Ceri Young · From fps #1 · March 1, 2005 | It is a thousand years since the Seven Days of Fire, when humanity almost destroyed itself and poisoned the entire Earth. Now, only small communities survive, living outside of toxic jungles where giant insects nest, including the protectors of the forest, the Ohmu. In the Valley of the Wind, Princess Nausicaä and her people have learned to live in a sort of peace with the forest. When an outside airship lands in the valley, bringing poisonous spores with it and an army behind it, Nausicaä's world changes, and she's forced into a struggle against two warring nations to save both her own valley, and the jungle her enemies can only see as an evil.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2005 Originally released theatrically in 1984 117 minutes Shop for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind DVDs and more: Amazon.ca Amazon.com

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and is one of his earliest films. Miyazaki is the director behind the films Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Nausicaä is an ambitious film, one which must do several things. Apart from telling the central story, Miyazaki must introduce a world that has little to nothing in common with our own. Though Miyazaki's films always have a fantastic twist, this is the farthest departure he's made from our reality. It also portrays a very dark reality. No matter how happy the ending, Nausicaä's world is doomed.

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You'll find it and many other articles in the March 2005 issue of fps, available as a free download.