Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Back in 95 I watched the poorly translated American version of Nausicaa, entitled "Warriors of the Wind" At the time I believed this to be the only version in existence and was quite happy with it. Time went by and I had entered into college, where a fellow student brought up Nausicaa. "Nausicaa?" I asked, "what's that?" And he showed me, and to my disbelief it was a 4 book series based on the anime I watched so long ago. He let me borrow his four graphic novels, and on that day I had read them from page 1 to 1050. These books are something special. A world as multi layered, beautifully realized, and wonderfully imagined as Tolkien's Lord of the rings. I've read these books countless times, and each time the drawn images on the page breathe with life like no other comic I've ever read. There are messages here that enlighten us on Ecology, Genetic engineering, Philosophy, Religion, war, life and death. And that's only the tip of the ice berg. Miyazaki has crafted a world that seems alarming real, yet delightfully surreal, and it is here that all of his current films have drawn inspiration, a wonderful inspiration that has inspired thousands and will do so for many years to come. (Now if only they'd make this into a four part movie like LOTR, then I'd be truly happy.)
Rating:
Summary: Nausicaa cries out to become an anime series.
Review: Hayao Miyazaki lent his drawing talent, and extraordinary eye for detail and storytelling to this epic. A cautionary tale of an all too possible future, focuses on what ignorance, neglect, and exploitation of the environment may cause. The scope of this tale could easily translate into a season or two, of quality anime in Japan. It would be hard to turn down such a Miyazaki backed project, given his track record. Unfortunately, his production company specialized in movies, and not anime series. A movie of Nausicaa was made, and the Japanese version is considered a classic. The film however, condensed too much of the story that existed, and other parts had not even been completed as yet in the manga. It would be nice one day to present the entire epic in anime form. Like many long epics, this story follows the classic line of what is called, the "Hero's Journey". Nausicaa a young girl with a kind, determined heart, and a sense of destiny, is the hero. Like most tales of such scope, the hero's call to action, must be precipitated by dire events. The hero is not usually someone who sees him or herself in that role. Like Nausacaa's character, they possess extraordinary characteristics, which are brought to the surface by need or tragedy. Along the way, (Journey) the hero, (heroine in this case) is changed by his/her accomplishments. This graphic novel set is unlike any other that I own. I can read through a 200-page Ranma 1/2 book in an hour. Many others, whether humor or action, rarely take more that an hour and a half. They are entertaining for sure, but I rarely feel like I've read any real literature. Nausicaa is different, I found that to follow, and enjoy the story, reading 20-30 pages at a sitting was quite fulfilling. The depth of story, detail of the art, inspired my imagination, and I wanted to take a break to digest what I'd read. It took me six months, of off and on reading to complete the four volumes, "Perfect Collection". I think the author of the graphic novels forward was correct in saying, this is considered to be the greatest graphic novel ever written. This is definitely not for the casual comic book reader. If you want to see big booms, and bangs on every page, pass these books on by. Better yet check out the free pages Amazon.com has posted and determine if you like what you see. You'll rarely find a better value than this, in compiled manga collections.
Rating:
Summary: not comic, this is art.
Review: I am surprised that USA people watch this comic series in addition to the same title movie. As you know, Naushika's story don't finish to the movie. The truth story start from reading this comic. Even if Japanase read them, the story is a little difficult, but there are more wondeful things than the minus point.
For instance, the drawing ways. Generally comic(Japanese MANGA) is simple drawing. But the comic is very detailed drawing. They is like art rather than comic. And in addition to the wonderful drawing,the expression of the character's face is very excellent, for instance joy, sarrow, longing, anger... Mr. Miyazaki can write their expressions very well. There are writers that can write comics very well in the world, but there will not are writers that can write their expressions of face very well. If there are people that was moved when watched the movie, absolutely we recommend this comis..art series. You will not waste your money by buying this arts series. I am sorry for my poor English.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking...
Review: I don't normally read manga that involves war, but this was an exception. I read the summary and thought that I would like it. Well, I was right. I didn't just like it, I LOVED it! This story was captivating. I loved the art and I didn't even mind the gory parts. This series is about a Princess named Nausicaa. She goes off to try to find out what is happening to the Sea of Corruption. She meets many people along the way that either help her, want to destroy her; or wanted to destroy her but when they finally meet her, gets captivated by her. I think she is everything a Princess should be. This storyline might be a little hard to follow for some people. It's a good idea to read the books one after another, so you don't forget anything that's happened. There are many twists in the plot. I am looking forward to the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Nausicaa changed the way I thought about the world...!
Review: I give it 10 stars!!!!!
Nausicaa of the valley of wind is a true master piece!
It is the best story I have ever read! It truely changed the way I thought about the world.
Hayao Miyazaki has a gift for story telling, and Nausicaa is the perfect example! Miyazaki-san is perhaps best known in the U.S. for creating "Kiki's Delivery Service" (Family film)and "Princess Mononoke".
While Princess Mononoke easily can be described as a rival for best story, I believe that the morals of Nausicaa far out weigh P.M.
The story is captivating and holds true to real life, although the story could be described as "sci-fi". Miyazaki-san has a way of making you feel as if you are right there with the characters,learning the lessons of the earth and trying to prevent the war that could end civilization.
While the story seems to take place in the future, it transcends time, as if woven into the very fabric of human nature.
