A millennium has passed since the catastrophic nuclear war named the "Seven Days of Fire," which destroyed nearly all life on Earth. Humanity now lives in a constant struggle against the treacherous jungle that has evolved in response to the destruction caused by mankind. Filled with poisonous spores and enormous insects, the jungle spreads rapidly across the Earth and threatens to swallow the remnants of the human race.
Away from the jungle exists a peaceful farming kingdom known as the "Valley of the Wind," whose placement by the sea frees it from the spread of the jungle's deadly toxins. The Valley's charismatic young princess, Nausicaä, finds her tranquil kingdom disturbed when an airship from the kingdom of Tolmekia crashes violently in the Valley. After Nausicaä and the citizens of the Valley find a sinister pulsating object in the wreckage, the Valley is suddenly invaded by the Tolmekian military, who intend to revive a dangerous weapon from the Seven Days of Fire. Now Nausicaä must fight to stop the Tolmekians from plunging the Earth into a cataclysm which humanity could never survive, while also protecting the Valley from the encroaching forces of the toxic jungle.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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innerchihiro
Okay, so this is my first review, and my second favorite anime. I'm a Miyazaki fanatic, so take that into account if you must. BACKGROUND: The most important thing to know when watching this is that this anime is from 1984 (ironic, right?) and that this is Miyazaki Hayao's second time directing (the first being Lupin III The Castle of Cagliostro, arguably the best Lupin film ever created.) Miyazaki and his producer Suzuki Toshio first met up because Suzuki, the editor of the magazine Animage, wanted some comments from Miyazaki about Lupin and Miyazaki basically told him to stop bothering him. After a while, however,Miyazaki began talking more with Suzuki and told him ideas that would eventually become two of his greatest stories; Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke (1997).
Now, I have heard two versions of what happened next. On the Nausicaa DVD bonus features it says that Miyazaki, who had intended to make an anime from the get go, was denied because he did not have a comic to back the feature up, and that the manga was created because of this. However, other sources such as the famous Nausicaa.net (Ghibli's #1 English Fansite), say that Miyazaki intended this to be a manga originally, and that the anime was almost forced upon him. I don't know which one is true, however I would note that Miyazaki's manga continued to run long after the movie was created. If his true intentions were a movie, why make the manga into something so much longer? (Note that the Nausicaa anime adapts the story until midway through the second volume of the manga. There are seven volumes in total. Viz Media makes an excellent English version.)
Either way, the Nausicaa film was Miyazaki's first story that he had written and directed. It should also be noted that after Nausicaa was made, Studio Ghibli was established from the staff who created Nausicaa.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind was not an anime I expected to like. When I stared at the DVD case and the home screen of the DVD menu, I thought Nausicaa looked like a vulture and that this wouldn't be a fun anime at all, but, you can guess, I was very wrong. My dad and I started watching this kind of late and we didn't realize how long it was. Dad was tired and went to bed halfway through, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen.
STORY: The story was unlike anything I had ever seen before. We all know of post-apocalyptic stories set in the far future where man kind has almost been destroyed, but somehow this world was nothing like the other ones I had seen. Instead of mechas and advanced governments, there are giant insects, forests you can't breathe in, and kingdoms with both armored knights and airplanes. The setting is truly bizarre, but so interesting, you almost wish you were there. The theme Man vs. Nature is clearly distinguished in this movie whereas good vs. evil is almost shunned.
ART: I really respect the artwork done in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I am not going to compare this to modern day animation, because that's just not fair to the movie. This film was created without the help of a single computer, and it still looks this good. The action scenes are detailed enough to keep me satisfied. However, I can't give full points for art, as I laugh myself silly every time I watch the scene where everyone runs over to Nausicaa and hugs her. You see, the little girl wearing pink and red clothes, or strawberry shortcake as I like to call her, runs by about five times. XD Still, I give it a pass.
SOUND: Not much to say, I think that the seiyuu are wonderful in this. The musical score is done by one of my most favorite modern composers, Hisaishi Joe, and I really don't think that it feels eightys -ish at all. Sure we hear a few synths, but I feel it actually kind of works for the movie :) The insect music is really fitting. Although I do believe that this score is not as solid as I would have liked, something that Hisaishi gets better at throughout Ghibli's movies.
As for the Dub, I am not generally a fan of dubs, but this one is done very well. I especially enjoy Shia LaBeouf's voice as Asbel. The only thing I really resent is the pronunciation of Pejite. Peh-gee-teh, not kryptonite Pejite.
CHARACTERS: I mentioned before that my initial impression of Nausicaa felt very unpleasant, but this was the most incorrect judgement I had about the movie. Nausicaa is, in reality, a incredibly wonderful human being. She is benevolent and gentle, the scene where she first befriends Teto is one that I still hold my breath when watching. She is determined to protect what she deems important, but is level headed enough to asses situations thoroughly. However, she is not a saint. She is frightened and angered in the same way as everyone else. I think the best word to describe Nausicaa is human. I believe that Nausicaa herself does grow throughout the course of this movie. If you look at the scene earlier in the movie where she goes berserk at the Torumekian soldiers and compare that to the final scene with her and the Ohm, you can just tell.
Other than our peacemaker/heroine, the rest of the cast is excellent as well. Asbel, Yupa-sama, and Mito are an excellent supporting cast. Yupa-sama is one of the coolest swordsman I've seen, and he is one of the few who really understands how Nausicaa thinks as far as intellectually. Mito and Asbel are less like Nausicaa in nature, as they are prepared to blow up a few ships and kill enemies, but not without cause.
We also have what might be called the "bad guys," Kushana and Kurotowa. However, you might remember me saying earlier that the idea of good vs. evil is shunned in this movie. I stand by that statement because I have seen these characters. Kushana is very human, she has her dedication to her army and her country. Its unfortunate we don't see more of Kushana like we do in the manga, but that can't be helped. Kurotowa may be the funniest character on the set, his slyness truly makes me laugh. These characters show that even those who are branded as "evil" can never really be called that.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: Over all, it is a great treat to watch Miyazaki's first story unfold. Miyazaki Hayao, you've done a great job with this movie, even if you weren't satisfied :D It has become my second favorite anime movie.
Please rate as Helpful or Not Helpful, as either one will help me write better reviews in the future.
literaturenerd
Overview: Nausicaa came out in 1984 and was the 2nd movie ever directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was also one of only 2 Miyazaki movies that was based on one of his original manga. The other was "The Wind Rises" in 2013. Nausicaa is an unusual movie, so it often gets overlooked and it is among the most underrated Miyazaki movies here in the US. A large part of the problem was an absolutely BUTCHERED port of the movie called "Warriors of the Wind" released by Disney in the 1980s. Nausicaa was intended to teach morals to a younger audience, but was NOT purely a children'smovie in the way that Disney executives wanted it to be. 25 minutes of footage including all of the violent scenes were cut out. The anti-war theme was removed. The mutant insects representing nature were changed to be evil and the giant robot representing Nuclear warfare was changed to being presented as good! In effect, "Warriors of the Wind" preached the EXACT opposite message of what Miyazaki intended! A few of Disney's changes were at least understandable in the context of the 1980s and corporate marketing. Nausicaa could hardly be marketed to small children as a "Disney Princess" if she went into a berserker blood rage and brutally murders 4 soldiers with a God damn war hammer. Yep, Nausicca fights Robert Baratheon style! (this actually happens in the film!) Disney destroyed Nausicaa by trying to change it into purely a small children's film, which it was never intended to be! Fortunately, Nausicaa was FINALLY re-released in the West in its original form...in 2005!
Plot: 10/10
Nausicaa takes place in a post apocalyptic world, several hundred years after a global war destroyed most of the planet's life in just 7 days. The majority of the planet is covered by toxic jungle and dominated by mutant insects. The majority of the planet's soil was so polluted by the war, that the only plants that adapted and survived were highly radioactive and toxic to humans. Although it later turns out that these future flora can be raised to be non-toxic if grown in some of the remaining clean soil. Nausicaa is the princess of the small Wind Valley civilization squeezed between 2 perpetually warring military juggernauts, much like the US and USSR. Nausicaa is one of very few humans left alive who still believes that nature hasn't turned its back on mankind and works to reconcile mankind with nature. She desires to learn how to live with the mutant insects and de-toxify the forest rather than try exterminate the insects and burn down all the forests to make way for more cities. Nausicaa unwillingly becomes involved in a massive war between the 2 neighboring superpowers and must stop a plot to resurrect one the giant, organic, WMDs that caused the apocalypse in the first place. Nausicaa must find a way to both end the war, and stop the insects from wiping out mankind, which is a pretty tall order for most princesses! I don't want to spoil too much, but the plot, adventure, world building, and allegories are absolutely spectacular for a young adult movie, especially factoring in the time in which this was written.
