The Studio Ghibli (JP) Discussion Thread

[FREYMAX 3D]

Originally Posted by deschain

Ohh very cool on the Mononoke Brd the 20min extra "mononoke in the USA" where Miyazaki travels to America is hard subbed in English.

Yeah, I just finished watching that myself, just a few minutes ago...

The Mononoke movie itself was gorgeous on Blu-ray! just sitting down to watch The Cat Returns, right now!

Originally Posted by robo731

I'm panning on getting Mononoke, Howl, and Nausicaa soon. I'd like to get a few more in addition, how would you guys rank the Ghibli movies?

You just listed my three favorite Ghiblis! I'd recommend Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, and Kiki's Delivery Service next. Totoro is good, but I find that one geared a little more toward younger children; Ponyo even more so. But, everybody is going to recommend something different to you, so just buy them all and avoid all the indecision...

[robo731]

Originally Posted by FREYMAX 3D

Yeah, I just finished watching that myself, just a few minutes ago...

The Mononoke movie itself was gorgeous on Blu-ray! just sitting down to watch The Cat Returns, right now!



You just listed my three favorite Ghiblis! I'd recommend Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, and Kiki's Delivery Service next. Totoro is good, but I find that one geared a little more toward younger children; Ponyo even more so. But, everybody is going to recommend something different to you, so just buy them all and avoid all the indecision...

Thanks for the input.

[FREYMAX 3D]

SO I watched The Cat Returns Blu-ray, and then the Ghiblis Episode 2 shorts - Lol, really loved that first short, where they went out to eat lunch... I'm just like the woman in the story - I would be the one ordering the #10 - with extra sauce, even... I love my food paint-peeling hot!

[Tangsta]

Was sampling the JP Princess Mononoke blu-ray yesterday. I must say even though the upgrade to 1080p was magnificent, I did come out of it a little disappointed.

There seems to be quite a few scenes that appeared a bit soft. They looked more like upscaled DVD than actual 1080p images minted from a HD master. Does anyone know the story here? This is pretty much the only Ghibli blu-ray transfer I know to have this problem. Was the original print for these scenes damaged or lost? It's quite jarring to see the pristine 1080p images next to these sub-par quality moments.

[rimeneses]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post in this forum! Yeah!

Well, I came here in order to make so questions about these Blu rays. Im planning to start buying blu rays from Studio ghibli movies and I was planning to buy them in amazon UK (I live in Europe, Portugal). But then I discovered by luck on google these japaneses releases.

I would like to know why you guys are buying these japanese blu rays, which are more expensive and with the risk of paying taxes, rather buying the "western" versions? (which are cheaper and without the taxes risk)

Is because they are from Japan, as simple as that? Is because they are region free? Is because the package are prettier for you? Is because the image quality are better? Is because the languages and subtitles available on them? Is because of the extras which are included on the package?

I can tell right now I'm not sure if I buy the blurays on amazon.uk (the western version) or the japanese blurays.

Thanks in advance

[Zen_Amako]

Originally Posted by Tangsta

Was sampling the JP Princess Mononoke blu-ray yesterday. I must say even though the upgrade to 1080p was magnificent, I did come out of it a little disappointed.

There seems to be quite a few scenes that appeared a bit soft. They looked more like upscaled DVD than actual 1080p images minted from a HD master. Does anyone know the story here? This is pretty much the only Ghibli blu-ray transfer I've know to have this problem. Was the original print for these scenes damaged or lost? It's quite jarring to see the pristine 1080p images next to these sub-par quality moments.

With Princess Mononoke, Ghibli had just started experimenting with using CG for scenes that were difficult to animate by hand. Maybe those digital shots look a little softer than the traditional cel animation? That's just a guess.

[solesupremebeing]

Originally Posted by Tangsta

Was sampling the JP Princess Mononoke blu-ray yesterday. I must say even though the upgrade to 1080p was magnificent, I did come out of it a little disappointed.

