Nausicaa of The Valley Of the Wind has a slightly sluggish start, but eventually picks up as the war begins and we get to see the plot start to take shape. Nausicaa has the same Ghibli style we are all familiar with, with some of that same whimsicalness and charm in the art and character interactions, but I think it is actually pretty exciting compared to some of the other big Ghibli films (Howls Moving Castle, Spirited Away, etc.) with a lot of war combat and ship flying that I didn't really expect to see in a Miyazaki book (although to be fair I'm not like a Ghibli expert or anything). Nausicaa also has really awesome worldbuilding, there is so much care put into explaining how these new environments and ecosystems behave, along with the creatures that inhabit them; and The Doroks and Torumekians stark differences in culture and traditions make them feel like very convincing people groups (and the wormhandlers designs are so cool.) I am usually not too crazy about how much is left to the imagination in some of Miyazaki's films, too many unanswered questions and loose ends is very unsatisfying to me. I think here Miyazaki strikes a balance I find more acceptable, although the book still does have that air of ambiguity, it's more reasonable with how vast and detailed the world is; and alot of the mysteries that drive the story are addressed. I think this is the advantage of having read Nausicaa Of The Valley of Wind before watching it as a film. There is naturally more time to explore and interact with a story's world and characters in a book; I'm sure the film will still be enjoyable whenever I watch it, but there is no way to fit 7 volumes worth of material into 2 hours without losing that depth.
As far as characters go, Nausicaa is pleasant protagonist, very driven and determined but gentle. I like that as the princess to The Valley of The Wind she is a badass, she has to protect her people and be prepared to eventually lead them as the chieftan, but still has the nature loving hippy side that defines her character. I do think sometimes the story leans a bit too much into that side of her character, like she's not Jesus guys she just likes insects, but for the most part it works. Kushana is essentially Nausicaa's opposite, as she is far more violent and aggressive as a war general, with her princess-like qualities being way more understated. I'm sure this was intentional as a whole "two sides of the same coin" type thing but I'm not getting into all that. There are of course other great characters like Master Yupa and Mito but once again I'm not getting into all that.
Overall I think this was a very nice read. The story definitely does have it's lulls, but with worldbuilding this good it's a minor fault in what I think is a really refreshingly different manga in the abundance of Elves and Goblins and Guilds that we see today. Master Yupa is a real cool dude that's for sure. An underrated classic from Miyazaki himself I don't know how this flies under the radar when so many people worship the Ghibli films, but yea good book I recommend.
