The Studio Ghibli (TW) Discussion Thread - Blu-ray Forum

Shingster · 11-15-2013, 11:05 PM

Welcome to the dedicated thread for discussion of the Taiwanese Blu-ray releases of the Studio Ghibli Catalogue!

Why Bother with the Taiwan Releases?
We all know that the Ghibli Region-Free Japanese Blu-rays offer the best available audio-video presentations of each Ghibli film at exorbitant prices due to the strong Yen and the high RRP of Anime titles in Japan. Well, so long as you're not bothered about the English dubs for these films then for almost the entire Ghibli catalogue the Taiwan releases offer exact ports of both the Japanese transfers and the Japanese audio, with English subs at a fraction of the price (roughly 820TWD/$28/£17 before shipping).

So far all Taiwan Ghibli Blu-rays tested have the exact same encodes, the exact same Japanese audio options, and the exact same English subtitles (with the same translations) as their Japanese counterparts. Plus most of the catalogue has been confirmed as Region A&B compatible despite their cases often stating Region A only. The only exceptions are Nausicaa and Ponyo, which appear to be ports of their HK Blu-ray counterparts (which means only a 1080i transfer for Ponyo).

What Titles are Currently Available?
The Taiwan releases tend to follow around three months after the Japanese releases, with the exception of Grave of the Fireflies, which is still awaiting a Taiwanese release. (More on this in the next section)

Who Distributes these Titles in Taiwan?
I believe Disney hold the East Asian rights for the Ghibli catalogue, but Deltamac (Taiwan) Co. Ltd. is the sole distributor for Disney, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Sony, Paramount, DreamWorks, and the BBC in Taiwan. This is why you'll find the Disney logo on the Taiwanese slipcovers of some of these releases. As far as I'm aware Disney do not own the rights to Grave of the Fireflies anywhere in the world, so unless Deltamac go after it themselves it will probably never be released as part of their collection.

Do we Know for Certain that the Taiwanese Releases Port Over the Presentations from the Japanese Releases?
The easiest way is to check the BDinfo scans of the Taiwanese discs. You can compare these readings with the information on the current JPN releases in the Ghibli Comparison Thread.

Here are the BDinfo scans that have been accumulated so far:

[1989] Kiki's Delivery Service:

[Show spoiler]

[1991] Only Yesterday:

[Show spoiler]

[1995] Whisper of the Heart:

[Show spoiler]

Code:

                                                              Total   Video                                             
Title         Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                  Secondary Audio Track
-----         ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                ---------------------
00000.MPLS    AVC     1:50:50 34,860,662,784  34,984,972,384  41.93   32.92   LPCM 2.0 2304Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)  DTS-HD Master 5.1 3981Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)

Code:

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     WHISPER_OF_THE_HEART
Disc Size:      34,984,972,384 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        No
BDInfo:         0.5.8

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00000.MPLS
Length:                 1:50:50.644 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   34,860,662,784 bytes
Total Bitrate:          41.93 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        32922 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
LPCM Audio                      Japanese        2304 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio             Japanese        3981 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz / 3981 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio             Chinese         384 kbps        2.0 / 48 kHz / 384 kbps / Dolby Surround

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         26.264 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         40.677 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         41.245 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         36.981 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        27.442 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           English         29.288 kbps

[1999] My Neighbors the Yamadas:

[Show spoiler]

Code:

Title         Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                           Secondary Audio Track
-----         ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                         ---------------------
00001.MPLS    AVC     1:43:40 33,387,442,176  33,555,365,025  42.94   35.94   DTS-HD Master 5.1 2314Kbps (48kHz/16-bit)  LPCM 2.0 1536Kbps (48kHz/16-bit)

Code:

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     YAMADAS
Disc Size:      33,555,365,025 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        No
BDInfo:         0.5.8

