"Where's Cousin It?"

Dark Shadows is a film directed by Tim Burton, which naturally means it’s starring Johnny Depp, and is based on the “gothic soap opera” of the late 60s and early 70s of the same name. But is Dark Shadows a new Tim Burton classic? Or was it better left in the shadows?

Dark Shadows tells the story of Barnabas Collins (Depp), a man from a wealthy family who founded the town of Collinsport. In the eighteenth century, Collins “broke the heart” of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), one of the family’s servants who terns out to be a witch. Scorned, Angelique curses Barnabas and his family. The curse kills his parents, and causes the woman he loves to throw herself off a cliff. Barnabas attempts to jump off the cliff himself, no longer able to live with the pain Angelique has caused him, but the fall doesn’t kill him, as Angelique has cursed him to become a vampire, so that he might suffer for eternity.

Angelique then prompts the townspeople to hunt down the vampire. They seal him in a coffin and bury him, where he remains for two-hundred years before being dug up by construction workers in the 1970s (where the rest of the story takes place).

In this time, there are four Collins: Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family matriarch, Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller), Elizabeth’s brother, Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Mortez), Elizabeth’s daughter, and David Collins (Gulliver McGraff), Roger’s son, who claims he can speak with his deceased mother.

The family’s servants also come into play, with David’s governess, Victoria “Vicky” Winters (Bella Heathcote), bears a resemblance to Barnabas’ lost love, instantly making her his romantic interest. There’s also the family’s “live-in” psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter) and their manor’s caretaker, Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley), who, aside from Barnabas, are the film’s best characters.

Barnabas, naturally, finds his way back to his old manor so that he might become part of the family again. He discovers the family’s name is less prestigious than it once was, and seeks to bring the Collins’ name and business back into relevance, all while preventing the still vengeful Angelique’s wrath from further destroying his family.

I enjoyed the premise enough, and the performances are all spot-on (Depp, as always, is a show-stealer), yet strangely, I didn’t care too much for the movie.

The dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but the biggest misstep in Dark Shadows is in its directing. This certainly won’t be the popular opinion, but I feel Tim Burton is a bit Tim Burtoned-out. There’s never a constant flow of style in Dark Shadows’ narrative. Its story is told in broken episodes, most of which seem like they can’t decide if they’re going for horror, romance, comedy or campiness. And in that confusion, they rarely succeed with the desired effect.

And that’s not to mention that, aside from Barnabas and Angelique, the movie forgets its characters too often. The actors are all capable enough, but they mean less than they should when the movie itself chooses not to fully explore them. The romance between Barnabas and Victoria seems to have no meaning other than Victoria looks like Barnabas’ lost love, and it ends up feeling flat. Carolyn hides a secret of her own, but its revelation has little (if any) impact on the story when all is said and done. And then there’s David, who the movie forgets so often you go from pitying him to forgetting he was ever there.

Dark Shadows leaves the impression that Tim Burton is becoming a slave to his own game. Tim Burton’s films often have a unique style and imagination about them, such was the case with Edward Scissorhands or Big Fish or even his two Batman films. But it feels like a growing trend that Burton is simply being weird for weird’s sake. The heart of the story, characters and creativity make way for fancy visuals. Dark Shadows feels, more or less, like Tim Burton going through the motions. The style without the substance.

“They tried stoning me once, but it did not work.”

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Today is the sixteenth anniversary of the US release of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars! To celebrate the sweet sixteenth of this masterful RPG, I decided to compile this list of the top ten characters that were introduced in Mario’s debut RPG. Keep in mind this list is exclusive to characters that were unique to the game, so some obvious characters (Mario, Bowser, Princess Peach) aren’t included. So without further introduction, the top ten Super Mario RPG characters!

"YES!"

It’s all been building up to this. Ever since Marvel Studio’s Iron Man, the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” has been hinting, teasing and hyping The Avengers. While all of the Marvel Studio films thus far, from Iron Man to Thor to Captain America, have all held up very well as standalone superhero films, they all found their own ways to subtly (and sometimes not-so subtly) hype the movie that would bring Marvel’s heroes together. With four years and five movies building up to it, The Avengers’ hype became an entity in itself. But, does this multi-franchise sequel live up to all its hype and produce a memorable movie of its own? Or is it not-so super after all?

