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Nausicaa, I have a feeling that this review is going to be long…
So everybody seems to love this movie and those that don’t can’t seem to find a plausible explanation to why they didn’t enjoy it, well today I’m here to help you discover why you felt that, and why this movie didn’t reach you.
People judge animations by only looking at the amount of entertainment/joy/emotions it gave to each of them, but the truth is that each anime has his high and low points, so just giving a 10 because your friends told you it was the best or just based in your inner favoritism ... doesn’t get you to the real point.
Other important thing I need to say: I don’t measure animes only based in his time of release. I mean, when I was young The Power Rangers were like the world to me, well nowadays I simple can’t say the same and I can see the flaws the show had, so it’s important to understand how the magic continues to work through time when we’re talking about a classic, and how affect us today.
Nausicaa was released in Japan in 1984 and it was really something amazing and different at that time, since it brought some important themes like the after-war, the environment, and how the notion of pollution that our so industrialized and technologic world could bring. And these themes were brought to the family space with a mature lookout and a gorgeous setting for that time.
One year later it was released in US under a stupid name, a depressing re-edition, and a sad dub, so basically, most people got really evolve by this movie when the name of Miyazaki started to spread out and gather fans with Mononoke-Hime (1995) and ten years later, in 2005, a good English re-released version came out, and this space of time between 1995-2005 left many fans curious so they decided to take a look at the manga… and I must tell you, it’s much more dense, exciting and interesting than the movie!!
Why? Because we need to understand the motives, the intentions and motivations of each character to understand why they do what they do, and the movie fails in this point.
Having in count that many read the manga, and already had a background setting of the story they give this movie a 10 because they can fully understand the story! So, I’m not going to judge this animation based on the manga, I’m going to clear my mind and make a review only to the movie itself!
I’m not going to say much about the good aspects, because there’s already many people praising it, I’m just going to say that the animation was very good for its time and even today is good; the thematic is interesting and still fits in our polluted world; the heroine is an amazing character capable of understanding and fulfils it’s role (although there’s some issues there too); there are no true villains in it since we’re talking about nature vs human nature, we might blame mankind but not completely because mankind need creativity and progress or degenerates… so this movie is GOOD in all this aspects, other important thing is that it actually follows the basics of a dystopian world and for all that I truly praise it.
Now let’s look at the bad side:
a) The most important thing – setting – is the first issue having in count the environmental crisis is not so well explored. You see this strange world filled with toxic spores in a jungle ruled by insects, but you never actually see anyone being choked by the air; you never see any insect devouring or biting a human – and this makes the setting completely superficial! And where are the other animals? Dead? Is it only bugs and Teto?? And, let’s face it! You, the guy/girl who can’t stand a fly or a beetle in your own house is going to cheer for the victory of the bugs?? Well, unless you’re a fanatic for bugs, you wouldn’t want them in your place, even when they represent something like being the protectors… So, who are you calling villains here?
Other problem with the setting: the injuries are rare; everyone seems to be pretty damn good avoiding damage (the almighty Yupa!!) and the blood is so scanty that can’t even make a good impact (well, family purposes). Even the ones that die don’t even attach any feeling to the viewer – you don’t know anything about them to feel sorry! You had like 5 minutes of the movie with Nausicaa’s father and Lastelle! Who cares about them when the whole movie is only focused in one and single person!! – again, superficial!
b) The story itself with the slow pace don’t seem to engage much the audience expectation, and that’s why some say “it’s boring!”. The catharsis seems somewhat weak, because of the issues I’m pointing here and some background sounds forgotten in important scenes;
c) The heroine – Nausicaa is also a problem - although she shows to have everything to be a great character, there’s a lack of impact in her! And when she shows confidence it’s in an excessive way, much unreal! But the fights are not easy because the opponent is strong – human nature – and she too used violence because she’s human!
In an environmental movie she appears riding a flying machine (!?) and what are we suppose to think? That they move by solar energy? Or by the wind, even when she’s in the jungle of spores where there’s no wind? If it was a relic left by the industrialization world isn’t she, our heroine, polluting the air too?
Nausicaa takes things from dead Ohm’s carcass to recycle it for tools (and maybe weapons are implied)? Yes, at the beginning is there when she hits the dead carcass shield with the ceramic sword… human nature can’t stop creating, recycling, progressing by the other things coast, it’s within us.
And this theme also guide me to other important matter: Mononoke-Hime is different from this one because the hero is the forest -> you see how the forest/nature see us (mankind); Nausicaa is the complete opposite -> is how humans see the forest – and each one of us see the forest differently, and this is why this movie is better than Mononoke!
Humans are moved by intentions, feelings, memories and motivations. When they look at the forest they have these 4 aspects in count – or either they want to enjoy it, or destroy it – and this response to nature will also suffer transformation within us if it’s either a jungle/swamp or a beautiful landscape.
Humankind needs progress (that’s why dystopia worlds happen) but it’s hard to conjugate nature within this progression, and I came to my final issue…
d) The rise – there isn’t any in the end! And this is very important; you want to see a solution to this dark world! Where’s the “chance” of rising? With the resurrection of the princess? I would pretty much prefer that she died and the solution appeared! But well, the wind came back again, and each one went to his beginning place, and I don’t believe the weaponry and industrialization ceased nor the constant vengeance ended…