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00001.MPLS
Length:                 1:43:40.214 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   33,387,442,176 bytes
Total Bitrate:          42.94 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        35936 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
DTS-HD Master Audio             Japanese        2314 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz / 2314 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
LPCM Audio                      Japanese        1536 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Dolby Digital Audio             Chinese         192 kbps        2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio             Chinese         448 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         27.574 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         42.599 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        29.844 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           English         29.748 kbps

[2004] Howl's Moving Castle:

[Show spoiler]

Code:

                                                              Total   Video                                             
Title         Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                  Secondary Audio Track
-----         ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                ---------------------
00003.MPLS    AVC     1:59:09 29,338,023,936  48,015,851,519  32.83   24.33   LPCM 2.0 2304Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)  DTS-HD Master 5.1-ES 3986Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)

Code:

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     HOWLS_MOVING_CASTLE
Disc Size:      48,015,851,519 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        No
BDInfo:         0.5.8

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00003.MPLS
Length:                 1:59:09.142 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   29,338,023,936 bytes
Total Bitrate:          32.83 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        24330 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
LPCM Audio                      Japanese        2304 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio             Japanese        3986 kbps       5.1-ES / 48 kHz / 3986 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1-ES / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio             Chinese         448 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         22.107 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         36.267 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        23.315 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           English         29.157 kbps

[2006] Tales from Earthsea:

[Show spoiler]

[2010] Arrietty:

[Show spoiler]

Code:

                                                              Total   Video                                             
Title         Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                  Secondary Audio Track
-----         ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                ---------------------
00003.MPLS    AVC     1:34:07 25,125,943,296  46,608,542,328  35.59   26.39   LPCM 2.0 2304Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)  DTS-HD Master 5.1 4157Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)

Code:

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     ARRIETTY
Disc Size:      46,608,542,328 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        No
BDInfo:         0.5.8

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00003.MPLS
Length:                 1:34:07.642 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   25,125,943,296 bytes
Total Bitrate:          35.59 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        26395 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
LPCM Audio                      Japanese        2304 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio             Japanese        4157 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz / 4157 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio                       Chinese         768 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         14.104 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         22.185 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        15.269 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           English         17.379 kbps

[2011] From Up on Poppy Hill:

[Show spoiler]

Code:

                                                              Total   Video                                             
Title         Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                  Secondary Audio Track
-----         ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                ---------------------
00002.MPLS    AVC     1:30:51 29,099,243,520  48,513,143,429  42.70   33.59   LPCM 2.0 2304Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)  DTS-HD Master 5.0 3731Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)

Code:

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     FROM UP ON POPPY HILL
Disc Size:      48,513,143,429 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        No
BDInfo:         0.5.8

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00002.MPLS
Length:                 1:30:51.362 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   29,099,243,520 bytes
Total Bitrate:          42.70 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        33587 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
LPCM Audio                      Japanese        2304 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio             Japanese        3731 kbps       5.0 / 48 kHz / 3731 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio                       Chinese         768 kbps        5.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         25.174 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         37.630 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        24.266 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           English         29.102 kbps

Where can I Purchase Taiwanese Blu-rays?
The easist place is YesAsia, but they tend to charge a premium on their Taiwanese discs. E-bay too has one or two importers offering Taiwanese releases with varying prices.
The cheapest prices come direct from Taiwan etailers themselves, but there aren't many out there that ship internationally. Here are a few that do:

1. JSDVD Mall: The most popular and widely-used Taiwanese-based etailer online, mostly because of their English-friendly site. They offer good prices and strong service, but their shipping process is unconventional and can be a little confusing for newcomers! You also need to pay attention to their international shipping charges as Taiwanese etailers categorise their shipping by weight rather than the number of discs. This means that you will pay a high price for ordering titles one at a time, as the cheapest shipping option is for a 500g shipment at 320TWD/$11 for US shipping and 420TWD/£8.90 for UK shipping, with shipping to European destinations often falling somewhere inbetween. A 500g shipment will cover up to 3 Ghibli Blu-rays, which means it really pays to order these titles in batches of 6 or more and go for the 1kg and higher shipping options to take advantage of the shipping discounts they offer.