Themes, messages, and execution: 10/10
Nausicaa takes on many themes and messages for a young adult film. Nausicaa broke the 1980s mold of American "good guys" and "evil" Soviets and instead presented both military superpowers as deeply misguided, but not innately evil. In fact, even the film's villains are morally ambiguous and have sympathetic characteristics, which was completely outside the norm for most movies in the mid 1980s, ESPECIALLY movies aimed at young people. The movie is un-apologetically feminist, but not in a way that seems forced, preachy, or obnoxious. I don't think I need to explain that this wasn't normal in 1980s Japan where female characters were either getting constantly captured (Hi Yuria from Hokuto) raped, or both. Usually it was both. Nausicaa managed to have a strong environmentalist message without turning to crap like Captain Planet or fucking Birdemic. That is actually a lot harder than you might think! There are very few actually GOOD environmentalist movies. Most make the mistake to be simultaneously obnoxious and preachy, while at the same time blaming pollution on a few "bad guys" instead of mankind as a whole. This leads viewers to mistakenly think that they aren't contributing to the problem and don't need to do anything, unless they are a corporate scumbag dumping tons of toxic waste into the ocean for the lulz! Nausicaa also manages to teach a strongly pacifistic message during a time when nearly ALL popular movies were pro war like Rambo 2 and 3, Red Dawn, Commando, etc. WE are good and WE must exterminate THEM because THEY are BAD! That was the basic message of nearly every fucking American movie in the 1980s. Nausicaa not only bucked nearly every social trend of its time, but it delivered Miyazaki's personal values and opinions in a way that was nuanced and well done instead of propaganda beaten in with a meat tenderizer (see 1980s anti-drug commercials). If you are politically to the right, you MAY take a disliking to Nausicaa since it is probably the most leftwing film NOT directed by Sergei Eisenstein. However, it is an extremely well made film, so you SHOULD appreciate it no matter what your political opinions are. For example, I am not politically far right, but I think Triumph of the Will is on a purely technical level one of the best films ever made. I will even begrudgingly admit Gone With the Wind is a great film...although I like Triumph a lot more. Basically, don't listen to someone who says Nausicaa sucks due to its political leanings. That is bullshit!
Art: 9/10
The art and specifically the fluidity of the animation isn't quite on par with some of Ghibli's later works. It doesn't look nearly as pretty as Mononoke or Spirited Away. However, it looks AMAZING relative to most other anime of the 1980s. Only a few 1980s anime movies like Akira and arguably Ghost in the Shell really look significantly better than Nausicaa.
Music: 9/10
The Wind Village flute theme will get stuck in your head for months! I deduct 1 point for deadly ear worm status!
Overall: 10/10
Nausicaa is an underrated masterpiece! I basically can't praise this movie enough. If you haven't seen it yet, go out and do so. Also if you had the misfortune of having to see "Warriors of the Wind" PLEASE go and watch the original. It is a LOT better!
Venneh
TITLE: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind MANGA, ANIME: Nausicaa was originally a manga with story and art done by Hayao Miyazaki (Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away) that, ironically enough, was only created so that the movie could eventually be made, as Toshio Suzuki, the producer, couldn't get money for a film that wasn't based on a manga. It was serialized in Animage magazine from February of 1982 to March of 1994, and was licensed Stateside by Viz Media, and consists of a total of seven collected volumes. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind was created before Studio Ghibli actually existed and distributed byToei, but is considered to be the first of its movies, and was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was released theatrically in Japan on March 4th, 1984. It was first bought Stateside by New World Pictures in the 1980s as a horribly butchered version known as Warriors of the Wind, which caused Ghibli to add a no editing clause to all of its future licensing contracts. When Disney licensed the Ghibli movies, they rereleased the movie in its original uncut format and redid the dub track, coming to DVD on February 22nd, 2005.
STORY: A millenium after the "Seven Days of Fire" that destroyed the world as we knew it, forests of poisonous plants and fungi and giant bugs are spreading through the world, isolating and swallowing human settlements. Nausicaa is the humane princess of one of the few untouched human settlements known as the Valley of the Wind, known for its peaceful inhabitants. However, an airship that crashes in the Valley and its cargo will expose the Valley to the machinations of its larger, more powerful, warlike neighbors...
Nausicaa is considered to be Miyazaki's life's work in many circles of anime fans. And I can honestly believe that; the effort that went into the story in weaving together so many differing subplots into one coherent whole that merges at the story's end. There are, that I can remember off the top of my head, two political subplots, two involving the poisonous forests, two involving weapons to destroy the forest, and probably a few plot threads I'm missing somewhere in there.
The environmental themes can get a bit heavy handed at times, and the fairly black-and-white dichotomy of the characters seems a bit simplistic. Also, you can see Miyazaki archetypes developing in most of the characters; there's the kind, resourceful young heroine (Nausicaa), the older, mature woman who has lost her way but is redeemed in the end (Kushana), the plucky young male sidekick (Asbel), the older wise woman (Obaba) and man (Lord Yupa) mentor figures, and, unfortunately, they aren't characterized much beyond that.
ART: The Ghibli character design conventions are clearly being developed here; big hair, small noses, and a very specific eye style. However, the animation itself is still incredibly exquisite; the backgrounds, Ohmu herd scenes, and the jungle and its creatures are amazingly designed, and the animation sequences themselves are incredibly beautiful.
MUSIC: Joe Hisaishi did the work on the music for this, as he has on all of the Ghibli films since. However, this one is tinged with a little more of 80s influence; there are synthesizers that run rampant through the music, and while they're used to pretty decent effect and blend with the orchestral parts of the pieces, it dates the music.
SEIYUU: I haven't really watched the subbed version of this in quite some time, but, for the most part, from what I can remember, it was a pretty good job on the Japanese end of things, and I recognize some of the seiyuu from other productions (one was Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke, most notably).
VOICE ACTORS: I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm beyond pleased at the English voicework for Nausicaa. Some of the names on the production include Patrick Stewart (Star Trek), Uma Thurman (Kill Bill), Shia LeBeouf (Transformers), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), and Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica), and they all do an amazing job voicing their characters and not making them sound ridiculous or like their voicework doesn't fit the character.
DUB: Again, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have absolutely no criticism whatsoever for the dubwork on this. Translations are done accurately, there's no intentional flubbing of the original meaning, and it's fairly well done. Yes, some of the expository dialogue and the dialogue that states what they're doing as the character does it (there's a name for it, I'm sure of it) is kind of annoying, but, really, it could be far, far worse.
LENGTH: The movie starts to drag about an hour and a half in, but the creators recognize it and pick up the pace at that time. The overall pacing is slow, but builds towards the climax of the film.
OVERALL: A slower-paced film with an excellent interweaving of subplots into a coherent whole with slightly archetypal Miyazaki characters, beautiful art and animation, if beginning to show the Ghibli character design archetypes, wonderful if slightly dated music, solid seiyuu, and amazing voice acting and dub work in English. Definitely worth a watch.
STORY: 8/10
ART: 8/10
MUSIC: 7/10
SEIYUU: 8/10
VOICE ACTORS: 9/10
DUB: 8/10
LENGTH: 8/10
OVERALL: 56/70; 80% (B)
Optigisa
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a 1984 Japanese Animated movie, and it marks the very beginning of one of the most beloved film studios of all time, Studio Ghibli. The studio was not founded up until 1985, one year after the release of Nausicaa, with the studio's first official production being Castle in the Sky, which hit the theaters in 1986. Regardless, Nausicaa is still often considered to be the first Ghibli film by many, and for good reasons. If you don't know the name Ghibli, then I do hope some of it's productions ring a bell to you. Studio Ghibli createdsome of the most amazing movies such as Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies and Princess Mononoke.
When you compare Princess Mononoke, which was released in 1997, to Nausicaa, you will spot a lot of similarities between the two. Although Mononoke is full of green landscapes, lush meadows, and dense forests, while Nausicaa's world is full of dry wastelands, poisonous mushroom woods and huge insects, they both share a lot of similarities and themes with each other. Both movies are about the coexistence of man and nature, and while both are full fledged epic adventure stories with a lot of spectacular visualized action, at a cost they are driven by a pacifistic anti-war message, which is fully expressed by the character of Nausicaa herself. Nausicaa is a young princess who lives in a distant future, where the world has been destroyed by some catastrophic event or a nuclear war. All that is left in the world of Nausicaa are big wastelands, poisonous forests and many other frightening dangers that roam the Earth. Meanwhile, two nations are at war, and Nausicaa's home, the small valley of the wind, is stuck in the middle of the conflict.
