Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Highly recommended

Publisher
Viz
Writer
Hayao Miyazaki
Artist
Hayao Miyazaki
Country of origin
Japan
Length
7 volumes
Year
1982

Nausicaa

By John Huxley
1st Jan 07

As much as I like all Miyazaki’s films to date, I actually prefer his earlier stuff such as Castle of Cagliostro and Castle in the Sky. I’m pretty sure I’m alone in thinking that Porco Rosso is better the Princess Mononoke.

Anyway, Nausicaa, being his first feature-length animation after Castle of Cagliostro, is also one of my favourites. It combines all of Miyazaki’s early trademarks; fantastic creatures, daring heroines, exhilarating action and a solid plot that lays the subtext on thick. It’s not quite as tight as some of his other films from around the same time, but nevertheless it’s still a great piece of animation.

What’s even more remarkable is that’s even better comic. Nausicaa began life as a film script, but Miyazaki couldn’t find the funds because the backers were unsure about a project that wasn’t already proven as a comic. So he made one.

Unlike many anime directors, Miyazaki isn’t a comic artist by trade. Although he’s apparently drawn several comics since, he started his career in animation and that’s where he made his name directing such classics as the Lupin TV series. And to be brutally honest, it’s obvious to see why he chose animation over comics. The quality of his drawing is excellent as expected - unusually detailed for manga - but his page layout is simplistic and lacks the dynamism of his would-be peers. It’s more like one those old Classics Illustrated comics than manga; everything contained within square, evenly spaced frames. Even by his own admission he isn’t very good at drawing comics.

But that’s either Miyazaki’s modesty or his perfectionism showing through, because believe you me, he is a great comic author. Maybe not artist, but certainly author and writer. And when the story is so engrossing you just can’t physically remove your hands from the book...maybe the layouts don’t matter so much after all.

For those of you who’ve seen the movie but not yet read the comic, it’s pretty similar during the opening chapters. But then you realise that you’ve just read through most of the movie’s major events and you’ve not even halfway through the first book yet, and there are still three more books to go! The comic is grand on a scale that the movie can’t even imagine. It’s a similar situation with the Akira comic and animation, only much more pronounced (despite the smaller number of volumes, the story is much more compact).

Once Nausicaa leaves her homeland the story deviates from the movie in a big way, introducing entirely new subplots and characters that have a massive impact on events. Even the characters that play a large part in the movie are significantly altered here, such as Princess Kushana. Presented as the villain of the piece in the animation, she’s actually Nausicaa’s friend and ally in the comic. An extremely head-strong character (much more so than any male in Nausicaa’s world, as is to be expected from Miyazaki) who may not always see eye-to-eye with Nausicaa, she’s constantly fighting with her back-stabbing brothers for control of the realm.

This particular subplot, which also doesn’t feature in the film, represents a large portion of the comic. Later on we’re also introduced to an entire civilisation that are only briefly mentioned during the film and go on to play the major villains for one reason or another. Pretty massive differences right there I hope you’ll agree...and believe me when I say that I’ve not even scratched the surface yet.

Yet all this extra content would be for nowt if Miyazaki couldn’t tie it all together, but miraculously he manages to do so without ever pausing for a breath. And this is one fast-paced comic that takes in countless and epic battles between nations, exotic and dangerous lands and a hat full of Shakespearian drama. But at the heart of Nausicaa, as it was with the film, is an all-too familiar warning about the effects of pollution. Maybe it’s a little unsubtle, but Miyazaki builds the story to an unusual conclusion that’s far removed from the film. It’s unexpected and it certainly gets you thinking. And like all great stories - films, comic or otherwise - it’s just as easy to ignore all this and simply enjoy the ride.

If I haven’t spelled it out yet, this is one fantastic comic. Along with Akira and The Dark Knight Returns, amongst the best I’ve ever read. I dearly hope Miyazaki decides to write another comic someday, maybe after he’s retired from directing. Because film’s loss will be comics’ gain. Ten fold (yes that does mean it’s better than the film, though they accompany each other perfectly).

-- John Huxley 1st Jan 07