Rating: 
Summary: Pure Magic!
Review: First of all,I apologize for my bad English. I managed to complete the italian edition of this manga (which is VERY, VERY rare, and NEVER to be reprinted), and my efforts were not in vain. I wish to add my review, though I don't have the words to describe it; but I'll try. This the most beautiful work of imagination of all time in my opinion, believe it or not! I won't compare it with other books, or films, because this manga aims directly at the reader's heart. It's alive, and can change your view of life (for sure has changed mine). And the characters (Kushana above all others) are a wonder, simply, truly, unforgettable! Tragedy, grace, majesty, love for life: if magic exists in this world, indeed is held within these pages. Buy it, BUY IT, read it and hold it like a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: This is the GREATEST manga series ever!
Review: Even though I've only read the first two books in the Nausicaa Perfect Collection, I was hooked. This is such a great series. I can be part of Nausicaa's world whenever I open the mangas. I urge everybody who has either read manga extensively or not at all to give this series a try. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: A stunning achievement
Review: I mean this quite literally. When my good friend introduced me to Nausicaa, I dropped everything else and drank in volumes one and two (all he had) the first day. He is now a dearer friend still than he was before. I didn't think it was possible, but volumes three and four are even better and more profound than the first two. I knew the first day that I had found a new literary classic, on par with the greatest works (Tolkien, Dostoyevsky, Lewis) the human psyche has brought forth into the world, and ordered my own version (the 4-volume boxed set) the evening of my initiation. Miyazaki's characters wrestle with life and its problems as surely as Ivan and Alyosha Karamazov or Raskolnikov, and their resolution is probably the most moving ending I have encountered during my 22 years on earth. The world is as believable (and hauntingly beautiful) as Middle-earth. The religious/spiritual underpinning, as a previous reviewer noted, is what sets these works above all others. In sum, Nausicaa should be read by everybody, and God willing the world would be a better place.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: Genius. Is there anything else to say? I suppose I should, seeing as that one word gets rather over-used, and besides, one might justly be thinking, "Yes, but will I like it?"The story is beautiful. Again, what other words can I use? It's complex yet simple, brutal yet wonderfully gentle, hopeless yet filled with an overwhelming hope. It's exciting, heart-rending, joyful, funny, worrisome. It's, it's. . . beautiful, damn it. This book is about humanity (now that I think about it, that's what all great stories are about). Miyazaki is a master at characterization, which adds to the splendor of the book. Every character has a depth, a truth to them which resonates with the soul. I love this book. My only saddness is that Miyazaki-sensei hasn't written anything else, and probably never will. I suppose I must content myself with his movies, but it is a hard fate. It is my belief that this book would appeal to anybody. It's that universal -- but don't go off thinking that it's oversimplified, or dumbed down. The fact that it is accesible does not in any way detract from it's greatness. I rank 'Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind' among one of the greatest works of fiction that I have read, right up next to 'The Lord of The Rings' and 'Dune'. It brought tears to my eyes. It is, in short, genius.
Rating:
Summary: An Astonishing Work of Literature
Review: I was no fan of manga or animation (in fact I shared the prevailing prejudice here in North America that they are for kids or pre-literate people), but when I happened to see the animated film Princess Mononoke by Miyazaki, I immediately realized that I was dealing with a work of a visionary with an extraordinary story-telling skills. I got hold of Nausicaa manga mainly to understand what his visions were, and I was not disappointed. I would not hesitate to call it a brilliant and profound work of LITERATURE (don't let your preconceived notion about the medium mislead you). Epic in scope and astonishingly rich in its depiction of the world it creates (the earth polluted and turned mostly into a steril wasteland after the collapse of the industrial civilization, the mutant fungi forest emitting toxic fumes, the giant insects that inhabit this alien, exotic, and strangely beautiful world, the declining humanity struggling to survive on the fringes of the forest, the warring kingdoms that perpetuate human foolishness, and the peaceful people of the valley of wind and their leader, Nausicaa), Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind unfolds a remarkable story of the young heroine's quest to discover the hidden secret of her dying world, with a complext plot that will draw you in -- at times exhilirating, at other times deeply moving, and in some occasions even shocking and disturbing. It has a rich cast of well-developed characters who come alive as real flesh-and-blood human beings, who are never one-dimensional (no simple dichotomy between friends and foes, the pure-hearted and villains), and whose at times excruciatingly difficult and morally uncertain decision-making present us with a portrayal of life as real and tangible as any life actually live. It raises profound questions about the usual and often uncritical distinctions we tend to draw between human civilization and nature, good and evil, purity/innocence and corruption, and will leave you deeply sympathizing with the fate and struggle of Nausicaa and her people, and asking the same questions that they ask regarding the inviolable value and sanctity of life in all its forms. If you believe Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a classic, read Nausicaa -- you will see what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: An Astonishing Work of Literature
