Reviews

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: The Complete Series by David Lewis, Hayao Miyazaki, Toren Smith

alicebme's review

Read with the help of ekostories.com. Immense.

casim's review

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

revisins's review

5.0

My son has recently discovered Studio Ghibli. Because of that, I have rediscovered my appreciation for the art that has come out of that studio. I've remembered some things I had forgotten about the animators and storytellers. One of those things was recalling Nausicaa.

What I didn't know about the film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind was that it had been adapted from the the first portion of the same titled manga. I really enjoyed the flick--so I knew I'd more than likely enjoy the manga. I was right. I was quite right.

I enjoy both stories on different levels...because they are so different. I do now feel that the movie's story is incomplete in regards to how the manga resolves itself.

Miyazaki got to play with his themes of environmentalism, man's intrusion into nature, and innate humanity over the course of a thousand pages. Given that room--or at least wanting that space to tell his story, Miyazaki let of his tendencies go wild. There was an aspect to his story telling that I hadn't witnessed before--his surreal approach. He had done flashbacks and some inner monologue approaches in other stories...but with the manga there are moments where he goes full metaphysical from the internal perspective and he kills it.

If you appreciate visual storytelling at its peak...this collection is well worth it. I wait for the day my sons can go through the story with me again.

balefulknight's review

As much as I like the movie, the manga is just a slower version of it and I find it boring.

frannieman's review

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

cthulhu_calamari's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

evafantasy's review

5.0

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was lovely. The second part was so good. Such a beautiful message, how the sea of corruption is just the Earth trying to heal itself and that the fate of humans is for nature to decide. Loved it !

mtthompson's review

5.0

Love this series. The movie is great but the book is even better. Well worth the purchase! One of Hayao Miyazaki’s most complete works.

beansandrice's review

adventurous reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I don't have words, just read it!!!!!! Or maybe watch the movie first. If you like the movie or the first chapter of the manga, keep going!!

soyboysimon's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Heart wrenching and thrilling from beginning to end. It starts off where the movie does, but thats actually only the first small part of the story, maybe one tenth of it. It goes so much deeper.

We get to see the war come to its end, get to follow these characters as they grow and learn about this wretched world and come to love it despite its dangers.

Its laced with tragedy through and through, but the story deep down is one of hope. Nausicaä says it best herself: life is not just light. "Life is the light that shines in the darkness."

Now I just wish that all of Miyazaki's other films were also born in manga form.