Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, interpreted under the COVID-19 Pandemic.
//Summary - Level-C2//
Hayao Miyazaki's manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind profoundly explores the relationship between humanity, civilisation, and nature. Spanning 12 years, the story delves into darker, more complex themes than the film adaptation, portraying wars, human folly, and a world teetering on the edge of destruction. Influenced by events like the Yugoslav Wars, Miyazaki reflects on the inevitability of conflict and destruction. The narrative focuses on Nausicaä's attempts to navigate this bleak reality, underscoring her love for life amidst chaos. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the manga's relevance is reevaluated, with spoilers enhancing comprehension, especially as the climactic final volume offers profound insights into the story's deeper meanings.
//SYNOPSIS//
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Wikipedia
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausicaä
The story is set on Earth 1000 years after civilisation collapsed. The polluted earth is covered with a forest of fungi called the Sea of Decay, inhabited by giant insect-like bugs. Humans live in fear of miasma (poison gas) and bugs and barely make a living in this devastated world.
Beginning:
Nausicaä, princess of the small country of the Valley of the Wind, governs the country in place of her sick father. One day, refugees from Pejite, a city destroyed by the incredible power of Tormekia, fall into the Sea of Decay, where Nausicaä is entrusted by the dying princess Lastel with a secret stone that will revive the God Warrior. The God Warrior is a terrifying weapon that once destroyed the world.
Torumekia's princess Kushana appears in the Valley of the Wind to steal the secret stone, but Nausicaä fights to stop her. Eventually, Tormekia goes to war with an enemy nation called Dork, and Nausicaä is drawn into the battle.
In the middle of the story:
Nausicaä discovers that the air is pure at the bottom of the Sea of Decay and realizes that the Sea of Decay is purifying pollution. Meanwhile, the Dork army uses biological weapons against the Tormekia army, and the war intensifies. The insects gather together to stop the runaway slime mould. This large-scale insect migration phenomenon is called the "Daikaisyo—Great Tsunami," and the land of Dork is devastated.
During her exploration, Nausicaa meets the "Forest Man" Selm, who learns the truth that the plants in the Sea of Decay are purifying the earth and that modern humans are an artificially created species.
Towards the end of the story:
Nausicaä travels with the Giant Warrior Ohma to the "Tomb," which holds the technology of the old world. The Tomb's owner proposes the construction of a war-free utopia, but Nausicaä refuses and has Ohma destroy the Tomb. Nausicaä chooses to "accept the filth and live" and returns home with everything in her heart. "Accept that suffering, sorrow and death are part of being human, and live with the contamination." That was Nausicaä's choice.
Ohma completed his mission while Nausicaä was watching over him. Nausicaä, who survived, returned home with the truth hidden in her heart. She then stayed in Dork and lived with the people of Dork. Some say that she returned to the Valley of the Wind after the boy Chikuku, whom she met in Dork, came of age. Some say that she eventually left for the people of the forest.
A)
1)
The manga "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", which director Miyazaki Hayao worked on for over 12 years, is the finest entertainment and work that explores the relationship between "man, civilisation and nature" to the limit.
I have read and reread it countless times since it was first serialised as a sophomore in high school until today, at the age of 56, and my belief that it is "Director Miyazaki's masterpiece" remains unshaken.
2)
We want more people to pick up the book, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
So in this series, "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, interpreted under the COVID-19 pandemic," we asked Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki, folklorist Norio Akasaka, biologist Shinichi Fukuoka, and others to discuss the appeal of "Nausicaä."
3)
However, the manga version's story is more complicated than the film version and can be challenging. Many people started reading it but gave up halfway through.
So, to fully enjoy the rich world of the manga Nausicaä, I would like to briefly introduce the background and plot of the work and an easy-to-understand way of reading it.
B)
4)
A different image of the saviour from the film: Director Miyazaki's struggles:
The manga "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" was serialised in the monthly magazine "Animage" for 13 years, from 1982 to 1994.
The number of copies of the seven volumes published in book form has exceeded 17 million. The manga version is often considered the "original" of the 1984 animated film, but it only has something in common with the movie until the middle of the second volume.
