About This DVD

In the world of anime and manga there are precious few names that have become legendary, spoken with reverence and awe by fans. One of those names has to be Hayao Miyazaki, the mangaka behind "Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa." This long-standing manga series about a princess living in a ravaged world, sold over ten million copies in Japan.

In 1983, Miyazaki took the colossal effort of translating his manga into an anime. The result is "Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa," or "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind." It is the oldest movie in Studio Ghibli's impressive line-up of offerings, and arguably the best.

The story begins in a featureless, arid wasteland. The crumbling remains of a forgotten village have been overgrown by twisted, hideous trees and toxic spores flower in the air. This is a world destroyed by years of war and hatred, a once great civilization where humans must now strive to survive amidst a dangerous forest that is slowly growing and spreading its poisons throughout the world. Only the insects thrive in these deadly forests, and they have become monstrous behemoths, the true kings of this new world.

In this desolate world, there is a small village in a valley where the wind always blows. The people here work, play, and raise their children in an oasis of life and peace in a dangerous world. Yet even these people feel the encroaching wastes. With vigilance they tend to their fields, ever mindful that a single stroke of carelessness could turn their lush forests into death trap. The wasteland is always ready to spread its tentacles and consume the last refuges of mankind. These people, however, have a legend. One day a mighty lord wearing a blue coat and a golden staff will come and tame the wastelands. He would teach the people to live in this new world and be at harmony with the land.

It is from this village that a young girl, Nausicaa, comes from. She is the daughter of the valley's lord, and she has grown from an energetic young girl to a strong princess whom the people love and adore. She frequently goes out into the wastes, both to find precious resources for the village, and to satisfy her lust for adventure. For she is peculiar among the people of this world - she enjoys the deadly forests and wastes which everyone loathes.

Of course all of this isn't spelled-out in the movie, but you are given this impression as you watch the opening scenes. It is this clever depiction of this strange world that really puts Nausicaa a cut above the most other movies. The way the movie opens up with a brief description of the new world, followed by a steady and detailed view of the dangerous forest, gives the movie a distinct quality that is all its own. It is this clever screenplay that forms the atmosphere of the movie - a simple invocation of the world, not telling you all the details but rather showing them to you, to see for yourself. From the poisonous forests, to the pristine valley, to the hulking metallic airships, this movie boasts a distinct feel that would later on be recreated in Miyazaki's other works like "Shiroi Tenkuu no Laputa." This is very effective directing and the almost parodoxic attention to detail without paying attention to detail, is a key to the minimalism that many anime are known for.