There seems to be quite a few scenes that appeared a bit soft. They looked more like upscaled DVD than actual 1080p images minted from a HD master. Does anyone know the story here? This is pretty much the only Ghibli blu-ray transfer I've know to have this problem. Was the original print for these scenes damaged or lost? It's quite jarring to see the pristine 1080p images next to these sub-par quality moments.

I noticed the same thing myself, and like you say, next to the beautifully sharp and clear 1080p, they really stand out. The one I noticed was the scene where she is sucking the blood from Moro's wound. It looked so blurry at points. Here's an example:



You would think I had taken that screencap from the DVD it's so bad.

[Tangsta]

Glad I'm not the only one that noticed!

Here's hoping they rectify this in the international releases (assuming there will be any).

[johnservice]

Originally Posted by rimeneses

Hi everyone!

This is my first post in this forum! Yeah!

Well, I came here in order to make so questions about these Blu rays. Im planning to start buying blu rays from Studio ghibli movies and I was planning to buy them in amazon UK (I live in Europe, Portugal). But then I discovered by luck on google these japaneses releases.

I would like to know why you guys are buying these japanese blu rays, which are more expensive and with the risk of paying taxes, rather buying the "western" versions? (which are cheaper and without the taxes risk)

Is because they are from Japan, as simple as that? Is because they are region free? Is because the package are prettier for you? Is because the image quality are better? Is because the languages and subtitles available on them? Is because of the extras which are included on the package?

I can tell right now I'm not sure if I buy the blurays on amazon.uk (the western version) or the japanese blurays.

Thanks in advance

I have literally just started collecting Studio Ghibli's films on Blu-Ray and my first purchase was the Japanese release of Princess Mononoke. I live in the UK and would have gladly purchased the UK StudioCanal versions, however I was immediately put off when I read about the numbering issues with the UK Blu-Rays.

At the same time,the Japanese Blu-Rays have absolutely beautiful artwork, and having now handled the book-like cases they come in I can safely say they feel like the definitive releases.

Yes, they are very expensive to purchase, but I feel if the Blu-Ray is of one of your favourite Ghibli releases then I say go for it. Amazon Japan seem to be he cheapest place for Ghibli Blu-Rays, especially if you are buying multiple releases simultaneously. CD Japan is also fantastic (I received my copy of Mononoke shipped from Japan to UK in 3 days!), tho it cost roughly 60 euros per Blu-Ray.

Conincidentally, has anyone from the UK ordered multiple Studio Ghibli Blu-Rays from Amazon JP. If so, did they get sting by customs and how much extra was it?

You could also check Amazon UK for the new steel book Studio Ghibli Blu-Rays. The packaging is surprisingly well-made and there is no numbering convention used on the casing, which if you are a bit OCD like myself, solves one of the biggest issues with the UK Blu-Rays.

[GC Riot]

Originally Posted by johnservice

I have literally just started collecting Studio Ghibli's films on Blu-Ray and my first purchase was the Japanese release of Princess Mononoke. I live in the UK and would have gladly purchased the UK StudioCanal versions, however I was immediately put off when I read about the numbering issues with the UK Blu-Rays.

You could always get the UK steelbooks. No numbering on those. Only a couple have been released as of yet though...

[Arrow]

Originally Posted by johnservice

Conincidentally, has anyone from the UK ordered multiple Studio Ghibli Blu-Rays from Amazon JP. If so, did they get sting by customs and how much extra was it?

Amazon Japan now charges import fees up front. You'll see exactly how much you're paying at checkout. If you end up paying too much, Amazon Japan will refund the difference in approximately 60 days. Gift orders are more likely to see refunds on import fees, even if they are partial amounts. You will never get dinged at the door anymore.

AFAIK, people never get charged any import fees using Yesasia.

[GC Riot]

Originally Posted by solesupremebeing

I noticed the same thing myself, and like you say, next to the beautifully sharp and clear 1080p, they really stand out. The one I noticed was the scene where she is sucking the blood from Moro's wound. It looked so blurry at points. Here's an example:



You would think I had taken that screencap from the DVD it's so bad.