Nausicaa is a wonderful protagonist. She is strong, inspirational, caring and loving, brave and always concerned about the well-being of her people as well as all living things. She is a character that every little girl, and even boy can look up to, and creating strong characters is something that runs through the whole of Hayao Miyazaki. While he did not direct all of Ghibli's films, his name is often synonymously used when talking about them. He is without a doubt not only one of Japan's greatest film makers, but one of Cinema's greatest artists. Nausicaa was adapted from the first two volumes of the original manga by the same name, which Miyazaki himself wrote and drew. All together the manga was created in between the time span of 1982 and 1994, containing a full 7 volumes, so I do think that this should have been a TV series instead of a movie.
Miyazaki has created a little epic with Nausicaa. Already the first scenes radiate an enormous atmosphere and magic. You can see our lead protagonist on a trip to a mushroom forest, equipped with a breathing mask and a glider, she sets out on a journey of discovery to get to know the world of insects. It is a post apocalyptic world that has been destroyed by mankind hundreds or thousands of years ago in what is only said to be "The seven days of fire", which already hints at the vast destructive power of mankind and intrigues the viewer enough to watch it.
The setting of Nausicaa is amazing. What Miyazaki and his team created here looks absolutely fantastic, and despite the prevailing destruction in the film, everything seems eerily alive and literally captivates the viewer, which is certainly fitting to the character of our heroine Nausicaa. She also sees the beauty of everything around her, and my favorite moments are the scenes in which she delves deeper into those mysterious poisonous forests, where everything around her is deadly, and yet also filled with beauty and wonder.
Equally as important to the visuals, is the movie's musical score. This movie marks the first collaboration with composer Joe Hisaichi. Hisaichi moved on to score all of Miyazaki's films, and his music is among the very best, alongside that of composers like John Williams and Ennio Morricone. His music is captivating as always and makes a significant contribution to the magic of this film. The soundtrack includes some very atmospheric and harmonic pieces, and also contains some very aggressive songs that sound extremely electronic, and I love every second of it. Every time a piece was played during an epic scene, it made the scene even better and more exciting to watch. I find it also remarkable how often there is no musical score and the film just plays ambient sounds, dialogue or action, but then at a perfect moment, the music sets in and makes your heart rate go up.
Nasuicaa features a lot of great action, the conflict between insects and humans, as well as the interpersonal conflicts that offer a lot of room for amazing set pieces. The fights are fought not only with guns, but also with swords, which plays to the film's medieval touch with kingdoms and princesses. There are also many flight sequences with big and small airships, which is very typical for Miyazaki, who loves the concept of flying. The insects look incredible, from the smallest one to the giant ones that give a sense of great danger.
Of course there are also many quiet and thoughtful moments that radiate warmth and familiarity, giving viewers access to the world of Nausicaa and it's characters.
Overall, the film has some brutal parts, but it can definitely be recommended to a younger audience, and that is thanks to it's young, super sympathetic and brave title character Nausicaa, and the important message that is conveyed by the film. When it was released in 1984, it even got the recommendation from the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) because of it's environmental and peaceful message.
In a world that appears so threatening, a world where nations have huge flying armies, our heroine gracefully flies through the air with just her glider, a glider that has no guns attached. Nausicaa does use weapons in the film, but mostly to defend herself or to carefully stop a negative situation from occurring and taking place. She is someone who is curious, who loves to explore and wants to understand the true meaning of the things around her, and she is never appalled by things like sickness or old age. She just remains loving and there are some wonderful moments where the old people of her village are speaking with kind words about her and her amazing personality.
If there is one thing I hated about the movie, it is that all of the stuff with the different kingdoms and what nation is doing what, this all got convoluted in the finale and became very boring to sit through. Like I also said, the movie should have been turned into a TV series instead of a movie, so that it could have fully explained some of it's aspects. These issues, as well as me seeing a much better version of the same movie (Princess Mononoke) hold me back from giving the movie a perfect 10. Moreover, the movie suffers from a slow pace at times and a long length which makes it a chore to go through rather than an enjoyable movie at times.
Regardless, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a rich and beautiful film that should be seen by everybody, especially if you are into animation and adventure films, and just stories that include a lot of fantasy. With all of that being said and done, I give Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind a score of a 7/10.
Phill-z
When I talk about Miyazaki, I usually speak about how he tends to just narrowly miss the mark of making an amazing film. Nausicaa is a perfect example of how Miyazaki narrowly misses the mark of creating a truly magnificent film. However, Nausicaa shows perfectly Miyazaki's attitudes towards living with nature instead of trying to exploit it. Story: The story isn't interesting, well, the basic storyline isn't all that much to really care about. There are a bunch of Deus ex Machina (god from the machine) that just really, really bugged me. Nausicaa herself is a basic Miyazaki protagonist, she doesn'tunderstand why the evil technologically advanced people are doing what they're doing, but she knows that she has to stop them. But again, the magnificence of the story is brought out by how Miyazaki shows how technology can, and shouldn't, be used to defeat nature. He shows it incredibly well, however it's never shown in a subtle way, sometimes it feels really forced.
Art: Ghibli. Almost every character is a archetype. The same stupid beards and the same faces for every female and every male character. It gets REALLY boring. There are some interesting creatures, but they're nothing to really make this anime's art any more impressive.
Sound: I honestly didn't enjoy the music a lot of the time, especially now it feels incredibly boring and dated. You kind of get used to it, but it really ages this already old anime.
Character: I felt that all the characters in Nausicaa were stereotypes. Unlike in Mononoke, the characters in this anime felt one-sided and boring. I didn't believe that they stood for anything and they certainly never grew or changed. I found their interactions predictable and I found myself getting bored quite a lot of the time. But it was interesting to see the stock characters that Miyazaki has created. If you watch all of his films it's very interesting to see the same characters in all of his different films. Another thing that makes Nausicaa subpar to Mononoke or Spirited Away (Miyazaki's Masterpieces) is that there is a VERY clear distinction of good and evil. This was the greatest flaw for me, the fact that there was a good and evil really kind of bugged me because it really detracted from the man vs nature theme.
Enjoyment: I both like and dislike this anime. For me it reaffirms my belief that Miyazaki is not a perfect filmmaker. But I like how he grows, and Nausicaa is perfect for showing his growth as a director. I found myself bored for a lot of this anime, but I enjoyed certain scenes.
Many people I know claim that this anime is a "classic" but I'm not sure if I agree with them. It is certainly not an amazing anime, but it shows the attitudes of Miyazaki in the most straightforward way. However I do believe that it's something that people should watch.
ardele7
This is definitely the best you can get in two hours. Story: it does not follow the dreamy and surreal sequencing of the newer Ghibli films; after watching this and comparing it with other Ghibli films it was almost as if Miyazaki had written everything he wanted to say in this earlier film. If you are interested in Miyazaki's themes you will appreciate everything tied up together and presented beautifully (and logically) for you. Art: amazing depictions of nature; made horrendous creatures look beautiful "naturally" even though they are made up. The ending contain the "original" warm fuzzy scenery that inspires those like haibane renmei.Sound: The "la la la" song was annoying at first but taken in context it is just brilliant to have a lonely, childish voice sing amidst everything that is going on. Overall everything is great except for the use of outdated electronical voicing - I think it is just as good as Laputa but less commercial.
Character: some characters are great but others are just Ghibli.
Overall/enjoyment: I watched this when I was 5 and I hated it. After I grew up I wasn't going to watch this (since I remembered my feeling towards it) but I sat through it and ended up liking this so much that I had to go around looking for any plot details I might have missed. Reading the manga didn't help; this is the real thing right here.
Assthete
This movie is so embryonic, which is to be expected given it only adapts a fraction of Miyazaki's iconic masterpiece. Basically he had to conclude threads whose nature is far too mysterious to be properly developed in mere two hours. It also meant dumbing down the message to environmentalism for children and the storytelling to boring fatalism based on muh prophecy. It's a shame considering how much talent is on display here. The melting God Warrior is Anno's finest sakuga to date rightfully propelling his career forward. Joe Hisaishi has the audience earwormed in a spectacle of patient melodic progression followed by exploding crescendos. Nausicaamovie succeeds insofar as it brings the manga's visual eeriness to life and is worth checking by that alone.
kerberos242
Without a doubt, the art is the reason to watch this one. It takes place in a beautiful fantasy world 1,000 years after the apocalypse. Some shots of the landscapes feel truly magical, and the creature, vehicle, and aircraft designs are excellent. With regard to the story, there's not much. The central message is NATURE = GOOD, TECHNOLOGY = WAR = BAD, delivered with all the subtlety of a plummeting anvil. The bad people wear armor, drive tanks and planes, and try to fight off the dangerous creatures when threatened by them. The good people are helpless innocents who listen to what nature-loving Princess Nausicaa tellsthem.
