Anime Review: Nausicaa of the valley of the winds

Review Nausicaa of the valley of the winds Written by Warpshadow Rating excellent

If there is one thing that seperates a good movie, television show, book or other work of art from a merely average one it is that the good ones have the vision of a good artist. Out of all the Miyazaki films I feel that Nausicaa is a the one that is most uniquely Miyazaki.

One thousand years ago humanity nearly destroyed itself and now it has to contend with an expanding toxic jungle teeming with giant insects. Nausicaa is a princess in a small kingdom that is near the jungle. She is a skilled glider and can ward off the insects without using violence. One day a cargo plane crashes near Nausicaa's home carrying a strange cargo. It is a weapon from the days of fire which nearly destroyed the world and the Tolmekians (the people who owned the airplane) want it back.

Nausicaa is a great fantasy movie. The world were the movie takes place is truly original. The animation is also top notch and with the advent of computer animation, something that would not be recreated if made today. I found the themes that Miyazaki tends to place in his films (most notably the archetypical Miyazaki heroine) feel more natural than in some of his other films. The cast of characters is replete with interesting figures down to the minor characters. In short Nausicaa of the valley of the winds is a great movie and something that I would recommend to anyone.