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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Director: Hayao Miyazaki Number of Items: 2 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen, Animated Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 118 minutes Studio: Buena Vista Home Vid Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-02-22 Buy from Amazon |
 "A must buy for long time Miyazaki fans, as well as new ones."I was a little hesitant to buy this version of "Nausicaa". This is my absolutely favorite Miyazaki film. It was the first movie of his that I ever saw, and made me an absolute fanatic for his work. I have two fan bootlegs and an (*ahem) import Chinese version of this movie. I even imported the soundtrack from Japan over 15 years ago. There were two reasons I was hesitant to buy this. First, infamously, when "Naussicaa" was first released in the U.S. as "Warriors of the Wind", it was ridiculously edited, missing large portions of the movie. That release was so awful that Miyazaki did not release another movie in the U.S. market until the early 90's video release of "My Neighbor Totoro". Second, with the bare bones release of Disney titles, I didn't know what else this movie would have to offer over the other versions that I have. I am so glad that I bought this! First off, the voice overs are very impressive. Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos, and Mark Hamill all do a wonderful job, and match the characters very well. Standing out in the cast, though, is Alison Lohman. She matches the inflection and emotion of the Japanese voice artist very well. I am an avid subtitle fanatic, but with this impressive cast, it was no problem watching the movie in English. As a bonus, there is a Japanese soundtrack for purists, with subtitles having a more exact translation. Did I mention that the video transfer is beautiful? It is. For a bonus feature, there is a featurette on the history of Studio Ghibli, starting from its inception, up to the release of "Monoke Hime". As an avid Miyazaki fan, this alone was worth the price of the disc. Seriously! I haven't even watched the second disc of bonus material, but any anime fan will want that featurette. For those who have stumbled across this film because they have seen "Spirited Away", or they see the Disney name, I think you will be happily surprised by "Nausicaa". I don't have kids, but there are some sophisticated themes in this movie, as well as a demon and some violence; so I think you'd probably be safe showing this to a 10 or 11 year old. As with most Miyazaki films, the main character of the film in an incredibly strong an complex girl, which I think is a wonderful thing for the younger generations to see in a movie. For those who have never seen the movie, Naussica takes place far in the future after the world has been virtually destroyed by environmental damage as a byproduct of war and industry. Poisonous forests and giant insects have taken over much of the world; yet, some kingdoms and small villages still survive, managing to stave off the advances of the forest. The Valley of the Wind is a small kingdom that has managed to survive by trying to find a balance with the forest around it. (These are themes that Miyazaki will visit again in "Princess Monoke".) The embodiment of this attitude of balance and respect for nature is held in the young princess of Valley, Nausicaa. Soon, outsiders come crashing into the little village and disrupt the life in the Valley, and Nasicaa is forced to grow and deal with situations beyond her control. This is a simply wonderful, and magical film. 18 years ago I was a fan of loud, violent, nasty, and grotesque anime. Then, when I saw "Nausicaa" at an anime convention, it opened me to an entire new world of film. Miyazaki is the master of making movies that people of all ages can enjoy. In my opinion, he does this better than Disney. He never dumbs-down or panders his films for the younger audience. He creates young characters who are strong, and yet still show the weakness, indecisiveness, and playfulness of youth. His young characters are never sappy or, even worse, precocious. This is a film for everyone, whether you love anime, animation, or film. "Defense of the agri-community"Monday, June 13, 2005 / 5 of 5 / Defense of the agri-community Going back through the Miyazaki catalogue after Spirited Away, Mononoke, and Lupin I hit Nausicaa first. Like the prior mentioned two, this is another 5 star effort with nature and personal growth at its heart. A young girl, a princess, attempts to save her peaceful agri-centered valley from twin dangers. The industrial complex of a warring nation and the monstrous slug like insects that are treated as apocalyptic harbingers. As usual, a young beau is thrown into the mix and they must rely on their wits and inner courage to save the day. Sweeping once again with glider rides and war machines of the air, Nausicaa doesn't disappoint. Highly recommended. "Excellent!!"Even though Nausicaa is the first full-length film made by Miyazaki, it is the last one I watched. In fact I have watched Howl's Moving Castle before watching Nausicaa. If Howl is the most beautiful hero Miyazaki created, then Nausicaa is the most beautiful heroine. Miyazaki's later adventurous film usually start with a bang and the story reach a climax after a few minutes into the film e.g. Spirited away and Howl's moving castle. With Nausicaa the story moves more slowly in the beginning to pave way for the climax toward at the end of the film. I highly recommend you to watch Nausicaa because it is one of Miyazaki's best work. "Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind is truly amazing!"Wow! I've finally got to see the uncut version of Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, the very first masterpiece by the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli! Sore wa Sugoi Desu Yo! (Japanese: It's so awesome and amazing!) Everything is so awesome; the soundtrack, the voicework, the story, the action scenes, the art work, and every thing else is so perfect, and well done too. Everything has been refined to the state-of-the-art level, which is what Studio Ghibli has been famous for. What's more, the message for peace, perseverance and prosperity, along with harmony and enviornmental protection and balance, have really touched deeply in my heart right from the start. Overall, I'd like to say "Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu" to the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli for their great masterpiece, and shall give them 5 out of 5 stars for outstanding performance! "Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind is really awesome!"Wow! I've finally got to see the uncut version of Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, the very first masterpiece by the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli! Sugoi Yo! (Japanese: It's so awesome!) Everything is so awesome; the soundtrack, the voicework, the story, the action scenes, the art work, and every thing else is so perfect, and well done too. Everything has been refined to the state-of-the-art level, which is what Studio Ghibli is famous for. What's more, the message for peace, perseverance and prosperity, along with harmony and enviornmental protection and balance, have really touch my heart right from the start. Overall, I'd like to say "Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu" to the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli for their great masterpiece, and shall give them 5 out of 5 stars for outstanding performance! |