Even after the film version was completed, director Hayao Miyazaki (80) continued to work hard on the manga version in between making his films Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso.
5)
The film depicts a "regional conflict" in which a group of troops led by Princess Kushana of the Tormekian Kingdom invade the "Valley of the Wind" where Nausicaa and her friends live.
Still, in the manga, a bloody war unfolds between Tormekian and an empire called "Doruk", which did not appear in the film. "Valley of the Wind" is allied with Tormekian, and Nausicaa is forced to go to war with Kushana.
This is an entirely different plot from the film, a "Nausicaa vs. Kushana" confrontation.
6)
Nausicaa tries to save as many lives as possible, both friends and foe, but unlike in the film, where she is the "saviour who saved the Valley of the Wind," she has little effect on the overall situation.
Kushana's father, King Vu, and her three brothers also try to kill her, and she loses most of her subordinates.
7)
Meanwhile, the biological weapon "slime mould" created by Doruk using technology from an ancient civilisation that was supposed to be lost goes out of control, and the world accelerates its path to destruction.
8)
Throughout the series, events continue to change the direction of the world and Japan, such as the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the bubble economy.
Miyazaki says the civil war in Yugoslavia was particularly shocking. After years of conflict, peace was supposed to have been established, but as soon as the international situation changed, ethnic fighting and massacres broke out again.
9)
Throughout "Nausicaa", phrases such as "There is no stopping human folly" and "Destruction is inevitable" are repeated.
While Nausicaa acknowledges that "we are a cursed race", she also exclaims:
"Our wind god tells us to live", "I love to live", and "I love the light, the sky, the people and the insects".
It's as if you can feel Miyazaki's anguish and conflict.
C)
10)
Sometimes, "spoilers" can help you understand better:
The story starts to move forward at the end of the sixth volume. Nausicaä attacks the God Warrior that the Doruk army has airlifted and wakes him up, but the revived God Warrior calls Nausicaä "Mama" and begins to worship her.
11)
In Shuwa, the capital of the Doruk, there is the "Tomb of Shuwa", where the "technology to control life" of the extinct ancient civilisation is still preserved and is the source of biological weapons such as slime mould.
Nausicaä names the God Warrior "Ohma" and attempts to use Ohma's power to destroy the Tomb of Shuwa.
Will Nausicaä's risky gamble succeed? What on earth awaits in the Tomb of Shuwa?
12)
Studio Ghibli's Suzuki said:
"During the serialisation, the story revolved around what Nausicaa saw and heard, so it was hard to understand the whole picture.
However, the perspective changed dramatically in the last volume, Volume 7, and Nausicaa was shown objectively from a bird' s-eye view.
This change was exciting to me. "Anno (director Hideaki) also wanted to make volume 7 into a film."
13)
This is a rough way of reading it, but if you've tried to read the manga Nausicaa from the beginning but gave up halfway through, why not skip ahead and start reading from volume 7?
D)
14)
Experiencing the overwhelming climax spun by Nausicaa, Ohma, and the owner of Shuwa's Tomb will increase your interest in the whole story, and you'll want to reread it from volume 1.
15)
When it comes to a masterpiece like Nausicaa, spoilers don't ruin the fun of the story.
On the contrary, if you approach the work with a general idea of the story and its ending in mind, you'll be able to understand the meaning behind each scene and line more deeply.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, interpreted under the COVID-19 Pandemic.
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP2X3TMXP2LUCVL01N.html?iref=pc_photo_gallery_bottom
Consider the seven days of fire in the manga version of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind".
https://note.com/shizuka_koyobi/n/n5eeef96ee5a3
A folklorist's consideration of the "absence of the mother" and resistance to the apocalypse in the story of Nausicaä. "Thinking about Nausicaä: Apocalypse of the Valley of the Wind"
https://www.vogue.co.jp/change/article/vogue-book-club-nausicaa-kou
Add info No1)
New Kabuki Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (6 hours)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqoC1jPhV7Q
New Kabuki "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" Main Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md5a_EavdzE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLV39w1W1Y0
A spoiler-filled explanation of the original manga of Hayao Miyazaki's timeless masterpiece "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind"! We'll introduce the plot, the differences from the movie, and the ending!
