Review of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

A Dark Fairy-Tale of Themes, More Relevant Now Then Ever Before(LR); Nausicaä is a classic studio Ghibli story set in a post apocalyptic world that suffers from an ever encroaching toxic disaster. Like many Ghibli films it's riddled with sometimes simplistic but always wonderfully depicted themes and messages, alongside a fun and endearing cast of colorful characters and places for us to temporarily inhabit. Let's walk through the spoiler free segment first. Animation and Music - This almost goes without saying when discussing works by Ghibli but there is almost nothing to complain about in this regard, the art-style is the usual enchantingly picturesque trappings that goso far as to make every still a poster in it's own right. One point of note for me was the Ohmu whom when stationary appear like a Mott background painting, only for them to spring to life as their individual sections convulse, it makes for an impressive sight. Then we have the character designs, from the old men of the valley who inspire imagery of the dwarfs from snow white, to Teto and the emus who fill this world with a sense of more tranquil animals which can contrast the insects of the toxic forest, which speaking of is filled with a variety of beasts which do a wonderful job of being both majestic and terrifying in equal measure. The fight scenes, while not revolutionary, are highly entertaining and fluid. The Ost fairs in much the same light, it's as you'd expect packed with whimsically calm pieces for the films quitter moments and appropriately tenser ones for the fight scenes. Most of all you have the large orchestral pieces that fill up most of the movie wonderfully. My favourite track is the one used for more trance like scenes, it has a child singing merrily accompanied by wind instruments which goes to create something eerie and yet beautiful (much like the insects). I don't think I'd list this as the strongest Ghibli Ost I've heard but I'd be open to hearing an argument for it.

The Story and Characters - Again when we talk Ghibli there's an expectation for this category and it doesn't disappoint. The film's central messages relate to violence and pollution, alongside the dangers of not living in harmony with nature. The characters can oft be simple but brilliant efforts are put into their characterization, which in turn helps to keep them distinct and engaging. Nausicaä herself is highly spirited and an adventurous young women, fiercely independent but also deeply caring for the people who call her princess. Contrastingly we have her highness Kushana who we immediately know is a very different sort of princess based solely on her title. The other characters fair similarly, Obaba who sees more clearly then the others but is literally blind, Lord Yupa who in his world travelling has learned wisdom in the value of when to and when not too fight or Mito who acts as Nausicaä's loyal attendant and proves that humans don't have to be stuck in their old ways. These characters all find their depth not in extensive character studies or flashbacks but instead through their fun personality's and implied histories, which in large part condones to the lived-in feeling the film's world expunges. The story itself is standard Ghibli fair, it involves a journey amongst a great many locations as our characters attempt to both stop an impending violent collision of rival factions and to learn the secrets of their collapsing world.

Nausicaä is rapidly nearing is 40th birthday and like much of Ghibli's portfolio, is a body of work that all anime and animation fans should endeavour to see some day. I myself am quite late to the Ghibli party having not grown up with the films but it's a pleasure to say that regardless of your age you should find plenty to apriciate with-in this film. I find myself truly incaptivated by it's world but like a fleeting dream it is over all to fast, compelling me to some day read it's manga in the vain hopes of touching that magic once more. The film has a quality dub and is available from the likes of Netflix so if you haven't already, then do yourself a favour and make time for this classic, now with-out further ado -

Spoilers Ahoy - On being late to the Ghibli party;
As mentioned my induction into Ghibli films has come rather late, with the only entry I had seen being 'My Neighbor Totoro' for quite some years. This wasn't so much out of a distain but rather due to circumstance. I simply didn't grow up with these films and as an adult I always found myself too busy to dedicate any real time to watching many full length anime movies, however due to a certain recent global pandemic and a sudden influx of free time, I took it upon myself to start watching more anime films in an effort to expand my knowledge of the medium. Now you migth be wondering what this has to do with the price of potatoes, put bluntly I find Ghibli films near painful to discuss. Their just too unique, sure I can throw around a series of vaguely eloquent words for the spoiler free section but getting in to the details of these films makes me feel somewhat out of my depth and that anything I would hazard has already been said by those more knowledgeable then I. With all that said I set myself something of a personal goal to review at least one Ghibli film before I reached my tenth review and after watching Nausicaä it became abundantly clear this was the one I wanted to talk about. Therefore I've broken form a little here and not watched or read anyone else's critics of the film yet, as such if I repeat anyone thoughts, you have my utmost apologies but rest assured the following analysis is all my own rambled thoughts on the movie

