Nonetheless, I finally proceed with Nausicaä. Two points before we get started:
1.) First, it’s neither easily digestible nor your typical manga, for it is highly complex and brimming with ideas, as well as too packed with dialogues.
2.) Second, it’s Hayao Miyazaki on his most unfettered. Not a single sample of his lifework conveys everything he stands for more vividly.
[1. Beginning with the story…]
“The greatest of the mind is determined by the depth of its suffering.” – Nausicaä.
Worldbuilding is the most important element of a good fantasy setting, for it not only provides the story with a framework to develop on, but also keeps the audience invested and immersed to its unique workings.
I occasionally have an issue that also extends to sci-fi: the setting is not truly interactable and a prominent player of the narrative. It devolves to framework and eyecandy. Nausicaä is not such a work. Its environment’s role is omnipresent and on top of that, the setting is not your typical apocalyptic; unlike ones that feature ecological collapse, life is abundant yet humans and most other fauna are threatened with extinction by the toxic environment of the so called Sea of Corruption.
Concerning its “human geography”, the Torumekian Empire and the Dorok Principalities are the prominent geopolitical players, with lesser chiefdoms known as the Autonomous States of the Periphery being involved into a global scale conflict, as tributary states of the Torumekian Empire. The protagonist is born and raised into one such state, as the chieftain’s daughter and obliged to join the Torumekian army, thus her adventure begins.
During the conflict, war is portrayed at its most brutal; belligerent nations are engaged in total war, unrestricted in either the weapons used or the tactics employed. Biological warfare and scorched earth tactics are but a few blatant atrocities of this conflict, and there is no apparent resolution, other than total annihilation of one side.
While the big picture of the conflict and the looming apocalypse is being presented, Miyazaki is also laying foundations towards an alternative resolution while simultaneously expressing multiple concerns. This is achieved by successfully interweaving broad ideas drawn from social science, humanities and natural science with personal journeys.
No easy solutions are offered throughout the narrative, many questions are left unanswered and also, it’s necessary to view the work from multiple angles to grasp a bigger picture.
More are noted on sections [2.] and [3.], where the subjects and characters are described.
[2. Continuing with subjects and a parallel…]
People often contrast depth with broadness as if they are mutually exclusive qualities, but in reality they are complementary. This shows in Nausicaä, its narrative being a vast yet deep ocean composed of miniature seas.
a.) Bioethics strongly influenced Nausicaä’s writing, for the presence of conflicting attitudes towards manipulation of life is persisting throughout the story. And of course, influence from environmental science is omnipresent in its unique setting, connected with ideas drawn from fields such as cultural anthropology, philosophy and religion (e.g. Christianity and Buddhism).
Apart from that, influence from linguistics also left its mark. As a languages’ enthusiast I was more than pleasantly surprised when Miyazaki depicted language barriers (e.g. Dorok language being mutually unintelligible with Torumekian), and only select characters being presented as bilingual.
b.) Interjecting with a parallel, for I believe the historical period should be considered. Nausicaä was written throughout (later phases of) the Cold War period, whose influence shows; the conflict draws parallels with the hypothesis of a total war between the NATO and the Soviet Union escalating into nuclear war, and guarantying a nuclear holocaust. And this observation might be far-fetched, but the Dorok nation is composed of 51 principalities, calling to mind the United States’ 50 states and one federal state.
Of course, given the means warfare is conducted, concerning tactics parallels might be made to earlier phases of World War I (presence of cavalry and aircraft, entrenched positions, importance of artillery, extensive use of biological warfare).
c.) Psychological elements are also prominent; the importance of empathy and compassion especially (but also the limitations of these powers), as is the value of introspection and facing our “shadow”, not only in order to cultivate a deeper understanding of ourselves, but also in order to leave a lasting positive impact on the world. More are noted on section [3.].
Society is connected with nature, and likewise the big picture with the human condition. However, characters are not treated as mouthpieces, but as the next essential element in uniting the multiple miniature seas into a vast ocean.
[3. And so we proceed with the characters…]
a.) Nausicaä - “In this world of ours, the sparrow must live like a hawk if he is to fly at all.” – Yupa.
