saw when, when, you know, with Boy in the Heron and, and Spirited Away. So, yeah, I shouldn't have to do any of that in order to understand or enjoy the film. And people are going to keep recommending a different Ghibli film and I don't know that I'm going to watch the whole weekend. That's all I got. You should try this one. I bet you'll like this one, and I'm just probably not going to do it. So that's where we are.
Speaker 1:That's the thing about recommending Studio Ghibli films. When you recommend a Studio Ghibli film you're coming from like such a personal, deep connection, like a movie like Porco Rosso or Kiki's Delivery Service. These are not films that I think are highly watchable to a casual audience. So why you would recommend that every time Studio Ghibli gets brought up? I don't understand. If you bring up like a Howl's Moving Castle and a Spirited Away, I know that you think, as a Studio Ghibli fan, that that is like peak and that is everyone would love this.
Speaker 1:But the reality is even those top tier films are not for all audiences. It just isn't. And the sooner we acknowledge that, the better off you'll be. When you recommend that film and then they don't like it, because that's exactly what would happen. These movies at their core are possibly mid-tier movies on the bad end and potential masterpieces if you absolutely resonate with the film. But that's such a few far and in between way to view a movie that it just leads to that divide when you put your opinion out there and say you don't like it and and then people call you a troll and then you're just doing hot takes for clicks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because again, and out of those hundreds, thousands, whatever how many views it does, no one's coming back to listen to. This is the other thing that's frustrating and that's fine, and I'm also a victim of that, or I'm also guilty of that as well, in terms of not seeking out later the full context of things. The other example that I can give is so like I've shown my daughter obviously a goofy movie Space Jam two movies that were like core pillars of my childhood, and she doesn't really enjoy them. She likes the music of a goofy movie, but in terms of that story when it came out, when it was in that time of my life, and then also space jam a huge michael jordan fan as a kid. But when you go back and watch space jam as an adult, you're like this isn't a very good movie for the runtime. I didn't realize. I don't know if you've watched base jam as an adult, eric, they get to the basketball game so fast, like it happens within the hour I'm like, wow, they really recruited this basketball team quickly.
Speaker 1:That movie moves at breakneck speed and I know that because the only down, the only downtime they had was the one part where they had to go get his shoes get his shorts shorts. That's it, and I remember specifically because I was like man, we kind of slowed down there for a second, but the rest of it, and then it cuts to the game they get in shorts.
Speaker 2:I think they have a practice and then and then they're at the game so it's quick watch.
Speaker 2:Watching that as an adult I was like boy. This is a poorly paced movie, but I still love it because of what it represented. What represented it, that's not a word. What it represented for me in terms of my childhood. Same thing with the Goofy movie as far as like where my relationship with my dad at the time, but also really loving that music and like being in like that Michael Jackson era too. Uh, second time Michael Jackson's come up in this episode, that's crazy. But as far as what Powerline represented, but like that's, that's the thing.
Speaker 2:So, like you may have watched Porco Rosso or Spirited Away or if you're you know, or newer to Miyazaki, so many people are going to resonate with the boy in the heron and that's just where it is for me and that's probably where it's going to sit when we're 0 for 3. Like I'm not going to go the Jujutsu Kaisen round and watch 17 of these, and I'm not going to go the Jujutsu Kaisen round and watch 17 of these. I'm also not going to watch them in sub. That's just where I'm at right now. That is what it is. If you want to come for me, come for me. I'll check the comments once every couple weeks and respond to you way too late.
Speaker 1:Or just thoughts, Don't, just don't. No, no, it's okay, I'll get to it. Just leave it be, leave it be, I'll get to it. I will say your, your undying hatred for spirited away is still one of those contention pieces for me. Only because I think and again, not telling you you should have to do this, but I think upon a re-watch and that's the asterisk with all of these films is I feel like you really can't judge a film until you've seen it at least twice. You can't judge a film truly, but you can walk away from a film being like that, uh, from a film being like that's not my vibe upon one one watch.
Speaker 1:So for spirited away again with I mentioned earlier, that's my one out of three still is like that's a movie. I still walk away and like I get the appeal. But again, the Boy and the Heron, not really something I get the appeal for, not in this day and age. And Porco Rosso I understand the potential cult appeal back then, but to see it now in 2024 with this lens, definitely a struggle. And I think if you already have an attachment to this film, this film is a movie that means a lot to you but maybe not highly accessible to just anyone, but by all means, if you're a fascist, you're Italian, or maybe you're a pig, that might be something that resonates with you, and then I'd recommend it in those terms. So listen.
