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Nausicaa of the Valley of the WindReviewed by Chris Hori
The name Hayao Miyazaki is well known for animated features which are enjoyable by people of all ages, possessing a keen attention to detail and light hearted by very deep and meaningful plots that capture the audience’s attention. It comes with no surprise that I enjoyed Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The story is simple enough, taking place 1,000 years after an event that ended a horrific war that destroyed humanity and the planet known as ‘the Seven Days of Fire’. Humanity now lives in scattered settlements all separated by a toxic jungle, infested by vicious giant insects, called the ‘Sea of Decay’. The main character, Nausicaa (pronounced NOW-shi-ka) is the beloved princess of the Valley of the Wind. Right away she is introduced as a kind but strong character whose special gift appears to be the ability to pacify and speak to the giant insects of the toxic jungle. Her village becomes caught in a battle between two other settlements, Pejite and Tolmekia as each seeks to use an ancient weapon to destroy the other and then the Toxic Jungle. This is the very same weapon that caused the destruction of humanity 1000 years ago. On the surface level, Miyazaki tells a story about the need to understand the environment and the devastation of war. Nausicaa’s empathy with the Jungle and the creatures within allow her to understand and come to realize the truth of its existence. On a deeper level however, Nausicaa, despite that early on she shows that she is clearly capable in combat, is one of the only characters in the movie that has a willingness to look for a solution that does not involve violence despite that violence is often the simplest answer. Released in America by Walt Disney Home Entertainment, the 2 disc version released in 2005 features the animated movie in its full and uncut version. In fact, Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki have taken a strict “no-edit” stance on the release of its films refusing to allow their work to be edited following a poor editing of Nausicaa in 1980 called “Warriors of the Wind”. True to form, the voice acting and translation work is top notch, and the original score is intact. The American voice work includes Alison Lohman as Nausicaa, Patrick Stewart as Lord Yupa and Uma Thurman as Kushana. Despite the original being released in Japan in 1984, this movie still holds up to the standards of today’s animation in terms of quality, attention to detail and a story that is both engaging and meaningful. This movie is everything that someone would come to expect when hearing the name Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. For those not familiar with the titles Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a wonderful place to begin. The only reason this movie did not receive a higher score is because I feel some of the other features by Miyazaki are better. However, this still receives high recommendations from me. Screenshots (click image to enlarge) :
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What more can be said. Despite being released over twenty years ago, the storytelling of Miyazaki is on par with any anime that I have seen in the last few years. While it goes without saying that I am a fan of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, but I feel safe to say that this movie can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
