Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

As I was watching Nausicaa for the first time, I saw many similar characteristics in both story and characters compared to Miyazaki's later work, Princess Mononoke. Both films contain strong female leads and have a very similar conflict between nature loving people, war centered people, and nature itself. I found it very strange how Miyazaki borrowed from his own film, especially to this extent. It reminds me of remakes of films, such as Ocean's 11 and Sherlock Holmes, and how the remakes are generally accepted and enjoyed by the public, mainly because of the time gap between the original and the remake. Despite the similarities, Nausicaa is much more female lead centered than Princess Mononoke is, making it less of a mainstream film.
In Princess Mononoke, Ashitaka, the male lead, got a much bigger part in the story than did the boy in Nausicaa did. So much so, that I could even say to some extent that Princess Mononoke's main protagonist is Ashitaka. You can't really say the same for Nausicaa. Nausicaa is definitely the main character (I even forgot the boy's name). This shift in gender role/power makes Nausicaa so much more interesting.
Nausicaa is very complex, in that it has an animistic, religious, and scientific phase. The Tolmekians are narcisstic and ascribe omnipotence to themselves. The valley people respect the toxic forest and the creatures that live in it, making them religious in a way. Science is shown from what Nausicaa finds out about the Earth. Having all three different views in one film makes the contrast between phases visible. The film is really centered on omnipotence and who should receive it. It turns out that a balance of the three is needed in order to maintain peace. The people in the film should be powerful and work hard themselves in order to grow and thrive. The people should also treat the toxic forest with respect and in doing so, recognize the power which it contains. Science should not have omnipotence, but instead should be practiced and understood, just like how Nausicaa understood how the Earth is trying to save itself and it's inhabitants.
The film gives a lot of emphasis on the ohmu. The ohmu is similar to the forest god in Princess Mononoke, in that they both have their own song which plays whenever they are shown. Upon listening to it, I always get this feeling of a majestic palace or control and power, which is pretty much what the ohmu is. It is amazing how Miyazaki makes something so huge and creepy, into something peaceful and caring.

8.8