The Essentials
Name: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Episodes: N/A
Released: March 6, 1984
Based On: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga by Hayao Miyazaki
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Produced By: Studio Ghibli
US Distribution By: Walt Disney
Major Japanese Cast
Nausicaä: Sumi Shimamoto
Yupa: Goro Naya
Kushana: Yoshiko Sakakibara
Mito: Ichirô Nagai
Asbel: Yoji Matsuda
Obaba: Hisako Kyouda
Kurotowa: Iemasa Kayumi
Major English Cast
Nausicaä: Alison Lohman
Yupa: Patrick Stewart
Kushana: Uma Thurman
Mito: Edward James Olmos
Asbel: Shia LaBeouf
Obaba: Tress MacNeille
Kurotowa: Chris Sarandon
Scores
Animation: 10/10 (x 4 = 40 pts)
Story: 9/10 (x 4 = 36 pts)
Music: 8/10 (x 4 = 32 pts)
Coherence/Story Arc: N/A
English Dubs: 9/10 (x 1 = 9 pts)
Gut Score: 8/10 (x 5 = 40 pts)
Total: 157/180 (87.2%)
Review
Nausicaä is about a kingdom situated in a small valley which is immune from the dangerous effects of the ever expanding Sea of Corruption due to the breeze blowing inland through the valley from the ocean.
However, the kingdom’s tranquility is shattered when a plane from a neighboring kingdom called Tolmekia crash lands in the valley. The plane is carrying a secret weapon which was uncovered by another neighboring nation, which was soon conquered by Tolmekia. The weapon is said to be an enormous God Warrior, used 1000 years ago in the so-called Seven Days of Fire - an apocalyptic war which resulted in the end of industrialized civilization.
Soon the Tolmekians take over the Valley of the Wind in order to re-secure the Warrior, which the princess of Tolmekia, Kushana, believes can be used to destroy the Sea of Corruption. Nausicaä works to free her small kingdom from the grip of the Tolmekians, and in the process discovers the true secret of the Sea of Corruption.
The overall story is rather compelling, with a coherent story line and convincing motivations for the characters. It seems that the world’s worst nightmare may end up being the Valley’s only hope of success, but Nausicaä still finds another way.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the second film directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is considered to be the first film produced by his Studio Ghibli, even though Studio Ghibli wasn’t technically established until the following year. Even though this is Ghibli’s first movie, the animation is still pretty good, considering it was made in 1984. This is really the only Ghibli film that I’m aware of that has a subpar musical soundtrack (though apparently Laputa’s soundtrack was reworked for Disney’s release). I have to give some benefit of a doubt since this was released in 1984, but it still has issues. Again, as with most Disney releases of Ghibli movies, the English dub is great, lining up a pair of actors that most American live-action movies would love to have.
Overall, I think Nausicaa is an exciting film that everyone in the family can enjoy, and as with most Ghibli movies, Nausicaä is pretty high on the must-watch list and is another classic that probably no anime fan should go without watching.
First Watched: March 2006
Do I Own: No
Do I Recommend: Yes