I’m just going to get this out of the way…The Avengers lives up to the hype, and then some. It’s an impressive feat in itself really, for a movie these days to meet (let alone exceed) it’s hype. It’s all the more impressive when you consider that The Avengers is a super hero ensemble, serving as a collective sequel to four established Marvel movie franchises. The Avengers easily could have ended up an incoherent mesh of super hero fan service. Instead, it’s a genuine treat for fans of caped crusaders, and an exquisite piece of entertainment even for those with little knowledge of the Marvel mythos.

The story begins when Loki (Tom Hiddleson), the villainous brother of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), having been sucked into the void of space after his battle with his brother in Thor, has found his way to a strange cosmic realm, where a mysterious being grants him possession of an alien army known as the Chitauri. But in return for this army Loki must find and deliver the Tesserect (the “Cosmic Cube” that served as a major plot device in Captain America: The First Avenger) to his mysterious benefactor.

Shortly thereafter, at S.H.I.E.L.D’s headquarters, the Tesserect (which has been in their custody since the ending of Thor) begins emitting a powerful energy, which allows Loki to teleport himself to S.H.I.E.L.D’s headquarters and steal the Tesserect (brainwashing a few S.H.I.E.L.D members and destroying the building in the process).

This causes S.H.I.E.L.D’s top agent, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to activate the Avengers Initiative. So Fury, along with agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and “The Black Widow” Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) recruit Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), “Captain America” Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who are eventually joined by Thor and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), in an attempt to retrieve the Tesserect and stop Loki’s hostile takeover of Earth.

Okay, so maybe the whole “saving the world” thing may not sound all that new to super hero fair, but it’s the way the story follows each of its heroes, never feeling watered-down balancing them all. Robert Downy Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth were all perfectly cast for their roles individually, but it’s surprising how well they work together as a group. Mark Ruffalo is also a step up from the previous cinematic portrayals of Bruce Banner, so much so that you wish he would have had the role in the 2008 Incredible Hulk film.

Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson, having had smaller roles in Thor and Iron Man 2, respectively, are brought more into the spotlight. And although they lack iron suits, magic hammers and super strength, both Hawkeye and Black Widow are made so memorable by their performances that you hope they’ll see their own films down the road.

I also feel it was a wise decision recycling a previous villain in Loki. Both because Tom Hiddleson’s take on the character is even more menacing this second time around, and because it means we can jump right into the plot without having to be introduced to a new villain and his motives. Loki merely wants to take his anger and resentment of Thor out on the people of Earth, due to the events of their film. We can actually appreciate the heroes, and the villain, better without having to take the time to give a new antagonist credibility.

But aside from being the first super hero ensemble, and succeeding at it with flying colors, The Avengers also succeeds at being a superb action film. Much like Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Avengers has a sense of intelligent, structured action. None of those annoying shaky cameras and nauseating close-ups here.

There’s a terrific sense of pacing, both in the story and action in The Avengers. It isn’t a mindless chain of explosions a la Transformers, and instead follows the “Indiana Jones” tradition of story and action melding together into a single entity, telling a story as the super-powered heroes fly through spectacular visual set-pieces, battling evil aliens.

Some might complain at the movie’s lengthy running time (it’s nearly three hours), but I feel this is a case in which the running time is justified. Four different franchises are coming together here, and with that kind of build-up it had to be big. It’s hard to imagine The Avengers working on a smaller scale.

I will admit that I do recommend watching some of the previous Marvel Studios films before diving into The Avengers. Particularly Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, as The Avengers’ works as a sequel to a number of their plot elements. I think anyone can appreciate The Avengers on its own for great characters and action sequences, and one could appreciate its plot on its own accord. But it will make all the more sense if you are viewing The Avengers as the collective sequel as it is.

All in all, The Avengers is that rare movie that receives a hefty amount of hype long before its release, and somehow more than lives up to it. It’s the best Marvel movie since Spider-Man 2, and ranks as one of the very best super hero films. If you’re looking for top quality blockbuster fair, you’d be hard-pressed to find one even half as satisfying as The Avengers.

“Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?”

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14: Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

13: Super Mario Land

12: New Super Mario Bros.

11: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

10: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

9: Super Mario Sunshine

8: Super Mario 3D Land

7: Super Mario Bros. 2

6: Super Mario Galaxy 2

5: Super Mario 64

4: Super Mario Bros.

3: Super Mario Bros. 3

2: Super Mario World

1: Super Mario Galaxy

And that’s Nintendo Power’s list. They emphasized that they were only comparing the platformers, but I feel they’re diluting the primary Mario canon a little by including the Super Mario Land and New Super Mario Bros. series. Nothing against those series, but I always saw New Super Mario Bros. as homages to Mario’s past, not new entries in the core series, and the Super Mario Land games just seem like spinoffs, don’t they (Shigeru Miyamoto and co. had very little, if any input in them). I also feel 3D Land falls under a similar category to NSMB.

But I suppose the Mario series is vague enough in canon that people can interpret it in their own way (I, for example, include Yoshi’s Island in there).

The ordering of the list is at once spot-on and questionable, but I suppose that’s innevitable when ranking a series of the quality of Mario, where great games like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Sunshine are considered “lesser” entries. I can understand Galaxy being number one (the top six could all rightfully claim the top spot), but it seems weird that Galaxy 2 wouldn’t crack the top five in such a case.

I would also bump Sunshine ahead of 3D Land, believe it or not. That’s not saying anything against 3D Land, but I feel Sunshine gets a lot of unwarranted flack for “not being as good as 64″ (because that’s such an easy feat to accomplish) and because “the FLUDD was a gimmick” (if it was a good gimmick, does it matter?). I think people ignore its good points because it was different. Both Sunshine and 3D Land are great games, but I can’t be the only one who’s actually impressed with Sunshine’s risk-taking, can I?

Well, at least to counter that they gave SMB2 a higher spot than expected. It was hailed as a classic back in the day (even if, back then even, it was the “black sheep” of the NES trilogy), so it always baffled me that people began writing it off once it became popular knowledge that it wasn’t originally a Mario game in Japan (it brought Shyguys, Snifits and Bob-ombs into the Mario universe, why complain?).

But with this said, it’s hard to argue with the majority of the top ten. Even with Zelda, I could find a means to gripe as to why Twilight Princess doesn’t deserve a spot above The Wind Waker (which is what Nintendo Power did), but I can’t really say too much about one Mario game deserving a higher spot than another. That’s probably a really good thing, as it says I think the series is brilliant enough as to make numbering most of its entries seem nearly superfluous. Seriously, the top six alone can be called the “best game ever” for various reasons, why complain about which ones are above the others?

So yeah, there’s my two cents (sort of) on this list. I find it hard to be disappointed with it, which is rare indeed.

Recently, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the long-awaited Pikmin 3 will be revealed at this year’s E3 (after having first announced it at the event in 2008), and it seems as a means to advertise the game, 2004’s Pikmin 2 will finally be getting its re-release on the Wii in the US this coming June.

In Japan, both GameCube Pikmin titles were re-released with modified Wii controls in 2009. Though only the original Pikmin’s Wii makeover made it to the states. After three years of waiting, we’ll finally be getting the revamped edition of one of Miyamoto’s most underrated games.

As for Pikmin 3, so far all that’s known about the game is that it will be for the Wii U. Hopefully we’ll find out a lot more than that at E3.

An earlier interview suggested it may be a new entry in the ‘New Super Mario Bros.’ series. But earlier this week, it was revealed that “New Super Mario Bros. 2″ (the Wii version didn’t have a number in the title so it doesn’t count) will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS sometime this year (reportedly August for Japan).

"Racoon Mario? Isn't this New Super Mario Bros. 2? Seems more like New Super Mario Bros. 3."

So if New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a 3DS title? Just what could the proposed “Super Mario Wii U” be? Here are some ideas at the direction the plumber may be headed.

A new 3D platformer: If anyone out there is placing bets, here’s where the money should go. Most Nintendo consoles see one primary Mario platformer in their time, and usually within the first year or so (the NES and Wii are exceptions, housing three and two ‘main’ Mario games, respectively). As such, a new primary platformer on the Wii U is a given. But, will it be the first Mario title announced?