2. Five Music: Their website has no English language options, but they do have a fully translated page explaining the ordering process and international shipping costs here. Their shipping process appears to be more conventional than JSDVD Mall, but their shipping costs seem comparable with the biggest savings coming when you're placing small orders of one or two titles.

3. books.com.tw: Another widely-used Taiwanese etailer, but you'll have to rely on Google Translate to navigate this site and figure out how to order. (If anyone can explain the ordering/shipping process then please let me know in this thread!)

4. PChome: Again you'll have to rely on Google Translate to figure out how to order, but they do appear to ship internationally.

Can you Explain the JSDVD Mall Shipping Process?
Basically you order your titles like any other etailer, but during the checkout stage you won't be presented with any shipping options. Instead you have to checkout as normal then wait for them to calculate the weight of your order and subsequently contact you via E-mail with the cost of your shipment and a link to your online account where you can enter a second checkout process for the shipping charges. At this stage you have the choice of EMS or Airmail shipping, with the latter option being the slightly cheaper and slower option - but it's still pretty fast!

The Cases for these TW Releases State Region-A or Regions-A/C Only?
That's correct, but I currently own 6 TW releases (Kiki's Delivery Service, Only Yesterday, Whisper of the Heart, Howl's Moving Castle, Arrietty, From Up on Poppy Hill) and they all play fine in my Code-Free player when it is set to Region B mode!

Continued in Next Post:

Shingster · 11-15-2013, 11:13 PM

What's the Packaging Like?
One thing that appeals to collectors of the Japanese releases is the unique theme of their packaging: Colour-coded Digipacks with white outlines and minimal artwork indicating the title. You can view the designs in The Studio Ghibli (JP) Discussion Thread. In HK they have chosen to stick to this design, but in Taiwan Deltamac have chosen to use standard plastic Blu-ray cases with traditional artwork from the films on the cover. One neat feature of these releases is that the standard plastic cases and their sleeves are all completely in Japanese with Studio Ghibli listed as the distributor, but over these cases is a slipcover with Chinese writing and Deltamac (and sometimes Disney) listed as the distributor, so if you prefer to have Japanese packaging for the Japanese titles you own, you just remove the slipcovers!

Here are some photos of the packaging & discs for the titles I own:

[1989] Kiki's Delivery Service:

[Show spoiler]

[1991] Only Yesterday:

[Show spoiler]

[1995] Whisper of the Heart:

[Show spoiler]

[2004] Howl's Moving Castle:

[Show spoiler]

[2010] Arrietty:

[Show spoiler]

[2011] From Up on Poppy Hill:

[Show spoiler]

What are the Menus Like?
Unlike the packaging the menus for these releases actually follow the same designs as the Japanese & HK releases. What's more they all appear to have English-Friendly options! One cool feature is that the discs seem to remember what options you choose, so for instance if you select Japanese audio and English subtitles and play the film, the next time you play the disc the film will load automatically in Japanese with English subs!

[1989] Kiki's Delivery Service:

[Show spoiler]

[1991] Only Yesterday:

[Show spoiler]

[1995] Whisper of the Heart:

[Show spoiler]

*This is an older release and you first have to choose between Traditional or Simplified Chinese Menus (both come with English translations)

[2004] Howl's Moving Castle:

[Show spoiler]

[2010] Arrietty:

[Show spoiler]

[2011] From Up on Poppy Hill:

[Show spoiler]

What are the Audio and Subtitle Options?
All Taiwan releases come with the original Japanese audio in the original Theatrical audio mix. They also come with Mandarin dubs, but they lack the English dubs that feature on the Japanese releases!

Subtitle options are the same for each release: Japanese, Traditional Chinese (for the original Japanese dialogue), Traditional Chinese (for the Mandarin dub) and English. Note that the English subs on all the discs I own appear to use the proper translations found on the Japanese releases.

