Nausicaä of the Valley of the WindIt always seems like humanity is predisposed to destroying the very environment that sustains their lives. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an animated science fiction movie by Hayao Miyazaki about a world one thousand years into the future. Following an apocalyptic war, the world was nearly annihilated. Since then, a toxic jungle has sprouted up over most of the world, and what few humans remain only survive by sticking to few and far between safe zones, like the eponymous Valley of the Wind. Yet despite the world's cataclysmic history, there are those who would tempt obliteration once more...there always are.
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Released in 1984, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind represents one of the crowning gems in Studio Ghibli's body of work. Lauded as visionary, it has inspired other creators and artists, from the Final Fantasy series of video games to (it's speculated) Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This is due to the creative visuals in the film, not to mention its compelling story. Little is revealed about just how the world specifically came to end. The opening credits include archaic wall art, and the briefest of flashbacks suggest that the world was engulfed in fire, during an event aptly called "The Seven Days of Fire", by a collection of gigantic, humanoid bioweapons, simply called "Giant Warriors" by the surviving humans. These enigmatic moments don't so much explain how this came to pass, but allows the audience to draw their own conclusions, as it is with legends. This future society looks alien, owing to the predominance of spores and unfamiliar flora that has taken over the world. Princess Nausicaä (of the Valley of the Wind) isn't just a figurehead for a court, however; she actively and competently explores the toxic jungle for materials. She even smartly removes a hard yet light portion of the discarded carapace of one of the gigantic, pill bug-like creatures called "Ohms" that roam the landscape during one of her outings. Although the Ohms can become "enraged" when provoked--evidenced by their multitudinous eyes glowing red--Nausicaä has learned how to calm them through primitive means: her bullroarer and simply by speaking softly to them. This alone is intriguing, as it suggests that unlike most insects as we understand them, these Ohms are empathic, or even possess a degree of higher intellect that allows them to feel different moods and for those moods to be altered by communication. Little is understood about the Ohms or the toxic forest, even after a millennia has passed. What is known is that the Ohms and the toxic forest seem to share a symbiotic relationship, and that they emerged from the carcasses of the Giant Warriors, whose skeletons still litter the landscape. Yet again, this may be apocryphal, since there doesn't appear to be any evidence remaining about why these creatures were created in the first place or from what. It's enough for the denizens of the Valley of the Wind to merely survive, cautiously reclaiming resources from the jungles as needed--studying and learning. But their careful way of life is not embraced by all. Two nations--Tolmekia and Pejite--are at war with each other, each seeking a means to destroy the other. Before long, embers of The Seven Days of Fire are rekindled, as the two factions fight over a secret weapon: an embryonic "Giant Warrior".
At every turn, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind offers up visual charms that help to illuminate how society functions in this retrograde future. There are the abundant gas masks, which are necessary when traversing the toxic jungle. Nausicaä herself uses a hang glider to get around, one powered by what looks like a rocket engine. Widespread travel appears to be done largely by airship, which is how the Tolmekian army gets around, and how they invade the valley. Their army has the odd tank or two, but one wonders if these machines were actually built by them, or if they have been merely reclaimed instead--antiquities that they don't fully understand but wield regardless. The latter seems likely since despite how formidable their airships appear, a bunch of them are shot down with relative ease by one Pejite gunship. Like the rest of her community, Nausicaä would rather stay out of the conflict between these two tribes, but fate has decided otherwise. The embryonic Giant Warrior was stolen by a Pejite princess named Lastelle, who perished in a crash in the valley while pursued by the Tolmekian army. Subsequently, Princess Kushana and her retinue invade the valley and kill Nausicaä's father, essentially occupying the domain as any other belligerent army would. Taken hostage, Nausicaä is inadvertently saved by Asbel, the gunship pilot and Lastelle's surviving brother. What they both learn after returning to Pejite--which has since been overrun by giant insects--is that the survivors essentially destroyed their own city to spite the invading Tolmekians..a terrible strategy that they intend to repeat on Nausicaä's homeland. The film emphasizes that in war, each side believes that they are justified in escalating the violence, and will justify any atrocity in the process. The Tolmekians successfully retrieve the Giant Warrior and attempt to cultivate it to maturity. Kushana claims that she intends to use it to burn down the toxic jungle, believing that destroying it will allow the world to rejuvenate. But as suggested with their other military equipment, Kushana and her people are ignorant not just about how these relics are to be used, but of the consequences of their actions in using them. And since the Pejites have their backs against the wall, they resort to methods that could be describes as no less than terrorism. The parallels with our modern society are obvious.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has been described as an "environmental" movie, and with good reason. The warring factions do not understand the greater consequences of their conflict upon the planet. Compare this with Nausicaä, who discovers with Asbel that the toxic jungle and the Ohms are, in short, nature's response to repairing the damage done to it a thousand years past. Below the surface of the jungle, the fossilized forest has transformed the toxic spores into pure water, and the Ohms appear to exist to protect this process from being interrupted. It's kind of like how maggots eat necrotic flesh, and subsequently why they have been used for medicinal purposes--as a primitive means to removed diseased flesh. The world is still wounded, and yet the healing process, since it is slow and abstract, is all but invisible to what remains of humanity. Yet with wisdom and patience--and a little luck--Nausicaä uncovers this secret...a secret that unless understood by all, threatens to devastate the world yet again. And who can say if humanity even deserves a second chance next time around?