Since the SNES debuted Super Mario World, Nintendo has only seen a new primary entry in the series every five to six years (unless we’re counting Yoshi’s Island into the primary canon). Galaxy 2 was an exception, but it used the same engine and graphics as its predecessor, meaning its development time took only half the time.

But just how much development time behind it would the next major Mario have by this point? One can easily assume Nintendo has been toying with new concepts since the Wii U itself started development. But concepts are probably as far as development goes if we’re going back that far, considering Nintendo was still constructing Galaxy 2 at that time.

I would guess that if this Mario Wii U is in fact the next major step for the series, a trailer is to be expected at best.

But just what would the new 3D platformer be? Galaxy 3 is essentially a pipe-dream, as Galaxy 2, as beautiful as it is, was only created because Shigeru Miyamoto himself felt somewhat disappointed with the original (he seems to be the only one with that opinion). But would Mario Wii U continue with a Galaxy-esque structure of combining 2D and 3D elements? Or would it use the more sandbox style of 64 and Sunshine? Or will we see something new entirely? Or a combination of all aforementioned options?

I suppose speculation and fanboyish fantasizing is the best you could do at this point. But a 3D platformer , no matter what it could be, seems like the smart money.

A new 2D platformer: As much as I adore 2D Mario (Super Mario World epitomizes perfect game design), I personally don’t want this to be the direction Nintendo goes for Mario’s Wii U debut, simply because it would most likely be another New Super Mario Bros. game. That’s not to say I have any kind of problem with the New Super Mario Bros. series, but with one already confirmed for 3DS, I don’t see a need for a Wii U entry at this point.

Though this still could be the option Nintendo goes with, if they should decide to make last year’s “New Super Mario Bros. Mii” tech-demo into a full-fledged game.

But, what if (and this is a big if), it is a new 2D Mario, but not another “New Super Mario Bros.” edition? Along with being incredibly fun and imaginative, the Mario series has served two other great purposes: To showcase new ideas, and to showcase new technology.

Although it seems hard to imagine Nintendo using a 2D Mario as an example to showoff the Wii U’s horsepower, I also don’t think an HD sidescroller is impossible to assume. Shigeru Miyamoto has recently spoken of his desire to “recreate” the SNES’ A Link to the Past in one way or another, so who’s to say he, or one of his fellow designers, haven’t thought the same thing for Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World? C’mon, I can’t be the only one who thinks a “Super Mario World: Super HD Remix” would be the coolest thing ever.

The thing is, it would seem like an easy way to showoff the Wii U’s technological capabilities in a fast and accessible way. The 3D Mario’s can reinvent the formula, but a 2D Mario doesn’t necessarily have to do the same. Nintendo can add some new innovations and mechanics here and there, but using the established 2D Mario foundation, they could make a relatively “smaller” game, but still hypothetically showoff the power of their new console in a simple way that would be destined to send Wii U’s flying off the shelves.

Seriously, Super Mario World: Super HD Remix. Tell me your mind wasn’t just blown away.

A new Mario RPG: While Mario Kart would seem to be the obvious (and inevitable) option when it comes to a Mario spinoff, I think that, with the sales numbers of Mario Kart, Nintendo would have specified the word “Kart” when stating of Mario Wii U’s presence at E3 if that were the case. So for the sake of argument (and not-so-subtle devotion to the Mario RPG subgenre), I’m going to specify a new RPG as a possible option for Mario Wii U here.

But if it is to be a new RPG (and that’s another big if), just what would it be? Paper Mario would be the obvious choice, if it weren’t for the series’ upcoming presence on the 3DS. The Mario & Luigi sub-series has also proved popular, but has been a strictly-handheld affair thus far. So it must be…Super Mario RPG 2!

Okay…that’s just me geeking out. The chances of that earth-shatteringly awesome idea coming to fruition aren’t very likely, unless Square decides to stop force-feeding us the Final Fantasy XIII universe and decides to team up with Nintendo again for the project and make something we actually want. I suppose Nintendo could hypothetically make it on their own, but they’d still need Square’s permission for the original characters that were unique to Mario RPG.

