Customer Reviews

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1

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I can flip through a typical "trade" graphic novel (usually a compilation of six issues of a monthly book) in less than an hour. I found myself luxuriating in the dense richness of Miyazaki's world and sometimes only getting through a dozen pages in an evening. The concentration of writer and artist in a single voice mean that there are no throwaway panels that serve just to stretch out dialogue, nor dialogue that seems there only to fill up a panel... When you read this work, you'll realize the weakness inherent in the separate writer/artist system so common in comics - writers (verbal people) often just can't pace a story visually like a graphic artist can. True, Miyazaki's dense dialogue is a little forced and unnatural at times, but the story and imagery unfolding before you literally have no precedent in the world of art. There are not many works which reward this level of attention: Maus, or the complete Akira collection, are the only ones that come to mind.

I had avoided this work for years, somehow getting it confused with fluff trash like Escaflowne or something. Not so. Recommended.

This graphic novel is as rich a world-creation as any I've seen. It contains surprising plot twists which often hinge on some character's psychological growth, and new and interesting life-forms which evolved from genetic engineering experiments.

"The Sea of Corruption was the new world .. an ecological system born in the polluted wastelands created by civilizations long past. Only the great insects could live amongst the giant fungi and the miasma they exhaled, and so the earth was slowly submerging beneath that decaying sea .. A thousand years had passed since the mammoth industrial civilizations of the past had diminished, and faded into the dark vastness of time. It was the closing of the Ceramic Era."

Set in the post-apocalyptic kingdom of Torumekia, it begins in the Valley of Wind, where our soon-to-be heroine Nausicaä is flying around in her mehve (a glider). She gets a telepathic message of pain and anger, and sets out to find its source. It took me awhile to get into the story, but when I did, I was hooked.

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind is full of political intrigue, subtle psychological interactions, war strategy, and big explosions in the air. It also contains surprising episodes with the numinous, including encounters with an evil man both in ordinary physical reality and in non-ordinary reality, where he appears as dark energies; a surprising journey down the gullet of a giant bug leading to the Buddhist PureLand; and another trip to a trickster place where nothing is as it seems. Encounters with holy beings are here, as well as with political beings masquerading as holy. The best parts, though, are these:

1) Many of the strongest characters, including the protagonist heroine, are young women and girls. The male characters are seen first challenging them and then becoming respectful aides-de-camp. Furthermore, these women are allowed to be nurturing - in one scene, Nausicaa takes in orphaned children - but are not seeking wife-and-motherhood as the inevitable triumphant end to their adventures. They have important work to do, and their very femaleness leads them to do it differently than a male character would.

2) The author does not beat you over the head about good and evil - each being is portrayed as having both elements. Miyazaki has accomplished the rare feat of creating a piece of fiction which revolves around warring factions and is centered on the adventures of a small-village eco-heroine, in which nevertheless you as a reader are not allowed to purely hate any of the characters. The concept of satyagraha subtly emanates from the piece, as Nausicaa's encounters with the various characters reveal their complexity both as individuals and as beings in cultural context. Neither they nor the affairs they find themselves wrapped up in are simplistic, so you can't easily dismiss them as `the bad guys'.

3) The story promulgates a vitally needed animistic message, without being sickly sweet about it or overly proselytizing. The entire book is based on the idea that we're in a post-apocalyptic world due to unthinking actions, which continue on in some of the scenes. When one faction releases a biological weapon, all the characters are forced to deal with the consequences of that action. Manga is a wonderful medium for getting vital messages like that across without bashing people on the head. Further in the story, the concept of earth attempting to regenerate itself using its own intelligence appears. Animals, including those used as `warhorses,' become valued and life-saving friends. And in the ongoing war to breathe, it's not simply put as `good humans - bad bugs', or `bad humans - look what we did'. The Ohmu, a type of giant forest insect which look a lot like a mountain with multiple eyes and horns, or like some mutant armored potato bug thing found in a traditional Japanese B-horror movie ("Invasion of the Giant Insects!"), are portrayed here as being extremely deep-thinking and wise beings, who act altruistically more than once. They are, for my nickel, the most interesting new fictional species to come around in years.

