Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a masterpiece from beginning to end. It's a beautiful epic, woven in words and acts of kindness and folly, in moments of tragedy and joy, of despair and hope. Artwork, story, world and characters are all expertly made. It is a must-read for all manga and Ghibli fans.
It comes as no surprise that it looks, feels and runs like a Miyazaki film, though in a different and much longer form. Themes, structure and characters are in line with those that pervade his other works. It bears most resemblance to Princess Mononoke and, of course, to the
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film adaptation of Nausicaä.
With Princess Mononoke it shares a certain bleakness, both thematic and in incidents, as well as a sense of utter respect for nature. The urgent need for reconciliation with nature, for striking a balance between human civilization and the natural world, present throughout Miyazaki's works, shines most brightly in these two. Both deal, after all, with hubris, with humanity's persistent defiance of nature and the world at large. In both, human folly and vanity can only lead to the downfall of civilization.
Mononoke and Nausicaä present, nevertheless, a message of hope, of life, recovery and regrowth beyond all despair, loss and calamity. Humanity endures, even if burdened with the knowledge of the harm it did to the world and to itself; nature, even if forever changed, finds a way to reclaim its place on Earth (Mononoke was, tellingly, the first film Miyazaki worked on after finishing the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga).
The manga's relationship with its film adaptation is a different matter, though. The film is smaller in length and scope. It's an abridged version, in a way (Miyazaki had only published 16 of the total 59 chapters by the time he started working on the film). It glosses over most of the wider conflict and danger present in the manga and focuses on the Valley of the Wind itself. For a film just shy of a two-hour runtime this was the ideal choice. Nevertheless, the film does add another layer to the manga's enjoyment. It gives colour and sound to an unequal world and story, and is to many their first – and, sadly, to many more, their only – contact with this most sublime work. It gives the audience a taste of many things that the manga explores and develops to the extremes of perfection. However, film and manga are two different mediums and experiences, and this is a case in which the manga clearly takes the prize.
Other, even more obvious, similarities could be pointed out, such as narrative structure, character dynamics and the protagonist’s personality. These are, of course, prevalent throughout Miyazaki’s filmography. Laputa: Castle in the Sky’s astounding pace, for instance, is comparable to Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind’s rhythm (the manga’s, in this case). There's almost constant action. This, coupled with an impressive plot development, makes Nausicaä the true definition of a page-turner.
It suffices to say that Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind’s story is exceptional, growing ever in scale as it progresses. All characters are distinct and memorable (some more than others, naturally). The most remarkable, besides the titular character, princess Nausicaä, are, in due order, Kushana, Charuka, Miralupa, Ohma, Namulis and Lord Yupa. Kurotowa, Selm and Chikuku are also, in their own way, interesting, and play an instrumental role in the narrative. Finally, Teto (Nausicaä’s “squirrel-fox”) and Kai (the “horseclaw” Nausicaä rides) also deserve mentioning as two of the titular character’s closest companions.
Miyazaki Hayao is, first and foremost, an animator and filmmaker, and his art style proves it. It's filled with movement and sound, teeming with life and emotion. There's beauty and wonder to be found in even the simplest of panels.
It's interesting to note that there is a clear difference in Miyazaki's artwork between the first and the final volumes. Panels become less cluttered as the story progresses, allowing the characters to stand out more against the backgrounds and the dialogue and action to breathe. This is in part due to the change in scenery (as the landscape of the Dorok lands takes over), but no doubt also due to the author's growing sensibility towards the medium he was working on (after all, more than a decade elapsed between the beginning and end of the manga's release and publication).
It must also be noted that Miyazaki was clearly influenced by European comics, departing greatly from Japanese manga tradition, both in page composition and page dimensions (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was first serialized in A4).
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is in all ways a masterpiece. In a career filled with some of the most beautiful, heart-warming and action-packed films ever made, the seven volumes of Nausicaä stand out as another proof of Miyazaki-san's genius and of what he, as an artist, can achieve. It's a work deserving of greater attention and praise. A masterpiece.
Feb 7, 2025
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
(Manga)
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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a masterpiece from beginning to end. It's a beautiful epic, woven in words and acts of kindness and folly, in moments of tragedy and joy, of despair and hope. Artwork, story, world and characters are all expertly made. It is a must-read for all manga and Ghibli fans.
It comes as no surprise that it looks, feels and runs like a Miyazaki film, though in a different and much longer form. Themes, structure and characters are in line with those that pervade his other works. It bears most resemblance to Princess Mononoke and, of course, to the ... 
Feb 7, 2025
Natsume Yuujinchou
(Manga)
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Natsume's Book of Friends is an incredibly funny and touching iyashikei (healing manga) about estrangement and friendship, loss and discovery, loneliness and belonging. (Please note that this reviewer has not only read the manga, but also watched the anime, and is as such expressing, for the most part, their views on both.)