Also, everything is inconsistent, beginning with the quality of the animation itself: some shots have much more detail than others. Some of the soundtrack is somewhat out-of-place synth, other parts are the orchestral music to be expected of Studio Ghibli. The film also suffers from failure to "show, not tell." Nausicaa repeatedly tells us fighting is bad but is nonetheless good at combat and doesn't hesitate to participate in it. She also has a tendency to over-explain everything. Also, every character is a flat archetype: the good king, the wise old blind woman, the cutesy children, the evil warlord, the sycophantic second-in-command.
Altogether, it's not bad, but it's not the masterpiece it's said to be.
unimportantuser
Nausicaa of the Valley of the wind is one of those movies. I’m talking a movie so famous & renowned that practically everyone has seen, or at least heard of this movie. I won’t waste time talking about the impact it left, how it basically kick-started Hayao Miyazaki’s career, & all that jazz, I’m just gonna get straight into it. Story:10/10 The story of Nausicaa follows our titular protagonist on a journey to try & save The valley of the wind. We first meet Nausicaa going to the sea of decay to try & recover an ohm shell. We then are taken to the valley of thewind where we’re introduced to the villagers. Hours later a ship comes by carrying with it spores that end up infecting the valley of the wind. The next day some airships operated by the kingdom of Tolmekia comes to the valley of the wind in order to try & recover a fire god creature to use it to burn the sea of decay in order to unite humanity. From there on out it’s about Nausicaa’s journey to try & save the valley of the wind.
The story of Nausicaa is excellent. It has a grand scale attached to it & the stakes are high. The villains also aren’t just hate filled & evil for the sake of being evil. The villains of Nausicaa are fleshed out entities with their own personality traits & charism to all of them. They feel burning down the sea of decay will be for the greater good of all humanity & their motivations come off as believable. It’s also a very balanced story, as it has enough complexity to it to be grab people looking for more involved stories, but it’s simple enough to where the average movie goer can follow along just fine.
The world of Nausicaa is also a very realized world. From the sea of decay itself, to the underground of the sea of decay, to the valley of the wind, to the destroyed kingdom of pejite, every frame of the movie has a distinct landmark about it.
Characters: 10/10
The characters in Nausicaa are excellent. All of them have great characterization, good charisma, motivations that actually make sense & reasons to act the way they do. Nausicaa isn’t just an environmentalist for the sake of one, as a traumatizing event from her childhood (watching a baby ohm taken away from her after she tried to protect it to then be presumably killed off screen) & the sand from beneath the sea of decay being able to be used as a purifier causes her to act this way. On the other end Kushana, ruler of the tolmekian’s believes that destroying the sea of decay will benefit the environment & open up the possibility to not only expand her empire, but create more livable environments for the humans. Most importantly of all, she doesn’t act like an asshole about any of this, in fact she not only lets Obaba speak but she orders her soldiers to stop firing at the villagers from the valley of the wind near the end of the movie after they have a misunderstanding. Safe to say the main villain of this movie isn’t just a “big bad villain” & is actually a well thought out, written character with believable motivations & a good personality to match.
Art & Sound: 10/10
It’s studio ghibli, do I really need to say this movie looks excellent? Backgrounds are beautiful, landscapes are lush, colors are vibrant, it’s an all around excellent production. The animation is also really good & still holds up to this day, it has great flow, there’s never really a moment where the animators get lazy, it stays consistently fluid. Character & Mechanical designs are also well made, character art remains on model & mechanical things such as the weapons, tanks, aircraft, all look great & very distinctive.
Music is phenomenal & dare I say it, Joe Hisashi’s best score, the pieces have great variety, match the tone, create great atmosphere and emotion, the pieces used match their scenes perfectly, it’s almost as if the movie was built around the music it matches so well. Voice acting is also supherb. Sumi Shimaoto as Nausicaa, Yoshiko Sakakibara as Kushana, Gorou Naya as Yupa, it’s all great stuff. Even the minor characters have great performances.
Overall: 10/10
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is one of the all time greatest things ever conceived by mankind. From it’s excellent storytelling, brillant characters, lush world, god-tier OST, phenomenal voice acting, & all the little things that add up into an amalgamation of one of the greatest movies ever made, wow. This was only Hayao Miyazaki’s 2nd full feature length film & he hit it out of the park with this one. This is his masterpiece & a movie that him and his team should feel very proud of. This movie created a juggernaut studio that would bring us over 3 decades of entertainment, really put Hayao Miyazaki on the map, & made anime so, so much better. Unsurprisingly, this movie gets the full 10 out of 10. This is my favorite movie of all time, & I don’t see anything topping it.
ktulu007
In many ways, Nausicaa was Studio Ghibli's prototype film. It introduced many factors that would become staples for the studio, the pro-environmentalist message, the strong female protagonist, the highly critical view of violence and, of course, the gorgeous artwork. Nausicaa was produced by Topcraft before the Studio went bankrupt, got bought by Miyazaki and Takahata and became Studio Ghibli. Since Nausicaa was the film to establish the Ghibli formula, and since most of the creative team behind it, including the writer, Miyazaki, went on to found Studio Ghibli, many people count it as the Studio's first work. Let's take a look and see how wellit holds up.
Our story opens in the toxic jungle, a dense area with poisonous plants and spores everywhere that giant insects make their habitat. We're introduced to Yupa, a man who wanders around the toxic jungle trying to unravel its mysteries, and our hero, the young wind rider, Princess Nausicaa. They return to the wind valley, a haven where humans can still live peacefully thanks to the wind keeping spores from settling there. They catch up for a while, but all isn't well. An aircraft crashes and they find themselves in possession of a giant pulsating cocoon. One desired by the powerful armies of two kingdoms, Pejite and Tolmekia. Nausicaa finds herself and her valley caught in the middle of the conflict and has to find a way to safeguard her home and stop the creature in the cocoon from being released. The story structure in this film is impeccable. The pacing is perfect. The silent moments are used superbly. Even the environmentalist message is excellently handled. As is the anti-violence component. Neither one comes across as preachy or like they've otherwise been dumbed down. Which is weird given that those are both themes that tend to be done very poorly, especially in movies for kids. The world is spectacularly built and a lot of thought clearly went into all the elements. There's really nothing the film does badly. Although, if I were going to nitpick, I might say that the ending is a little cheesy. But even then it's not in a way that's annoying or feels contrived.
The characters, also excellent. Nausicaa is one of the best protagonists I've seen in a long time. The antagonists aren't just petty or evil for the evils, they have actual motivations that make sense and substance. Even the more minor characters who you don't see much of feel like actual people. And any named character is going to have a reason to be there. There's no one who's extraneous.
The art is amazing. Especially for a film that's nearly thirty years old. The world is vibrant and beautiful. The backgrounds are stunning. The character designs look nice and the tech just looks really cool. This is simply a gorgeous film.
The film has a really strong cast. Shimamoto Sumi, Naya Goro, Sakakibara Yoshiko... everyone really. The music is... enchanting is probably the best term. It's always perfectly suited to the situation and serves to just immerse you in the action. And the film is already incredibly enthralling.
The ho-yay factor is a 1/10. There really isn't any.
Nausicaa of the valley of the wind is simply brilliant. It's an excellent film with amazing visuals, a compelling story, unforgettable characters, spectacular music and excellent acting. It does everything right and any complaints I might make about it are very minor. Final rating: a perfect ten. If you haven't seen it, make it a point to. Next week, I'll look at a more recent Ghibli film, Ponyo.
360ken
*You can read what it's about in the synopsis* Story-10 Exciting all the way, original, unique, you might be bored the first 15-20 minutes or so but when the "crash" happens this movie goes full-force into the action, drama, sci-fi, and environmental philosophy. It's really good. Miyazaki is a known environmentalist, this was his first movie, and his first smash hit. He does talk about the environment but he doesn't shove it down your throat. It's just a really good sci-fi adventure that doesn't get the appreciation it deserves these days. Art-9 Let's face it. Nausicaa is from the 80's. It is not going to hold a candle tonewer anime like Princess Mononoke, Gurren Lagann, and Death Note. The character designs are a little on the simplistic side (and Nausicaa isn't a size 0 like so many other modern anime heroines) but the attention to detail in the scenery, backgrounds, the jets, and the insects (oh! THE INSECTS!!) is just fabulous. The settings and the machinery all look great but the INSECTS! are amazing. Giant insects of all shape and form. Very nice.
