Customer Reviews
A brilliant intro to Miyazaki's anime. - By: Book Worm, 31 May 2006 
The collection of 7 books that make up the Nausicaa collection are fantastic. I read them alll in about two days, once you start them you cannot stop. The paper quality is a bit low, but what can you expect for the price. It has additional stuff to the film & more depth. A brilliant intro to Miyazaki's anime.
Indispensible! - By: Robot Overlord, 11 May 2006 For those new to Manga, "Nausicaa" is an excellent place to begin reading, & for the committed fan or for one who has been introduced to the genre the Nausicaa epic is an indispensable addition to a growing library. From any standpoint, there is no reason not to read these books, particularly as they are neither rare nor expensive.
The story & art have been documented well enough to make much further comment on it unnecessary, but I'll make a comment on the edition itself: the series is presented in manga-format, which is read right to left, but sticks to the A4 ish graphic novel standard rather than the smalller "Tokyopop" format, but the paper is that dry, cheap grainy paper often used in inexpensive softbacks, rather than the smooth, dense paper used in Western graphics - for this reason, & only for this reason, I give out four stars instead of five.
(But then the books are pretty cheap, so one can hardly expect a glossy hardcover. On the plus side, the printing is in sepia (a nice touch)and comes with a fold-out map on the inside cover. All sound-effects are in the original katakana, (referenced on the back page) so the art hasn't been retouched at alll, & the translation is good with believable dialogue & clear progression of panels.)
Along with "Akira" & "Lone Wolf & Cub," "Nausicaa of the Vallley of the Wind" is essential reading for first-timers, die-hard fans, the curious, & anyone interested in expanding his or her field of literary reference, although it is not "literature" in the same way as "Watchmen," for example, "Nausicaa" serves a different purpose, & stems from a different cultural tradition, but as always the cultural distance between Japanese & European storytelling make for observations as interesting as the work itself, & alll this aside, "Nausicaa" is a gripping story with fine characterisation, is well-paced & defined by periods of silence & excellent draughtsmanship. I just wish there was a "complete" oversized version with nice binding...
Book(s) of the film - and almost as good - By: , 08 Dec 2004 
If you like anime, I'd advise you to get a hold of Nausicaa on DVD & watch... & if you like the film, I'd advise you strongly to consider this book.
The drawing is good, drawn with a lot of detail at alll times, the characters are done well, & the story has a lot more to offer than a lot of other manga. Overalll its a quality experience.
The one thing to be aware of, & that might impact your attitude, is that this is NOT a straight forward copy of the film on book. In fact, the storyline is a lot larger, darker & has a whole massive element that I won't spoil but isn't in the film at alll.