Speaker 2:The I'd rather be a pig than a fascist line is top tier I I wish we had mentioned that on the other side of the episode, but oh, that is a so, so maybe the the biggest negative for me.
Speaker 1:I don't know if this is a hot take, because you haven't mentioned it. I thought you were going to take it, so now I'm worried it's just me. Michael Keaton is not good in this right?
Speaker 2:Oh no, not really. And a lot of people do praise him in these Letterboxd reviews, but I wasn't crazy about the voice acting in general for the most part.
Speaker 1:For the most part he sounds out of place In general. For the most part. For the most part he sounds out of place Like I know. At some points he's kind of talking to himself. But even when he's talking in character he sounds like he's narrating what the voice actor for Porco Rosso should be saying.
Speaker 1:I can see that they had a voice actor do the role of Porco Rosso, didn't like it and said Michael Ke Keaton, come in and do the overlay. And yeah, I'm glad I at least fit that in there. I almost forgot, cause I was for sure that it couldn't just be me and then you didn't bring it up, so I'm glad it's not just me.
Speaker 2:And then for maybe this will be the last thing we end on this far as the finale, like we talked about in the pros, like one of the coolest things was the dog fighting and the flight, and then it just ends in a fist fight. What the hell was that narrative decision? Like I do not understand why these pilots Now listen. Top Gun, maverick, they took them out of the planes. We were like this, fucking rules.
Speaker 1:So yeah, no, so, really don't listen to us, do not listen to us.
Speaker 2:But there's also other really great things in Top Gun Maverick. When we're talking about Porco Rosso, which we didn't really enjoy except for the, the flying part, and then they fist fight, didn't make any sense. I don't. I didn't get that.
Speaker 1:I just think, from a steak perspective, there wasn't a lot to really chew into for this like and this is the the knock on a lot of studio ghibli films that we've seen. The caveat is, you know, we haven't seen all of them. I just don't feel the stakes because it's such a one narrative goal in mind, which is we're going to keep a simple story together and it's going to be held together by these really cool aesthetics and these really bombastic characters and this, these interesting locations, and I just don't know that that's enough to forgive some of the things that just don't land for us as viewers, phil. So that's my biggest, probably takeaway on that comment is just I think there's a lot going on in this film and just narratively, while it is simpler, easier to understand, I can explain this to somebody there are plenty of things that happen in this movie that just happen for the sake of happening and that seems to be a Ghibli trait that is just not working for us.
Speaker 2:Ghibli trait that is just not working for us. Yeah, well, as with most of the Ghibli films, as we transition into the reception to this movie, we are on the other end. A 96% tomato meter score, 87% popcorn meter score for users, and then, as far as on Letterboxd, a 4.0, which is crazy to me that it's that high. Again, not that I think that this is a bad movie per se, but it doesn't make me feel very good, is, I guess, how I will explain it. I ended up giving this a two, which I think is pretty much in line with some of the other ones, but again, out of the three that we have watched, this is the one that I enjoyed the most. Eric, what did you end up giving it? And then we'll talk about where it ranks in terms of the other international feature films on our list.
Speaker 1:So I gave this one a two and a half. I was pretty sure, walking out of this, that I'd enjoy it slightly more than you, but it's just not. It's not for me a movie that I would recommend to people, but for a two and a half. While that's the case, I can at least see some type of audience for this. And again, a lot of these films that I rank at this rating are like all I could understand if you say like a three or even a three and a half movie. But yeah, fill a four average on Letterboxd kind of crazy to me. And I think, again, it's that Ghibli nostalgia effect that really has a grip on people when they recommend these movies, when they talk about these movies and when they're hearing critiques about the film. I think a lot of those things come into play when it's ghibli and that's just becoming more apparent than ever.
Speaker 1:But I will say this I'm I am not giving up. Phil might be. It's probably going to be a very long time before even broaching the conversation is even possible with Phil, which is understandable. But I will call out two films that I am personally interested in seeing that I have never seen and I do plan on watching before I ever bring it up to Phil. So I will not bring this up as a let's do an episode and let's see what we think. I will have to know or really think that Phil would wanna watch it.
Speaker 1:Phil's heard this Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke is a film I hear a lot about. It's a little bit more mature. I really wanna check that out and I think that's a potential contender. The other one in film circles is called Grave of the Fireflies. That just hit on Netflix and that is one people talk about a lot, being an extreme heartbreaker talking about war. Both of these films in line with that type of theme. So I really want to check out those particular movies.
