I don't think that Miyazaki Hayao is as well known in America for his manga work as he is for his animation work. Most people probably know him from movies like PRINCESS MONONOKE and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE. But before all that, he started a little old manga that took thirteen years to complete and has sold over ten million copies alone in Japan—NAUSICAÄ. Fortunately, all of it is available to you in four convenient graphic novels.

In the far distant future, the world has been cleansed in what was known as the "Seven Days of Fire." Whole civilizations (and their highly sophisticated technologies) were lost in this apocalyptic war. The remnants of humanity survive in a small pocket of land surrounded by the "Sea of Corruption," a vast forest of fungi and insects, which gives off a poisonous gas known as miasma.

In this pocket of unpolluted land exists two large kingdoms: The Dorok Empire and the Kingdom of Torumekia with the Autonomous States of the Periphery adjacent to it. From one of these periphery states, the Valley of Wind, comes a gentle young princes named Nausicaä. Nausicaä is different from other people because she has a empathic bond with the environment, and with the race of giant insects called the Ohmu that have evolved in the wake of the ecological disaster that swept the Earth.

In order to comply with an ancient treaty, Nausicaä and a couple other warriors must leave their Valley and join up with the Torumekian army in their invasion of the Dorok lands. On this journey Nausicaä will face death, war, destruction and the truth behind the Sea of Corruption and the Seven Days of Fire as she tries to bring peace to the world and save what's left of the ecosystem.

One thing that strikes the reader is the similarities to that other Miyazaki epic, MONONOKE. Both stories deal with man's struggle with nature and with each other, as well as with the effects war and violence have on society. One might also say that the two main characters in both stories are the same, but that is untrue. While both Nausicaä and San (the wolf-girl from MONONOKE) have a love for nature, the comparison ends there.

The character of Nausicaä got her name from a Phaeacian princess in the ODYSSEY who was very fond of nature and had a sensitive personality. To Miyazaki, this character reminded him of a Japanese heroine that was a member of the royalty but who was considered unmarriageable and eccentric because of her love for insects. Nausicaä is pretty much a compilation of the two characters. San, on the other hand, is far more aggressive than Nausicaä and has no problems with killing.

Miyazaki's artwork is detailed, to say the least. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It is good because the panels are just beautiful to look at. It is bad because the size of the manga causes the panels within to be very small, and some of these panels are just crammed with detailed artwork. That can sometimes cause some confusion about what is happening to which person during an action scene.

NAUSICAÄ is one of those stories that should be read by any fan of manga and anime. And even you if you aren't a fan, you should read it anyway. It is just that good. Though I do have one warning if you do decide to read it: because there is so much going on in the story, I suggest that you don't allow a substantial amount of time to pass between reading each volume or you will not get the full effect of the story as a whole. I recommend that you try to read all four volumes over the course of a week. Also, re-reading the previous volumes before starting a new one helps as well. In fact, the story gets better the more you read it. I have already read the series about three times and it just keeps getting better. NAUSICAÄ definitely belongs in any manga collection.