'Our lives are like the wind... Or like sounds. We come into being, resonate with each other... Then fade away.'
I really shouldn't be surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, but I guess it speaks to Hayao Miyazaki's immense talents that he can still surprise me. The man is a master. One of the most intensely creative minds that I know of, and up until now I had consumed his work only in his animated films. Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle.. Yeah, you've probably heard of him. Having never seen the movie adapted from this manga all the way through, I was excited to dive into a Miyazaki world with somewhat fresh eyes.
Miyazaki has built a truly incredible world here, you get a sense of that from the very beginning; and his artwork brings it all to life in a way that only he can. One thousand years ago humanity engaged in a war termed the Seven Days of Fire which left the planet reeling and largely destroyed. As a result the world has been contaminated by the aptly titled Sea of Corruption -- a massive forest of poisonous spores and giant insects which thrives and spreads wherever the spores touch. Just one breath of these spores can kill, so the remnants of humanity have settled outside of the Sea's clutches, in areas where the spores cannot reach. One such area is the Valley of the Wind, home of our protagonist Nausicaa. And what a character she is. She who still feels the bond between humanity and nature, understands love for all living things even when the natural world has become a thrashing pool of hostility. She understands that the natural world will persist. It was there before human beings, and it will be there after. And she does anything and everything she can to protect it. This leads her on a wild journey through a war-ravaged country, and envelops her in secrets lost to humanity..
Speaking of the ravaging of war, Miyazaki fans will not be surprised to find a deep and complex relationship between two opposing sides; the Torumekians and the Doroks. Nor will they be surprised to find many satisfying aerial combat scenes (Miyazaki has a thing for fighter planes). The battle scenes in this book are surprising in their brutality and realism, even in a book with giant insects and telepathic power. Some of the panels do get a little busy and cluttered, but these moments are far outweighed by the beautiful and detailed artwork.
Strong female characters are basically a Miyazaki trademark, so it is no surprise that the two best characters here are Nausicaa and Kushana. One who commands the love and respect of everyone around her, and one who demands the loyalty and adoration of the same. That is not to say that the other characters are negligible; Mito, Master Yupa, Asbel, Ketcha, Chikuku, Miralupa, Ohma.. Miyazaki instills personality into all of his characters. Even the small ones.
I can't say enough good things about this book. It went right up on my favorites shelf and I'd already like to read it again, since I read 1000 pages of it and it still wasn't enough. Even the book itself is beautiful. I bought the complete edition on Amazon (for a very fair price) and it is gorgeous. It came in two hardcover book with their own slipcase, full color artwork on the cover and on the first few pages of each volume, and a two-sided poster of Nausicaa and Teto. It is well made and feels like it will last. Which is a good thing since I now want to force my friends to read it as well so it is sure to pass through many sets of hands.
In summation and to cease my rambling, Hayao Miyazaki is a special creator. You owe it to yourself to not only read this manga, but to dive into his animated works as well. I've never finished a work of his and been disappointed. I don't expect I ever will.
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Reviews with images
Increíble
Simplemente fascinante y maravilloso. La obra de Miyazaki es increíble, tal como lo es esta edición. El pedido llegó con extrema rapidez, dos semanas antes de lo aproximado, prácticamente a la semana siguiente de comprarlo (Soy de Chile). El box set llegó en perfectas condiciones, a su vez, la calidad del mismo es impresionante. El cartón de la caja es sólido y los colores bellos. De la misma forma, los tomos son impecables; la encuadernación es muy buena y ambos se sienten firmes, los colores y detalles de las portadas son excelentes. No obstante, recomiendo que a la hora de leer las primeras páginas se sostenga la portada con la mano hasta llegar a un punto en la lectura en que se pueda recostar el libro sobre su lomo, pues me da a mí la sensación de que dejarlo caer sin mas podría afectar a la portada (También esto podría hacer que el lomo se despegue un poco. En mi caso, la parte baja del Tomo 1 se separa un poco, pero es solo en este tomo, y es un detalle tan ínfimo que casi ni vale la pena mencionarlo)Continuando, las páginas a color son simplemente hermosas, hechas de un material más plástico y grueso que se siente de buena calidad (parecido al papel fotográfico). El gramaje de las hojas normales también es adecuado, sin llegar a ser muy gruesas, se percibe rápidamente que no se arrugarán o destrozaran con cualquier roce. Hay momentos en los que se transparentan un poco, pero esto es debido a la presencia de negros más fundidos en las hojas siguientes, nuevamente, un detalle no muy relevante a menos que seas demasiado exigente. En adición, el set viene con un agradable poster de dos caras, que más allá de las maravillosas ilustraciones no hay mucho que destacar sobre él, aún así es un detalle que hace mucha ilusión poseer.Personalmente lo encuentro un set que vale totalmente la pena comprar (y si lo encuentran en oferta lo vale aún más jaja) No solo para aquellos que somos fans de Miyazaki, sino para todos aquellos a los que le interese tanto una buena historia como una excelente pieza para añadir a su colección de libros o mangas. Es fascinante y estoy muy contento con el producto, lo recomiendo altamente.Eso sí, para aquellos que hablen español, el set solo está en inglés, importante
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