If the whole point of buying an anime box set is to have everything you want in one neat package, there must have been a lot of upset fans last summer when Studio Ghibli released the Directorial Works of Hayao Miyazaki. Sure it contained every theatrical feature the anime legend helmed while working for the industry’s most respected production house, but it was missing the Miyazaki-directed music video On Your Mark, which was pulled following the arrest of musician Aska, one of the song’s vocalists.
Three months after the box set went on sale, though, there’s good news for completionists, as Studio Ghibli itself has decided to distribute copies of the video, free of charge, to anyone who purchased the collection.
The news comes from acclaimed Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki himself, who posted the announcement on the studio’s website. Following Aska’s arrest on drug charges in May, Ghibli was still planning to include On Your Mark in the release, and discussed the matter with Walt Disney Studios Japan, the box set’s distributor. “Due to time constraints, and taking into account various matters, we ultimately decided, in accordance with the distributor’s judgment that a strict stance should be taken in light of such anti-social behavior, not to include On Your Mark,” Suzuki explained.
Suzuki has shown he reserves the right to reverse his position on subjects, though. In regards to On Your Mark, he goes on to say, “But we want to make this anime available to people, and our desire to provide it to those who purchased the box set has not changed.”
To that effect, Studio Ghibli itself will be directly distributing, completely free of charge, Blu-rays and DVDs of On Your Mark, with the format fans are eligible to receive matching that of the Miyazaki collection they bought. To receive a copy, you’ll need to mail in the proof of purchase, located on the bottom-right of the survey card included in the set.
To claim your disc, attach the proof of purchase to a postcard, write your name and address, and send it to the following address:
OYM Special Disc Office
Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Yoyogi 2-6-5
Telecommunications Building
151-0053
Address in Japanese:
〒151-0053
東京都渋谷区代々木2-6-5
テレコミュニケーションビル
「OYM特別ディスク事務局」宛
Postcards must be postmarked no later than October 31. Ghibli has not clarified whether they will honor requests made from overseas residents, but it’s worth taking a shot before the studio changes its mind again.
Sources: Studio Ghibli via IT Media