Nekomonogatari/Porco Rosso

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been playing the heroine routes in Rewrite.  After finishing them all, I can't wait for the next (and last) patch from Amaterasu Translations.  I can't comment too much on the game, since the wrap-up tends to completely change the reader's perception.  But once it's done, I'll have a full write-up!  ❤Shizuru!

I recently finished Nekomonogatari!
Genre: Supernatural, Psychological, Comedy

I give it a 7/10.  Nekomonogatari is the prequel to SHAFT's acclaimed anime Bakemonogatari.  This four episode anime contains the events surrounding Hanekawa shortly before the beginning of the first season, to be specific, the Black Hanekawa incident.

Story:  Anyone familiar with the previous Bake- and Nisemonogatari anime will find the story a welcome addition to the wordy series.  After all, Araragi and Hanekawa were hinted at having some kind of prior relationship way back during Bakemonogatari.  We knew the basics of what happened, but the backstory is finally revealed.  This series stays true to its siblings, in that the story is presented almost exhaustively with long, and sometimes extremely tedious, dialogue.  Some thought-provoking points are offered, but for the sake of brevity, this anime could have been cut in half and still presented the same amount of information.  Nekomonogatari and Nisemonogatari could almost be considered to be polar opposites, story-wise, and a theme of "family" (among others) rings fairly loudly with both of them, so perhaps it's appropriate that this anime followed Nise-.

Animation:  SHAFT again brings their style of animation to this series.  While the actual animation is very nice, there are sometimes minutes between any real movement outside of mouths and blinking.  Much of the content of this anime is contained in still shots which house the immense amount of dialogue this series feels the need to present.  The animation is interesting and almost always over-the-top, making me think of an animated live-action play.  There's much homage to other anime styles spliced in there as well, and you'll see the design and animation change often to accentuate a scene.

It's "SYMBOLISM!"

There's a lot of fanservice in this show, which is fine and all, but let's not overanalyze it.  Black Hanekawa walks around almost naked, which "refined gentlemen" of the fanbase might argue is a symbol of her naked feelings or something.  But let's face it, it's fanservice.  Something has to make those blocks of dialogue easier to swallow, and a sexy catgirl wearing black low-rise panties definitely helps.

Characters:  The characters for this series are complex and believable.  Hanekawa, being the focus of Nekomonogatari, gets the most attention, and it's refreshing to see her as more than just a perfect class rep.  What I enjoyed most was a conversation between Araragi and his sisters about love.  Tsukihi, his girly sister, carries on a 10 minute conversation with him debating what is and isn't love.  Karen, definitely the least girly of the sisters, sums it up in a couple of sentences, resulting in a hearty laugh from myself.

Also, there's a great Shinobu moment!  Queen of loli vampires.

I would recommend Nekomonogatari to anyone who enjoys this series.  Since this is a prequel, I would say that it's safe to watch this first, but you'll definitely miss some of the symbology that will be obvious after watching Nisemonogatari.  Also, you'll completely in the dark on the relationship between Araragi, Oshino, and Shinobu, and the backstory about what Araragi actually is.  Actually, do yourself a favor and just watch it starting with Bakemonogatari.

I also finished Porco Rosso.
Genre:  Adventure, Historical, Romance, Comedy

I give it a 9/10.  Porco Rosso follows the adventures of a WWI seaplane ace-turned mercenary in the Adriatic during the 1930s.

Story: Porco flies his custom seaplane as a mercenary, often the bane of the local air pirates.  Porco has enraged them to such a point that they hire Curtiss, an ace seaplane mercenary from America, to bring Porco down.  Though the story certainly isn't groundbreaking, and there aren't any complex, unexpected plot twists, Porco Rosso does what so many Ghibli films does so well: tell a simple, endearing story with a little magic that all ages can enjoy.

Animation:  If you're a fan of aviation or animation in general, this movie is a must-see.  Being a Ghibli film from 1992, you'll get the very best that cel animation can offer.  Every acrobatic maneuver, every background character, has a movement and a uniqueness all their own.  No expense is spared, and Porco Rosso still stands up to scrutiny to this day.  Some of the animated scenes are really amazing, especially the duels between Porco and Curtiss. 

Characters:  Ghibli always has an excellent cast of characters.  The main character and focus, Porco is the vision of a grizzled, wizened ace pilot whose finest hour has long past.  The times are changing, and he remains unchanged.  At some point his legend must end.  Curtiss is a young upstart who is determined to make a name for himself, but despite him being "the bad guy," it's impossible to really hate him.  He's pretty much the embodiment of what you'd expect from a young pilot.

Soundtrack:  The soundtrack is great.  It really brings the setting to life.  It definitely has a feel that fits the timeline very well.

I would recommend Porco Rosso to anyone.  This is truly a movie anyone can enjoy.