Nausicaa: Difference between revisions

The story reflects Miyazaki's self-proclaimed interest in the social role of technology and nature, as well as in strong female characters.

:Wikipedia has an [[wikipedia:Nausicaä_of_the_Valley_of_the_Wind_(manga)|article about the manga]] and [[wikipedia:Nausicaä_of_the_Valley_of_the_Wind|about the movie]]

:For more insight, read the (rather long) [[Miyazaki/Nausicaa interview|interview about the manga]].

:(a particulary remarkable one is "Watercolor Impressions"...)

;HERE BE SPOILERS

The 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.

Having identified the Crypt of Shuwa as the source of military unrest and spiritual alienation in the world, Nausicaä enlists the newborn God Warrior and sets off to destroy the Crypt, but not without finding out the secret behind that calamity. It turns out that the Crypt is the repository of all knowledge from the old days, supposed to guide Mankind towards symbiosis with an eventually regenerated Earth. In an act of faith, Nausicaa refuses this programmed evolution and destroys the Crypt.

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]]. It is also compelling to introduce some of the more elaborate aspects of Miyazaki's storytelling into Oni's universe, be it general literary wisdom or more specific concepts.

==Lack of an '''E'''nemy==

:Could it be that they are doing what they think is right? What about Hasegawa's plan for Mankind?

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 Mai.

In the last volume of the graphic novel, it turns out that all of the population in Nausicaä's world was 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 this reparation of environmental damage should or not be monitored by those who started it. 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 to 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.

:[http://oni.bungie.org/special/ Interviews] listing Nausicaä as an influence for Bungie West.

:[[Ergo Proxy]] and [[Wonderful Days]] - 2 other anime about the regeneration of a polluted Earth.

:[[Beyond Good and Evil]] - another strong heroine, another messiah figure, another day saved.

:[[Female fronted]] - various female figures in culture.