Print Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of The Winds volumes 1-7 (complete)

Nausicaa of the Valley of The Winds volumes 1-7 (complete)Written by WarpshadowRating Excellent

For a guy that is known mostly as a movie director Hayao Miyazaki can sure create a hell of a manga.

A thousand years ago human civilization was brimming with technological wonders only to be broken in a disaster known as the seven days of fire. Now humanity is shadow of what it was and is cowed in fear of the poisonous jungle known as the sea of corruption. One of these enclaves of humanity is the valley of the wind, the home of Princess Nausicaa. Even if it is not her wish to do so the valley of the wind is going to war beause of a treaty the country has signed with the kingdom of Torumekia. Even if she is the head of the country's forces Nausicaa is no ordinary princess but someone who might have the foresight to end the cycle of violence.

There are two things that make a fantasy story good, the internally consistant an vivid fantasy world and the ability to create meaningful stories about the people of that world. In both of these cases Nausicaa of the Valley of The Wind succeeds with flying colors. While many people including myself consider the movie adaptation of this manga to be a classic it was just a small portion of the manga's plot. The manga is able to hold up this level of quality throughout all seven of it's volumes making a joy to read all the way through. Although this manga is not the easiest to find it is well worth the effort it takes tracking it down.