The protagonist of the namesake epic, she combines compassion and a strong personality with true character flaws and development to make for a complex individual with messianic traits, yet without ever appearing as insufferably pure.
She proves herself early on as an intelligent and independent young woman, who is deeply attuned with nature and other people, and will not tolerate injustice. But also, she is characterized by a naïveté and immaturity fitting her inexperience with real world situations. Throughout the journey, she has displayed unconditional love towards all life, enormous kindness and bravery and, but also recklessness and a rather underdeveloped self-image, evident of a still-growing young adult who struggles with coming to terms with crueler aspects of reality.
Nonetheless, she is increasingly forced to rise to the challenge of preventing the total extinction of mankind, by strengthening her resolve and achieving internal harmony. Her personal journey is one of self-discovery and resilience.
b.) Kushana - “Blood has not sullied, but cleansed you.” – Yupa.
She is the deuteragonist of this epic, and a foil to Nausicaä. She also combines a strong personality with true character flaws and development, and Miyazaki himself has described the princesses as “two sides of the same coin” but with Kushana suffering from “deep, physical wounds”. Unlike Nausicaä who was raised in a loving environment, albeit one where she was the only among eleven siblings to survive into adulthood, Kushana grew at a toxic familial environment, likened to a “nest of vipers”.
In order to survive, prosper and fulfill her ambitions she has shown herself to be assertive, brave, calculating yet also very ruthless. In a way, she can be likened to a lioness: a mother to her soldiers and genuinely supportive of whomever earns her respect, but cold and dismissive of anyone outside her troops of the Third Army, who commit their fair share of atrocities.
Her personal journey is one of salvation and embracing a more empathetic outlook, and is by no mean an easier journey or one with simple answers.
c.) Other characters - “Can’t they see that they’re just rushing down the path to self-destruction?” – Nausicaä.
The rest of the cast is highly variable and helps in keeping the plot’s development constantly fluid. Some are less fleshed-out but serve their purpose of supporting the main characters, whereas others are written with more complexity and depth, providing the reader with a bigger picture on the world and ideas. By no means have I liked all (e.g. Asbel), but the cast includes many whose role I appreciated.
An example is Kurotawa. Of commoner upbringing, he is an attaché that serves as Kushana’s staff officer, and these two have an intriguing and entertaining dynamic, for he acts as a spy and agent of her father, but at the same time provides the reader with a more pragmatical if callous point of view, in juxtaposition with the more idealistic views of Nausicaä.
[4. And concluding with the artwork section...]
[+] One of my favorite aspects is the character designs. Characters look expressive and richly detailed, plus highly identifiable and not similar. Outside those, Miyazaki showed astonishing care behind imagining and meticulously depicting weaponry of all sorts, clothing, fauna, aircraft and other machinery, as well as the ecosystem within the Sea of Corruption.
Not limited to eye candy, they bring into life rich human and natural ecosystems, their inhabitants and workings never losing their organic and plot-relevant feel. Many scenes have poignant presentations, e.g. when portraying the atrocities of the battlefields, and inspired me intense emotions during the manga’s highlights.
[-] However, I’m obliged to be fair towards any future readers and point out aspects of artwork that might be considered as negatives.
Backgrounds can be hit-or-miss, sometimes drawn simply in contrast with key details, but sometimes they are overpacked. Panels are connected to this issue; pages are A4 size, but the panels themselves can be very small and overpacked with both details and dialogue, thus making it rather hard to discern everything. Occasionally, key details blend excessively with backgrounds and make for a chaotic and confusing mélange.
This issue though is mostly limited to earlier volumes, as by later ones Miyazaki’s artwork has evolved; otherwise overpacked scenes allowed me to better discern details, e.g. thanks to more proper use of shading.
[5. Also sharing my personal impression...]
Nausicaä is among the works I consider closer to perfection, and one that reached my core for a very specific reason.
Simply put, it reaffirmed my love for the world, my studies and people in a period when I started to get increasingly empty, detached and overcritical, but also furthered my understanding and offered me with a new sea to dive in.
Hope you enjoyed my review! I also highly recommend reading "The Greatest Ekostory Ever Told: The Nausicaä Project", either after you complete the manga (if it's your first time) or while/during a re-read.
