Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the story follows a young woman named Nausicaä, who is the daughter of her village chief. She is also a capable fighter, explorer, engineer, pacifist, and has an adorable Fox-Squirrel friend named Teto.
Anyway, the world has been overtaken by a strange new species of fungus, which can be toxic to humans. The survivors have lived in relative peace with most of the other settlements. That is until one day when a neighboring village is set on conquering the known world. Nausicaä tries her best to prevent a war that could devastate the entire planet and render all humans extinct in the process. If only they could see the world the way she does.
Nausicaä is, hands down, one of my favorite examples of a compelling female character. As I mentioned in my Ghost in the Shell review some time back, I commented on my disdain for films and television shows that continuously draw attention to their female leads. In many cases, it feels as though they are trying too hard to show off how progressive they believe themselves to be. Other times, it's almost as though they are perpetuating an impractical idea of feminism. A perfect example of feminism done wrong, at least in my opinion, is the recent Charlie's Angels movie co-written and directed by Elizabeth Banks.
How NOT to feminism
For the record, I like Elizabeth Banks, and I completely understand and appreciate her intentions with the film. I have no doubt that her heart was in the right place. Unfortunately, her execution was a complete failure. See, if you were to use her version of Charlie's Angels as a guide to feminism, which I highly discourage you from doing, it basically comes down to this: All women are good and competent, whereas all men are stupid and selfish. While I do not deny that it can feel like that a lot in the real world, this notion does not reflect what feminism is about. At least, not to me, personally. In my mind, feminism is, among other things, about tearing down the old and dangerous assumption that women are less capable of certain things. It's about not being thought of as a separate entity that needs to be treated differently or is more complicated than expected. This is why whenever someone claims that it's too challenging to write women characters, especially protagonists, what I'm hearing is, "I'm under the delusion that women are not human and therefore cannot have any relatable conflicts outside of motherhood."
This is why I find Nausicaä to be a shining example of true feminism. When she does something incredible in the film, the fact that she is a woman is never brought up. She, like everyone else around her, is a person. She has talents, skills, and a personality that her people admire and appreciate. Absolutely none of these qualities have anything to do with her gender. In other words, too many Hollywood writers spend too much time trying to understand how to write women characters, whereas Miyazaki just writes characters who happen to be female. It's not rocket science, it's simple humanity.
Aside from the distinct visual style, there are many traits associated with Miyazaki. Fascination with flight, the wonders of nature, and robust female characters. All of which can be found in this film. Along with his usual sense of whimsy. One of the most fascinating aspects of Miyazaki's work is his talent for creating universally appreciated stories. He is one of those rare filmmakers who can present a story that can be enjoyed by just about anyone. Some may describe it as being "family-friendly" while I would prefer to think of it as being "conscientious." Miyazaki puts a tremendous amount of thought into his stories to tell them in a manner that reflects genuine maturity without ever talking down to the audience or undermining their intelligence. Even when Miyazaki is making a story intended mainly for kids, his mature convictions still shines through. If only more animation film studios would take a hint from Miyazaki.
DON'T GET ME STARTED!!!
Something else I find to be so fascinating is the lack of a villain. Yes, there is an antagonistic force that provides the necessary narrative conflict, but none of the characters in this film are necessarily evil per se. Everyone is driven by the same desire to survive and maintain a peaceful existence with the new natural world. Only for that peace to be disrupted by fear and the illusion of control. Only by understanding the way nature works and learning to coexist with it can we hope to provide ourselves with a peaceful existence. Many other films have tackled this notion, but few have ever hit the nail on the head like this one.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a beautiful and heartfelt film that, in my opinion, best showcases the fantastic talents of Hayao Miyazaki. This is a perfect film for introducing newcomers to Miyazaki, and indeed to Anime itself. I highly encourage you to seek out this movie and give it a watch. It will take you on a journey like no other.
And that concludes this year's theme month, Anie-May. I hope I have sparked your interest in the art form of Anime. Thank you all for joining me on this journey. Maybe we will go down this road again sometime. Until then, stay safe and take care as we return to our regularly scheduled program.
Well, maybe not just yet. I mean, movie theaters are still closed at the moment but don't worry. There is still plenty of content to explore on Netflix and Amazon. Also, I recently added Hulu to my Disney+ subscription. So I've got a whole world of stuff to check out. Don't know if I should be excited or afraid, so let's find out together.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.
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