https://takorine-and.hatenablog.com/entry/2024/08/04/095936
Tsuyu Kosode Mukashi Hachijo - Kamiyui-Shinza
Yellow kimono produced in Hachijojima during the rainy season - hairdresser Shinza
https://takorine-and.hatenablog.com/entry/2024/07/24/155200
Add info No2)
"There's a lot left to say" - What is the true meaning of the "last frame" drawn by Miyazaki Hayao in the manga version of "Nausicaä"?
https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/62847
//Summary - Level-C2//
Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga profoundly contrasts with the hopeful film version. The manga reveals a darker reality: modern humans are artificially engineered to survive in pollution, and in a purified world, they would perish. Despite its promise of regeneration, Nausicaä's destruction of the Tomb of Shuwa reflects her rejection of a controlled future, leaving humanity's fate uncertain. The mysterious "garden" introduces the idea of humans adapting to both polluted and clean environments, but the creators of the Tomb see current humans as expendable. Miyazaki ends the story with an open question, urging readers to reflect on their futures.
A) The "betrayal" of the manga version of Nausicaä
"What on earth will become of this world from now on..." Almost 30 years have passed since the manga ended in 1994. Many people who have read all seven volumes of director Miyazaki Hayao's manga "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" have been left half-stunned and obsessed by such thoughts.
B)
The ending of the 1984 film version of "Nausicaä" had a precise cathartic moment. Nausicaä's self-sacrifice averted the crisis in the Valley of the Wind, and the power of the Ohmu revived Nausicaä herself.
The polluted environment is shown to be cleansed by the power of the vast mushroom forest, the Sea of Decay, and the viewer can end the story with a sense of hope for the future of Nausicaä, her friends and the world.
C)
However, the manga version of "Nausicaä", which Miyazaki continued to draw for ten years after the film's release, is the polar opposite of this sense of liberation.
In the manga, a war breaks out between the kingdom of "Doruk," which did not appear in the film, and the kingdom of Tolmekian, to which Kushana and her friends belong. Nausicaä serves with Kushana as a member of the Tolmekian army.
The story unfolds very differently from the film version, which was a "Nausicaä vs. Kushana" confrontation. As the war spreads, the world is on the brink of destruction when the slime-mould biological weapon created by Tolmekian gets out of control. Still, Nausicaä is powerless to do anything about it.
D)
Also, in the film version, the Sea of Decay and the Ohmu were supposed to symbolise nature's greatness and self-healing power. Still, at the end of the manga, it is revealed that they were an "artificial ecosystem" created by the people of a long-extinct civilisation to regenerate the earth's environment.
Nausicaä and other modern humans are also "androids" modified to survive in a polluted environment. In a purified environment, they will die with blood spurting from their lungs.
When the manga was serialised in a magazine, Toshio Suzuki protested to Miyazaki, saying, "This is a betrayal of the people who were moved by the film".
E)
Leaving the readers behind at the end...
At the story's climax, Nausicaä and the God Warrior, who loves her as "Mother", arrive at the "Tomb of Shuwa" in the capital of Doruk.
The Tomb was the centre of a plan to purify and regenerate the earth using the Sea of DecaEarth the Ohmu. After the collapse of the great industrial civilisation, the Master of the Tomb of Shuwa, who can be described as a "living artificial intelligence" who has been around for a thousand years, tells Nausicaä:
"You are in a long time of purification, but one day, the sea of corruption will disappear, and the pure blue land will be reborn. "When the pure world is restored, the technology to restore the humans who have adapted to the pollution is also written here." "I am the only light left in the darkness." "Mankind will perish without me."
F)
However, Nausicaä shouts "No!!" and "If you are the Light, I have no need of light" at the Master of the Tomb, who seems to be doing the right thing by cleansing and regenerating the earth, and using the power earth Giant God Warrior to eradicate the Tomb.
G)
As a result of the war between Tolmekian and Doruk, most of the land suitable for human habitation has been swallowed up by the Sea of Corruption, creating a large number of refugees, and Nausicaä's hand has extinguished the "one remaining light."