Now then before my self indulgently mundane tale boars anyone to death, lets get back on topic. Something that I find fascinating about story's like this and 'Laputa; Castle in the sky' is their accessibility to both adults and children. It's a part of what makes these stories differ from the Disney tales of years gone by. Where an adult can watch those and apricate the craftsmanship, their is a concession to be made that you are watching something aimed at children but with a story like Nausicaä your presented with something kids can enjoy but that adults can find whole other levels of meaning in. Non of this is slight against Disney, many of their films are quite sublime but there's a certain something Ghibli has that it's contemporizes lack.

An example is in order, take the death of Simba's father in the Lyon king, it's a memorable moment that has clung to many of us as one of the darkest in the whole Disney canon and one could say it's comparable to the death of Nausicaä's King Jihl however here is where the differences lie. Mufasa's death works to communicate that Scar is 'evil', manipulative and out for himself even at the sacrifice of his own/only family, conversely Jihl's death tells us the mentality of the enemy soldiers, how their more then happy to kill an invalid if it makes the subjection of the people slightly easier, content to storm a peaceful nation's stronghold without a second thought. Furthermore it tells us alot about Nausicaä who we see is more then capable of putting her Jungle exploring talents into the act of combat and killing(Mind you it's unclear weather she actually killed anyone but she certainly gave them some real concussions). We see what in a blind rage even the kindest of human's is capable of (which of course draws parallels between her and the quiet Ohmu creatures who are also peaceful but capable of great destruction when enraged). Again non of this is to suggest that Disney movies are shallow but rather to highlight how every action in this film carries weight and purpose and goes to further drive home the themes of the story, which is a part of what makes this such essential viewing. Speaking of themes, lets touch on those a little more,

It's own Jungle of Themes;
Like I mentioned before, the themes aren't overly opaque, like with many other Ghibli films, the messages of anti-war and pollution are fairly clear to see with little effort however what can be less obvious is the amount to which everything ties back into said themes. Small details of the world building that you may not give a second though are what actually makes these ideas so effective. A very early example comes in the form of Nausicaä's first scene, she comes across the discarded outer shell of an Ohmu, proclaiming the material to be highly useful. What we're seeing here tells us a lot, for one it's an early indicator that this massive creature has a shell made of some greatly durable material that Nausicaä's knife doesn't even scratch but far more importantly is the nature of Ohmu, they shed their skin most likely as away to rid their body's of toxins or so they can grow larger but what matters is that the old shell is left behind. The insects have no issue with Nausicaä talking a part of it away with her, no in fact it's quite clear that if humans are willing to live in harmony with the jungle, then it in turn has no problem with providing for them to. We obviously see this more with the later revelations that the jungle is actually trying to purify the soil of it's poisons and clean the underground water sources but what I apricate is that in a simple detail like the Ohmu shell, we're already seeing the themes on display.

This goes further then just the world building, stretching into the character designs. Take a look at all the adults of the valley, most of them have 6 shell cartridges adjoined to their jackets. This instinctively makes us think that these are a people who have cause to carry such equipment in their day to day lives, yet in reality it's deeper then that. The fact that they wear them openly in a place of vulnerability, declares to any visitor that they have no intention of hiding their hostility but also is a reinforcement of the kingdoms philosophy of only using small amounts of fire. They aren't going around armed to the teeth but rather with just enough to keep the balance between themselves and the jungle. We see this again with their swords, unlike those of the Torumekians who wield sharp edged offensive blades, the people of the valley carry smaller, rounded daggers. Again their showing through their very character design, that their intention is balance, not violence.