Sound-10
The music. Wow. Okay. Just wow. You have to hear it to believe it. There is some wierd techno and world beat stuff in the first quarter of the movie, and it makes some of the earlier scenes sound like a video game. That was kind of annoying but it did fit well with what was happening on screen. For the rest of the film you get to hear really really nice orchestral pieces and creepy eerie background music and it's all just so enhancing! But the real stand-out is this one "song" in the movie. I will not tell you anymore, because this "song" plays quite an important role in the storyline and in Nausicaa's life. But it's a pretty, somewhat haunting, child-tune...definetely memorable.
Oh and the voice-acting. It's great. If you watch the 2009 re-release of it (which is the full uncensored and uncut movie with better voice acting) you will like it. Shia Labeouf, Uma Thurman, Alison Lohman...they all do a really good job. And Mark Hamill plays a small role in the film. You might no him as the Joker from Batman.
Character-10
You won't be doing facepalms. Because the characters behave rationally and realistically. No one's shallow. Nausicaa...is amazing. She's a true heroine. She's actually my favourite female anime character but that's besides the point. She's a great person to look up to. Why? I can't say, it would spoil the movie. Lord Yupa is pretty kick-ass though. The villain is pretty awesome. She has a good motive behind what she is doing. She's a worthy antagonist to someone as cool as Nausicaa.
Enjoyment-10
I like to watch Nausicaa as much as I can. It's a very enjoyable movie. You go on an adventure everytime you watch it. I think this is Miyazaki's best film.
The ending I have mixed feelings about. Don't get me wrong, it was a satisfying end but I was a little bit confused by it and I didn't think it was like an awesome amazing ending. The ending doesn't compare to Miyazaki's other movies like Spirited Away and Porco Rosso. But I noticed that anime-movies and series-seem to be bad at tying up their stories. I don't remember the last time I watched an anime with a good ending. But I don't think I would have changed Nausicaa's ending.
Overall-10
Watch this movie. It's very good and it's a classic. I am extremely looking forward to reading the manga.
Mimiko_chan
Nausicaa, I have a feeling that this review is going to be long… So everybody seems to love this movie and those that don’t can’t seem to find a plausible explanation to why they didn’t enjoy it, well today I’m here to help you discover why you felt that, and why this movie didn’t reach you. People judge animations by only looking at the amount of entertainment/joy/emotions it gave to each of them, but the truth is that each anime has his high and low points, so just giving a 10 because your friends told you it was the best or just based in your inner favoritismdoesn’t get you to the real point.
Other important thing I need to say: I don’t measure animes only based in his time of release. I mean, when I was young The Power Rangers were like the world to me, well nowadays I simple can’t say the same and I can see the flaws the show had, so it’s important to understand how the magic continues to work through time when we’re talking about a classic, and how affect us today.
Nausicaa was released in Japan in 1984 and it was really something amazing and different at that time, since it brought some important themes like the after-war, the environment, and how the notion of pollution that our so industrialized and technologic world could bring. And these themes were brought to the family space with a mature lookout and a gorgeous setting for that time.
One year later it was released in US under a stupid name, a depressing re-edition, and a sad dub, so basically, most people got really evolve by this movie when the name of Miyazaki started to spread out and gather fans with Mononoke-Hime (1995) and ten years later, in 2005, a good English re-released version came out, and this space of time between 1995-2005 left many fans curious so they decided to take a look at the manga… and I must tell you, it’s much more dense, exciting and interesting than the movie!!
Why? Because we need to understand the motives, the intentions and motivations of each character to understand why they do what they do, and the movie fails in this point.
Having in count that many read the manga, and already had a background setting of the story they give this movie a 10 because they can fully understand the story! So, I’m not going to judge this animation based on the manga, I’m going to clear my mind and make a review only to the movie itself!
I’m not going to say much about the good aspects, because there’s already many people praising it, I’m just going to say that the animation was very good for its time and even today is good; the thematic is interesting and still fits in our polluted world; the heroine is an amazing character capable of understanding and fulfils it’s role (although there’s some issues there too); there are no true villains in it since we’re talking about nature vs human nature, we might blame mankind but not completely because mankind need creativity and progress or degenerates… so this movie is GOOD in all this aspects, other important thing is that it actually follows the basics of a dystopian world and for all that I truly praise it.
Now let’s look at the bad side:
a)The most important thing – setting – is the first issue having in count the environmental crisis is not so well explored. You see this strange world filled with toxic spores in a jungle ruled by insects, but you never actually see anyone being choked by the air; you never see any insect devouring or biting a human – and this makes the setting completely superficial! And where are the other animals? Dead? Is it only bugs and Teto?? And, let’s face it! You, the guy/girl who can’t stand a fly or a beetle in your own house is going to cheer for the victory of the bugs?? Well, unless you’re a fanatic for bugs, you wouldn’t want them in your place, even when they represent something like being the protectors… So, who are you calling villains here?
Other problem with the setting: the injuries are rare; everyone seems to be pretty damn good avoiding damage (the almighty Yupa!!) and the blood is so scanty that can’t even make a good impact (well, family purposes). Even the ones that die don’t even attach any feeling to the viewer – you don’t know anything about them to feel sorry! You had like 5 minutes of the movie with Nausicaa’s father and Lastelle! Who cares about them when the whole movie is only focused in one and single person!! – again, superficial!
b)The story itself with the slow pace don’t seem to engage much the audience expectation, and that’s why some say “it’s boring!”. The catharsis seems somewhat weak, because of the issues I’m pointing here and some background sounds forgotten in important scenes;
c)The heroine – Nausicaa is also a problem - although she shows to have everything to be a great character, there’s a lack of impact in her! And when she shows confidence it’s in an excessive way, much unreal! But the fights are not easy because the opponent is strong – human nature – and she too used violence because she’s human!
In an environmental movie she appears riding a flying machine (!?) and what are we suppose to think? That they move by solar energy? Or by the wind, even when she’s in the jungle of spores where there’s no wind? If it was a relic left by the industrialization world isn’t she, our heroine, polluting the air too?
Nausicaa takes things from dead Ohm’s carcass to recycle it for tools (and maybe weapons are implied)? Yes, at the beginning is there when she hits the dead carcass shield with the ceramic sword… human nature can’t stop creating, recycling, progressing by the other things coast, it’s within us.
And this theme also guide me to other important matter: Mononoke-Hime is different from this one because the hero is the forest -> you see how the forest/nature see us (mankind); Nausicaa is the complete opposite -> is how humans see the forest – and each one of us see the forest differently, and this is why this movie is better than Mononoke!
Humans are moved by intentions, feelings, memories and motivations. When they look at the forest they have these 4 aspects in count – or either they want to enjoy it, or destroy it – and this response to nature will also suffer transformation within us if it’s either a jungle/swamp or a beautiful landscape.
Humankind needs progress (that’s why dystopia worlds happen) but it’s hard to conjugate nature within this progression, and I came to my final issue…
d)The rise – there isn’t any in the end! And this is very important; you want to see a solution to this dark world! Where’s the “chance” of rising? With the resurrection of the princess? I would pretty much prefer that she died and the solution appeared! But well, the wind came back again, and each one went to his beginning place, and I don’t believe the weaponry and industrialization ceased nor the constant vengeance ended…
momentie
A Dark Fairy-Tale of Themes, More Relevant Now Then Ever Before(LR); Nausicaä is a classic studio Ghibli story set in a post apocalyptic world that suffers from an ever encroaching toxic disaster. Like many Ghibli films it's riddled with sometimes simplistic but always wonderfully depicted themes and messages, alongside a fun and endearing cast of colorful characters and places for us to temporarily inhabit. Let's walk through the spoiler free segment first. Animation and Music - This almost goes without saying when discussing works by Ghibli but there is almost nothing to complain about in this regard, the art-style is the usual enchantingly picturesque trappings that goso far as to make every still a poster in it's own right. One point of note for me was the Ohmu whom when stationary appear like a Mott background painting, only for them to spring to life as their individual sections convulse, it makes for an impressive sight. Then we have the character designs, from the old men of the valley who inspire imagery of the dwarfs from snow white, to Teto and the emus who fill this world with a sense of more tranquil animals which can contrast the insects of the toxic forest, which speaking of is filled with a variety of beasts which do a wonderful job of being both majestic and terrifying in equal measure. The fight scenes, while not revolutionary, are highly entertaining and fluid. The Ost fairs in much the same light, it's as you'd expect packed with whimsically calm pieces for the films quitter moments and appropriately tenser ones for the fight scenes. Most of all you have the large orchestral pieces that fill up most of the movie wonderfully. My favourite track is the one used for more trance like scenes, it has a child singing merrily accompanied by wind instruments which goes to create something eerie and yet beautiful (much like the insects). I don't think I'd list this as the strongest Ghibli Ost I've heard but I'd be open to hearing an argument for it.