Anyway, getting back on track. It seems possible that, with Paper Mario going handheld and the Mario & Luigi series seemingly come to an end (at least for now), Nintendo could produce an all-new Mario RPG game, as it’s very easy to imagine the concept being a great backdrop for the Wii U’s tablet controller.

In fact, it’s so easy to imagine a Mario RPG taking advantage of the Wii U tablet, that a new Mario RPG (if even a new Paper Mario) seems more inevitable on Wii U than any previous Nintendo console. The tablet controller seems like it could make a turn-based battle system flow as freely as a platformer, and cycling through menus would be a piece of cake. While it wouldn’t necessarily have to be a Mario-adorned RPG to do this, it seems like the best means to make it a “killer app” for the Wii U at this early stage.

Of course, a Mario RPG wouldn’t necessarily be the case (as much as I’d like it to be). A different spinoff could indeed be shown at E3, maybe even a Mario Kart, despite my personal doubts. Though I feel that, if not an RPG, but still a spinoff, it would most likely be a game that showcases the Wii U controller, so a sports title or Mario Party seem unlikely as a means of introduction. So maybe it’s a brand new sub-series entirely. One that could be built around the Wii U tablet.

Of course, all of this is little more than wild speculation and long-winded ranting (that may or may not be the product of a Dr. Pepper binge). But whatever Mario Wii U may be, we’ll be finding out soon. E3 can’t come soon enough.

"Katniss ain't got nothing on me!"

Kid Icarus: Uprising is the long-awaited revival of Nintendo’s Kid Icarus franchise, which has laid dormant for over twenty years, last seen on the original GameBoy with Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters. This third iteration, developed by Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai, also looks to follow in his tradition of weaving a deep gaming experience through the simplest possible means. But does Uprising welcome Pit back into Nintendo’s canon with open arms? Or is the series better left in memory?

When you first start the game, you’ll navigate through some very Smash Bros-esque menus where you can select to play the game’s primary story mode, the multiplayer modes, and a number of bonuses, options and unlockables.

Of course, you’ll most likely spend very little time in the menus and head straight for the story mode, which begins with Pit telling the player that he’s “sorry to have kept them waiting,” an obvious allusion to the series’ lengthy gap between entries. From there you head immediately into the fray.

The stages of the single player adventure are separated into two parts, the first of which is a flying sequence, which works like a classic rail-shooter akin to Star Fox 64. The second part of each stage takes place on land, In which the action takes a more God of War approach. You control Pit nearly identically in both segments, using the control stick to guide his movements, aiming with the touch screen, and attacking with the L button. The only differences are the fixed path for the flying segments, and that the land segments also utilize the touch screen for camera controls (one of the game’s only blemishes, as it can at times become difficult to both change your view and target an enemy at the same time).

The great thing is that these simple control methods, while they may seem slightly off-putting in description, quickly become a second nature, and it becomes a showcase of a simple layout of its hardware’s capabilities, and just how rich that simplicity can be.

The story, as it goes, is that Medusa, the villain from the previous Kid Icarus titles, has escaped banishment and is unleashing an army of monsters on the earth. And so Palutena, the “Goddess of Light,” sends her courageous angel warrior, Pit, to do battle with the forces of the underworld and save the earth.

It sounds simple enough, but as you progress through the game, much bigger stories and sideplots unravel. The game makes you believe its ninth stage, where you do battle with Medusa, will be the end. But once she’s defeated and the credits begin to roll, the game’s true villain, Hades, reveals himself (destroying the end credits in the process), and you discover you aren’t even halfway through yet.

The thing is, Kid Icarus: Uprising would still feel like a full game even if it did end after those nine levels. The fact that what feels like a full game only ends up being its first act make it the deepest 3DS title since Super Mario 3D Land.

But possibly the biggest surprise of the story mode is its sense of humor. It seems rare these days, when video games take themselves so seriously, sometimes to the point of being pretentious, to find a game brimming with so much humor. This easily could have been a very by-the-books deal, with Pit merely playing hero, Hades being a cold-hearted villain with no other defining traits, and in a lesser game Palutena would merely explain the tutorials to the player.

