We’re sure many of our readers have seen films by Hayao Miyazaki and know first-hand what it is like to be utterly drawn in to the fantastic yet convincing world he creates. Now, it’s unlikely anyone familiar with Miyazaki’s works will dispute that he is a giant in the anime industry, but a new DVD collection which has recently been announced reminds us just how much of a giant he is.
That’s right, a collection of anime films directed by Miyazaki will be released on June 18, and we have to say the list of movies it includes is impressive. What’s more, the films will all be in Blu-ray and come in a fancy package with extra bonus content! What fan wouldn’t want one of these, right?
There will be eleven movies in the collection — most of them released from Studio Ghibli, but not all — from the very first theater-released film directed by Miyazaki to his latest work, The Wind Rises. Here’s what the box will contain:
[11 Miyazaki films in Blu-ray]
– The Castle of Cagliostro 1979 (Miyazaki’s first theater released film)
– Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1984
– Castle in the Sky 1986
– My Neighbor Totoro 1988
– Kiki’s Delivery Service 1989
– Porco Rosso 1992
– Princess Mononoke 1997
– Spirited Away 2001
– Howl’s Moving Castle 2004
– Ponyo 2008
– The Wind Rises 2013
[Bonus Disc 1]
– Pilot film from Yuki’s Sun (5 min) 1972 (Pilot for a TV series, entirely storyboarded by Miyazaki himself)
– Three episodes of the TV series Akado Suzunosuke (30 min each) 1972-73 (storyboarded by Miyazaki)
– Promotional music video for the song On Your Mark by CHAGE and ASKA (7 min) 1995
[Bonus Disc 2]
– Miyazaki’s retirement press conference on September 16, 2013 (90 min, uncut)
How’s that for a full serving of Miyazkai anime?
And on top of all this, the collection will come in a uniquely designed box made from a special material with Miyazaki illustrations embossed on it.
This is what the box is expected to look like, although the actual product may end up appearing slightly different:
So, fans understandably have reason to be excited about this Blu-ray collection. Unfortunately, though, the collection doesn’t come cheap, at a suggested price of 64,000 yen (US$617) and marked down to 51,192 yen ($494) on Amazon Japan. Some Internet users in Japan have already commented on the steep price, saying that it would be more economical to buy the individual Blu-rays for just the movies that you really like.
Nonetheless, we have a strong feeling that there will be more than enough fans willing to pay that price to be the proud owner of this special Miyazaki Blu-ray collection. Whatever you think of the price, one thing that can definitely be said about the collection is that it’s guaranteed to provide many hours of quality entertainment. After looking at the list of movies included in the collection, we can’t help but be impressed with the volume and quality of the work Miyazaki has produced over the years. The only question we now have is, will Miyazakai remain in retirement, or is there a chance he might make a come back… again? Well, we guess we just have to wait and see on that, and maybe enjoy the movies in the Blu-ray collection in the meantime!
Source: AMAZON.JP via Yaraon (Japanese)
Photos: AMAZON.JP
Note: The title Howl’s Moving Castle had initially been left out from the list of 11 movies in Blu-ray, which has now been corrected. Thank you for pointing out the omission in the comments section, Mochammad Santaka and Michael Thompson.