The Wind Rises [Blu-ray + DVD]

Miyazaki's farewell to hand-drawn animation finally gets the Blu-ray treatment it deserves, and the included DVD makes it easy to lend to friends who haven't upgraded yet. The flight sequences are so breathtakingly detailed that I found myself pausing just to admire the clouds and wind currents.

The packaging is solid, and having both Blu-ray and DVD in one case made it easy to watch on my laptop when the main player was occupied. Miyazaki's aviation dream sequences look absolutely stunning in high definition.

The picture transfer on this Blu-ray is really crisp, especially during the dream sequences where the colors pop off the screen. It's nice having both discs in one case for travel, though the DVD copy feels like a bit of an afterthought if you own a player that upscales anyway.