After looking around I came across the Region 3 Edition of Spirited Away. Initially after a brief comparison with the recently North American release, the Region 3 release appears to be superior. However after reading reports that the Asian release has a reddish tint, I am now confused as which version to purchase.

Region 3:
Pros:
Better Audio - DTS-ES 6.1
Better Bonus Material
- "Spirited Away" 's Comic Version Feature,
- Bonus 21 Minutes Making of "Spirted Away"
- An Interview with Hayao Miyazaki.

Cons:
Red Tint

Region 1:
No Red Tint
Only Dolby Digital 5.1

Stick with the R1... No question. Red Tint is evil and a DTS track on this film hardly compensates for it.

The interview is also included on the R1 release as an Easter Egg

I've heard pretty much what you've already said...the sharper image belongs to the R2 Japan / R3 release but is hindered (in many critics eyes!) of having the 'red tint' although i have heard reports that whilst it is certainly present it certainly isn't as exaggerated as certain reports have suggested.
The R1 is apparently void of this red tint but has a softer and less sharp image in comparison to the R2 Japanese / R3 release.
I believe the French R2 doesn't have the red tint either but unsure yet as to how it fairs in terms of sharpness/image clarity to the other R2 / R3 releases along with the forced subs issue and language options which may pertain to this release.

I'm in the same predicament as you in terms of knowing which one to buy..for me A/V aspects are always going to outweigh supplemental material factors etc..so as with most the anime in my collection i am swaying towards looking at R2 Japan /R3 market.

The review over at digitalbits offers a fairly unbiased (to R1) opinion of how the North American release holds up and how it differs from the R3 release etc

I thought the r3 was getting a fixed transfer on the more recent pressings?

go here for your answer

http://www.dvdcompare.org.uk/compari...e.php?fid=2585