Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray Movie Review

Shout! Factory has re-released Hayao Miyazaki's beloved second feature Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind with a new transfer, enhanced and clearer audio, as well as a couple of substantial extras that are making their North American debut. This Blu-ray & DVD Combo Pack comes with a slipcover and an Elite case for the discs. Cover art on the slip and keep case covers is different than its US predecessor (see #s 1 and 10). For thoughts on the acclaimed animated feature and critique of a/v specs, you can see my colleague Kenneth Brown's review of Disney's 2011 BD/DVD twin pack here.

Front of slip cover and back of BD case.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A new scan was reportedly prepapred for this Shout! Factory disc, which displays Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Authoring and compression on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded transfer is a major step up from the Disney disc six years ago; the first release only carried an average bitrate of 24100 kbps (total bitrate: 32.54 Mbps) while the new edition boasts 35000 kbps (total bitrate: 41.78 Mbps). Improvements have been made in color saturation, detail, and overall definition. See and click on Screenshot #s 5-9 for frame enlargements. My video score is 4.75.

Twenty-five chapter breaks can be accessed on the main menu or by remote.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind's audio options comprise the original Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1911 kbps, 24-bit), an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (2013 kbps, 24-bit), and a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (192 kbps) dubbed in French. On the native track, pitch levels are better balanced and nature sounds are more distinctive compared to the uncompressed Japanese track heard on the Disney release. It seems that the authors who prepared the Japanese and English mixes allotted more technical work to improving the fidelity of the recordings. Shout! also dropped the French DTS HD MA 2.0 dub. My overall audio score is 4.25.

There are regular English subtitles as well as French subtitles for the main feature. The English SDH, however, are actually dubtitles that display additional text and provide more narrative information than the other two tracks.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Shout! licensed a commentary track that was previously available on the following editions: the JP Buena Vista, UK Studio Canal, and AU Madman Entertainment. The Japanese audio interview has been ported over from the JP Buena Vista, UK Studio Canal, AU Madman Entertainment, and DE Universum Film.

• NEW Audio Commentary with Animator Hideaki Anno and Assistant Director Kazuyoshi Katayama - In Japanese with English subtitles.

• Feature-Length Storyboards (1:56:59, 1080p)

• NEW Audio Interview with Toshio Suzuki and Hideaki Anno (42:32) - Audio only with English subtitles.

• "Behind the Microphone" featurette (7:46, upscaled to 1080)

• "Behind the Studio: Creating Nausicaa" featurette (11:32, 1080p)

• Original Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots (8:16, upscaled to 1080)

• NEW 12-page Booklet with Producer's and Director's Statements

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shout! Factory has assembled a deluxe Collector's Edition of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind that should be the version to own. The new scan is superior to the one Disney used six years prior and subtle yet noticeable refinements have also been made to the original sound track. It's a bonus that Shout! also acquired the feature-length commentary and a forty-two minute audio interview. Even if you own one of the overseas versions of the film, this is still worth picking up for the improved picture and sound. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.