false 732141 1 Hayao Miyazaki is probably best known in the West for his films; <i>My Neighbor Totoro</i> and <i>Kiki's Delivery Service</i> are celebrated for their lavish animation and sophisticated treatment of their young heroes. But among his many fans in Japan, his epic <i>manga</i> tale, <I>Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind</I>, which Miyazaki later made into a animated movie, is often cited as his greatest work. Indeed, the <I>Comics Journal</I> once described the first volume as "the best graphic novel ever." Many critics favorably compare the story to such fantasy classics as C.S. Lewis's <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> or J.R.R. Tolkien's <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>. <p> In <I>Nausicaä</I>, as in most of his work, Miyazaki centers his narrative on a strong young woman who struggles to create peace in a world torn by war. Readers of Homer's <i>The Odyssey</i> will recall that Nausicaä is the name of the Phoenician princess who healed Odysseus when he washed up on her shores. Miyazaki took that character as the inspiration for his Princess Nausicaä, but their worlds could not be further apart. Underscoring the book's deep ecological messages, Miyazaki's Nausicaä is a passionate defender of the natural world, and her ability to commune with the creatures of the forest appears almost magical. As a princess, she is testing the waters of leadership as her father languishes on his deathbed. As a citizen of the Valley of Wind, she has mastered reading the shifting wind currents and air pockets as she navigates the skies in her glider. <p> Readers learn at the beginning of her tale that the Earth has become a hostile place. Environmental crises have made the forest--known as the Sea of Corruption--into a kingdom of spores and giant insects called Ohmu. The remaining humans huddle in the valleys and sheltered cities while holding on to the remnants of technologies long-since rendered mysterious. Now, the Imperial family has begun a massive campaign to extend its hold on the remaining pockets of civilization. However, intrigue between the reigning Princess Kushana and her brothers suddenly place Nausicaä and her people at the center of a civil conflict that could extinguish the last people on earth. With the grandeur of Tolkien's <I>The Lord of the Rings</I> and the grace of Miyazaki's <I>Totoro</I>, <I>Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind</I> is a classic of fantasy literature and one of the finest works ever in the comics medium. <I>--Patrick O'Kelley</I> 718331 1 1 2001 Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind: Perfect Collection Boxed Set (Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind) total:89|5:56|4:29|3:4|2:0|1:0| 89 408 107 17 5 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Tue Nov 18 05:53:45 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 18 06:56:56 -0800 2008 3
i...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 17:26:29 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 17:43:23 -0800 2009
First of all it is important to note that this story has been told in animé form in the film "...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jun 12 19:48:33 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 19:48:51 -0700 2008 Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro, so when I heard he wrote a graphic novel (i.e. comic book for those worried how that sounds...) I wanted to read it. I wasn't disappointed at all. He wrote an epic story that inspired. The only hard...more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Aug 07 19:28:39 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 19:39:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Feb 06 21:56:47 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 21:59:27 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 14:46:23 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 14:52:04 -0800 2008
If you haven't seen the movie... far far in the future, giant insects, forests of mold en...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed May 06 22:07:51 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 02:33:38 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon May 26 12:00:45 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 12:03:37 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 09 22:36:48 -0800 2008 Tue Aug 19 10:50:36 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Aug 28 18:50:34 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 30 07:24:08 -0700 2007 I didn't cry at the end of Watchmen.]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 16 08:42:32 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 08:46:54 -0700 2008 4 0 false true Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 23 20:13:12 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 23 20:16:20 -0700 2008
But wait, by destroying the crypt, aren't you condemning all people to die? Don't know what to think about that.



]]> 4 0 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 30 09:26:21 -0700 2007 Mon Dec 17 09:05:08 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Sun Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 06 21:25:01 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 11 11:07:46 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sun Jan 13 19:43:42 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 13 19:44:39 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Apr 04 22:28:21 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 04 22:29:47 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998 Wed Jun 20 19:15:08 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 20 19:16:04 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Sat Nov 07 04:01:37 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 04:01:37 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Nov 05 17:27:54 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 05 17:28:06 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Sep 27 06:47:02 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 06:47:02 -0700 2009