Hikoutei Jidai

"Hikoutei Jidai" is a 15 page all watercolor manga, which the animated film "Porco Rosso" is based on. It was serialized in Model Graphix, a monthly magazine about scale models, as a part of Miyazaki's "Zassou Note" series. Like other mangas in this series, "Hikoutei Jidai" is a manifestation of his love for old planes. It's filled with planes from 1920s (heavily modified by Miyazaki), technical details about them, and men (good-hearted and silly) who love these planes.

Compared to the anime version, the manga is much lighter and sillier (in a good sense). Other than being a "retired Italian Air Force pilot", Porco's past is not in the story, so there is no conflict with the fascist government, although the rise ...