STUDIO GHIBLI
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
2012-09-09
One thousand years after the "Seven Days of Fire", an apocalyptic war which destroyed modern human civilization and the world's ecology, the earth is covered by the "Sea of Corruption", a vast forest of fungi and plants that give off poisonous miasma (gas) and is inhabited by large deadly insects. Life in this world is most difficult for humans, but humans are still fighting over the small portions of inhabitable lands left to them around the edges of the Sea of Corruption. A war is about to break out between the Kingdom of Torumekia and the Dorok Empire, and Nausicaä, the princess of a small country, the Valley of Wind, now has to leave the Valley to join the Torumekian army, which is about to invade the Dorok Empire.Nausicaä's true desire is to solve the mystery of the Sea of Corruption, and find the "Blue Pure Land", a place where people can live without being threatened by the poison from the Sea of Corruption.Through her desperate attempt to prevent anyone from being killed, she stumbles onto the secret of the Sea of Corruption. This is just the beginning of her long, hard journey.
Spirited Away
2011-12-17
Winner of the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated feature, Spirited Away tells the story of 10-year-old Chihiro, a girl in the midst of a move to the suburbs who wanders into a strange town and finds a world of spirits ruled over by the mysterious Yubaba.
Mononoke Hime
2011-02-11
In order to satisfy their own needs for land and resources, Man is encroaching on their sacred territory, cutting down the trees and destroying everything else that stand in their path. As a result, the animal gods became angry and attacked the encampment.Into this conflict wanders a young boy, Ashitaka, a refugee of the Emishi people. His people still live in hiding, but when his village was attacked, he shot and killed one of the animal gods. For this he has been given the curse of death. He has begun a search through Japan to find the secret of his curse when he arrives at the encampment. Outside of the encampment he is attacked by the "Monster Princess", a girl raised in the woods by Moro no Kimi (a 300 year old female dog god) and who is driven by a fierce hatred for the humans who are destroying the forest. She has repeatedly attacked the encampment, but after she meets Ashitaka, she becomes torn between her loyalty to the animal-gods and the world of the humans.Surrounded by the warring characters of the humans on one side and the animal-gods on the other, each side believing in the righteouness of its cause, it is Ashitaka and San who must face each other personally and, by the end of the film, come to an understanding of each other's world and make the attempt to coexist without hatred and violence.Not far from the heart of the sacred forest where the great Deer God dwells, a new town called Irontown is founded. Conflict seems inevitable.A young girl, raised by wolves, and a warrior bearing a curse inflicted by the hatred of a dying Boar God are trying to make things right. Will they succeed?
The Art of Howl's Moving Castle
2011-02-11
Shortly after reaping the rewards from his movie Spirited Away, a project that earned him an Academy Award in 2003, director Hayao Miyazaki set his sites on his next film, Howl's Moving Castle.Based on the novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle gave the internationally renowned director an opportunity to bring to life a fantastical time in 19th century Europe when science and magic defined the popular zeitgeist.Veering slightly from its source material, the new Miyazaki movie nonetheless retains all the novel's principal characters. There's a foppish wizard named Howl, a vain witch from the wastelands, an anthropomorphic chimney fire and a young girl who carries a most unusual curse. And, of course, there's the moving castleâ?¦a towering, omnipresent structure that dominates the landscape.Already a smash success in Japan, Howl's Moving Castle finally comes to U.S. theatres this spring. To coincide with its Stateside release, VIZ is proud to present The Art of Howl's Moving Castle, a hardbound, prestige format book which acts as an essential companion to the film.A generous collection of concept sketches, fully rendered character and background drawings, paintings and cell images, The Art of Howl's Moving Castle brings the movie into your library. Along with the stunning visuals, the book also presents interviews and comments with the production staff, including key points directly from the director.There's more than one way to book passage on the moving castle. See the movie, but don't forget to reserve a copy of the book, as well. The Art of Howl's Moving Castle is a great way to preserve the magic of the next great anime classic from Hayao Miyazaki.
Baron: The Cat Returns
2011-01-14
From Viz:When awkward schoolgirl Haru rescues a cat on her way home from school one day, the last thing she expects in return is to be honored by a feline royal family! Before she knows what's happening to her, Haru is drawn into a world inhabited entir
Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind
2011-01-14
The story is set in the future 1000 years after the “Seven Days of Fire”, a cataclysm brought on by the excessive industrialisation that mankind has undergone. It utterly destroyed industrial civilisation approximately a millennium after it began to f