Review: I was no fan of manga or animation (in fact I shared the prevailing prejudice here in North America that they are for kids or pre-literate people), but when I happened to see Princess Mononoke by Miyazaki, I immediately realized that I was dealing with a work of a visionary with an extraordinary story-telling skills. I got hold of Nausicaa manga mainly to understand what his visions were, and I was not disappointed. I would not hesitate to call it a brilliant and profound work of LITERATURE (don't let your preconceived notion about the medium mislead you). Epic in scope and astonishingly rich in its depiction of the world it creates (the earth polluted and turned mostly into a sterile wasteland after the collapse of the industrial civilization, the mutant fungi forest emitting toxic fumes, the great insects that inhabit this alien, exotic, and strangely beautiful world, the declining humanity struggling to survive on the fringes of the forest, the warring kingdoms that perpetuate human foolishness, and the small and peaceful people of the valley of wind and their leader, Nausicaa), Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind unfolds a remarkable story of the heroine's quest to discover the hidden secret of her dying world, with a complex plot that will draw you in, at times exhilirating, at other times deeply moving, and in some occasions even shocking and disturbing. It has a rich cast of well-developed characters who come alive as real flesh-and-blood human beings, who are never one-dimensional (no simple distinction between friends and foes, the pure-hearted and villains), and whose at times excruciatingly difficult and morally uncertain decision-making present us with a portrayal of life as real as any life actually lived. It raises profound questions about the usual and often uncritical distinctions we tend to draw between human civilization and nature, good and evil, purity/innocence and corrpution, and will leave us deeply sympathizing with the fate and struggle of Nausicaa and her people, and asking the same questions that they ask themselves regarding the inviolabe value and sanctity of life in all its forms. If you believe Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is a classic, read Nausicaa -- you will understand what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: just about to read it? you lucky son of a gun, you...
Review: you know already that this is just about the best manga novel there is and you'll be craving for more after you read these. Unfortunatelly, there is nothing else that can compare... My purpose here is to help you to save some dough. The complete story is covered in Perfect Collection vols 1-4. The vol. 6 and 7 that are also available from this store are from the first US edition that consisted of 7 vols. I know that you want more but don't repeat my mistake: there is nothing there that is not in Perfect collection 1-4.
Rating:
Summary: Books worthy of the title "Graphic Novel"
Review: Written by Hayao Miyazaki, the mastermind behind animated classics like "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Princess Mononoke", this great work of the graphic art is NO MERE COMIC BOOK. Like most great graphic novels in the tradition of Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Nausicaa is often violent, complexly written, and in the end utterly provocative and meaningful. For those who can see past the comic-book exterior and peer into the soul of Nausicaa, a well-deserved adjective comes to mind - magnificent. Offer this to an acquaintance as a leisure-time read. If the art style manages to get them to bite the hook, the bulk of the story will surely reel them in. Hook. Line. Sinker.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest literary works ever.
Review: A setting as beautiful and bleak as Dr.Zhivago, a climate of war and intreague, as compelling as Lawerance of Arabia, and characters and a storyline that will stick with you for far longer than even Star Wars. Wanna convert people to Japanese Animation? Or just clue them into a great epic period? Stick a copy of Nausicaa in their hands, like the title-named character, it is a series that fascinates and attracts all who read it, giving a sense of profound wisdom and endless possibility to the minds that so easily will embrace it when they begin reading. If a picture paints a thousand words, then Miyazaki's pictures and words tell a thousand tales, and give the readers a familiar yet exotic world to return to and take comfort in. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind gives back to us what we have lost in this world- honor, epic, intreague, glory, morality, endless posibility, etc etc...
Rating:
Summary: A slow start, but I was begging for more at the end
Review: Oh WOW! This is possibly the BEST manga series I have ever read! I was really excited to read Nausicaa when I picked it up, but I found it to have a rather slow begining. Once I hit about, mid-way, of book two though, I was off! I read the whole rest of the series that day and was really dissapointed when it ended (not that the ending was bod or anything! it just.. makes you think ^_^) I'd have to say the princess Kushana is incredibly awesome and near the end she begins to look and feel more like Nausicaa. The book is great. If you only read on graphic novel EVER these are the ones. You will not be dissapointed!
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