Speaker 1:I'm hopeful one of those two films could make a return on this series, or I think Mononoke would be more of a late to the party, like Spirited Away, but Grave of the Fireflies might be a great international feature. Gonna be a long time before we get there, so I'll probably have watched that and I'll be spending months convincing Phil if I even like both of those films or either of them. So, with that being said, there's still a spark, a little flame that we're not done. But yeah, I mean, oh, and three for you film it's I. You haven't ranked a Studio Ghibli film over a three yet at all where I have, with Spirited Away. Right, this was the highest the highest.
Speaker 2:A two is the highest. Oh, oh, ouch, I gave Boy in the Heron and Spirited Away a one and a half. Still. Still one of the things.
Speaker 1:Actually, I might have given Boy in the Heron a two. Yeah, still one of the things I can't defend you on. But you would rank Porco over Boy in the Heron at a two.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes. So where it lands in terms of my international feature list? Now, this is a little difficult because Spirited Away is on late to the party and these two, these other two, are on international features. So it is above Boy and the Heron and it is above Bahubali, but behind Belle on my list for international feature. And then, like Spirited Away is only is only ahead of the Shining in international feature, I then like spirited away is only um is only ahead of the shining international feature, I mean late to the party yeah, absolutely right there too.
Speaker 1:There there are so many of these iconic films and the reason akira and spirited away are, uh, akira, akira. Why? Why akira and spirited away are on late to the party is because those are like globally like known films, like even if you've never seen them, you know about them. Where the boy and the heron, I mean, people knew about it, but it's the same thing like ghibli fans were excited for that and porco rosso's, like this underrated or like undervalued cult classic within ghibli. With all that being said, I do have porco Rosso, uh, ranked above films like Bahubali and Hero, which are my bottom two ranked that we've watched on this series, but it is under, right under the boy in the hair, and I think I liked the boy in the hair and a smidge more than this, um, and also the host, right above that. So this ranks 23rd out of 25 for me. We have a lot of great series on here, phil, out of all of the movies that are on here for this particular series, for anybody that listened to this and say, why would I listen to these guys? You know, bash a movie. I have only rated three movies on this series, one of them being this one under a three rating, so that, for whatever context that provides, uh, that is where I stand and, yeah, I'm excited for the opportunity for us to continue to look at patreon as an opportunity to satisfy some movie recommendations.
Speaker 1:Just don't want to alienate you. So, bri Briar, personal apology here at the end Before we close we love you, man. Don't leave us, please. You've been with us since day one. We're so sorry. The one thing you can't say is we didn't go in with a positive mindset. Even Phil, he didn't want to do it, but he said I'm going to do it, I'm going to go in with an open mind. But yeah, the writing was on the wall early and you know we did our best.
Speaker 2:We did our best might be the tagline for this episode, as we tried. We certainly tried. But yes, that is the international feature Porco Rosso. Do we have our international feature for December locked in yet? I think we were throwing some stuff around because we tried to do something holiday themed. Oh, you know what? There is a film that consistently comes up for when we look up anime and Christmas, so maybe I'll give you guys a little bit of a hint. Maybe this is the year, but that is also an older anime film.
Speaker 1:Those have been hit or miss for us, so we'll see if that ends up being the the uh, the play for december, if you want to fill, because we have seen enough of these. I know we normally do this on late to the party, but it's been fun to do here because I think we did it with the last episode we could do a quick, more like this to wrap up the episode. Uh, so let's take a look here.
Speaker 2:I said that without seeing it, so let me see what's actually on here all ghibli films there is also a similar films option in letterboxd as well, if you want to go that route instead no, let's not do this, this, this, this is like all Ghibli no it's just going to be. Well, I have the, I have the letterboxd ones. I'll throw some out for you. Um, let's see I'll. I'll try and do some that are not. Uh, how did this come up again? We have never, Eric and I had never discussed this film in our entire 20 plus year friendship.
Speaker 1:And this is now the second time that the adventures of tin tin has come up in like a 48 hours. Yeah, 48 hours. We're gonna have to watch the adventures of tin tin listen slept on and it's not.
Speaker 2:It's not called ring tin tin, which no really aged to me over the weekend. Um okay, here we go. Atlantis, the lost empire I'm atl.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure, okay.
Speaker 2:Some of these are really not fair. How to Train your Dragon.
Speaker 1:Don't even bother asking me that question. Treasure Planet. I'm a Treasure Planet like stand. So yeah, no.
