Nausicaa: Of The Valley Of The Wind

I for one have always known that a well written comic book could be a fine alternative to the novel, and Nausicaa is no exception. As soon as I could figure out the right way to read the japanese comic I found myself lost in the world it created instantaneously. This was a fun, thrilling read.

Nausicaa has some really fantastic vivid imagery throughout it's black and white pages. And yes you heard that right, the whole comic is black and white not in color. And it really doesn't effect the overall enjoyment as much as you might think. It doesn't need bright and pretty colors to grab your attention the idea and the story it tells is interesting and entertaining enough by itself.

The story at least in volume one anyway, centers on a princess named Nausicaa who is said to have this great power, and is the only one that can save this world that has become polluted and infested with giant insects that mutated because of man's insistence of trashing the planet it lives on. At its core Nausicaa is a tale of the costs of pollution. By polluting the earth with chemicals and trash mankind has destroyed the plants and killed the birds which is a sobering future that really isn't that far fetched when you think about it. Now giant killer mutant insects? Yeah, that is definitely a fantasyland creation. But the killer insects really add to the intrigue and excitement of the tale since they are in a lot of exciting sequences which I am sure looked fantastic on film, and one of these days I will sit my butt down and watch the film adaptation of this manga.

Since I am an action guy, my favorite parts of this volume were it's action scenes. Specifically the scenes with the flying gunships. I loved the way the gunships were designed too. They literally were ships that had the front of the barrel of a gun as part of their design. It was a very clever design choice. Also the way the artist draws these scenes with so much speed, fluidity and motion really made these scenes come alive and at points read like they were going to fly off the page and start battling the giant insects in the middle of your living room.

This was only volume one of a multi volume series, and my curiosity has been piqued and I already want more. I can see why so many people love this series, the film and what they represent. The originality, and the uniqueness of it all is something you rarely see in american publications let alone back when it was originally published but even now to this day. There is a sincerity to it that just pulls the reader's heartstrings, and it has plenty of action to win over the most jaded adrenaline junkie. Even if it isn't what you would call your cup of tea? I recommend giving Nausicaa a look. Whether you end up liking it or not it is without a doubt a unique experience.

Speaking of american pulbications..Back when the animated feature film version was created and released in japan uncut? The US decided the original version didn't cut it, and took a butcher knife and destroyed the original version and created the abomination that was Warriors Of The Wind.

 

 Gotta love that Star Trek II: Wrath Of Kahn font. So 80's.

Above is the trailer. Again So 80's.