Perhaps you might find yourself looking for "the blue clad one" in times of war.(You will understand the reference when you read the books)
One warning though: If you buy one book, I guarentee you that the second you finish it, you will be in agony if you don't have the whole series. Do yourself a favor and buy all four!
Also: you will not be able to put it down. I stayed up all night once, reading books 3-4 because I couldn't wait to find out what happens next.
YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED IN THIS BOOK. I GUARENTEE IT.
Rating: 
Summary: The (second) translator's perspective
Review: I translated the last 3/7 of this series, and in nine years of translating about 5000 pages of manga, this was the best and most important title I worked on. If you go way back to the earliest reviews here (1998), you'll find some very nice comments by Toren Smith about my translation, but I must say Toren and Dana's was a hard act to follow. They did an excellent job on the first 4/7, and my biggest challenge was to maintain both their tone and their level of quality. I give it four stars here only because I'm a bit disturbed by the way fans treat this work as a sacred text, flawless and beyond criticism. It is a great work, but, no, it is not the Lord of the Rings. Tolkein spent his entire life creating the world of Middle Earth (and not doing much else, itseems, other than teaching linguistics). For Miyazaki, the Nausicaa manga was a side project he worked on in between his many brilliant animated films. There were often long breaks, and many fans feared he would never finish it. As a result, yes, there is some inconsistency in tone and even theme. But the story only gets better and better as Miyazaki matures and his thinking becomes more nuanced and complex. The Nausicaa we see here in the later volumes is not the two-dimensional messiah figure of Miyazaki's (excellent) 1983 animated film of the same name. She is wracked by doubts, is sometimes ready to give up, and even experiences what might be a nervous breakdown. But what I want to talk about here is the experience of translating Nausicaa and the almost religious devotion of non-Japanese fans to this work. I never got so much e-mail about anything else I ever translated. For example, one time I had to translate an episode while I was on the road, and I didn't have the previous translations with me. A character appeared who hadn't appeared since the first volume, and I couldn't remember how Toren and Dana had transliterated her name, so I took my best shot and asked the editor to check for consistency. The editor didn't check, and as it turned out I had transliterated it differently (I think they had named her "Ketcha" and I had named her "Kecha," or something like that.) Wow! When the episode was published, fans went ballistic! What was more surreal, though, was the fact that fans were relying to a great extent on a so-called "fan translation" of the animated movie for reference. This unauthorized "translation" is laughably bad, and was done by a person who, although prolific, is utterly unqualified to translate Japanese. But this self-appointed translator has (or at least had) an almost god-like status among fans, and I would get letters complaining that I had "mistranslated" a line, because my translation differed from that of the unauthorized translation. In other words, the gross mistranslations of the "fan-subber" had become canonical, even where they completely reversed the meaning of the original! Today I am an associate professor in Japan's first and only Department of Comic Art, at Kyoto Seika University. I teach about the history and sociocultural aspects of manga and comics from around the world to some of the most talented aspiring manga artists in Japan. (Every year, about 400 applicants vie for 40 openings in our program.) You could say that I have dedicated my life to preaching the gospel of sequential art, and I mean that only half-jokingly. So I think I'm qualified to say this. Take a deep breath now. Step back, and look at things in perspective. This is a great manga. No, it's a great comic, or graphic novel, or whatever you want to call it. But it is not the Bible. It is not the Koran. It is not the Talmud, or the Lotus Sutra. It's the side project of a man who considers himself foremost an animator, and who creates comics almost as a hobby. There are actually many manga that are arguably better than this (though this may be the best ever translated into English). Uncritical worship will only make prospective readers skeptical. Four stars is probably good enough, and four stars is nothing to sneeze at.
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: More Than A Children's Book
Review: Just like LOTR, children love it, but until they grow well into their adulthood, they will not be able to fully comprehend the essence of the story.
Children, both boys and girls, will love the major characters in "Nausicaa", because children can find all they wish to be in these characters, but most of them would be puzzled (or troubled!) by the development of the story. An exceptionally smart kid may be able to guess some of Miyazaki's plan of the story before he/she reaches Vol. 7, but I dare to bet, he/she will not accept that plan until he/she reaches 30.
This is a great gift to children. They will thank you many, many years later.
Rating:
Summary: The fantastic Princess Nausicaa
Review: Mr. Miyazaki is considered by all the world to be the greatest living animator, and surely among the greatest of all time.
He did this as something to pass the time between film projects. I'm struck by the 'camera angle' placement, depth-of-field and movement in each scene, to say nothing of the philisophy and story depth. He's working miles above his peers. This is a Lord-Of-The-Rings, from Japan.
In 100 years it will still be in print and widely read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most important books I have ever read.
Review: Nausicaa is one of the most artistic, pure-hearted fantasies I have ever read (and that includes Tolkein). The art perfectly blends with the story to create an alternate universe unlike anything else in "graphic" novels or the book world in general. Reading Nausicaa is not like reading a comic book - the pictures are put together with the dialogue in such a perfect way that it is hard to remember that it's not actually a book. If you loved "The Chronicle Of Narnia" or Tolkein's masterpieces, you will never forget Nausicaa. Hayao Miyazaki is, in my very poor opinion, the only living master story-teller. His books and animations are some of the most enjoyable and encouraging things I have ever seen. Also recommended: My Neighbor Totoro by Miyazaki (movie).
|
