Since I have been left to my own devices for the first half of the week, I finally managed to watch the three new Miyazaki DVD releases I purchased a few weeks ago “The Cat Returns” (which he did not direct/produce, but he developed the project concept for this film– so I guess it is a hybrid of sorts), “Porco Rosso”, and “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.”
If I had to recommend one of the three above the others, it would be “Porco Rosso”– it is just absolutely the best of the three. The characters are well-developed and interesting, it’s a multi-faceted love story, and it has the best and roundest storytelling (if you have a good story, you must try to tell it the best way possible). Besides, I always like it when an artist’s obsessions and passions shine through in his work and, well, if you have watched enough Miyazaki to know what kinds of things he is obsessed with, you’ll see most of them in this film.