Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a studio Ghibli film directed by Hayao Miyazaki. A century after 1000 years of war a poisonous jungle is spreading across the world, endangering the existence of the human race. This is the story of Nausicaa’s (Princess of the Valley of the Wind) journey to find peace among all living beings.
Animation
This film debuted in 1984. It boggles my mind how good the quality of the animation can be so good in a film that was made so long ago. This world is extremely vibrant, from the jungle, through the desert, and to the Valley of the Wind. The amount of detail produced in this animation is breathtaking. Specifically, in scenes that take place in the jungle. The plants, animals, and insects all looked fantastic.
Character Development
Hayao Miyazaki does a great job of fleshing out characters in this film. Specifically, the development of Nausicaa. At face value, she presents as the stereotypical archetype of a hero. You quickly find out that she is so much more. The flashbacks to Nausicaa’s childhood are well-timed and provide the information necessary (regarding Nausicaa) to believe in what she is fighting for. There is a scene in particular toward the beginning of the film that demonstrates the essence of Nausica’s mission. She doesn’t just want to find peace and protect all living beings, she needs to.
Conflict
Hayao Miyazaki presents conflict in this film extremely well. The conflict stems from the naive decisions made by humans. It causes turmoil between both humans and insects. Hayao Miyazaki introduced the conflict by demonstrating idiotic decisions made by neighboring kingdoms of the Valley of the Wind. These naive decisions force the involvement of the Valley’s people, thus encouraging Nausicaa to take action.
Resolution
The conclusion of this story is extremely satisfying. As an audience member, you can predict exactly where the story will end. However, you’re so invested in Nausicaa that you want it to end that way.
Recommendation
I highly recommend that everyone watches this film. I cannot wait to watch more studio Ghibli films that are directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Rating
8.2/10
Where you can watch Nauicaa of the Valley of the Wind
You can stream it on HBO Max and Amazon Prime
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