Really? I think it looks great! No DNR, looking at the backdrop in the lower right corner it looks sharp as it should, and the line art still looks sharp and detailed. If this is bad then I'm in for a real treat!

[Arrow]

Originally Posted by johnservice

You could also check Amazon UK for the new steel book Studio Ghibli Blu-Rays. The packaging is surprisingly well-made and there is no numbering convention used on the casing, which if you are a bit OCD like myself, solves one of the biggest issues with the UK Blu-Rays.

Originally Posted by GC Riot

You could always get the UK steelbooks. No numbering on those. Only a couple have been released as of yet though...

Nausicaa U.K. release is pretty bad, imo. I'd avoid it with its aggressive DNR and colour shift.

[Arrow]

Originally Posted by GC Riot

Really? I think it looks great! No DNR, looking at the backdrop in the lower right corner it looks sharp as it should, and the line art still looks sharp and detailed. If this is bad then I'm in for a real treat!

My copy is still sitting here unwatched (just haven't had time yet), so I'll refrain from commenting on the PQ itself--except to say some people are accustomed to brighter contrasts: for example, some people (incorrectly, in my view) prefer the Grave of the Fireflies U.S. (brighter) release instead of the Grave of the Fireflies Japan (original/slightly darker). I own both. The Japanese release actually uses a higher bitrate, and there is slightly more detail in the Japanese release. But some people gravitate towards the U.S. release simply because the colours are brighter (you can turn up the contrast/brightness if you want with the Japanese release, and then these same people can notice the Japanese release is slightly more detailed).

I mention this because the particular scene in question from Princess Mononoke is muted/not bright.

[FREYMAX 3D]

Originally Posted by GC Riot

Really? I think it looks great! No DNR, looking at the backdrop in the lower right corner it looks sharp as it should, and the line art still looks sharp and detailed. If this is bad then I'm in for a real treat!

yes, I totally agree - watching Mononoke in HD on a 120" projection screen the other night was a real treat! Some people just love to find something to criticize...

[Sinthetic]

Originally Posted by solesupremebeing

[Show spoiler]I noticed the same thing myself, and like you say, next to the beautifully sharp and clear 1080p, they really stand out. The one I noticed was the scene where she is sucking the blood from Moro's wound. It looked so blurry at points. Here's an example:

You would think I had taken that screencap from the DVD it's so bad.

You've got that from one of your torrents right? Must be cause it didn't look like that for me. This is a legit screenshot from Mania.com and the difference is night and day.

[orbital]

Originally Posted by Arrow

AFAIK, people never get charged any import fees using Yesasia.

This was the main reason I have used YesAsia so far but unfortunately the last orders were hit by customs (in Germany at least). Next time I will probably try Amazon Japan.

[Lnds500]

Originally Posted by Sinthetic

You've got that from one of your torrents right? Must be cause it didn't look like that for me. This is a legit screenshot from Mania.com and the difference is night and day.

Not even remotely similar. Completely different shots.

Originally Posted by solesupremebeing

I noticed the same thing myself, and like you say, next to the beautifully sharp and clear 1080p, they really stand out. The one I noticed was the scene where she is sucking the blood from Moro's wound. It looked so blurry at points. Here's an example:

You would think I had taken that screencap from the DVD it's so bad.

Films are soft sometimes due to production errors or optical zooming techniques etc etc. That doesn't mean the transfer is bad, it just means that the source has a problem which becomes more apparent as you increase the resolution.

[SleepyHobo]

Originally Posted by Lnds500

Not even remotely similar. Completely different shots.



Films are soft sometimes due to production errors or optical zooming techniques etc etc. That doesn't mean the transfer is bad, it just means that the source has a problem which becomes more apparent as you increase the resolution.

Those two shots can't be more than a few seconds apart...

[Lnds500]

Originally Posted by SleepyHobo

Those two shots can't be more than a few seconds apart...

That's all it takes usually. If it were a few frames apart, that'd be another story.