[1989] Kiki's Delivery Service:

[Show spoiler]

[1991] Only Yesterday:

[Show spoiler]

[1995] Whisper of the Heart:

[Show spoiler]

[2004] My Neighbors the Yamadas:

[Show spoiler]

[2004] Howl's Moving Castle:

[Show spoiler]

[2006] Tales from Earthsea:

[Show spoiler]

[2010] Arrietty:

[Show spoiler]

[2011] From Up on Poppy Hill:

[Show spoiler]

What are the Extra Features?
Most of the titles have ported over most of the Extras from the Japanese releases, but by-and-large you get one or two less featurettes in these Taiwanese editions. Some of the older releases have no Extras at all, like Whisper of the Heart for instance!

Unfortunately none of the Extra Features come with English subtitles, but Howl's Moving Castle comes with a few English interviews/featurettes and Up on Poppy Hill's extras are mostly musical based, so you don't miss much by not knowing Japanese!

[1989] Kiki's Delivery Service:

[Show spoiler]

[1991] Only Yesterday:

[Show spoiler]

[1995] Whisper of the Heart: No Extra Features whatsoever!

[2004] Howl's Moving Castle:

[Show spoiler]

[2010] Arrietty:

[Show spoiler]

[2011] From Up on Poppy Hill:

[Show spoiler]

Here are photos for the From Up on Poppy Hill foldout inserts:

[Show spoiler]

Thanks for reading!!

Kool-aid23 · 11-16-2013, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shingster

Oops! I've accidentally posted this while I'm still working on it!

MODS: I hope this is OK, I know that there's an existing thread on the Taiwan Ghibli releases here, but I asked in that thread if I could start a new one that's a little more comprehensive & was given the OK by the thread starter.

Thank you sir for the break down. This is very helpful.

Regards,

Shingster · 11-16-2013, 03:24 AM

I hit the 30,000 characters limit in the OP so I've had to split the FAQ across two posts, hope that's OK!

Jafar · 11-16-2013, 05:36 AM

Arigato Gozaimasu, Shing! Some incredible information there! Glad to know Taiwanese releases are multi-region, which means I can finally toss my Disney's "Castle in the Sky" US disc in the bin, and make way for the Taiwanese release

disneywildcat · 11-16-2013, 04:52 PM

Thanks for putting together this thread Shingster.

I also would like to note that it appears that Deltamac handles the Taiwan Studio Ghibli releases for Disney (which also distributes its Blu-ray titles thru Deltamac), as most of the Taiwan releases have the Disney logo on the slipcover. In addition, the promotional booklets in the Studio Ghibli Blu-ray releases promote Disney and Studio Ghibli releases in Taiwan only (not any other of Deltamac's titles from other studios). It's probably why the Taiwanese releases not only have Japanese ports (as Disney is also the Japanese Home Video distributor for Studio Ghibli), but also retain more of the Japanese Blu-ray extras than the Hong Kong releases.

I think that Grave of the Fireflies is probably still awaiting a Blu-ray release in Taiwan because Deltamac/Disney don't have the rights to Grave of the Fireflies in Taiwan, as Deltamac didn't handle the DVD release in Taiwan. While Disney did release it in Japan for Studio Ghibli, my guess is that Disney and Studio Ghibli had only obtained the Japanese distribution rights only. Although other countries have seen releases of Grave of the Fireflies, both Taiwan and Hong Kong (which is handled by Intercontinental Video) both have yet to see Blu-ray releases.

Shingster · 11-17-2013, 12:11 AM

Good point disneywildcat, I wasn't sure what the Disney relationship was with these Asian releases because their logo isn't on all the Deltamac releases, but I think knowing they they indeed don't appear to own the rights to Grave of the Fireflies anywhere in the world then you're probably right on the money regarding the reasons it hasn't come out yet. I'll add a new section to the FAQ, I also need to update the Extra Features entry for From Up on Poppy Hill to include pictures of the pamphlet.