The world building is once more prevalent to the themes in its depiction of warships. At first the ships of the anime may actually come across as something of a contrivance when they each get destroyed against a single fighter plane. Despite this, a line from Mito confirms that the vessels getting destroyed so rapidly is not a story convenience but an unfortunate aspect of their design(We later see that the far better maintained Valley gunship is much more sturdy then the large warships). Put bluntly what we are seeing is an army fueled by the technology of it's forebears. In this it quite heavily mirrors Laputa, we have science that seems lieges ahead of our own and yet equally their are front line soldiers running around in heavy duty armor, wielding swords. As lord Yupa makes clear, in the thousand years since the 7 days of fire, the remaining kingdoms of the world have been tearing one another apart. The first village we see Yupa walk through could possibly be one of these destroyed villages or equally it may just be a settlement no one came to help in it's time of need. And that's the point, the nature of the jungle isn't one of encroaching on the people but vice versa. When an enraged Ohmu dies, it's body spreads spores which expands the jungle but the Ohmu only become angered when force is used against them, as such it's possible the speed at which the jungle spread would be dramatically lowered were it not for human conflict.

Coming back to the warships for a moment, they are clearly the last of her highness's vanguard, her forces now depleted after the campaign against the Pejite peoples and who knows how many other armies, as such her remaining ships are not only most likely aged and relics from times gone by but also in no state for battle. Again we're seeing the world building creeping into every corner of the themes. It's obvious even the Torumekians have relapsed back to the days of swords and shields but in a desperate bid to hold control over the world, they continue to use the outdated tanks and airships of their forefathers, much like how they intend to use the great warrior to levy control of the remainder of civilization and burn the poisoned jungle to the ground.

Some very thematic characters;
We're not done with themes but lets now talk about them through the gaze of the characters. As mentioned Nausicaä most clearly matches the Ohmu, she's empathetically caring and more then willing to save strangers but can be a determined, stubborn and intelligent force to be reckoned with when challenged. Opposite to her we have Kushana, also a princess but one who far more closely matches up to Teto the fox-squirrel. That may seem derogatory but the initial point of Kushana's character is that while she may bear fangs and come with a fierce bark, in truth she has little knowledge of the jungle, a semi-incompetent armed force and show's cowardice when faced with the Ohmu nest, but again like Teto that isn't to say she is a coward, no indeed she leads from the front lines and in her limbs she has lost a great deal. She is right to be wary of people. She makes for an interesting villain, which apparently the manga delves into further but it should suffice to say her character is one of understanding why people act with violence. Kushana isn't necessarily evil, she instead acts out of fear, in the same way that Teto bites Nausicaä when they first meet and equally both of them find an interest in the young princess after their initial disagreement.

One of the last topics I want to touch on is the title's valley itself but first let's touch on one more important character and that's Mito. I earlier described him as being Nausicaä's vassal of sorts. He appears to handle many of the valley's day to day running alongside her, in the King's ill stead and as such is one of the valley's primary protectors. It's in this that he most contrasts the other soldiers we meet. Take staff officer/commander Kurotowa, a shrew and pragmatic realist of a man, he follows the orders he's given with seemingly little backbone (Though he does prove some degree of loyalty and competency as an officer before the film's close), he orders killing with-out hesitation and thinks little of the deaths on either side. By comparison Mito can be an efficient warrior, effortlessly talking out the Torumekian's fighter plane with the valley's gunship, furthermore his eyepatch tells us he's a man who's served his time in combat situations but what's important is he isn't set in his ways. When the time comes he doesn't shoot the lure ship that's trying to take the injured young Ohmu to the valley but instead at the behest of Nausicaä's plea, he is able to put aside his urge to kill and instead follow her decision. What's important here is that he can change, he isn't controlled by some innate urge for murder and in that is a hope. In a movie that is seemingly so scathing of the folly of people, war and planetary destruction, in the valley and its inhabitants we have hope.

