Gina of the Adriatic Sea

I really enjoyed Porco Rosso primarily because of the different animation style that Miyazaki implemented in creating Gina's character as well as others at the hotel. The quality of this animation was of a different caliber, and almost more serious than Miyazaki's usual style of outlandish facial expressions and bodily reactions. It gave the overall story of the myth a more romantic quality, especially in setting up the various romantic tragedies in the film. The Gina character overall is of interest because she seems to have so many layers to her character, yet she rarely makes appearances throughout the film. As someone mentioned in class during discussion, there is a sad and lonely quality to her despite all the attention and adoration she receives for her beauty and singing. She seems to have known loss on many different levels and while she continues to move forward with her life, has yet to resolve her sorrow from her first husband, nevermind the other two. Her attachment to Porco Rosso is strange and ambiguous at first as the audience is unsure if their established bond is romantic or not. Porco definitely does not reciprocate her affection, which posits a paradox of the beautiful, yet "broken" woman.

Gina is also an entrepreneur, it seems, as she runs the hotel and lounge for seapilots. She seems accustomed to the scandal that exists hand in hand with dealing with seapilots, but she is also able to maintain her hotel with high standards. There are definitely class issues at hand in the film, as Gina, and maybe even Porco at one point, came from a well-off tier in this Mediterranean society while Fio and the other seapilots seem to be from not as well off. Though there also seems to be a loneliness tied with this higher class, as both Gina and Porco "fly solo" while the seapilots all bicker and fight as siblings in a family. Similarly, Fio lives in great company with her extended family as all the women come together to both celebrate and combine workforces in the airplane shop. This is a great sense of absence in both Gina and Porco and it never is fulfilled in the film, despite the ambiguous ending where it is hinted that Porco is transformed again into a human.

Overall, I loved the film. It was a great first experience watching it!