Some chapters are hilarious, others bring tears to the eyes, and most mix these two extremes to perfection, expertly combining comedy with emotion in a way that never feels forced nor moralizing. It is without a doubt a masterpiece in its genre, a unique and rewarding experience deserving of greater recognition and praise. It's not ... 
Nov 28, 2024
Umibe no Étranger
(Anime)
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Stranger by the Shore's anime adaptation is too short and incoherent. It simply doesn't work as a film, requiring previous knowledge of the material to be actually enjoyed and, to a certain extent, understood. To a viewer unfamiliar with the manga, it becomes a guessing game and ultimately fails to bear any emotional impact, as the plot moves along too quickly to let the dust settle and to allow feelings of empathy with any of the characters to bloom.
The animation is beautiful, though, and there are some truly touching moments. It's just unfortunate that everything's so condensed and fast-moving. This could easily have been turned ... 
Oct 30, 2024
Flying Witch
(Anime)
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Flying Witch is a small and light-hearted story. It's a slice of life filled with kindness and peace. All characters act their age and in a natural manner (for a world in which witches and magic exist, of course).
There's no real plot. Just characters interacting with each other and their environment in a heart-warming way. Though not particularly funny (but it does have its moments), it's an easy and entertaining enough watch. The premise shares some similarities with Kiki's Delivery Service. Both are about a young witch's experiences as she leaves home and sets herself up in a different town. Bonds of friendship and/or family flow ... 
Oct 24, 2024
Shinseiki Evangelion
(Anime)
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Neon Genesis Evangelion justly deserves the praise it gets. It's far from perfect, but in the end its strengths make up for its shortfalls. It starts out slowly and more or less falls into the monster of the week trope, as if trying to find a good pace and a way of expressing its ideas. It's not an easy watch at first, and only after finishing it do its qualities come to light.
The director's cuts of episodes 21 through 24 are without a doubt superior to the original versions and tie in perfectly with the End of Evangelion (which is a must watch). Though I ... 
Oct 24, 2024
Kimetsu no Yaiba
(Anime)
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Demon Slayer is a dull and poorly structured show, and watching it proves to be an excruciating experience. On screen flash annoying characters, boring action sequences and the faintest semblance of plot development. No words suffice to express how overrated it is. It's undeserving of all fame and praise.
The first few episodes lay down the show's premise. What follows is a training arc that feels devoid of any purpose. Only after the trial needed to become a demon slayer does our protagonist learn of the existence of someone who is apparently behind the proliferation of demons and could maybe reverse his sister's transformation (and who ... 
Oct 24, 2024
Spy x Family Season 2
(Anime)
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More of the same. This is this season's main drawback. Season 1 of Spy x Family had its ups and downs, but overall kept a good rhythm going and never lost its comedic edge. Season 2, on the other hand, feels at times flat, dull and stuck in a rut. It runs like a fun but already used up concept in dire need of some sort of change or development. It's at most times devoid of pacing and stakes, seemingly forgetting its main driving force and actual plot (getting close to Damian's father).
Season 1 already had some weaker episodes and moments, but these nonetheless felt ... 
Oct 12, 2024
Jigokusei Remina
(Manga)
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Remina is a planet-sized fiasco. All the potential it held of becoming an interesting sci-fi short story fades away in the first few pages, as our protagonist finds herself shot to stardom overnight just for having a planet named after her. Fanclubs are formed, all eyes are on her and all people talk about is her. It’s impossible to come to terms with the sheer unbelievability of it all.
Soon after, the planet Remina starts moving towards Earth, and this is where the story begins to unfold (or fall apart) in the most absurd way possible. Everyone decides to blame Remina and her father for the ... 
Oct 9, 2024
Uzumaki is a collection of short stories that ultimately fails to deliver the horror it promises. It starts out well, but it swiftly loses its balance. The first couple of chapters are indeed eerie and engaging enough, but those that follow break all boundaries and tell only a most ludicrous tale. It's hard to keep suspending disbelief as the "story" unfolds and chaos engulfs the little town in which it takes place (though it is a collection of short tales, Uzumaki does have a main storyline and protagonists). Some moments are laughable, while others are plain absurd (hair, snails and flying, just to mention a
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Oct 8, 2024
Dororo masterfully adapts and upgrades its source material, creating a far superior and solid narrative. Beyond the "encountering-monsters-while-travelling" trope lies a truly engaging plot. Without going into spoilers, it suffices to say that even Hyakkimaru's motives for wanting to reclaim his own body are dealt with (and the conflict which arises from that resolve is what gives the second half of the series its rather dramatic and even tragic turn). His family plays an important role in the story's development and climax, as do his ties with Dororo. The relationship between Hyakkimaru and Dororo deepens as the show progresses, and is one of its strongest
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