World Famous Comics: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1
From: VIZ Media LLC Publisher: VIZ Media LLC Average Rating: Binding: Comic Label: VIZ Media LLC Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 136 Publication Date: March 10, 2004 Reading Level: Young Adult
Book Description: Nausicaä, a gentle but strong-willed, young princess, has an empathic bond with the giant insects that evolved as a result of the ecosystem's destruction. Growing up in the Valley of the Wind, she learned to read the soul of the wind and navigates the skies in her glider. Nausicaä and her allies struggle to create peace between kingdoms torn apart by war, battling over the last of the world's precious natural resources.
Try it, you'll like it! Miyazaki has created a seven volume series of the adventures of Nausicaä, the first volume appearing in 1984. He is an illustrator, creator, director, and he has won an Academy Award for best animated feature, "Spirited Away" in 2002. He is known the world over for his Manga and Animae. This is a classic. The story line is intense, as is the graphic nature of the book. So much detail, so much talent! Because of the intricate illustrations, you could read this book many times and never get tired of the story because each reading would unveil more detail and have a different nuance. I found myself feeling confused, fascinated, absorbed and captivated at each subsequent reading. This particular Graphic Novel would appeal to anyone interested in a heroine adventure, the battle of the underdog, mystery, mythology, science fiction or futuristic literature. It reads right to left which may take some getting used to. Glossary defines Japanese writings.
Miyazaki is the Master I am by no means a master of manga, but I know that this particular series is one of the best out there, because I am a reader. I know story, I know dialogue, and I know art--and Miyazaki is a master of all of them. This series was absolutely beautiful. The plot is incredibly well thought out, the dialogue is snappy, and the drawings are simply lovely. I'm not sure how Miyazaki can make such a strange world so romantic, but he manages to do so with ease.
Much better than animated film. Miyazaki's graphic novels are MUCH better than the animation. More depth and better story resolution. Visually stunning with tremendous thought and meaning.
a good opening. Nausicaa of the Valley of the wind is one of my favorite movies. After seeing for the first time I was amazed that I hadn't seen it sooner. It had everything I like in a movie, a good premise, deep and emotional characters, amazing art work, a deep meaning, and an awesome soundtrack to boot. So when I heard that there was more to the story I went out and bought this book to see if it was as good as the movie. After waiting about a month for it to come in, I bought it on Amazon, I finally got it. I was not disappointed. Let's break this book down into categories.
Art Work. The drawing pretty much, how do they look and how much detail is put into them. Miyazaki, I have to say, is a master in his field. All his drawings are extremely detailed and you can really get a sense of the surroundings. The characters emotions are brought out almost perfectly, especially the Nausicaa herself, who is shown as a powerful, yet fragile girl. Overall the drawings are almost perfect and I don't think anybody would disagree with that.
Characters. I was already familiar with all the characters in this book, having seen the movie already. They are pretty much the same here as they are in the movie so if you've seen it, which I'm taking for granted you have, and then isn't much knew. They mostly do the same things as they did in the movie and feel the same emotions with a few fun differences, but nothing really is too different.
Story. This book follows the movie almost exactly up to the point where Nausicaa and Asbel discover the underground system under the sea of corruption, or toxic jungle as it is called in the movie. There is one big difference that I must share, the Valley of the Wind is really an alley of Torumekia, and Nausicaa goes out to fight under Kushana agents the Doroke principalities, a nation not even mentioned in the movie. Other than that it follows the same story almost to the letter.
Overall a very good and strong opening to the series. This entry doesn't really add a whole lot to the overall story if you've already seen the movie, but there are some important differences which mean you can't simply skip over it if you want to read the series.
One of the finest manga series ever There are two versions of this.
The first is a perfect bound edition. The second is the larger version here.
Both are excellent reads but the larger versions allows you to see the brilliance of Miyazaki's artwork (from a guy known more for animation). I have been told that the newer version is a more accurate translation but, not knowing Japanese, I can not confirm that. It is certainly an easier read because one does not have to squint.
In terms of story, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a masterpiece. It blows Lord of the Rings out of the water. And this is coming from a person who hates almost the entire post-apocalyptic genre. I did think the ending came a bit suddenly and it did not necessarily wrap up every question I had.
However, it is still one of the best graphic novels you can get.
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