Recommended for: Fans of a gorgeous and imaginative animated science fiction film exploring how our world might look a thousand years in the future after an apocalyptic cataclysm...and how little we might have learned from it. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an anime classic, appropriate for most ages, and contains an important message--something many of the Studio Ghibli movies have in common.
At every turn, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind offers up visual charms that help to illuminate how society functions in this retrograde future. There are the abundant gas masks, which are necessary when traversing the toxic jungle. Nausicaä herself uses a hang glider to get around, one powered by what looks like a rocket engine. Widespread travel appears to be done largely by airship, which is how the Tolmekian army gets around, and how they invade the valley. Their army has the odd tank or two, but one wonders if these machines were actually built by them, or if they have been merely reclaimed instead--antiquities that they don't fully understand but wield regardless. The latter seems likely since despite how formidable their airships appear, a bunch of them are shot down with relative ease by one Pejite gunship. Like the rest of her community, Nausicaä would rather stay out of the conflict between these two tribes, but fate has decided otherwise. The embryonic Giant Warrior was stolen by a Pejite princess named Lastelle, who perished in a crash in the valley while pursued by the Tolmekian army. Subsequently, Princess Kushana and her retinue invade the valley and kill Nausicaä's father, essentially occupying the domain as any other belligerent army would. Taken hostage, Nausicaä is inadvertently saved by Asbel, the gunship pilot and Lastelle's surviving brother. What they both learn after returning to Pejite--which has since been overrun by giant insects--is that the survivors essentially destroyed their own city to spite the invading Tolmekians..a terrible strategy that they intend to repeat on Nausicaä's homeland. The film emphasizes that in war, each side believes that they are justified in escalating the violence, and will justify any atrocity in the process. The Tolmekians successfully retrieve the Giant Warrior and attempt to cultivate it to maturity. Kushana claims that she intends to use it to burn down the toxic jungle, believing that destroying it will allow the world to rejuvenate. But as suggested with their other military equipment, Kushana and her people are ignorant not just about how these relics are to be used, but of the consequences of their actions in using them. And since the Pejites have their backs against the wall, they resort to methods that could be describes as no less than terrorism. The parallels with our modern society are obvious.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has been described as an "environmental" movie, and with good reason. The warring factions do not understand the greater consequences of their conflict upon the planet. Compare this with Nausicaä, who discovers with Asbel that the toxic jungle and the Ohms are, in short, nature's response to repairing the damage done to it a thousand years past. Below the surface of the jungle, the fossilized forest has transformed the toxic spores into pure water, and the Ohms appear to exist to protect this process from being interrupted. It's kind of like how maggots eat necrotic flesh, and subsequently why they have been used for medicinal purposes--as a primitive means to removed diseased flesh. The world is still wounded, and yet the healing process, since it is slow and abstract, is all but invisible to what remains of humanity. Yet with wisdom and patience--and a little luck--Nausicaä uncovers this secret...a secret that unless understood by all, threatens to devastate the world yet again. And who can say if humanity even deserves a second chance next time around?
Recommended for: Fans of a gorgeous and imaginative animated science fiction film exploring how our world might look a thousand years in the future after an apocalyptic cataclysm...and how little we might have learned from it. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an anime classic, appropriate for most ages, and contains an important message--something many of the Studio Ghibli movies have in common.