Nausicaa is my favourite Miyazaki film, so it makes sense that it should be my first step into the world of Manga.
Volume 1 of this tale introduces us to Nausicaa and her adventurous spirit, riding high on her glider and exploring the toxic jungle, home to all manner of giant insects including the mysterious Ohm. Nausicaa is the princess of the Valley of the WInd but you won’t find any fancy gowns and petticoats in her wardrobe. She’s smart, curious, brave, and incredibly compassionate. Not just to her villagers (who naturally adore her), but to insects and even the poisonous fungus slowly covering the world.
Nausicaa lives in ‘The Valley of the Wind’, a small seaside kingdom full of green fields. The wind from the ocean protects the Valley from the spores of the toxic jungle and allows the inhabitants to live in peace and safety. That is, until a massive airship from the nearby kingdom of Tolmekia crashes in the Valley, and a kidnapped Princess of Pejite is found in the wreckage and dies in Nausicca’s arms.
Volume 1 of the story establishes that the world is in ruins and, yet humanity continues to fight and plunder. The Valley is thrust, unwillingly, into the conflict between the Tolmekians and the Pejite as they fight over the last remaining Giant Warrior – a weapon from the old world that burned the world to ruin.
Volume 1 also establishes that Nausicaa is more than brave and virtuous. She seems to be in touch with the Ohm and the toxic jungle in a way those around her are not…
I had the honour of reading this manga to my son. It’s the first ‘long’ book we’ve embarked upon together, and the illustrations kept him engaged even when the concepts grew a little too complex for him to understand.
I just love this story and cannot wait to keep going. 5 fox squirrels out of 5.
ween the two nearby kingdoms who are fighting over the