World of wind...

When NAUSICAA OF THE VALEY OF THE WIND was first aired, it was 1984. And I was around or 8 at that time. However, this anime movie is dubbed by IMDb as one of the 50 most excellent sci-fi movies. Miyazaki, once again, has succeeded bringing his fan to a world that is so complex and believable at the same time. Lucas, eat your heart out! What's more he succeeds in creating characters that are so strong and memorable at the same time.

The Setting
This movie takes place in a future 1000 years after a so-called apocalypse. The upheaval, obviously, has forced humans to live around the borders of a great woodland of huge poison fungi known as the Sea of Decay. However, the main setting was in The Valley Of The Wind (see picture). This is place is safe from the forest's potent spores by an unceasing sea breeze that is channelled and amplified by the valley's high walls. Initially, the beautiful place was very serene and peaceful until a war errupted...

The Characters
Obviously, as suggested by the title, the main character is a princess named Princess Nausicaa. She is the nucleus of the whole plot as expected by Miyazaki. She is very strong and gifted. In fact she has a strong and almost magical empathy with the environment around her. She believes that co-existing is the only means to survive in this world. Her persistence that mankind must try to co-exist with nature rather than try to defeat it is the predominant aspect of her personality. To illustrate, instead of killing, she single-handedly tames and calms an ohmu (see picture) that was trying to attack a wondering traveler.

The Theme
The central theme of this movie is the importance of co-existing in preserving the environment. Environmentalists all over the world will proudly give a standing ovation for this movie sentiment and intention.

The Verdict
I have nothing to say except these 3 words : IT'S A MUST-WATCH!







[Note]
The way Nausicaa tries to calm the ohmu reminds me the way Ashitaka tries to calm the boar god in the earlier plot of Miyazaki's Mononoke Hime...