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Nausicaa: Difference between revisions
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'''Nausicaä''' (full title: "Nausicaa no Tani no Kaze", or "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind") was first a graphic novel written and drawn by Hayao Miyazaki, and was later turned into a feature film, directed by Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The movie features a dramatically shortened plot. It was developed in between writing the episodes of the manga. It was mostly clear where the manga's story would head to, but the final chapters had yet to be written. Notably, the movie leaves out the Doroks and the Emperor, and focuses on Kushana's misunderstanding of the Forest. The story also reflects Miyazaki's self-proclaimed interest in writing strong female characters. | '''Nausicaä''' (full title: "Nausicaa no Tani no Kaze", or "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind") was first a graphic novel written and drawn by Hayao Miyazaki, and was later turned into a feature film, directed by Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The movie features a dramatically shortened plot. It was developed in between writing the episodes of the manga. It was mostly clear where the manga's story would head to, but the final chapters had yet to be written. Notably, the movie leaves out the Doroks and the Emperor, and focuses on Kushana's misunderstanding of the Forest. The story also reflects Miyazaki's self-proclaimed interest in writing strong female characters. '''SPOILERS AHEAD!''' | ||
=Overview= | |||
= | |||
The Nausicaä graphic novel originated from a few diverse concepts Miyazaki had been experimenting with. They all had in common a somewhat improbable blend of technology (airplanes, guns, bombs) with a fantasy design (knight armors, beasts, medieval state regimes). This was reconciled within a postapocalyptic theme: Nausicaä's world was nearly destroyed a thousands years ago by the Seven Days of Fire, and is plagued by polluted areas known as the Sea of Corruption. The human population in the scope of the story is fragmented into kingdoms that often engage in war. The sources of the conflict are the people's misunderstanding of the dynamics of the Sea of Corruption (it expands in reaction to attacks, but its role is to purify the world) and abuse of biotechnology granted to one leader or the other by the Guardian of the Crypt of Shuwa (in exchange for protection). The Guardian of the Crypt watches over Mankind through the dark centuries of pollution, but it periodically breaks the military balance by overpowering the leader it seeks protection from, and thus sends the world into cycles of war. | The Nausicaä graphic novel originated from a few diverse concepts Miyazaki had been experimenting with. They all had in common a somewhat improbable blend of technology (airplanes, guns, bombs) with a fantasy design (knight armors, beasts, medieval state regimes). This was reconciled within a postapocalyptic theme: Nausicaä's world was nearly destroyed a thousands years ago by the Seven Days of Fire, and is plagued by polluted areas known as the Sea of Corruption. The human population in the scope of the story is fragmented into kingdoms that often engage in war. The sources of the conflict are the people's misunderstanding of the dynamics of the Sea of Corruption (it expands in reaction to attacks, but its role is to purify the world) and abuse of biotechnology granted to one leader or the other by the Guardian of the Crypt of Shuwa (in exchange for protection). The Guardian of the Crypt watches over Mankind through the dark centuries of pollution, but it periodically breaks the military balance by overpowering the leader it seeks protection from, and thus sends the world into cycles of war. | ||
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If you forget about the Seven Days of Fire, Miyazaki's story pretty much fits as a distant sequel to Oni, along the lines of Hasegawa's plan as interpreted by Mai. | If you forget about the Seven Days of Fire, Miyazaki's story pretty much fits as a distant sequel to Oni, along the lines of Hasegawa's plan as interpreted by Mai. | ||
=Lack of | =Themes Connected to Oni= | ||
==Lack of a Clear Enemy== | |||
Miyazaki's story is remarkable for its lifelike complexity and the absence of well-defined antagonists, which is not a common thing in war/fantasy stories. Even the most ruthless characters are redeemed by a credible set of beliefs and motivations, and character roles evolve a lot as the story progresses. Such a story might be confusing and even frustrating to readers, as it is at odds with popular storytelling canons: it's actually more characteristic of "belles lettres" literature, or sophisticated science-fiction such as [[Stanislaw Lem]]'s. More than anything, Miyazaki's story is a reflection on the nature of man with its intrinsic imperfections and weaknesses, and an anthological one at that. The dialectical handling of technology and its role in the evolution of Mankind is a sort of "sound pessimism" akin to that which permeates [[Stanislaw Lem]]'s stories (and more notably the essay [[Summa Technologiae]]). | Miyazaki's story is remarkable for its lifelike complexity and the absence of well-defined