4) The way Miyazaki deals with the Ohmu, as well as with many other elements in his story, is to let the reader unravel the puzzle herself. Many characters are afraid of the Ohmu, and it's only through Nausicaa's adventures that we learn to think differently. This subtlety is most refreshing in a genre which is more often full of overt tits leaning over a sinkful of machine guns.

Other interesting living inventions are the conscious weapon "God-Warrior," which shoots plutonium when angered, the weirdly created Heedra, the forests of fungi, and the loyal mounts known as "horseclaws." The book is also rich culturally, including such peoples as the Wormhandlers, who wrangle insects and are sort of the Untouchables of the times; the Forest People, who wear heavy gear and are the only ones that can survive deep in the miasma; the Vai Emperor and Torumekian overlords; the Dorok tribespeople; and the monk caste guarding the Holy City of Shuwa, where all the trouble began.

The only part which bounced me out of the necessary suspension of disbelief was the ubiquitousness of the heavy flying machines. In a land where industrial civilization has been gone for thousands of years, there's an amazing preponderance of heavy artillery. Besides the machine guns, the rival forces do a lot of zooming around in these clunky air transport machines - including the inventive "flying jars" - but nowhere is the matter of refueling addressed. In a work which pays a great deal of attention to everyday nitty-gritty details - people get dirty and hungry, clothes fall apart, the quality of air masks is questioned - this is a big one to overlook.

Miyazaki makes use of fantastic fiction's lauded ability to convey warnings of things to come if we continue with business-as-usual, such as genetic engineering; and he does it in a way that I find shocking through its very subtlety: "They say that once, man remolded the plants and animals to his pleasure, like clay. Most of the new species they created have vanished over the years, but some are still with us today. According to the legends, even horses used to be mammals."

Nausicaä herself becomes sort of a Christlike/St. Francis figure, speaking telepathically with the hated and feared giant insects, working to end the wars, and uniting the disparate factions in love for the planet's survival. She makes friends of everyone, from a feral squirrel-fox to the former Dorok Emperor. Mythology builds up around her, as she seems to fulfill prophesies of a "blue-clad one" who will come and heal the world. She also has a teacher, Master Yupa, who is a cross between Yoda and Aragorn, and whom she repeatedly impresses. But in good manga fashion, her prophesied blue outfit consists of boots and a miniskirt, and she does all of this mystical stuff while performing slick aerobatics in her personal glider and carrying an assault rifle.

Besides the American graphic novel editions, there are also two versions of Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind out on video: one which remains fairly consistent with the book series, and one which thins it out to Disneyesque proportions. Unfortunately, the former only appears in Japanese, with no subtitles. I'd suggest renting that one anyway - just read the books first.

Nausicaa takes place in a fantasy world. It is an ecological failure in some post-apocalyptic, post-technological world. The kingdom wrestles its living from the scorched earth, even as the "corrupted" forest advances. A young girl must take control, although women have never ruled. There is a force within her --

The eco-fable gets a bit thick at times. Also, the narrative seems to jump, as if the writer just stepped past some plot hurdle that the reader must leap. Still, the story flows fairly well. Most transitions make sense, or will make sense in a moment.

I value good artwork, and this is good. It's "black and white", but black is replaced by a warm brown. The paper also has that held-back character: unfussy, and not so bright that the ink color gets lost - a thoughtful compromise. The few color spreads remind me of Moebius, but Miyazaki's artwork is unique.

Miyazaki has done some relatively recent movies - notably 'Spirited Away' - that cemented his reputation as visual storyteller. Movies like that, even with computer aid, are expensive, though. Studios want to see a proven performance record before speculating on the next production. Nausicaa, I'm sure, is part of why the studios chose to back his movies, or at least the first.

This comic is enjoyable in its own right. It's even more enjoyable when seen as one piece of Miyazaki's ouvre, and one moment in his career as story-teller.

