When I bought the DVD, I didn't have the highest of expectations. A movie about a flying pig seemed like a silly endeavor for Miyazaki, I expected it to be a childish diversion, something he did for a quick buck, but just like Kiki's Delivery Service turned out to be a film about social anxiety pretending to be a teen witch film, Porco Rosso was a surprisingly somber film about an aviator whose PTSD involving his past in the war had him turn into a pig, who pines for his former crush/lounge singer and finds a new lease on life when he meets a young girl who goes on a journey with him.
It reminded me of The Wind Rises, the animation is gorgeous and Joe Hisaishi's score might be my favorite one from him in a Miyazaki film.