In Costco the other day I spotted a veritable smorgasbord of Ghibli DVDs. Better yet, they were all priced at $12.99, considerably cheaper than for what they are going on Amazon. I picked up Porco Rosso and Whisper of the Heart (which I have never seen). Tales of Earthsea (a.k.a. Gedo Senki) was also there, and I thought about buying it so I could complete my Ghibli collection, but I decided not to. That film was a disappointment. The only redeeming thing about it is Therru's song. But I digress....
I saw Porco Rosso 12 years ago at my college's anime club. It was a fansub on VHS and was incredibly grainy, but since it hadn't been licensed yet that was the only way to view it. So I squealed with delight as I made my way to the checkout line with Porco in hand. Maybe someday someone will release it on Blu-Ray, but until then at least I have the DVD.
The other titles they had were Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away, but only on DVD.
If you have a Costco nearby you may want to check and see if they are stilling carrying Ghibli movies. I doubt that they would be cheaper anywhere else.
On a side note, there is a very interesting analysis of Porco Rosso in volume 2 of Mechademia. Anyone who is interested in looking at anime through the lens of academia should pick up a copy.