Nausicaä does not reveal to the people the secret that modern humans cannot survive in a purified environment but instead gives them false hope, saying, "If we don't perish, a brighter world will one day welcome us with open arms" and encouraging them, saying, "Come on, everyone, let's go, no matter how hard it is." The story ends with this scene.
H)
Why did Nausicaä destroy Shuwa's Tomb? The power of the Sea of Decay will continue to purify the environment, but won't a modern man be wiped out in the not-too-distant future?
Far from being a saviour, isn't Nausicaä a "devil" who has deceived people and destroyed the hope of human survival?
I)
Miyazaki does not answer these questions, and in the final panel, he leaves the reader with the words: "There is much more to say, but for now, I will end the story here.
"How will you live in this world from now on?" This can be interpreted as Miyazaki himself asking the reader.
J)
The key to solving the mystery was in the "garden".
In the two-year Asahi Shimbun Digital interview series "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Understanding it in the COVID-19 Era," I reflected on the mystery of this story with 18 of today's leading commentators.
I can say that this mystery has been in the back of my mind ever since I read the last episode of Nausicaä in real-time in my youth.
This is because I felt that the manga Nausicaä was not just entertainment but a story that captured the problems we face in our contemporary lives.
K)
After nearly 30 years of reflection, I became convinced that "the key to solving the mystery lies here" when, in the middle of the seventh volume of the book, Nausicaä is lured into a mysterious "garden" on her way to the Tomb of Schwa with the Giant God Warrior.
The garden is a beautiful place isolated from the outside world and devastated by war. Here, the plants and animals of the old world, supposed to have been wiped out, live peacefully.
Nausicaä, who was on the verge of death from the "poisonous light" emitted by the God Warrior, recovers entirely under the care of the owner of the garden and almost forgets everything in her peace.
L)
At the last moment, however, Nausicaa realises it is a trap to "enter the heart of another, make him forget his sorrow and his thorns, and turn him into a servant".
The garden is a "repository" of the original species of plants and animals, agricultural products, music, and poetry of the Old World's civilisation before the environment was polluted and seeds left behind to rebuild the world after purification.
The garden is one of the bases for the earth's purification and regeneration plan, centring on the "Tomb of Shuwa."
M)
The garden owner says, "The air in this unpolluted garden is sweet and strong. If I had done nothing to the girl's (Nausicaa's) body, her lungs would have spurted blood."
Nausicaä returns to the polluted world immediately but shows no signs of physical illness. Although the film does not clarify this, the garden's owner has undoubtedly remade Nausicaa into a "new body that can live in both polluted and clean environments."
The people of the civilisation who created "Schwa's Tomb" and the "Garden" had the technology to create humans who could adapt to polluted and clean environments. Still, they deliberately remade modern humans to live only in contaminated environments.
N)
The reason is apparent. The creators of "Schwa's Tomb" and "The Garden" saw modern humans, who keep fighting, as "a nuisance that is only necessary in a polluted environment and should be destroyed in a clean world".
O)
The Tomb of Shuwa provided the Doruk with "technology to control life." One purpose was probably to force the current humans into repeated wars over the super-technology.
If a war were to trigger a "Great Tsunami", causing the Sea of Corruption to expand explosively, it would eventually lead to an accelerated purification of the earth. Nausicaä and today's humans are also part of the Tomb's "Earth Purification Plan" and are designed to fight repeatedly.
P)
On the other hand, as can be seen from the Tomb owner's words, "Mankind will become part of the new world as a peaceful race" and "The most important thing for humans will be music and poetry", the purified earth they are aiming for is a world that can be called a "tranquil heaven", where conflict has been eliminated.
It is hard to imagine that there would be a place there for the current humans, including Nausicaa, who continue to fight.
Q)
As evidence, the Tomb contained countless cocoons containing human fetuses. Nausicaä calls them "eggs that will become gentle, intelligent humans, not violent like us".
The scene where the God Warrior, whose body was torn in half in the battle with the Tomb, crawls around inside the Tomb and crushes countless "eggs", and the owner of the Tomb cries "Woon Woon" as he bleeds fresh blue blood, is so horrible, cruel and yet beautiful.
Nausicaä destroys the Tomb without hesitation because she has foreseen the Tomb's true intention, which is to "destroy the present human race" through the changes in her body.