But Uprising instead sprinkles a memorable personality on just about every one of its characters (even the tertiary ones, like Pandora or Thanatos, display their own wacky sense of humor). Pit is always commenting on the predicaments he’s in (oftentimes pointing out video game cliches and other such fourth-wall breaking). Hades talks in a faux-suave manner, and often ends his dialogue with phrases like “ciao babe.” And Palutena even takes the time to make light of a situation. Even when the game looks like it’s throwing in a cliched archetype in “Dark Pit,” Pit’s black-clad doppleganger, the character makes it clear that his goal is to prove he’s not simply an embittered copy of the original character (if only Sega were so wise). You actually like the characters more because of their bantering with each other, which is a rarity in games.

Another highlight of the story is that there are very few cinematics, and those that are there are all pretty short and don’t even come into play until later on in the game. Most of the story is instead told while playing. The characters all converse and explain as you play through the game, so the flow is almost never broken up.

While the story mode is definitely the game’s highlight, the multiplayer modes provide an additional engaging experience. The multiplayer modes consist of free-for-alls and “light vs. dark” matches. In free-for-alls, players battle each other to be the last man standing. Light vs. dark works as a three-on-three team variant, and once the members of a team are defeated enough, one of their comrades will become one of the angel characters (Pit for light, Dark Pit for dark). If the opposing team can defeat the other team’s angel, they win.

The multiplayer modes are easy enough to understand and prove to be a great compliment to the single player adventure, though I do have to admit that oftentimes they can get a little too chaotic for their own good. You may find yourself a little lost in the action as much as you feel a part of it. The multiplayer games provide another step in the right direction for Nintendo’s online efforts, but at times you may wish for a few additional modes or an emphasis on one-on-one battles.

Though there is another bonus to playing these multiplayer matches than just competition. Winning multiplayer games can earn you new and powerful weapons, which you can not only use in future online matches, but also in the story mode (conversely, you can also use weapons found in story mode in multiplayer matches). It’s a small link between game modes, but certainly an effective one.

Visually speaking, Uprising is the best looking game on the 3DS thus far. The variety and detail in the locales, the lighting and shading effects, and the array of colors give the game an explosion of visual pop. And even though Pit’s newer design might imply the possibility of anime-inspired cliche, the character designs end up being unique to the game’s tone, and some are as visually memorable as anything else in the game.

The 3D effects don’t quite stand out as much as Super Mario 3D Land, but, as was the case with Mario Kart 7, as soon as you turn them off, you’ll miss them. Such subtlety in the 3D effects is welcome, as it doesn’t make the game feel like it’s relying on a gimmick, but utilizes the effect to the extent that you notice their absence.

A surprise standout of the game is the musical score, which is one of the best I can remember in a handheld game. Perhaps more than a little inspired by the orchestrated remixes of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Uprising’s music is grand and powerful in its more epic moments, and beautiful and soothing in others. The sweeping score comes as a very welcome surprise and a great compliment to an already great package.

To sum it all up, Kid Icarus: Uprising is yet another great reason to own a 3DS in the handheld’s increasingly impressive library. The story mode on its own is a rich gaming experience (you can even increase or decrease the difficulty of each individual stage), but add-on the multiplayer modes and slews of unlockables like collectible trophies, challenges and a sound test (where you can listen to the aforementioned delightful music), and you have a game so rich in content that it will keep you coming back for a good, long while.

It’s not only a must-have for every 3DS owner, it also brings back a Nintendo classic, and ascends it to a relevance that it never quite had before.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

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Today is the 20th anniversary of A Link to the Past’s US release. Happy 20th to one of the greatest video games of all time!

This will make these three films the third, fourth and fifth Studio Ghibli films released on blu-ray in the U.S. following Ponyo in 2010 and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind in 2011. Hopefully it won’t be long before Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s other masterpieces see a blu-ray release (I can’t be the only one who thinks Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke are well-overdue).

Once again, these blu-rays will be released on May 22nd in the U.S. I highly suggest getting them if you have any love for animation, films and brilliant story-telling in general.