Customer Ratings & Reviews

Another amazing film by Hayao Miyazki; I'm always impressed with his detail to ones life experiences; the earthquake sequence will blow you away. The film is base on a flight engineers dream to build the perfect flying machine

In all Miyazaki's films the wind and sky, as well as nature, figure prominently though out. This film brings the wind into center of it all, a man wanting to conquer the air.

The Wind Rises is a film worth seeing. However. don't expect it to be like Miyazaki's other masterpieces like Totoro, Princess Mononoke, or even Spirited Away. It can be slow at times, but it can also be interesting. Things do speed up when Jiro meets Nahoko and becomes married to her. The ending is really heartbreaking, though.

This film by the legendary Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki is a delight for the eyes and warms the heart. It is a departure for Miyazaki in that he is more focused on an adult audience than his other films. The film is set in the pre-World War II era and centers on a real historical figure, Jiro Horikoski, an aircraft designer who was the key figure in developing the famous Zero fighter. It is far from an historical film, however, but rather a meditation on passion and dedication -- the passions of creating beautiful and groundbreaking aircraft and the passion of love. Jiro lives his dreams, and is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to do so.

I had purchased a couple of missing titles from my Studio Ghibli Bluray collection and I was very delighted to pick up "The Wind Rises". It's not to everybody's taste, but the film shows some terrific artwork and really puts to use the best of Studio Ghibli's hyper detailed and impressive animation techniques. Small details like hair, grass, ruffled papers, and debris really pop out of the screen and immerses you into the film. The story is usually the sticking point with this title as it's one of Ghibli's more realistic tales that's almost a complete autobiography if not for a few alterations and elaborations. If you simply want to marvel at some of the best Studio Ghibli artwork in history, then this is a definite must have. For story, I would have to say that if you're comfortable dealing with heavy subjects like the morality of war and historical consequence, then this is a thought provoking and powerful tale.

Take to the skies in yet another Studio Gibli masterpiece. Join Jiro on his journey as he becomes a renowned airplane designer and falls in love with the ailing Nahako along the way. If you don't know the name Hayao Miyazaki or Studio Gibli by now then you must have been living under a rock. The always high calibur of storytelling and animation are present throughout this visually gorgeous adventure. You owe it to yourself to watch this interesting story of love and adventure.

Although traditional Miyazaki style and story-telling, this is not a children's movie. The film is an embellished biography of a young, Japanese engineer whose eyesight is too bad for him to become a pilot. Instead he designs the Zero fighter used in WWII. The film focuses on his love of airplanes and documents many of the trials and troubles that he and the world encounter on the cusp of war. It is heart-string tugging and interesting from a historical standpoint, there are many instances you can cross reference events from the film with real life events. A fascinating journey, beautiful animation, and definitely has re-watch value.

Finally got around to watching this one and its another studio Ghibli movie greatness. The steelbook is great as all the others with a cool booklet inside that my kids love to look at. A movie for all ages. These Studio ghibli movies give us a good reason for family movie night. jr_hybrid_collectables

His final film (as of the writing of this review, though another is in the works), Hayao Miyazaki continues to show his mastery of the craft with this beautiful exploration of the horrors of war seen through the lens of a man who just wants to make beautiful planes. A must-watch for any fan of Miyazaki's work, though definitely a more mature film than many of his other ones.

The subject matter may seem unusual - a biopic (with a lot of dramatic license) about Jiro Horikoshi, the engineer who modernized Japanese aviation and whose work resulted in the "Zero", the infamous kamikaze plane of WWII. But Jiro is a young man who dreams of making beautiful airplanes... and who regrets that things of beauty are so often corrupted. The use of his planes for warfare is paralleled by the story thread of his wife Naoko, a beauty whose health is destroyed by tuberculosis. Not a kiddie cartoon (although I wouldn't prevent a child from seeing it), but a bittersweet tribute to dreams and dreamers. Have Kleenex close at hand, and prepare for some of the most astounding animation of aircraft in flight you'll ever see.