antagonists, which is not a common thing in war/fantasy stories. Even the most ruthless characters are redeemed by a credible set of beliefs and motivations, and character roles evolve a lot as the story progresses. Such a story might be confusing and even frustrating to readers, as it is at odds with popular storytelling canons: it's actually more characteristic of "belles lettres" literature, or sophisticated science-fiction such as [[Stanislaw Lem]]'s. More than anything, Miyazaki's story is a reflection on the nature of man with its intrinsic imperfections and weaknesses, and an anthological one at that. The dialectical handling of technology and its role in the evolution of Mankind is a sort of "sound pessimism" akin to that which permeates [[Stanislaw Lem]]'s stories (and more notably the essay [[Summa Technologiae]]). | ||
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:Could it be that they are doing what they think is right? What about Hasegawa's plan for Mankind? | :Could it be that they are doing what they think is right? What about Hasegawa's plan for Mankind? | ||
=Female | ==Female Heroine== | ||
Nausicaä is a skilled fighter with a few supernatural powers, including the "wind sense", telepathy and a touch of telekinesis when she's angry. She's also poised between her distinctive love for all living things, her great sense of responsibility, and her dramatic, fateful decisions. Her quest for the truth is marked by the deaths of many exceptional people, and she also seals the very fate of Mankind at the Crypt. | Nausicaä is a skilled fighter with a few supernatural powers, including the "wind sense", telepathy and a touch of telekinesis when she's angry. She's also poised between her distinctive love for all living things, her great sense of responsibility, and her dramatic, fateful decisions. Her quest for the truth is marked by the deaths of many exceptional people, and she also seals the very fate of Mankind at the Crypt. | ||
Arguably, Oni's Konoko lacks that sort of wisdom, but it's a trait that could be developed in a post-Oni version of Mai. | Arguably, Oni's Konoko lacks that sort of wisdom, but it's a trait that could be developed in a post-Oni version of Mai. | ||
=Autoevolution of man and | ==Autoevolution of man and controlled technology vs. free will== | ||
In the last volume of the graphic novel, it turns out that all of the population in Nausicaä's world were genetically engineered to adapt to the polluted world - humans, birds and mammals to a somewhat lesser extent than insects. The humans did this to themselves in order to live through the impending centuries of "dead air and foul water" after the Seven Days of Fire. The Sea of Corruption is in fact a man-made entity that purifies the water and the air, slowly but surely. As it is, there are areas deep inside the Sea of Corruption where the regeneration is complete, however the air there is so pure that it is deadly to the human population. | In the last volume of the graphic novel, it turns out that all of the population in Nausicaä's world were genetically engineered to adapt to the polluted world - humans, birds and mammals to a somewhat lesser extent than insects. The humans did this to themselves in order to live through the impending centuries of "dead air and foul water" after the Seven Days of Fire. The Sea of Corruption is in fact a man-made entity that purifies the water and the air, slowly but surely. As it is, there are areas deep inside the Sea of Corruption where the regeneration is complete, however the air there is so pure that it is deadly to the human population. | ||
Nausicaä's dilemma as she destroys the crypt of Shuwa is whether programmed reparation of environmental damage is indeed something to desire. The Guardian of the Crypt tells her that the regeneration is all planned out, complete with the technology that will make humans able to walk the regenerated Earth once again, undoing the original changes do both the world and its inhabitants. Nausicaä denies the "light" and destroys the Guardian, stating that programmed evolution and is against the very nature of man, just as the perfectly harmonious and peaceful life that's supposed to begin after the regeneration is complete. | Nausicaä's dilemma as she destroys the crypt of Shuwa is whether programmed reparation of environmental damage is indeed something to desire. The Guardian of the Crypt tells her that the regeneration is all planned out, complete with the technology that will make humans able to walk the regenerated Earth once again, undoing the original changes do both the world and its inhabitants. Nausicaä denies the "light" and destroys the Guardian, stating that programmed evolution and is against the very nature of man, just as the perfectly harmonious and peaceful life that's supposed to begin after the regeneration is complete. | ||
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:Also mentioned as influence in [http://oni.bungie.org/special/ Bungie West interviews] | :Also mentioned as influence in [http://oni.bungie.org/special/ Bungie West interviews] | ||
=See Also= | |||
[[Ergo Proxy]] and [[Wonderful Days]] (other anime about the regeneration of a polluted Earth) | [[Ergo Proxy]] and [[Wonderful Days]] (other anime about the regeneration of a polluted Earth) | ||