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.

If you're a fan of animation movies, this is a must-have item. A masterpiece at the reasonable price.

Okay, if I’m being very nitpicky, I should’ve checked when the blu-ray discs were produced (2015). When comparing the images with HBO Max, the colors are brighter and ever so slightly more saturated on the streaming service. Not surprised, but I digress. The quality is still amazing, very clear, and I love that I have the option of the original Japanese audio or flipping over to English dub. I’ve been wanting a Studio Ghibli box set for forever and now I have it and I am SO FREAKING HAPPY. I love all of the films included and I love that there’s a bonus of Hayao Miyazaki’s earliest works (haven’t watched yet, but excited to!). The only reason I don’t feel complete yet is because I don’t have some of my other favorite films. Highly recommend if you’re a Miyazaki fan or if you want all the Studio Ghibli films (except for The Boy and the Heron), it’s on their official website for $300 right now.

My set of BluRays were all bootleg. Several do not play, and others have faulty menus. The good news is that a few of them do work and they look great. Overall, do not buy this as it might be pirated. I'd recommend just buying the individual BluRays you want.

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. :)

If you are a fan of Miyazaki movies then you must buy this collection. Pieces of art in the real sense of the word.