A few years back, as I slumped into bed from a late night out, I put on the TV and caught the last remaining minutes of Jonathan Ross’ film night. On this particular programme, he was reviewing an animated film, one by a noted Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki; Spirited Away.

Even though I caught the last few minutes, I was impressed enough (not to buy it) to stick it into my trusted Bittorrent search and grab a download of the film. I sat back and let myself into the world that is Studio Ghibli. If you are wondering what Studio Ghibli is, let Wikipedia show you the light:

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio, and previously was a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten. Its emotional anime films are widely praised all over the world. Its name derives from the nickname the Italians used for their Saharan scouting planes in the Second World War. The theory behind the name was that the studio was blowing a new wind into the Japanese anime industry. The company’s logo features the character Totoro from the film My Neighbor Totoro.

Since viewing Spirited Away, I bought the DVD and looked at what else the studio had done. I found a new film, Howls Moving Castle and did the same, downloading it and loving it. All I can say is since then I have taken to all the films they have produced and look to add them to my collection at any opportunity. Owning half the collection, I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

I seriously suggest you view the two I have mentioned here, you won’t be disappointed. Check the video promo below which shows you snippets from all the Ghibli films:

The best place to get these films that I know of at the moment are HMV, they are all £5.99 or lower. Play.com offers them at £12 and over, so I would definitely go with the HMV route.