Vintrus · 11-19-2013, 09:52 AM

Your certain Only Yesterday is B friendly I'm considering that one because its come out no where else but Japan.

Shingster · 11-20-2013, 09:44 PM

Sorry Vintrus, I've been very busy these last couple of days!

To answer your question: I'm as sure as I can be with a code-free player. I don't know if you have any experience with modded blu-ray players, but you basically switch between Reg-A and Reg-B by pressing 1 or 2 on your remote while the unit is in standby. My methodology in testing these Taiwan Ghibli titles was to put my player into Reg-B and then play a Criterion BD (knowing full well they're Reg-A), once the Criterion refuses to play and I get the usual "mismatch between player/disc region" warning screen, I know for certain my player is in Reg-B mode. I then checked all my Taiwan Ghibli discs and they all played fine!

I've just this second applied that methodology to double-check Only Yesterday for you and once again it played fine when a Criterion BD wouldn't. Hopefully this will help you come to a decision!

If you do end up ordering Only Yesterday, would you mind popping back in here and letting us know that it played OK for you? Like I say I'm pretty sure, but it would be nice to have a 2nd confirmation from someone with a Reg-B player!

Pyoko · 01-03-2014, 06:27 PM

I cannot say for certain however I strongly suspect that just like Ponyo, Nausicaa and perhaps Laputa also share discs with the inferior HK versions, because the language and extras selection on the TW back cover is identical to what's on the HK disc.

My guess is they didn't switch to porting the JP releases until the second wave.

(Though personally I can leave all these problems with inferior compression, poor subtitles, dub credits, DNR, missing Grave of the Fireflies etc. of the international Ghibli releases behind me, as I finally decided to just get the JP editions.

)

GenPion · 01-03-2014, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyoko

I cannot say for certain however I strongly suspect that just like Ponyo, Nausicaa and perhaps Laputa also share discs with the inferior HK versions, because the language and extras selection on the TW back cover is identical to what's on the HK disc.

My guess is they didn't switch to porting the JP releases until the second wave.

(Though personally I can leave all these problems with inferior compression, poor subtitles, dub credits, DNR, missing Grave of the Fireflies etc. of the international Ghibli releases behind me, as I finally decided to just get the JP editions.

)

Some of the Japanese editions have poor subtitles too. At least in terms of the formatting. This has been confirmed by owners of the JP editions. Laputa, for instance, has formatting issues on both the JP and HK edition.

EddieLarkin · 01-04-2014, 12:47 AM

For some reason the Ys and the Gs on the Japanese editions are placed ever so slightly higher than other letters, making them look "off". You soon get used to it though, and other than that they seem fine.

svenge · 01-04-2014, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GenPion

Some of the Japanese editions have poor subtitles too. At least in terms of the formatting. This has been confirmed by owners of the JP editions. Laputa, for instance, has formatting issues on both the JP and HK edition.

Are you sure that wasn't Nausicaa? I have the HK release of Laputa and I don't remember any problems with the subs...

Shingster · 01-15-2014, 12:58 AM

Yeah I don't recall any issues with the subs on my HK Laputa BD as well. Pretty sure it was just Nausicaa that had that problem. It's possible that Nausicaa is a HK port like Ponyo though given how early it was released, but it was released later than Ponyo and it did come out in the same packaging as the rest of the line, so who knows?

GenPion · 04-26-2014, 11:26 PM

Anyone know if The Cat Returns TW Blu-ray that just came out includes the Ghiblies Episode 2 short film? I want a copy of that in HD but am trying to figure out around ordering the JP edition. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

disneywildcat · 04-27-2014, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GenPion

Anyone know if The Cat Returns TW Blu-ray that just came out includes the Ghiblies Episode 2 short film? I want a copy of that in HD but am trying to figure out around ordering the JP edition. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I just noticed yesterday that JSDVD had The Cat Returns listed.

