Unboxing [UK]: The Wind Rises (BD/DVD)

It's been a long time since I last picked up a Studio Ghibli title, and while I did pickup some Blu-ray sets a few years ago I didn't prioritise on it at all. Now I have decided to try and get the rest, as Ocean Waves finally saw its Blu-ray release, concluding the Ghibli Blu-ray catalogue.

I've already done unboxings for Arrietty, From Up on Poppy Hill, and Whisper of the Heart - all three in fact now updated to the current format I use.

Now I acquired two more titles. The first is from Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises.

The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) is a 2013 film directed by Hayao Miyazaki with Hideaki Anno voicing the main lead. The 20th Studio Ghibli film follows a fictionalised biopic of the Japanese plane designer Jiro Horikoshi prior to World War II. Jiro Horikoshi was the designer of the Mitsubishi A5M and Mitsubishi A6M planes. I saw this film back in May 2014 when Studio Canal released it through theatrical cinemas nationwide.

This release from Studio Canal is pretty simple. A standard combo pack with English & Japanese audio with English subtitles plus unlockable subtitles and Region B/2 only compatibility. The DVD discs are also PAL authored. The first run of the Studio Ghibli sets also come with slipcovers plus a number on the spine to match each Ghibli film released. The number isn't the exact release order of the films from Japan but rather randomised until the newer films came along.

Just to point out, Miyazaki himself intentionally released the film with Mono audio.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: Japanese, English

Audio: LPCM Mono 2.0 [Japanese, English]

Video: 1080p HD Native 16:9

Region: B

Subtitles: English

Subtitles Locked: No

Discs: 1

DVD Specs:

Languages: Japanese, English

Audio: Mono 2.0 [Japanese, English]

Video: SD PAL 16:9

Region: 2

Subtitles: English

Subtitles Locked: No

Discs: 1

Plot Synopsis (via Studio Canal):

From the legendary and highly celebrated Studio Ghibli (SPIRITED AWAY, PRINCESS MONONOKE, HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE) and much revered director Hayao Miyazaki comes THE WIND RISES.

Jiro (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni (voiced by Stanley Tucci). Nearsighted from a young age andthus unable to become a pilot, Jiro joins a major Japanese engineering company in 1927 and becomes oneof the world’s most innovative and accomplished airplane designers.

The film chronicles much of his life, depicting key historical events including The Great Kanto earthquake of1923, the Great Depression, the tuberculosis epidemic, and Japan’s plunge into war. Jiro meets and falls inlove with Nahoko (voiced by Emily Blunt) and grows and cherishes his friendship with his colleague Honjo (voiced by John Krasinski).

On-Disc Extra Content:

Feature Storyboards

Press Conference for the Announcement of the Completion of the Film

Trailers and TV Spots

The Wind Rises is available on Blu-ray & DVD from Studio Canal. GKIDS will soon be releasing the film in North America.