The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki (Amazon Exclusive)

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most influential animation directors of the past 30 years. His work has been cited from John Lasseter to Terry Gilliam. His work often features strong female protagonists, the duality of nature of technology, environmental conservation, and are strongly anti-war. This collection features 11 of the feature films he directed which is, minus short films and a cult music video, the majority of his work. I'd rate all the films a 5, even the weakest ones are far above average. They're a must watch.The Castle of CagliostroNausicaa of the Valley of the WindCastle in the SkyMy Neighbor TotoroKiki's Delivery ServicePorco RossoPrincess MononokeSpirited AwayHowl's Moving CastlePonyoThe Wind risesBut I'm rating the packaging here, so how is it? Well, in short I love it! But I also recognize that it has limited appeal. Please read on. The package itself is a thick slipcase with a too-tight band holding it together that depicts film reel-like snapshots of the films. A nicely edited book details some of the themes and elements of his film. Instead of individual slip cases, a hardcover book holds the discs in sleeves. The book and sleeves are made of thick stock, very durable with a glossy finish, and feature impressive artwork from the films. I was afraid the packaging would feel cheap but not at all.What you're getting here are bare bones, no frills, discs containing Disney's blu-ray transfers. There are no specials or extras (granted, so does the Japanese collection) aside from a bonus disc which contains a short pilot called Yuki's Sun, three episodes of a TV show called Little Samurai, and Miyazaki's retirement conference. The biggest win here is that each film features English and Japanese audio (sometimes French or others) plus subtitles from the direct English script (aka "dubtitles") and a more direct translation from the Japanese script. Some movies, like Kiki's Delivery Service, were criticized for their "dubtitles" which sometimes made no sense when paired with Japanese dialog although on the other hand the subtitles on the movies without dubtitles would often have issues when paired to the English dub. So now you have the choice to watch a film in English with the literal English script or Japanese with the more direct script and that's fantastic.Whether this collection is right for you is dependent on how badly you want a centralized collection of movies. Going by the average price of the individual films, the collection is more or less the same as buying each blu-ray (and you'd also get the DVD with it). If you own even a couple of the blu-ray releases then I find it hard to recommend. And while the loss of special features isn't a big blow for me it's still value that this collection lacks. Personally, I was moving from DVDs to blu-ray when this collection was announced and hopped on it. After selling my old DVDs I'm glad I made the upgrade. As a snapshot of a single creator's body of work, especially one that's so important, I can't help but recommend this to those getting into Miyazaki or looking to rekindle that old love.

The media could not be loaded. I've been keeping my eye out for a Studio Ghibli box set for at least 5 years now, and Disney has finally delivered. I won't review the movies-- these are all masterpieces, as I'm sure you know if you're considering buying this -- so I'll discuss the package itself to let you know what you're getting. Don't let the upfront cost put you off: this box set is an excellent value when you consider you're paying the usual $17-22 (the price on this set has fluctuated from $165 to $225) per Blu-Ray, BUT you ALSO get an art book and a GORGEOUS flip book case containing the discs (see my video for a quick demo -- I had trouble understanding exactly what I was getting just from the product images) -- and it all comes wrapped up in a lovely filmstrip belly band featuring images from the included films.The movies I've watched so far have included English, French, and Japanese audio tracks. Caption options have included English for the Hearing Impaired (dubtitles, I think?) and English subtitles (which more faithfully translate the original Japanese). I prefer watching the movies in their original Japanese with English subtitles, so I was pleased to find the Japanese audio (at the time of my purchase, the product description didn't specify which languages were included).I've only watched the older movies so far (e.g. Nausicaä), and the video quality isn't what I'd expect from a Blu-Ray (these don't seem to have higher resolution than my old DVDs of the same films); I'd assume this is because these older videos simply weren't made with the higher resolutions we expect today, and as best I can tell, they haven't been "digitally enhanced." This doesn't detract from the experience at all for me -- in fact, it's endearing to see the unadulterated originals -- but just be aware.The movies, in alphabetical order, are:• Howl's Moving Castle• Kiki's Delivery Service• Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro• My Neighbor Totoro• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind• Ponyo• Porco Rosso• Princess Mononoke• Spirited Away• The Wind RisesMy only regret is that this doesn't include Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns, but since Miyazaki didn't direct that film and this is technically a Miyazaki box set -- a superb one at that -- I can overlook it. :)

my kids and i love this set! it comes in a cute packaging - white box set with a film negative design strap to fasten it. the quality is excellent, can't compalin and the subtitles are aptly provided. Miyazaki undoubtedly was a genius, on a league of his own. the animation is absolutely breathtaking and stunning and the storytelling is heart-stirring and awe-inspiring.Included in the box set are the following movies, arranged according to, from our most favorite to favorite (i can't say i have any least favorites ;-) :-Spirited Away-Howl's Moving Castle-My Neighbor Totoro-Castle in the Sky-Kiki's Delivery Service-Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro-Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind-The Wind Rises-Porco Rosso-Princess Mononoke-PonyoSince the Secret World of Arriety was not included in the set, we had to buy it separately. if you don't have any individual blurays yet for the movies mentioned above, then this is a must have. the price of the set is a steal as buying the bluray discs individually will cost you a lot lot more. the only thing you will miss from buying the set are the special features, which honestly i don't mind at all, i think it is only a minor downside compared to having to own these 11 animation gems. All true blue Miyazaki fans should proudly own his or her own boxset!

Bootleg sold by Venossa. DO NOT BUY IT!