I did look on the Chinese page (as the Chinese page typically will list the bonus features while the English page does not), and the only bonus features appear to be storyboards, trailers, and a Making Of feature.

A product listing for the BD has yet to appear on Deltamac's website. I did look at the DVD listing and it appears to has the same features that JSDVD listed for the Blu-ray. Considering that the UK Blu-ray doesn't have the short either, I think you will have to go with the Japanese version (which I do plan to get).

UseY0ur1llusi0n · 07-19-2014, 08:56 PM

Conventional bump here to let the OP know that Spirited Away and The Wind Rises will be getting Blu-ray releases August 22nd, 2014. YesAsia links - 1 & 2

Language: Japanese
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese

disneywildcat · 07-19-2014, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UseY0ur1llusi0n

Conventional bump here to let the OP know that Spirited Away and The Wind Rises will be getting Blu-ray releases August 22nd, 2014. YesAsia links - 1 & 2

Language: Japanese

Subtitles: Traditional Chinese

Both will almost certainly include the Mandarin dubs to both films. Anyway, I haven't seen a preorder link yet on JSDVD and Deltamac's site doesn't have info on the Blu-ray releases of either films. Still, the release date should be correct, as Five Music has preorders for August 22 (although only temporary images of either the TW poster or the JP BD are used).

The Wind Rises

Spirited Away

UseY0ur1llusi0n · 07-19-2014, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disneywildcat

Both will almost certainly include the Mandarin dubs to both films.

Yeah I'm sure they will. YesAsia's poor when it comes to listing correct audio specs. BTW- I already added the Spirited Away TW release into the database, but not The Wind Rises yet, so feel free to give that a go if you want.

disneywildcat · 07-23-2014, 04:40 AM

Covers of The Wind Rises and Spirited Away. The Wind Rises will be a BD only release, while Spirited Away will continue to be a combo pack. No information on special features is available yet.

11-15-2013, 11:13 PM	#2
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	What's the Packaging Like? One thing that appeals to collectors of the Japanese releases is the unique theme of their packaging: Colour-coded Digipacks with white outlines and minimal artwork indicating the title. You can view the designs in The Studio Ghibli (JP) Discussion Thread. In HK they have chosen to stick to this design, but in Taiwan Deltamac have chosen to use standard plastic Blu-ray cases with traditional artwork from the films on the cover. One neat feature of these releases is that the standard plastic cases and their sleeves are all completely in Japanese with Studio Ghibli listed as the distributor, but over these cases is a slipcover with Chinese writing and Deltamac (and sometimes Disney) listed as the distributor, so if you prefer to have Japanese packaging for the Japanese titles you own, you just remove the slipcovers! Here are some photos of the packaging & discs for the titles I own: [1989] Kiki's Delivery Service: [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [1991] Only Yesterday: [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [1995] Whisper of the Heart: [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [2004] Howl's Moving Castle: [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [2010] Arrietty: [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [2011] From Up on Poppy Hill: [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] What are the Menus Like? Unlike the packaging the menus for these releases actually follow the same designs as the Japanese & HK releases. What's more they all appear to have English-Friendly options! One cool feature is that the discs seem to remember what options you choose, so for instance if you select Japanese audio and English subtitles and play the film, the next time you play the disc the film will load automatically in Japanese with English subs! [1989] Kiki's Delivery Service: [Show spoiler] [1991] Only Yesterday: [Show spoiler] [1995] Whisper of the Heart: [Show spoiler] This is an older release and you first have to choose between Traditional or Simplified Chinese Menus (both come with English translations) [2004] Howl's Moving Castle:* [Show spoiler] [2010] Arrietty: [Show spoiler] [2011] From Up on Poppy Hill: [Show spoiler] What are the Audio and Subtitle Options? All Taiwan releases come with the original Japanese audio in the original Theatrical audio mix. They also come with Mandarin dubs, but they lack the English dubs that feature on the Japanese releases! Subtitle options are the same for each release: Japanese, Traditional Chinese (for the original Japanese dialogue), Traditional Chinese (for the Mandarin dub) and English. Note that the English subs on all the discs I own appear to use the proper translations found on the Japanese releases. [1989] Kiki's Delivery Service: [Show spoiler] [1991] Only Yesterday: [Show spoiler] [1995] Whisper of the Heart: [Show spoiler] [2004] My Neighbors the Yamadas: [Show spoiler] [2004] Howl's Moving Castle: [Show spoiler] [2006] Tales from Earthsea: [Show spoiler] [2010] Arrietty: [Show spoiler] [2011] From Up on Poppy Hill: [Show spoiler] What are the Extra Features? Most of the titles have ported over most of the Extras from the Japanese releases, but by-and-large you get one or two less featurettes in these Taiwanese editions. Some of the older releases have no Extras at all, like Whisper of the Heart for instance! Unfortunately none of the Extra Features come with English subtitles, but Howl's Moving Castle comes with a few English interviews/featurettes and Up on Poppy Hill's extras are mostly musical based, so you don't miss much by not knowing Japanese! [1989] Kiki's Delivery Service: [Show spoiler] [1991] Only Yesterday: [Show spoiler] [1995] Whisper of the Heart: No Extra Features whatsoever! [2004] Howl's Moving Castle: [Show spoiler] [2010] Arrietty: [Show spoiler] [2011] From Up on Poppy Hill: [Show spoiler] Here are photos for the From Up on Poppy Hill foldout inserts: [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] [Show spoiler] Thanks for reading!! Last edited by Shingster; 11-17-2013 at 01:23 AM.