//wiredweird

Master of Japanese animation Hayao Miyazaki found himself without any film prospects on the horizon in 1982 and so agreed to begin work on a manga (comic) story to be serialized in the popular Japanese animation magazine, "Animage." After going on for thirteen years, in 1995 the beautiful and moving epic "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" finally came to an end. Now collected into seven trade paperback volumes preserving the same back to front, right to left reading format of the Japanese originals, in terms of scope, grandeur and emotional impact, this science fiction/fantasy saga is the "Lord of the Rings" of comics (and since comics are both written words and pictures, this analogy holds true whether the comparison is with J.R.R. Tolkien's books or Peter Jackson's films). I have not been this enraptured by a work of graphic literature in a long time, if ever, and the experience was one of the most engaging and moving I have ever had in any form of fiction.

Nausicaa is a Princess in the Valley of Winds, located near the borders of the Sea of Corruption, a dense jungle of fungus that constantly releases a miasma of poisonous spores deadly to anyone but the giant insects who live there. The environment has been devastated by a global war, the Seven Days of Fire, that took place in the distant past, and now the few remaining human settlements vie for what little inhabitable land is left.

Nausicaa is a remarkable character in a story filled with remarkable characters. She is a pacifist in the truest sense of the word, not only rejecting violence and war as a means of solving problems, but having a calming effect on both the animals and people she encounters. She possesses an uncanny psychic ability to communicate with animals from her faithful fox-squirrel companion, Teto, to the whale-sized armored caterpillars known as the Ohmu. Her powerful charisma gains her the unwavering devotion of friends and the admiration of her enemies. Despite her commitment to peace, she is also an accomplished fighter, which is evident on the rare occasions when her rage overpowers her compassion. Lastly, she is an expert wind rider, sailing through the clouds in her jet-powered glider and performing aerial acrobatics no other pilot would dare to attempt.

When her beloved Valley faces invasion by the imperial forces of Torumekia, lead by Princess Kushana (sort of the "shadow" Nausicaa, although not without many redeeming qualities), Nausicaa and Teto embark on a journey to save not only her people, but also the world. The adventures that follow form an eco-feminist fantasy about courage, honor, compassion, the folly of tampering with nature, and the power of love and friendship. Storytelling does not get any better than this.

There are two versions of this.

The first is a perfect bound edition. The second is the larger version here.

Both are excellent reads but the larger versions allows you to see the brilliance of Miyazaki's artwork (from a guy known more for animation). I have been told that the newer version is a more accurate translation but, not knowing Japanese, I can not confirm that. It is certainly an easier read because one does not have to squint.

In terms of story, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a masterpiece. It blows Lord of the Rings out of the water. And this is coming from a person who hates almost the entire post-apocalyptic genre. I did think the ending came a bit suddenly and it did not necessarily wrap up every question I had.

However, it is still one of the best graphic novels you can get.

Highly recommended.

... in a better edition and better size.
Only one warning: the previous box set "Perfect Collection" is more friendly to read. In this new edition you must read from right to left and the sound effects are in "japanese" (is included a guide to descipher the meaning of these sounds).

Well, I have only read Japanese edition of the Nausicaa and don't know whether the English version is the same. But I would suppose they are the same since the cover drawing shown on AMAZON is identical to that of the Japanese edition.

While most Japanese anime are produced based on an original manga that was published, successfully, in a manga journal, the animes produced by Miyazaki Hayao are usually original and not based on a precedent manga. Miyazaki himself wrote somewhere that he gave up the career as a manga writer and focused on anime production. He is recognized in Japan as a great anime producer, of course, but not as a manga writer. Nausicaa is the only exception, with a good reason.

If you are familar with the modern manga drawings of, say, Otomo Katsuhiro, you cannot fail to recognize that the drawings of Miyazaki lack some strength the serious Japanese manga have achieved, looking rather like rough sketches or something. There is an essay on Nausicaa by Miyazaki himself in the Japanese edition, which I hope the American publisher has retained in the English edition. There, he said that he was urged and urged to publish the manga version of Nausicaa (this book) and finally forced to do that.

Mr. Miyazaki is known as an outspoken person. Then, what is this modesty about? Nothing, except that he does not want to admit that he could not fully express the notion in the Nausicaa in an anime and was forced to publish it in a manga format. OK, it's well done.