The Story and Characters - Again when we talk Ghibli there's an expectation for this category and it doesn't disappoint. The film's central messages relate to violence and pollution, alongside the dangers of not living in harmony with nature. The characters can oft be simple but brilliant efforts are put into their characterization, which in turn helps to keep them distinct and engaging. Nausicaä herself is highly spirited and an adventurous young women, fiercely independent but also deeply caring for the people who call her princess. Contrastingly we have her highness Kushana who we immediately know is a very different sort of princess based solely on her title. The other characters fair similarly, Obaba who sees more clearly then the others but is literally blind, Lord Yupa who in his world travelling has learned wisdom in the value of when to and when not too fight or Mito who acts as Nausicaä's loyal attendant and proves that humans don't have to be stuck in their old ways. These characters all find their depth not in extensive character studies or flashbacks but instead through their fun personality's and implied histories, which in large part condones to the lived-in feeling the film's world expunges. The story itself is standard Ghibli fair, it involves a journey amongst a great many locations as our characters attempt to both stop an impending violent collision of rival factions and to learn the secrets of their collapsing world.
Nausicaä is rapidly nearing is 40th birthday and like much of Ghibli's portfolio, is a body of work that all anime and animation fans should endeavour to see some day. I myself am quite late to the Ghibli party having not grown up with the films but it's a pleasure to say that regardless of your age you should find plenty to apriciate with-in this film. I find myself truly incaptivated by it's world but like a fleeting dream it is over all to fast, compelling me to some day read it's manga in the vain hopes of touching that magic once more. The film has a quality dub and is available from the likes of Netflix so if you haven't already, then do yourself a favour and make time for this classic, now with-out further ado -
Spoilers Ahoy - On being late to the Ghibli party;
As mentioned my induction into Ghibli films has come rather late, with the only entry I had seen being 'My Neighbor Totoro' for quite some years. This wasn't so much out of a distain but rather due to circumstance. I simply didn't grow up with these films and as an adult I always found myself too busy to dedicate any real time to watching many full length anime movies, however due to a certain recent global pandemic and a sudden influx of free time, I took it upon myself to start watching more anime films in an effort to expand my knowledge of the medium. Now you migth be wondering what this has to do with the price of potatoes, put bluntly I find Ghibli films near painful to discuss. Their just too unique, sure I can throw around a series of vaguely eloquent words for the spoiler free section but getting in to the details of these films makes me feel somewhat out of my depth and that anything I would hazard has already been said by those more knowledgeable then I. With all that said I set myself something of a personal goal to review at least one Ghibli film before I reached my tenth review and after watching Nausicaä it became abundantly clear this was the one I wanted to talk about. Therefore I've broken form a little here and not watched or read anyone else's critics of the film yet, as such if I repeat anyone thoughts, you have my utmost apologies but rest assured the following analysis is all my own rambled thoughts on the movie
Now then before my self indulgently mundane tale boars anyone to death, lets get back on topic. Something that I find fascinating about story's like this and 'Laputa; Castle in the sky' is their accessibility to both adults and children. It's a part of what makes these stories differ from the Disney tales of years gone by. Where an adult can watch those and apricate the craftsmanship, their is a concession to be made that you are watching something aimed at children but with a story like Nausicaä your presented with something kids can enjoy but that adults can find whole other levels of meaning in. Non of this is slight against Disney, many of their films are quite sublime but there's a certain something Ghibli has that it's contemporizes lack.
An example is in order, take the death of Simba's father in the Lyon king, it's a memorable moment that has clung to many of us as one of the darkest in the whole Disney canon and one could say it's comparable to the death of Nausicaä's King Jihl however here is where the differences lie. Mufasa's death works to communicate that Scar is 'evil', manipulative and out for himself even at the sacrifice of his own/only family, conversely Jihl's death tells us the mentality of the enemy soldiers, how their more then happy to kill an invalid if it makes the subjection of the people slightly easier, content to storm a peaceful nation's stronghold without a second thought. Furthermore it tells us alot about Nausicaä who we see is more then capable of putting her Jungle exploring talents into the act of combat and killing(Mind you it's unclear weather she actually killed anyone but she certainly gave them some real concussions). We see what in a blind rage even the kindest of human's is capable of (which of course draws parallels between her and the quiet Ohmu creatures who are also peaceful but capable of great destruction when enraged). Again non of this is to suggest that Disney movies are shallow but rather to highlight how every action in this film carries weight and purpose and goes to further drive home the themes of the story, which is a part of what makes this such essential viewing. Speaking of themes, lets touch on those a little more,
It's own Jungle of Themes;
Like I mentioned before, the themes aren't overly opaque, like with many other Ghibli films, the messages of anti-war and pollution are fairly clear to see with little effort however what can be less obvious is the amount to which everything ties back into said themes. Small details of the world building that you may not give a second though are what actually makes these ideas so effective. A very early example comes in the form of Nausicaä's first scene, she comes across the discarded outer shell of an Ohmu, proclaiming the material to be highly useful. What we're seeing here tells us a lot, for one it's an early indicator that this massive creature has a shell made of some greatly durable material that Nausicaä's knife doesn't even scratch but far more importantly is the nature of Ohmu, they shed their skin most likely as away to rid their body's of toxins or so they can grow larger but what matters is that the old shell is left behind. The insects have no issue with Nausicaä talking a part of it away with her, no in fact it's quite clear that if humans are willing to live in harmony with the jungle, then it in turn has no problem with providing for them to. We obviously see this more with the later revelations that the jungle is actually trying to purify the soil of it's poisons and clean the underground water sources but what I apricate is that in a simple detail like the Ohmu shell, we're already seeing the themes on display.
This goes further then just the world building, stretching into the character designs. Take a look at all the adults of the valley, most of them have 6 shell cartridges adjoined to their jackets. This instinctively makes us think that these are a people who have cause to carry such equipment in their day to day lives, yet in reality it's deeper then that. The fact that they wear them openly in a place of vulnerability, declares to any visitor that they have no intention of hiding their hostility but also is a reinforcement of the kingdoms philosophy of only using small amounts of fire. They aren't going around armed to the teeth but rather with just enough to keep the balance between themselves and the jungle. We see this again with their swords, unlike those of the Torumekians who wield sharp edged offensive blades, the people of the valley carry smaller, rounded daggers. Again their showing through their very character design, that their intention is balance, not violence.
The world building is once more prevalent to the themes in its depiction of warships. At first the ships of the anime may actually come across as something of a contrivance when they each get destroyed against a single fighter plane. Despite this, a line from Mito confirms that the vessels getting destroyed so rapidly is not a story convenience but an unfortunate aspect of their design(We later see that the far better maintained Valley gunship is much more sturdy then the large warships). Put bluntly what we are seeing is an army fueled by the technology of it's forebears. In this it quite heavily mirrors Laputa, we have science that seems lieges ahead of our own and yet equally their are front line soldiers running around in heavy duty armor, wielding swords. As lord Yupa makes clear, in the thousand years since the 7 days of fire, the remaining kingdoms of the world have been tearing one another apart. The first village we see Yupa walk through could possibly be one of these destroyed villages or equally it may just be a settlement no one came to help in it's time of need. And that's the point, the nature of the jungle isn't one of encroaching on the people but vice versa. When an enraged Ohmu dies, it's body spreads spores which expands the jungle but the Ohmu only become angered when force is used against them, as such it's possible the speed at which the jungle spread would be dramatically lowered were it not for human conflict.
Coming back to the warships for a moment, they are clearly the last of her highness's vanguard, her forces now depleted after the campaign against the Pejite peoples and who knows how many other armies, as such her remaining ships are not only most likely aged and relics from times gone by but also in no state for battle. Again we're seeing the world building creeping into every corner of the themes. It's obvious even the Torumekians have relapsed back to the days of swords and shields but in a desperate bid to hold control over the world, they continue to use the outdated tanks and airships of their forefathers, much like how they intend to use the great warrior to levy control of the remainder of civilization and burn the poisoned jungle to the ground.
Some very thematic characters;
We're not done with themes but lets now talk about them through the gaze of the characters. As mentioned Nausicaä most clearly matches the Ohmu, she's empathetically caring and more then willing to save strangers but can be a determined, stubborn and intelligent force to be reckoned with when challenged. Opposite to her we have Kushana, also a princess but one who far more closely matches up to Teto the fox-squirrel. That may seem derogatory but the initial point of Kushana's character is that while she may bear fangs and come with a fierce bark, in truth she has little knowledge of the jungle, a semi-incompetent armed force and show's cowardice when faced with the Ohmu nest, but again like Teto that isn't to say she is a coward, no indeed she leads from the front lines and in her limbs she has lost a great deal. She is right to be wary of people. She makes for an interesting villain, which apparently the manga delves into further but it should suffice to say her character is one of understanding why people act with violence. Kushana isn't necessarily evil, she instead acts out of fear, in the same way that Teto bites Nausicaä when they first meet and equally both of them find an interest in the young princess after their initial disagreement.
