Off! the Shelf

NAUSICAA

Of The Valley Of The Wind

Perfect Collection 1

Reviewed byJustin Colburn and Keayn Dunya

"In a few short centuries, industrial civilization had spread from the western fringes of Eurasia to sprawl across the face of the planet. Plundering the soil of its riches, fouling the air, and removing the life forms at will off this gargantuan thousand years after its foundation. Ahead in the future lay an abrupt and violent decline. The cities burned, welling up as clouds of poison in the war remembered as the seven days of fire. The complex and sophisticated technological superstructure was lost. Almost all the surface of the Earth was transformed into a sterile wasteland. Industrial civilization was never rebuilt as mankind lived on through the long twilight years."

Humanity, in its hubris, has precipitated a devastating ecological disaster. Flourishing industrial civilizations have been swallowed up, and Earth is covered with the Sea of Corruption, an enormous forest of fungi that releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air.

Nausicaa, a gentle young princess, has an empathic bond with the giant mutated insects that evolved in the wake of the destruction of the ecosystem. Traveling by a cumbersome flying ship, on the backs of giant flightless birds, perched atop her beloved glider, Nausicaa and her allies must negotiate peace between kingdoms battling over the last of the world's precious natural resources.

Justin:

There's an old saying, "Follow not in the footsteps of the wise, but seek what they sought." That's what Nausicaa are reminds me of. Everyone she met on her journey was touched and inspired by her, and they all sought to be more like Nausicaa. But despite how everyone else views her, she frequently focused on her mistakes and strove to improve herself. There were many times throughout the adventure when she felt like she wanted nothing more than to simply lay down and die, but in the end she always persevered. Nausicaa is a rare character in that her strength comes from her compassion. She met all obstacles head on and often flying into the greatest of perils, prepared to sacrifice herself for a greater good. Most characters would come out of such extreme circumstances hardened and cold. But in the end she is more compassionate and caring than she was in the beginning. Nausicaa is easily the most complicated tree hugging adventure I've ever read. Miyazaki explores the political, spiritual, and everyday sides of a very lush and complex foreign world as it tries to purge itself of the plague that mankind has become. We follow Nausicaa from her humble beginnings in the Valley of the Wind into the depths of the Sea of Corruption, changing enemies into allies every step of the way.

Nausicaa is the most epic graphic novel series I have ever read. Each volume has an average of 250 to 300 pages. While that isn't very different from most other graphic novels, Miyazaki's art style uses an average of 12-16 panels per page, whereas others average between 6-8 panels per page. What impressed me further was Miyazaki didn't spare the details that artists would have on a project this ambitious. The technique in most American comic work is to put all of your detail into the largest panel on the page and sacrifice it on the others. This method was developed to help artists to meet their deadlines. Miyazaki took the time and put forth the effort to make Nausicaa a truly beautiful piece of epic work. In Nausicaa, Hayao Miyazaki has created one of the classics of comic book storytelling that will be read and reread for years to come.

Keayn:

In the far future mankind has led itself to the brink of destruction. The survivors struggle to gain a meager existence in a corrupted world. The leaders of the surviving principalities are concerned with only amassing the remaining lands and lost technology under their rule. In one Valley, a dying kingis daughter, Nausicaa, has been raised by her mentor (Master Yupa) to be a kind and benevolent ruler. Nausicaa is called on to represent her people when the empire they are apart of goes to war. A war which neither side can effectively win but could devastate even more of the ruined world.

Nausicaa is one part Tolkien, one part cautionary tale, and one part of a sociology exercise. It has widely varied characters, a multi-tiered landscape and a thought provoking storyline. Hayao Miyazaki, created Nausicaa as a combination of two characters that were very similar, and were not daunted by the restrictions placed upon them. The name Nausicaa was the name of a Phoenician princess in The Odyssey. She was a talented minstrel that cared for Odysseus when he washed up on her shore. The other part of Nausicaa's personality comes from the "princess that loved insects". The princess did as she pleased, moving among the forest and the fields, studying the insects and the world in which they lived. He further complicates the issue by putting a very capable, compassionate young woman in areas that are usually reserved for men. Most of Nausicaa's training was received through Master Yupa, a master swordsman, thinker and traveler. Master Yupa is the Valley of the Wind's version of Gandalf of Lord of the Rings fame.

Master Yupa seeks a way to reverse the corruption of the land and he teaches Nausicaa that everyone is deserving of consideration. Princess Kushana is the daughter of the corrupt Torumkian emperor. She is almost as ruthless and ambitious as her father is. She vows to use every means at her disposal to usurp her father in order to bring about a better rule for her people. Of course these are not the only characters, there are a host of others that contribute to the world. Not the least of all are the Ohmu, a race of giant sentient beetles. Their mission in life is to care for the poisonous forests that make up the Sea of Corruption.

Nausicaa is very complex. The storyline weaves itself through its character's actions and the things that they discover. We see information as it is uncovered and where it takes the characters in their quest to heal the world. Again I find myself lead to something thought provoking. The world of the Valley of the Wind is lush with discovery, detailed and visually appealing. Hayao Miyazaki packs his pages with panels and panels of informative and detailed images. It is also a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. Even in the face of overwhelming adversity, the tenacious band of adventurers keep going until they reach their goal. We also find that the warring nations, the Torumekians and the Doroks are not so different. For anyone who likes graphic novels Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: Perfect Collection is an apt title. Miyazaki captivates and hijacks your imagination to explore the world and your role in it. Hopefully you'll leave with move than you came in with.