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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Volume
1 all reviews by Alison |
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Often mentioned in favorable comparison to the anime film Princess Mononoke and authored by one of the most loved manga authors in Japan, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind combines heart-thumping battle action with struggling for honor and a strong ecological message. Nausicaä is a passionate defender of the natural world on a ravaged Earth where plant spores and massive insects roam wild and few humans survive in pockets of safety. Intrigue between the ruling family's brother and sister drag Nausicaä into the politics which may mean the end of humanity unless she can find a way to take control. |
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The war rages, and Nausicaä travels towards enemy lines with Princess Kushana's retinue in an attempt to join up with the third army before Torumekian forces are overwhelmed by a Dorok siege. While troop movements unfold slowly on the ground, a more complex battle unfolds among the clouds. NausicaĆ's affinity for her polluted world's poisonous plants and giant insects warns her that the "daikaisho" is coming, a time when war and upheaval will cause the polluted forests to overwhelm the few livable areas left on the planet's surface. Now it is up to human equipment and perceptions to guess when and where disaster will strike, and Nausicaä seems to be the only one who realizes how much more is at stake than the spoils of war. Religious portents and obscure messages from migrating insects out of season hint that the Dorok monarchy have rediscovered a weapon from the original "nine days of fire" that plunged the earth into a miasma of pollution and death. NausicaĆ may be the only person living who can influence leaders from both sides of the fight, but it will take help from a far-flung band of animals, priests, children, and friends to make her voice heard. The Nausicaä series is one of Miyazaki's earlier projects, and it is easy to see themes from this series repeated in Studio Ghibli's more recent animated moves. Miyazaki's preoccupation with the devastating effects of modern technology on the natural world runs through most of his work, along with a predilection for spiritually and physically strong heroines, magical animals, and all manner of flying machines. |
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Somewhere deep below the Dorok Emperor's palace a fearsome god warrior is growing tended by priests and an army of strange creatures. Above ground the Emperor's aerial navy has unleashed a genetically modified mold to devour the Torumekian army and render their lands uninhabitable. The mold has mutated out of control, forming a giant mass that looks ready to cover the face of the earth. The forest's insects, including Nausicaä's Ohmu protectors, strive to control this new biological menace, but a man-made mold may be too much for the insects. The Dorok and Torumekian armies have nearly given up fighting in favor of simply surviving in the poisoned air. In the midst of this chaos, Nausicaä's growing psychic and spiritual awareness brings her closer to understanding the secret of her world's corrupted ecosystem. As Princess Kushana is forced into a distasteful compromise with the Dorok Emperor, Nausicaä and the Ohmu embark on a dream-journey that will eventually lead to a reunion between old friends and a chance to catch a glimpse of the planet's future. The artwork in the Nausicaä series is very different from typical manga style, but maintains familiar Japanese visual tropes, dwelling on objects and scenes to create a mood and convey emotion, augmented by sparse dialogue. Every panel in these stories is packed with tiny, detailed action shots, making shortsighted readers long for pages larger than the usual manga format. Miyazaki's masterful juggling of multiple interconnected plot lines holds the story together as readers get to see the war from constantly changing angles: underground, above the clouds in antique battle planes, from the perspective of a conquering emperor, and through the eyes of a telepathic child. |
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Nausicaä gains her most dangerous adopted child yet when the God Warrior is born. Flying in a corona of toxic light, this ages-old being carries NausicaĆ to the holy crypts of the Dorok empire in the city of Shuwa, an ancient civilization's hiding place for technology that once nearly destroyed the world. Separated again, Nausicaä's friends and allies pursue separate struggles to reunite tribes lost in the chaos of battle, and to begin the process of rebuilding the world that was nearly obliterated by the Dorok Emperor's genetically modified mold. Travelling closer to the heart of the Doroks' hidden knowledge threatens to destroy both Nausicaä's body and mind, but if she can persevere long enough to enter the crypts at Shuwa the final secret of the world's future will be revealed. Miyazaki's plot examines both spiritual and physical changes in its characters, allowing us to see Nausicaä mature as the story moves forward, and to see her effect on the host of enemies, friends, followers, and mentors she encounters. It is fascinating to read this series as a commentary on current and historical warfare as Miyazaki probes the effects of battle on a warrior's psyche, and the human race's potential for either blindness or unexpected spiritual awakenings in the face of defeat. |
Nausicaä
of the Valley of the Wind 
Nausicaä
of the Valley of Wind: Perfect Collection 2
Nausicaä
of the Valley of Wind: Perfect Collection 3
Nausicaä
of the Valley of Wind: Perfect Collection 4
copyright Robin Brenner 2002-2004