Summer Wars Limited Edition Steelbook Amazon Exclusive

You can pretty much recognize a Studio Ghibli production when you see it. Kind of think of an Anime version of Walt Disney. I happen to like them after reading more about them --they won't license an English release of their product. Taken from Wikipedia: "The company is well-known for its strict "no-edits" policy in licensing their films abroad. This was a result of the dubbing of Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind when the film was released in the United States as Warriors of the Wind. The film was heavily edited and Americanized, with significant portions cut and the plot rewritten. The "no cuts" policy was highlighted when Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein suggested editing Princess Mononoke to make it more marketable. In response, a Studio Ghibli producer sent an authentic katana with a simple message: "No cuts".[4]" I mentioned it because you can rest assured when watching this one, that you are getting the original dialog and plot without any Americanizing. This is important to me because I respect the difference in culture and want a dub to stay as true as possible to the original.I didn't watch this and come away thinking "Hunh?" because the edits didn't make sense. What I will say is this. I loved this film. More than enough of these reviews will rehash the plot, so I won't do that. The setting in Oz really isn't the centerpiece of the story. It's important, but you get the feeling that you could take these characters and put them in any sort of crisis and it wouldn't matter. This film is more about the strength of family and love. I felt like the writers took a Kenji and put him into their lives to allow us to see just a small part of what can make family so great. Here you're watching from Kenji's point of view, and watching him come into his own. By just being around a family he grows out of his shyness somewhat, develops confidence in himself and learns the importance of love and how it can literally move mountains. All of this because he found a place in a family who accepted him with open arms. This film has some genuine heart and by the end of it, my palms were sweaty and I was grinning ear to ear. I won't lie --I teared up at a few parts because it did a good job of reminding me what it can be like to lose someone important to your family, and how in times like those, we are the angels of each other's lives. Family can save you, and it also can tear you apart if you let it, and that almost happened. The characters were all wonderful and funny and quirky in the ways that make me think of my own family and I wouldn't hesitate to show this film to anyone else. There's no fan service in this film but there are a few jibes about sex --but nothing you wouldn't hear in your own home unless you're some kind of UBER prude or something. My daughter and I really enjoyed this together and I hope we can see other films as good as this one. Read more

Really liked this film, animation that pops and a great steelbook if you order off of Amazon. Read more

I'm not going to go into a long descriptive paean to the film here; the visual side of the film is more than acceptable, as are the characters and the story. What I particularly enjoyed about the film is the way the individual characters interacted within the bounds of their extended family. Like most families, there are inherent tensions and conflicts - but there are also shared pasts, common interests, and a recognition of the ties that transcend the petty. It's knowing that there are people who will always have your back. When Kenji, the introverted college student and math prodigy is inveigled into posing as the fiance of his classmate Natsuki so that she can cope with the expectations of her extended family, he has no idea what he is getting into. A classic nerd type with a part time job doing systems upkeep on the vast virtual reality of Oz and no experience with girls (let alone one as attractive as Natsuki), he is way over his head. When he meets her vast family at the palatial estate in the country, presided over by her clan's matriarch on the occasion of her upcoming 90th birthday, much comedy and many awkward moments ensue. While attempting to sleep the first night, a mysterious math puzzle arriving via his phone turns into an obsessive all-night effort to solve it. When he does, his reward is not what he expects. He goes back to sleep, only to find on awakening that he's now wanted as a cyber criminal who appears to have hacked into Oz. In the ensuing confusion, Natsuki's ruse about his real identity is unmasked as well; a family member who is also a policeman hauls him off under arrest. But the havoc now being unleashed within Oz is manifesting in the real world, which has become dependent on the cyber world as a place to meet, shop and carry on much of its business. Disorder spreads, and Kenji is brought back to the estate because massive traffic jams have made travel impossible. Now as there as himself, he begins to start finding out what is happening - and begins to really interact with Natsuki's family, which is where the story begins to take off with a number of twists and surprises. Watching Kenji discover what he has been missing from his own life, watching him unfold and blossom as he begins to become involved with Natsuki's family is a joy, as is watching how he the outsider begins to remind the group of its own strengths and values, something that familiarity can obscure. His interactions with the matriarch of the clan are especially pleasurable. She is one formidable old lady, and she sees more in him than he knows about himself. The battles within the virtual world of Oz, the conflicts outside - ultimately the story is about how functioning families are made up of people who see each other for who they really are, care for each other despite the pain that sometimes results, and come together to face their challenges as a family. (Even if they are not related by blood.) One of the turning points in the movie is seeing the "On-line community" in Oz suddenly become a cyber-extended family. In a virtual world it's still possible for all the things that make us human to manifest when needed. While there's plenty of action and suspense in the story, there's also a wealth of great character interaction on a very human level. That's what makes this much more than just another anime film with some flashy visuals and some violent action. All in all, it's a wonderful story. There's some extras in the DVD package I haven't had a chance to get to yet - some trading cards, and another disk full of extras. It's a nice bonus with an outstanding film. Read more