I just placed a preorder for the Japanese edition of Howl's Moving Castle! ^^ it should ship on Wednesday and then I shall be a happy chap indeed...if you're yet to experience any of Hayao Miyazaki's films then you really are missing out, nigh on every project he's ever been involved in shows such depth, beauty, creativity and attention to detail that they verge on art form as opposed to anime. The "new" generation of animation directors state Miyazaki as a major influence to them (which is why you'll see John Lasseter introducing the English dubbed re-releases of Studio Ghibli movies) as much as many live action directors state Akira Kurosawa...and, in that wonderfully Japanese way, Miyazaki is one of the few animation directors who still insists on making movies the "old fashioned" way...and by god are they beautiful for it! 
If you've never seen them then check out any of his films; although my favourites are My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso, Pom-Poko, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, Nausicaa...erm...in fact let's just say I love all of them before I list them all!
One more thing...why is it that when a DVD gets an American release they see fit to redesign the cover into some monstrous affront to my gentle design sensibilities? It's really starting to hack me off now; I nearly didn't buy Ghost in the Shell 2 *at all* because the American sleeve design was so unreservedly hideous...and now they've gone and taken the simple perfection of the sleeve design for the Japanese version of Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children and made another monstrosity! Gah! My fanboy nature reels in turmoil!
If you've never seen them then check out any of his films; although my favourites are My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso, Pom-Poko, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, Nausicaa...erm...in fact let's just say I love all of them before I list them all!
One more thing...why is it that when a DVD gets an American release they see fit to redesign the cover into some monstrous affront to my gentle design sensibilities? It's really starting to hack me off now; I nearly didn't buy Ghost in the Shell 2 *at all* because the American sleeve design was so unreservedly hideous...and now they've gone and taken the simple perfection of the sleeve design for the Japanese version of Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children and made another monstrosity! Gah! My fanboy nature reels in turmoil!
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Don't think I've ever watched those type of films except the end of Final Fantasy when I used to work at a cinema.
I sympathise with your frustration about the 'alternative' sleeve designs: Subtleties work just as well in a visual sense as they do in every other, but in these cases, I don't know whether it's the business suits or their target market who fail to appreciate them. Either way, it's galling for all those who do.