Review of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Rather than nature being at the mercy of humans, Nausicaä lives in a world where humans live at the mercy of nature. Yet even in such a scenario, she lives in balance and harmony with, and respects, the world around her, and it's this love for nature, along with her staunch pacifism that make Nausicaä an endearing character in a movie with no time for dynamic character development. The scene of nature is also underscored by the imaginative world the movie takes place in-it's easy to agree with Nausicaä's disposition about her environment because all the creature's are so damn cool. The tanks, giant planes,and weapons of mass destruction, on the other hand, are ugly by comparison, Inviting a thematic contrast between industry and mother nature.

Which brings me to the antagonist of the movie: Like in Hayao Miyazaki's later works, there is no demonized villain in Nausicaä. Instead, those who invoke nature's wrath are depicted as ordinary people who just have opposing sets of views and goals. Despite the strong themes underlining praise for nature, the people who destroy nature aren't made into the main focus of the conflict. Instead, human factions battle against and help each other as matter of circumstance. And a serene sense of pacifism is established from Nausicaä's perspective and pacifism serves as a secondary thematic touchstone after coexistence with nature. So, if you're a nature-loving pacificist like I am, Nausicaä will be an unforgettable classic on your anime list.

But that's not to say Nausicaä is a perfect movie. For starters, it lacks a strong supporting cast-Teto the fox-squirrel is the only character besides Nausicaä that I remember the name of. And the creatures of the movie, while wonderfully designed, aren't as diverse as they probably should be, given how important nature as a theme is. Similarly, there is a distinct lack of breathtaking scenery.

Overall, Nausicaä is a wonderful movie that sticks hard to it's theme, which are pleasantly reenforced by it's pictural main character. And, although it has a few flaws, it definitely lives up to it's reputation, and, in my opinion, is Hayao Miyazaki's best film.