One of the last topics I want to touch on is the title's valley itself but first let's touch on one more important character and that's Mito. I earlier described him as being Nausicaä's vassal of sorts. He appears to handle many of the valley's day to day running alongside her, in the King's ill stead and as such is one of the valley's primary protectors. It's in this that he most contrasts the other soldiers we meet. Take staff officer/commander Kurotowa, a shrew and pragmatic realist of a man, he follows the orders he's given with seemingly little backbone (Though he does prove some degree of loyalty and competency as an officer before the film's close), he orders killing with-out hesitation and thinks little of the deaths on either side. By comparison Mito can be an efficient warrior, effortlessly talking out the Torumekian's fighter plane with the valley's gunship, furthermore his eyepatch tells us he's a man who's served his time in combat situations but what's important is he isn't set in his ways. When the time comes he doesn't shoot the lure ship that's trying to take the injured young Ohmu to the valley but instead at the behest of Nausicaä's plea, he is able to put aside his urge to kill and instead follow her decision. What's important here is that he can change, he isn't controlled by some innate urge for murder and in that is a hope. In a movie that is seemingly so scathing of the folly of people, war and planetary destruction, in the valley and its inhabitants we have hope.
The Peaceful Valley;
There's, as you'd expect, quite a-lot that can be said about the Valley. We can infer it once had a much higher population based on things like the number of smaller airships and weapons found with-in the castle and the myriad of other armor and equipment in the castle's underground sections. Due possibly to war or trying to push back the jungle, the people are now relatively few, in particular is the children, there ain't many. In fact in over a year of Lord Yupa's absents only one child has been born, which is indictive of the populus's generally older age grouping. Possibly due to tradition or maybe because of some conflict or other lowering the population count, the people are a simple folk. They have a great deal of faith in the wind, rightfully so considering it's role in keeping the air clean and furthermore they place stock in the thrust of superstition, looking to Obaba as something of an oracle of wisdom and to Lord Yupa for experience of the outside world.
Aside from the implied history of the land, we're shown a beautiful town of windmills and farmland, where the people live in harmony with the land. They have a reverence for the forest to one side and relie on the ruins on an aged ship by the lakeside as a last resort retreat. They as a people are pacifistic, opting so use minimal extermination of the spores, being far happier to see the likes of Nausicaä guide an insect away, rather then to fight it and risk an all out battle with the jungle. This isn't to say there cowards, no indeed they're a very brave and hardy people but once more we see that there's hope for a way of living other then violence.
Even when the villagers do get violent we see it in minimal ways. For example 3 of Nausicaä's other accompanying 'bodyguard's' during the hostage portion of the story are shown assaulting a tank. At first it seems they're going to blow it up but instead they cleverly commandeer it with flash grenades and are then able to use it to temporarily turn the tide of battle in their favor. It's in little ways like this we see the hope the writer seems to have for people finding that better way. Put lightly the valley is beautiful, it stands stark against the dessert laid barren parts of Pejite that we see and this beauty plays back in to the idea of an idyllic fairy-tail. Making it all the more crushing when this peaceful land is accused and it's king slain for merely being located in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's amazing just how much I care when this happens, anime with full length episode runs have failed to make me care this much for a town I've spent barely an hour in and I think that condones another large part to the magic of Ghibli films. For example I love the Gundam series, epically Gundam '79 but I've never completed Zeta Gundam because of - well let's just say it has issues for brevity. Minor spoiler I guess but during zeta's run, Hong Kong comes under attack, we spend a decent portion of episodes located here and yet when the 'Psycho Gundam' (yes that's the name of the enemy mech and yes this show is a train-wreck when it wants to be) starts tearing down entire skyscrapers, I really couldn't care less. It's because we're shown the people of the valley, their kindness and quant culture and understand their purpose filled architecture and awe-inspiring scenery, that when a Torumekian warship purposely collides through one of said inspired windmills, we really feel the tension. Despite the comic relief nature that much of the villagers play with-in the story, the destruction of the windmill and subsequent ransacking of the Valley really hits home in an impressively magnificent way.
Conclusion;
5 Ghibli films later and I can start to really see why these films are helded up with such reverence. They're truly amazing in all regards and this goes further with the many works of Hayao Miyazaki, who truly puts his own feelings and efforts into these stories. I feel like I know the man through his work directing and writing, as cliched as that migth sound and that is in large part down to the honest soul a movie like Nausicaä bears forward. It's not afraid to paint humanity in a harsh light for it's sins but it's also able to show an alternative way of life, able to have plenty-a-moment of levity, to have a happy and hopefully ending and I think they're something pretty amazing about that.
I hope this fairly short review has helped to convey what it is that incaptivates me so much when watching these movies, especially in the case of Laputa(Which I'd apply most of what I've stated here to aswell) and Nausicaä. I'm most definitely tardy in arriving to the Ghibli party but I'm glad that it's a case of 'better late then never'. Thanks goes to my friend who helped me with making a list of essential films that I really should of already seen and my condolences to my brother's Netflix account which I have now forever filled with weeb films. Said films seemingly can't fail to live up to my high expectation and are truly an honor to get to experience so readily at my leisure, so if you haven't already make sure to give this one a watch. I hope you too have found yourself enthralled by the majesty of these gripping worlds and their narratives and lastly-
I hope you enjoyed,
Thanks for reading.
kekekeKaj
I first watched "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" when I'd only watched a couple of films that are directed by Miyazaki. I was blown away at the time, and thought it was the best thing he's done. Now that I've seen a lot more of his films, I can conclude that... it still is one of the best things he's done. More dramatic, more intense than Miayazaki's normal work, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" is aimed an older audience. The prelude, with the wind blowing across the uninhabitable wastlands, is a memorable one, and the desolate scene captures the title perfectly (althoughthe masks that the people from that scene wore made them look like dogs from a Hanna Babera cartoon, which confused me for a bit). This is followed by the opening credits that uses ancient civilization style paintings to tell a prophecy that foreshadows events to come. Right from the start, everything about this film is eye catching. And from the terrifying sights of the stampeding Ohmu herd to the emotional scene at the acid lake that made me wince; from the flashback of Nausicaa's childhood to the tear jerking finale, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" is just full of memorable and touching moments. The story is epic and imaginative, but feels incomplete - perhaps the manga was incomplete at the time of animation or something, but the film doesn't really feel self contained despite already being longer than most other animated films. I'd like to know what happens after the film ends and also see some more about the background to the conflict shown in the film.
Even though many people view "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" to be Miyazaki's first outing for Studio Ghibli, and even though it's generally considered to be part of the Ghibli collection, the film was actually made prior to the studio being founded. Being one of Miyazaki's earlier works, although it does have some of the "Miyazaki aura" about it, it also feels refreshingly different at the same time - like it was made before he discovered his "winning formula" and started sticking to it. This is probably why this film possesses a kind of rawness and intensity, and it's something that I really like about it. However, I'm sorry to say that the human character designs are very Miyazaki-esq even back then, especially with Nausicaa herself looking like all the other female leads in all the other Miyazaki films. What's more, because the film is quite grim at times, the conventional Miyazaki character designs feels a little out of place.
Nausicaa is probably one of the best heroines Miyazaki has ever created. Not only does she prove to be a worthy princess, constantly doing the best for her people, but she's also ready to lend a helping hand to others in need: people she doesn't know; people who have done her wrong and even non-human creatures. Although at first she annoyed me a bit with some bland monologues such as "my heart is pounding", I was soon won over by her qualities of intelligence, compassion and bravery etc. And the fact that she is not prone to making mistakes (as shown when she loses control of herself and goes into a rage) just serves to make her more human. Of course, no hero or heroine would be complete without that self sacrificing quality, and it’s obvious that Nausicaa has it by the bucketload. I think her willingness to put her body on the line and sacrifice herself for the sake of others is what makes the film such an emotionally engaging one.
Aside from the character designs, the animation is very good in general. The alien creatures that inhabit the world look amazing - I especially liked the fluid, worm like movements of the Ohmu (when they're not in stampede mode). The art is very detailed, and the bleakness of the settings really comes across in the scenery. However, the hand to hand combat sequences are somewhat lacklustre, probably not helped along by the cartoony character designs. The aerial battles are also less than convincing - the execution is okay, but the difficulty those massive planes have in dealing with some tiny little gunship comes off as a little odd. At the end of the day, I guess combat sequences just aren't Miyazaki’s forte.