The Peaceful Valley;
There's, as you'd expect, quite a-lot that can be said about the Valley. We can infer it once had a much higher population based on things like the number of smaller airships and weapons found with-in the castle and the myriad of other armor and equipment in the castle's underground sections. Due possibly to war or trying to push back the jungle, the people are now relatively few, in particular is the children, there ain't many. In fact in over a year of Lord Yupa's absents only one child has been born, which is indictive of the populus's generally older age grouping. Possibly due to tradition or maybe because of some conflict or other lowering the population count, the people are a simple folk. They have a great deal of faith in the wind, rightfully so considering it's role in keeping the air clean and furthermore they place stock in the thrust of superstition, looking to Obaba as something of an oracle of wisdom and to Lord Yupa for experience of the outside world.

Aside from the implied history of the land, we're shown a beautiful town of windmills and farmland, where the people live in harmony with the land. They have a reverence for the forest to one side and relie on the ruins on an aged ship by the lakeside as a last resort retreat. They as a people are pacifistic, opting so use minimal extermination of the spores, being far happier to see the likes of Nausicaä guide an insect away, rather then to fight it and risk an all out battle with the jungle. This isn't to say there cowards, no indeed they're a very brave and hardy people but once more we see that there's hope for a way of living other then violence.

Even when the villagers do get violent we see it in minimal ways. For example 3 of Nausicaä's other accompanying 'bodyguard's' during the hostage portion of the story are shown assaulting a tank. At first it seems they're going to blow it up but instead they cleverly commandeer it with flash grenades and are then able to use it to temporarily turn the tide of battle in their favor. It's in little ways like this we see the hope the writer seems to have for people finding that better way. Put lightly the valley is beautiful, it stands stark against the dessert laid barren parts of Pejite that we see and this beauty plays back in to the idea of an idyllic fairy-tail. Making it all the more crushing when this peaceful land is accused and it's king slain for merely being located in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's amazing just how much I care when this happens, anime with full length episode runs have failed to make me care this much for a town I've spent barely an hour in and I think that condones another large part to the magic of Ghibli films. For example I love the Gundam series, epically Gundam '79 but I've never completed Zeta Gundam because of - well let's just say it has issues for brevity. Minor spoiler I guess but during zeta's run, Hong Kong comes under attack, we spend a decent portion of episodes located here and yet when the 'Psycho Gundam' (yes that's the name of the enemy mech and yes this show is a train-wreck when it wants to be) starts tearing down entire skyscrapers, I really couldn't care less. It's because we're shown the people of the valley, their kindness and quant culture and understand their purpose filled architecture and awe-inspiring scenery, that when a Torumekian warship purposely collides through one of said inspired windmills, we really feel the tension. Despite the comic relief nature that much of the villagers play with-in the story, the destruction of the windmill and subsequent ransacking of the Valley really hits home in an impressively magnificent way.

Conclusion;
5 Ghibli films later and I can start to really see why these films are helded up with such reverence. They're truly amazing in all regards and this goes further with the many works of Hayao Miyazaki, who truly puts his own feelings and efforts into these stories. I feel like I know the man through his work directing and writing, as cliched as that migth sound and that is in large part down to the honest soul a movie like Nausicaä bears forward. It's not afraid to paint humanity in a harsh light for it's sins but it's also able to show an alternative way of life, able to have plenty-a-moment of levity, to have a happy and hopefully ending and I think they're something pretty amazing about that.

I hope this fairly short review has helped to convey what it is that incaptivates me so much when watching these movies, especially in the case of Laputa(Which I'd apply most of what I've stated here to aswell) and Nausicaä. I'm most definitely tardy in arriving to the Ghibli party but I'm glad that it's a case of 'better late then never'. Thanks goes to my friend who helped me with making a list of essential films that I really should of already seen and my condolences to my brother's Netflix account which I have now forever filled with weeb films. Said films seemingly can't fail to live up to my high expectation and are truly an honor to get to experience so readily at my leisure, so if you haven't already make sure to give this one a watch. I hope you too have found yourself enthralled by the majesty of these gripping worlds and their narratives and lastly-
I hope you enjoyed,
Thanks for reading.