Speaker 2:Dude, God, we need a. That is one of the few Disney films I'd be like. Let's get a live action going. Oh for sure, let's get a live action going.
Speaker 1:Oh for sure, let's get a live action Give me maybe Jordan Fisher.
Speaker 2:I could put Jordan Fisher in Treasure Planet.
Speaker 1:What about this one?
Speaker 2:Kubo and the Two Strings. Did you see Kubo?
Speaker 1:I did see Kubo. I would say Kubo, but not by a lot. Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:I enjoyed Kubo. It was one of those films where I thought it was going to be a lot better um than it ended oh, for sure for sure so, uh, susame, figured this was a good one for you I hate me.
Speaker 1:Some susame dude, let me. I'm gonna go just based off of what I ranked it on letterboxd last year. So let me take a look really quick as a reminder. What did I I give this? I gave this a two and a half as well. I'm going to pick Porco Rosso, okay, because I just want to get hate for hating Susame.
Speaker 2:The Sea Beast. Haven't you seen the Sea Beast?
Speaker 1:Yeah, the Sea Beast, I enjoy. I enjoy that movie. Yes, I'd pick that.
Speaker 2:Okay, and then the last one out here I'll throw out here is a movie I think that only you and I enjoyed Rio.
Speaker 1:I mean for the music I got to pick Rio. I don't feel good about that, though. I feel like again, maybe we shouldn't have done this actually now in retrospect. So apologies.
Speaker 2:Have you seen Rio 2? I don't think I ever saw the sequel.
Speaker 1:No, I thought they were supposed to be extinct birds, but they're still around, huh no, they are now.
Speaker 2:Oh, why is there a rio 3?
Speaker 1:unletterboxed. You know, phil, this episode has lost control.
Speaker 2:Maybe, maybe it's time for this to be, uh, to be over uh, yeah, that's probably uh when you whenever we get to the rio portion of the episode, which has come up more often than not in uh history of this podcast, which is really upsetting.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you right now Adventures of Tintin comes up again. We're not doing this, no more.
Speaker 2:We're going to have to watch the movie. It's going to be the next Lego Ninjago.
Speaker 1:Honestly, that'd be a crazy January late to the party. I'm just saying the Adventures of Tintin. We're going to talk about that in the post show. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, anyways, folks, thank you so much for joining us here for the November edition of the international feature. If you want to check out all the rest of our content, including other episodes of this series, you'll find the link tree link in the show notes of this episode. You'll find everything you need, including our social media pages, the most important ones to keep up with being Instagram, tiktok, our Discord channel, as well as YouTube and yeah, that's all of them, as well as YouTube. We also stream every other week on Twitch, as much as we possibly can. It's been a whole lot of fun over. There got a very special episode. This episode drops on Wednesday here, in a couple of days, so if you do listen to it in the day it comes out, have a really, really special Twitch stream planned for this week specifically.
Speaker 2:You can also support the podcast a couple of different ways. One you can head on over to Apple Podcasts, spotify, wherever you're listening. Leave us a five-star review. It is very, very helpful when it comes to helping build the popularity of the show, getting it out to more eyes and ears, and all of that is very, very helpful. You can also just share the content tag us, let us know you're listening, let other people know that you're listening. All of that just means so much to us and we very much appreciate it. But we've talked about patrons quite a bit here in this episode and maybe you're interested in getting some of those perks that they get by being members. Eric will let you know a little bit more about that yeah.
Speaker 1:So if you want to support the show a little bit more and, you know, maybe potentially recommend a movie that we did not enjoy and then alienate, you know us alienate you and you leave us. Please don't leave us. Briar again. We're very sorry. Those things can all happen over on patreon where, for your support, you can get exclusive perks, like behind the scenes and early access to episodes like this one. We're also working through some bonus content as we go into 2025 and a couple of additional perks, depending on the tier that you select, but if that's not your vibe, you're not able to. Whatever the reason is, all the free stuff is great the likes, the comments, the shares, the engagements all of it very, very much appreciated, and we appreciate you for listening through to the end of this episode. My name is mr eric almighty. That is my co-host, phil the filipino, and, please don't forget, we release new episodes for the podcast every Wednesday with bonus content on platforms like Tik, tok and Twitch, and all you have to do is wait for it.
Speaker 2:So I heard you're looking for a go-to source for entertainment Wait for it. Gaming, wait for it. Anime Plus Ultra.
Speaker 1:Mr Eric, almighty and fill the Filipinoipino. Yeah, they've got you covered and all you got to do is wait for it this is the wait for it podcast.