I am overwhelmingly sad that Hayao Miyazaki-San has retired from making more of his beloved animated films from Studio Ghibli. However, I continue to support the director I admire, by purchasing The Wind Rises film. I FIRST saw this when it was released for theaters, and fell in love with the character and storyline!! Until now, I have seen this movie some four times!! The flight scenery in the movie is BREATHTAKING. It is truly one of Miyazaki's best films!

This is a very well done tale about the inspiration of a key engineer developing airplane designs before and during WWII in Japan. The art and composition of the scenes is truly brilliant. Additionally, the character development is compelling, which is truly one of the heart wrenching aspects of the movie. The characters are developed so well that the viewer truly cares for their plights, successes, hardships, triumphs, and tragedies. This movie is well worth the money and time to watch, but will probably leave the viewer with a slightly melancholy sadness over the outcome for the main character.

My first introduction to Ghibli / anime films! This is easily still one of my favorites and will easily to appeal to those who have an interest/career in engineering. This film offers a great balance between a fascination for engineering/design and an emotional journey. The blu ray picture quality is also excellent and colorful.

First off, I've been a fan of studio Ghibli for quite some time so I was expecting to like the movie. What I wasn't expecting, however, is that it is in my top 3 favorite movies of the year! Given the subject matter, I would not recommend the movie for young children as I find they wouldn't understand much or become bored. As always, the animation is beautiful but what really stands out is the story, which is filled with so much emotion, you really find yourself caring about the characters and even tearing up at parts. At times uplifting and others sad. Definitely a must see, especially for a different perspective on a time of war.

A semi-pseudo historical documentary drama loosely based on the real life of Jiro Horikoshi... a Japanese Airplane engineer and designer of the Mitsubishi Zero A5M Fighter Plane during World War II. Rather than get into the politics of war... this anime focuses more on Jiro's fascination with designing planes. It also has a little bit of a romance story thrown in. There is no action in this film, but mostly drama and outstanding animation with characters who seem real. The Wind Rises is an interesting story that happens to be told in anime format.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I bought it on a whim, as I have lately been exploring different anime titles & saw it marked down. Once I started watching, I found it was well worth the time spent, as I was drawn deeper into the story & it held my interest throughout. I never expected to have an emotional connection to a character in an animated movie, but was pleasantly surprised. Will definitely remain in my collection for future viewing(s). And, FWIW, the continuity with regard to the construction of aircraft was pretty close as well.

Studio Ghibli. That alone should be enough to tell you that this is breathtaking art and animation at its best. The company that inspired every movie and creation at Pixar now Disney has made a truly gem of cinema experience. Set during WW 2. It follows a young genius engineer as he grows to manhood fall in love and overcomes the many issues of life under the umbrella of war. I was impressed by the view point shown from a Japanese perspective. Very enlightening not heavy handed a beautiful love story. Definitely one of my favorite purchases. You will not be disappointed.

Legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki's last film. If you like old fighter planes and the spirit of invention you'll love this animated feature. Although it takes place during WW2, it largely avoids the politics of the time instead focusing mostly on someone following their dreams and the beauty of flight in and of itself while we know the powers that be plow their destructive path at the edges of our collective memory. There are plenty of great Studio Ghibli films with different directors, but don't miss this last hurrah from the legend.

There is truly nothing like the beauty that is found in the Studio Ghibli films. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone. Something else I want to mention, even if you are not a fan of anime, you can still definitely enjoy this film. It's like the classic Disney cartoons, not many people see them as "cartoons", but rather as true works of art. And that is what this movie is.

This was the first Studio Ghibli movie I saw in the theater and it christened my love for the animation studio. When Disney sold the home distribution rights to GKIDS this title was the only holdover for several years since it is a newer movie. I'm glad to see it finally get a GKIDS release.