11-16-2013, 03:24 AM	#4
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	I hit the 30,000 characters limit in the OP so I've had to split the FAQ across two posts, hope that's OK! Last edited by Shingster; 11-16-2013 at 03:52 AM.

11-16-2013, 05:36 AM	#5
Jafar Expert Member Top contributor Member since:Apr 2011 4K collection:185 Blu-ray collection:552 Trading Score:111	Arigato Gozaimasu, Shing! Some incredible information there! Glad to know Taiwanese releases are multi-region, which means I can finally toss my Disney's "Castle in the Sky" US disc in the bin, and make way for the Taiwanese release Last edited by Jafar; 11-16-2013 at 05:44 AM.

11-17-2013, 12:11 AM	#7
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	Good point disneywildcat, I wasn't sure what the Disney relationship was with these Asian releases because their logo isn't on all the Deltamac releases, but I think knowing they they indeed don't appear to own the rights to Grave of the Fireflies anywhere in the world then you're probably right on the money regarding the reasons it hasn't come out yet. I'll add a new section to the FAQ, I also need to update the Extra Features entry for From Up on Poppy Hill to include pictures of the pamphlet. Last edited by Shingster; 11-17-2013 at 01:05 AM.

11-20-2013, 09:44 PM	#9
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	Sorry Vintrus, I've been very busy these last couple of days! To answer your question: I'm as sure as I can be with a code-free player. I don't know if you have any experience with modded blu-ray players, but you basically switch between Reg-A and Reg-B by pressing 1 or 2 on your remote while the unit is in standby. My methodology in testing these Taiwan Ghibli titles was to put my player into Reg-B and then play a Criterion BD (knowing full well they're Reg-A), once the Criterion refuses to play and I get the usual "mismatch between player/disc region" warning screen, I know for certain my player is in Reg-B mode. I then checked all my Taiwan Ghibli discs and they all played fine! I've just this second applied that methodology to double-check Only Yesterday for you and once again it played fine when a Criterion BD wouldn't. Hopefully this will help you come to a decision! If you do end up ordering Only Yesterday, would you mind popping back in here and letting us know that it played OK for you? Like I say I'm pretty sure, but it would be nice to have a 2nd confirmation from someone with a Reg-B player! Last edited by Shingster; 11-20-2013 at 09:46 PM.

