Hayao Miyazaki's film is one of the classics of Japanese animation. Made in 1984,it was originally entitled NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND
( Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa )The American Version, WARRIORS OF THE WIND, cut by aproximately twenty minutes and English dubbed, was re-released last year by First Independent ( 1993 ).
A thousand years hence, man has destroyed the surface of the earth with terrifying Fire Demons in the 'Seven Days of Fire'. Three main civilizations survived: the warlike Tomekulans and Placedans, and the peaceable Valleyfolk. However, a rapidly spreading Toxic Jungle threatens all three; its plants release poisonous vapours and it is home to giant insects. Seas and lakes have become pure acid. Strong winds protect the Valley from Jungle vapours. Its people lead simple but full lives, farming and using the wind'senergy through windmills. King Zeal rules the Valley, but he is ill after prolonged exposure to Jungle vapours during the constant effort to destroyit. Only his young daughter, Princess Zandra, seeks to understand the ToxicJungle and its creatures.
Ancient legends prophecy that the fighting lands will be united in peaceby a blue-robed saviour who comes to them through a field of gold.
NAUSICAA VS.WARRIORS
Many anime fans will have heard rumours that WARRIORS has been butchered and mutilated .But what exactly are the differences? WARRIORS OF THE WIND has been cut by about 20 minutes to emphasize the action content and speed up the pace. This gives the impression of more violence ( hence the title change to WARRIORS..)while skipping over the deeper ecological and emotional aspects of thestory, and the reason for the Toxic Jungle's existence.
Many 80's English anime dubs were destined for a children's market as 'cartoons'.Most feature narration and dialogue changes from the Japanese original.WARRIORS is no exception; dialogue and scenes which develop the characters or enhance the story have been needlessly removed or edited. As a result,a large proportion of background music has disappeared.
MORAL DIMENSION
Some viewers are confused by the scene where Nausicaa( Zandra ) is trying to stop the wounded baby Ohmu ( Gorgon ) entering the Acid Lake - her clothes turn from pink to dark blue. The change is caused by the blue blood of the Ohmu soaking into her clothes. It was her compassion for the injured Ohmu that fulfilled the ancient prophecy ; she was the saviour that could bring peace to the land.
There are many morals within the story. Only love and understanding, notmindless destruction, could reolve the threat of the Toxic Jungle. The Ohmu realized that Nausicaa was willing to sacrifice her own life to save her people. I also feel the story tells us we shouldn't judge creaturesby their outward appearance. Although most of the Jungle monsters seemed grotesque and frightening to humans, they were naturally peaceful and onlyangered by the human cruelty inflicted on them.
The theme of revenge plays a large part; Kushana ( Celina ) hates the Jungle almost solely because of the loss of her arm. Pejetei ( Placeda ) wants revenge for the Toromekian ( Tomekulan ) invasion. However, when her fatherwas murdered, Yupa shows Nausicaa that the "eye-for-an-eye" mentalityonly results more bloodshed. Even the Ohmu were so overcome by the need for revenge, when she Pejeteins tortured their baby, that they killed thebaby's saviour in their blind anger, and only then understood their mistake.
CONCLUSION
NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND in its original widescreen format has a visual splendour lost in WARRIORS OF THE WIND.However, the music and sound effects of WARRIORS , though cut, are virtually unaltered, and the edited version retains the essence of the original story despite emphasis on the more violent aspects and a faster pace. In my opinion WARRIORS has extremely well-chosen voice actors who put a lot of feeling into their roles - unlike many other English language dubs...The voice actor for Zandra is perfect!
NAUSICAA is still popular among old and new anime fans alike. NAUSICAA started as a manga strip ( Feb. 1982-Mar.1994 )in the pages of the Japanese anime magazine ANIMAGE. An English translation by Studio Proteus was released in monthly installments from November 1988 ( Viz Communications ). In 1989 Viz began producing bimonthly collected editions. The manga is understandably much more complex than the anime, with more characters and storylines,much as the AKIRA manga differs from its anime.
If you are unable to obtain the original anime, or perhaps if you can,but don't understand Japanese , you'll be pleased to know that a two volume "storybook" is available. These large format hardbacks feature the original story in English, with lavish coulour stills from the filmas illustrations.
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