Hundreds of years ago, the Earth was engulfed in a terrible war which made most of it uninhabitable and pushed man back into a technological standstill except for some airship technology that can be maintained but not replaced because the knowledge has been lost. Small feudal countries have sprung up along the coastlines which border the "Sea of Corruption", a forest of toxic plants and huge worm beasts known as Ohmu which cannot be entered by humans except with gas masks. Nausicaa, a young but tough princess of the Valley of the Wind spends a lot of time there and seems to have a natural connection to the plants and animals that live within. With the Sea constantly expanding and the Ohmu threatening to overrun the last bastions of humanity she might be the only hope for our future. In addition to that, the Vai Emperor of the state of Torumekia has called for troops in his new war, and Nausicaa is sent by her aging father to represent the Valley of the Wind.

This is a very beautiful and awe-inspiring manga. It is very detailed and almost any panel would make a good print to hang in a picture frame as fine art. It's that good. While the vision of Earth's future serves as a warning, Miyazaki never submits to preaching. The action scenes are some of the finest I have ever seen. There are no shortcuts in the drawings. Every line is filled with passion and commitment. Masterpiece. The character of Nausicaa is a great and admirable heroine. It's a shame that Miyazaki believes that he is not a good manga creator.

It took Miyazaki a decade to finish this manga, and upon opening the first page, it becomes clear why. Every panel is overflowing with gorgeous alien detail. Despite being short, these books take a while to complete because you end up spending a lot of time just studying each panel and admiring the world around Nausicaa.

These books are the larger edition, and I would highly recommend them. The manga was originally drawn in a larger format than is usual, and these larger pages really help to make all of the minute detail visible to the reader.

This is my #1 favorite manga of all time. Truly a classic that will never age.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a manga written and illustrated by legendary anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. It originally ran from 1982 to 1994; the total work is over 1100 pages (the edition currently in print is seven volumes). The initial chapters were the basis for the eponymous 1984 film. Here, a postapocalyptic Earth is polluted and overgrown with toxic forests and giant insects. As neighboring states go to war, Nausicaä, princess of the Valley of the Wind, works to restore peace and to purify the earth.

It's hard to talk about the manga without mentioning the film, which is one of my all-time favorites. More people are familiar with the film than with the comic, and Miyazaki is far better known as a filmmaker than as a comic artist. Obviously, Miyazaki is more limited in a sensory way here, without the film's color or outstanding musical score. But he is much freer to explore his world: the film features a considerably streamlined story (one nation has been omitted) and a moral conflict that is fairly black and white. The manga is substantially more complex.

Miyazaki has created a rich, deep world, which is worth the investment the reader must make. Particularly early on, there's a lot of exposition in dialogue, like we're accustomed to seeing in American Silver Age comics. And it takes some time for the reader to determine who is on which side and what, exactly, is going on.

Nausicaä is always engaging but rarely gripping. Toward the end of the saga, Miyazaki does manage to generate some genuine suspense, but mostly the story meanders along as Nausicaä herself more or less blows where the winds of war take her. The ending is rife with potential, but it goes out with something of an abrupt whimper.

As an archetype of love and self-sacrifice, Nausicaä herself is an exceptionally admirable protagonist. Through nonviolence, she is a uniter, a peacemaker. The only stumble here comes at the end of the work, when Miyazaki puts her into what he obviously feels is a shades-of-gray, no-win moral situation. But it's actually somewhat underwhelming, as Miyazaki barely even hints at the ramifications.

Miyazaki's ever-present attention to detail is here in the artwork, which is generally impressive, although such a degree of detail often makes for some messy and hard-to-interpret panels, particularly during battles (and there are a lot of battles). And Miyazaki doesn't shy away from depicting the carnage more graphically than he ever did in any of his films.

There are a wide array of supernatural powers at work here that for the most part were not present in the film. A number of them are kind of silly, and some don't always make a lot of sense (hello, sentient mold monster). Telepaths are a dime a dozen.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is always good but rarely great. It will particularly appeal to fans of the film who want more of Nausicaä's adventures and a deeper look into Miyazaki's postapocalyptic world.