11-16-2013, 04:52 PM	#6
disneywildcat Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Jul 2012 Location:AZ, USA Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	Thanks for putting together this thread Shingster. I also would like to note that it appears that Deltamac handles the Taiwan Studio Ghibli releases for Disney (which also distributes its Blu-ray titles thru Deltamac), as most of the Taiwan releases have the Disney logo on the slipcover. In addition, the promotional booklets in the Studio Ghibli Blu-ray releases promote Disney and Studio Ghibli releases in Taiwan only (not any other of Deltamac's titles from other studios). It's probably why the Taiwanese releases not only have Japanese ports (as Disney is also the Japanese Home Video distributor for Studio Ghibli), but also retain more of the Japanese Blu-ray extras than the Hong Kong releases. I think that Grave of the Fireflies is probably still awaiting a Blu-ray release in Taiwan because Deltamac/Disney don't have the rights to Grave of the Fireflies in Taiwan, as Deltamac didn't handle the DVD release in Taiwan. While Disney did release it in Japan for Studio Ghibli, my guess is that Disney and Studio Ghibli had only obtained the Japanese distribution rights only. Although other countries have seen releases of Grave of the Fireflies, both Taiwan and Hong Kong (which is handled by Intercontinental Video) both have yet to see Blu-ray releases.

11-19-2013, 09:52 AM	#8
Vintrus Expert Member Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:QLD, Australia 4K collection:1013 Blu-ray collection:3970 DVD collection:456	Your certain Only Yesterday is B friendly I'm considering that one because its come out no where else but Japan.

01-03-2014, 06:27 PM	#10
Pyoko Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Apr 2008 4K collection:151 Blu-ray collection:722	I cannot say for certain however I strongly suspect that just like Ponyo, Nausicaa and perhaps Laputa also share discs with the inferior HK versions, because the language and extras selection on the TW back cover is identical to what's on the HK disc. My guess is they didn't switch to porting the JP releases until the second wave. (Though personally I can leave all these problems with inferior compression, poor subtitles, dub credits, DNR, missing Grave of the Fireflies etc. of the international Ghibli releases behind me, as I finally decided to just get the JP editions. ) Last edited by Pyoko; 01-03-2014 at 06:44 PM.

01-04-2014, 12:47 AM	#12
EddieLarkin Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jun 2011 4K collection:657 Blu-ray collection:4697 DVD collection:893 Trading Score:1	For some reason the Ys and the Gs on the Japanese editions are placed ever so slightly higher than other letters, making them look "off". You soon get used to it though, and other than that they seem fine.

01-15-2014, 12:58 AM	#14
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	Yeah I don't recall any issues with the subs on my HK Laputa BD as well. Pretty sure it was just Nausicaa that had that problem. It's possible that Nausicaa is a HK port like Ponyo though given how early it was released, but it was released later than Ponyo and it did come out in the same packaging as the rest of the line, so who knows?

04-26-2014, 11:26 PM	#15
GenPion Blu-ray.com Reviewer Top contributor Member since:Feb 2009 Location:Texas 4K collection:1218 Blu-ray collection:6999 DVD collection:44 Blu-ray reviews: 3 Trading Score:271	Anyone know if The Cat Returns TW Blu-ray that just came out includes the Ghiblies Episode 2 short film? I want a copy of that in HD but am trying to figure out around ordering the JP edition. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

07-19-2014, 08:56 PM	#17
UseY0ur1llusi0n Banned Top contributor Member since:Oct 2013 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Trading Score:4	Conventional bump here to let the OP know that Spirited Away and The Wind Rises will be getting Blu-ray releases August 22nd, 2014. YesAsia links - 1 & 2 Language: Japanese Subtitles: Traditional Chinese

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