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Comics - Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind February 22, 2005 
A series of comics written and illustrated by Hayao MiyazakiMy earliest memory of when my parents first got cable TV--I was maybe ten--was one afternoon catching the second half of an extraordinary film, which I'd thought was called "the Valley of the Wind." All I remember now is images of water burning like acid, a young woman on a hang glider, multi-eyed bugs the size of airships, and a cartoon character actually bleeding. I searched the channels guide in the newspaper for weeks, and never did have another chance to see it. American cartoons were never imaginative enough for me after that. And one of the first things I did in college when I realized what a great research tool the internet could be, was learn that the film was based on this comic series, which has since become my Lord of the Rings: it's an epic fantasy steeped in thematic--but not overt--allegory, and it speaks to me in a way that I think Tolkien's work speaks to his biggest fans. It's a post-apocalyptic adventure of the young warrior-princess Nausicaa--whose character is a hybrid of the Phoenician princess who healed Odysseus in Homer's The Odyssey and "The Girl Who Loved Insects" from the Japanese fairy tale of the same name. Perhaps it is this melding of cultural origins that strikes me as such an original voice, when Tolkien's western influences (and Tolkien himself) had been pillaged for all they're worth by the time I was old enough to read. Allegedly the film version (also by Miyazaki), after numerous false and changed release dates, will finally be released today on DVD in the US. They're actually advertising it this time on TV and in the Best Buy ads so it's probably real this time. But I'll believe it when it's in my hands. If Miyazaki's Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Kiki's Delivery Service are anything to go by, I'd wager it'll be the most imaginative film I'll see all year, no matter what I remember or don't remember. I've been waiting to see this film for almost two decades. But if that excruciating delay took me on a detour that introduced me to the original comic, I've got nothing to complain about. Filed under Journal, Peers & Peerless  
Comments: Discuss this entry at LiveJournalHey Alex, I was going to get this for my daughters Posted by: John A at March 6, 2005 11:01 AM 
Hey John. Let me know if you'd like to borrow them (I have the first four books), or a Mayazaki film or two. Posted by: alex at March 6, 2005 6:14 PM
by Alex Wilson. This is from an online journal/blog I kept from 1998-2009. Back to alexwilson.com. |