As you expect from a visual storyteller as masterful as Hayao Miyazaki, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” is an incredible book, though I’d go one step further and say it is an essential one.
Written and illustrated by Hayao MiyazakiHardcover boxset
Translated by David Lewis and Toren Smith (Vol. 1–4)
and Matt Thorn (Vol. 5–7)Nausicaä, a young princess of a future world, tries to bring peace between kingdoms who are battling to claim the last of the world’s natural resources.
No doubt you’re familiar with Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary animation director who co-founded Studio Ghibli. I’m guessing there’s also a pretty good chance you’ve heard of the 1984 film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Well, before it was a film, it was a comic serialized in Animage magazine from 1982 to 1994. As much as I enjoy the film, I much prefer the comic, which is no surprise really since it had another ten years over the film in which to develop its themes. It’s also a much more personal project, since a film is always a group effort from multiple ‘authors,’ and given the comic has more space to explore its themes, it ends up being a much richer experience. This is in no way a criticism of the film, it’s simply that the comic is just that good. “Nausicaä” isn’t just one of my favorite comics; I consider it an essential part of the comics literary canon.
For me, this comic was love at first sight. Princess Nausicaä lands her mehve on the edge of a forest of giant fungi and explores the forest until she finds the enormous shell of an ohmu. Until she finds any trace of the ohmu, the comic is silent, simply allowing the reader to observe this new world we’re being presented with and how one of its occupants interacts with it. Most importantly, Miyazaki uses this sequence to impress upon the reader the tactile qualities of this world. This is something that’s very important in building a fantasy world, and an area I often see neglected in fantasy in general. In a world so alien from our own, taking time to establish what this world feels like is crucial. I love the quiet, contemplative stillness of this opening—it remains my favorite opening to a comic I’ve ever read.
Things pick up pretty quickly with an action scene following shortly after in which Nausicaä saves Master Yupa, the famed swordsman, from a rampaging ohmu. Again, this sequence is a great introduction to this world, defining its characters through their actions, but also defining the world through characters capable of understanding different perspectives. Both Yupa and Nausicaä can comprehend the omhu’s point of view, even though it is such an alien creature to them, and through Yupa we quickly learn how very different Nausicaä is from her own people.
When building a fantasy world, it’s very important to establish what the norms are for that world. Anything the reader encounters early in the story is read as normal for that world unless told otherwise. This is something Miyazaki does really well. He has an eye for contrast in perspectives, and it makes for information dense scenes.
Few scenes demonstrate this as well as when Princess Kushana arrives in the Valley of the Wind. In a single scene we learn about the peoples of the Valley of the Wind, the Torumekian Empire, and the Wormhandlers, both their attitudes and their cultures. We’re introduced to Kushana and to the political conflicts that are simmering, while highlighting how frail the eco system of the Valley of the Wind is and the danger a single spore possesses. We also get to see Nausicaä in combat and how awesome she is (Yupa’s student, after all), while also revealing a major character flaw—a blinding rage that can make her abandon reason and even hurt people she cares about.
We could have been told this information earlier, of course, but Miyazaki chose to lump it all in this one scene, where each new piece of information heightens the tension. The exposition is used to add drama.
Continued belowA recurring story element at play throughout the series is the way a character is perceived versus who they are. Early on, this is shown in the secret life Nausicaä hides from her people—she is a woman who loves the fungi forests, what the others call ‘The Sea of Corruption.’ It’s also shown in the enemies of the Valley, who in time are revealed to be people pushed to desperation, not heartless monsters at all. Further along, it is shown in Nausicaä herself, how acts done in compassion can be mistakenly read as violent or even monstrous.
If you’ve seen the film, it covers roughly the first two volumes of the series, which is a shame, because as good as the series is right from the start, its not until the third volume that it really hits its stride. All the characters start getting more complicated. Kushana ceases being simply a villain and becomes a complicated person, not evil, but rather willing to make concessions when desperate. She’s also capable of mercy, of honoring her word, and she inspires loyalty and in return is likewise loyal. Kurotowa, introduced as such a sleazy, treacherous character shows there’s much more to him than meets the eye; he’s pragmatic, a skilful tactician, and an excellent pilot—more than that he’s brave and capable of self-sacrifice. Every faction in this series has both heroes and monsters among them, but more importantly it has people that sit somewhere between the two, people that sway and change and evolve or come undone.
As for Nausicaä, we see her grow from a princess of the Valley of the Wind to a defender of many peoples, a defender of the insects, and even the fungi forests. Throughout her journey she sheds the garb of her people and takes on pieces of the new ones she meets—her clothing is even stained blue from ohmu blood. But nothing remains as it was when it is given to her. Most notably, the dress she is given is fashioned into a pilot’s outfit, something much more suited to war. Nausicaä embodies change, while her enemies cling to old ways. Ultimately this is a story about evolution and finding a balance with nature.
This theme of evolution is reflected in the artist. “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” was written over twelve years, and during that period Miyazaki was constantly evolving as a storyteller. For me personally, I love seeing his page layouts evolve—the action sequences in the later volumes flow beautifully. It is truly a wonder to behold, seeing a master of visual storytelling learning page by page. I cannot recommend this book enough.
A note on editions: I’ve bought this series twice, once in the seven ‘editor’s choice’ trade paperback volumes (which is now my travelling reading set), and then again when the material was recollected in the double-volume hardcover boxset. Both are excellent editions, but I cannot praise the hardcover collection enough. Viz did a really nice job on these books.
Like all good manga, these books retain their original right to left reading format. The sound effects remain in their original Japanese with a translation index in the back, which may seem like a hurdle in theory, but in practise, the sound effects don’t need translating. Miyazaki is capable of articulating sounds in a way that they read on an impressionistic level alone. It’s actually pretty cool to pick up just to study the way sound effects work when divorced from readable characters.
Sadly, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” has not yet been released in digital editions.