The environmental undertones are clear for all to see, with the story being set in a post apocolyptic world that's the result of destructive human activities. What's interesting is that, over a decade later, Miyazaki directed "Princess Mononoke", and that is often considered to be a perfected version of "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" due to to its more mature understanding of the environmental issues. Compared to "Princess Mononoke", the finger pointing that goes on in this film does feel a little naive and preachy. But the strange thing is, despite all the flaws in this early prototype of Miyazaki's, or perhaps because of them, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" strikes a chord with me that the more polished "Pincess Mononoke" never quite did.
With its mismatched style, incomplete story and naive environmental messages etc, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" is very much an unrefined gem. But a rough diamond is still a diamond, and this film has something about it that allows it to outshine most if not all the better made Ghibli films. A must watch for any fan of Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli.
DylansTrashTaste
This is the first movie I watched during my Ghibli binge, and it did not disappoint! However, it seems that people either think this is one of Ghibli’s best works and that it changed the animation industry forever, or that the movie is a poorly written, preachy dumpster fire of a film with unlikable characters and a confusing plot. I don’t fully agree with either side though, and while I think this is a great film, there’s several flaws that I believe it possesses. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film that takes place 1,000 years after a great war thatwiped out a majority of the population. The film follows a young girl named Nausicaä as she tries to bring peace to the valley and protect the environment as well as the creatures that live there.
Story:
6/10
The first 30 minutes of the movie really managed to invest me in the world that these characters are living in. I wanted to learn about why their world functions the way it does, what certain things mean, and background on how everything leads to the events of the film. But, the movie never expands on a lot of the very major things in the plot. I understand that sometimes it’s better to leave some parts of the story unexplained, as it creates more mystery, but here it just felt like they didn’t have enough time to explain certain things. Which is wild since I felt the movie was too long, but that’s probably because so many parts felt like boring filler. However, the parts of the story that the movie does expand on are beautifully told. This movie carries the same values that most Ghibli works do; strong messages of environmentalism and anti-war sentiments, and I believe the movie gets its themes across very well.
Art:
8/10
Despite this not technically being a Ghibli film, Nausicaä still has that signature Ghibli style. The animation techniques are outdated but still very interesting to watch, especially the way they made the Ohmu move. I also found the environments did a great job at capturing this feeling of isolation and barrenness. Nausicaä and Teto’s designs were the only ones that really stood out to me, Nausicaä’s outfits looked great and Teto looked adorable (I really want a plushy of him).
Sound:
9/10
The soundtrack for this movie was fantastic. It has that retro 80s’ synth, and it really makes this movie stand out as THE Ghibli sci-fi film. The voice acting was pretty good, I liked Nausicaä’s voice a lot (I’m talking about the English dub, I haven’t seen the original).
Character:
7/10
The issue with the characters in this movie is that none of them stood out to me besides Nausicaä (and I guess Teto). I loved Nausicaä’s character so much. I’ve seen other people say that her character feels like a mouth-piece for Miyazaki, though I don’t agree. I feel like in order for a character to be a mouth-piece, their ideals have to feel forced, as if they’re out of character every time they preach something. But Nausicaä’s beliefs feel very natural, since she’s a very strong-willed character. But while she’s strong-willed, she’s also a very docile pacifist. I think one of the best moments in the entire film is when Teto bites her, but she doesn’t do anything to stop him, and after a moment he realizes he has no reason to be afraid and licks her. This scene manages to perfectly show Nausicaä’s entire character. Now I wish I could adore the other characters as much as I adore Nausicaä. All of the other characters either don’t get enough screen time, or feel very one dimensional. The characters are yet another aspect of this film that go unexplored. The villain, Kushana, works as an intimidating big bad, but nothing more. Asbel is a character that we learn practically nothing about. And Lord Yupa was just the standard mentor character who, say it with me, we learn NOTHING about. It kind of baffles me that Kushana, Asbel, and Lord Yupa are all listed as main characters when I can’t tell you a single character trait for any of them. But Nausicaä carries the film, so I guess I shouldn’t expect the other characters to have the same amount of development.
Enjoyment:
7/10
Despite my grievances, I still really enjoyed this film, especially the first 30 minutes. I think this is a great Ghibli film, and I can understand why so many people love it, however I can also understand why people may hate it.
Rating:
7/10
homemcordial
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) is the adaptation of Miyazaki's homonymous manga, and one of his earliest films, it's entertaining for sure but i have a couple problems with it Miyazaki creates a world with it's own politics, history and lore. and none of them is has a decent explanation that we would otherwise get if we read the manga, many of his other films also avoid these explanations, but they were never necessary, unlike this one. this lack of explanation makes moments like the rebirth of the Giant Warrior and Nausicaä walking on a field of gold have very little impact the characters arenot really worthy of attention, except for Nausicaä, she actually has personality traits, however, that is not necessarily good.
our heroine embodies Miyazaki's views on enviromentalism, war, and other subjects. in a very naive and idealistic way, which i dislike quite a lot.
Momonoke Hime is just superior in pretty much all aspects.
PS: gave it +1 point for the soundtrack. Joe Hisaishi is a legend. and the OST is definetly better than the movie overall.
BeebopJazzAttack
I had the fortune of getting to see "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" on the big screen (for the first time ever!) in stark, 35mm film. It looked unbelievably beautiful, especially for a cartoon made in the 80's. Sure, it still had that 80's anime look to it and the soundtrack was totally 80's, but up there on the big screen, I don't know, it kinda took my breathe away. The story of "Valley of the Wind" is pretty much like all his stories, which is the films strongest feature. Miyazaki knows how to tell a story. He creates these worlds, that hehas complete control over, he can do whatever he wants too with these characters, creatures his heart desires. He could make them epics like Peter Jackson with the LOTR trilogy. But that's not how Miyazaki in visions these places. His fascination with airplanes and the world of the sky plays the biggest part in how he presents his films. I mean, it pretty much says it in the title, "Valley of the Wind" so you know it will have something to do with the sky and it does.
This film is almost like a model for his later films like "Howel's Moving Castle" and "Porco Rosso" that you have awesome air battles and cool looking air ships of all different kinds. Miyazaki's love of nature is also the prototype for this story and may be his best take on keeping our world clean. the "Toxic Forrest" represents what humans have done to the planet. Not only killing most of the wildlife with the exception of insects, but also set the world back a hundred years in terms of technology. This film is set in the far future, but people use swords as main weapons. So not only is it a solid and entertainingly beautiful anime, but its also dark and at times a bloody take on what humans will do to each other and the world around them in order to gain power.
For me, what lies at the heart of this film, just like in all Miyazaki films, is that melancholy urge for adventure. This is represented through travel through sky, something that all his characters in later films would use as their main transportation. It's a world I can get lost in for days, and this was the beginning of the beautiful collaboration, between Miyazaki and the love of flying.
PuruRuru
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä comes up with a very interesting setting that doesn't get enough development. Instead the main character is thrown into a journey in which she fights for humanitarian and environmental goals. The morality behind this anime is quite heavy handed and the characters are really basic, making this a rather dull watch in modern times, although at the time the sheer novelty (for the average viewership) of the setting might have been enough. This movie ages poorly because of that. The animation in this quite good. It's a mix of a lot of hard work along with dated artwork (which is by nomeans a bad thing) and style.
Although it probably has historical importance, it fails to match today's standards. However discovering the setting and enjoying the animation makes this well worth the watch.
RangFlash
Miyazaki's first work he can 100% call his own, Nausicaa really set the standard for all-age anime cinema a notch up from Castle of Cagliostro. This anime goes down to be one of the most influential with its environmental message in a post-apocalyptic world. Unlike many anime before it, the cast of characters is huge, the plot complex, and the scope is epic, redefining what anime can do. There are small problems, some dealing with the dialogue. There is often needless dialogue where Nausicaa talks to herself, explaining things to the audience. Examples: "An Ohm!" "Gunshots!" "It came off!" "It even chipped a ceramic sword!" Yes, Nausicaa. We know. Wecan figure it out ourselves. This expositional dialog is childish and distracting, and would be better off removed.
The music is hit and miss. A lot of the music is 80's keyboards, and some of it is beautiful orchestra. I think the orchestrated music is amazing, and so I can forgive it. (Maybe someday. I'll forgive you someday, Nausicaa. Someday. =p)
Although the animation pales in comparison to Miyizaki's later work, it's the story and the well-developed world that makes this a classic. It's as enjoyable as eating a nice, fresh, slab of greasy delicious bacon in the morning before going to school. Yes, it's that good. Buy it, and forget about its faults. It's an old movie, 1984 for cryin' out loud.
