Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
by Hayao Miyazaki · first published 1993
80% recommend20% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Sprawling, beautifully drawn manga set in a post-apocalyptic valley, following its heroine. It is a strong entry point into the series, with striking art and story, and extends well beyond the film.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Emperor Namulith needs Princess Kushana's cooperation to unite the warring Dorok and Torumekian empires. And a mutant strain of mold is consuming everything it comes in contact with.
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Definitely agreed, if you've got kids Totoro and Spirited Away are good excuses to become introduced to Miyazaki's work. If you like the anime film of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, it's worth checking out the manga drawn by Miyazaki between 1981 to 1994, over a thousand beautiful B&W pages [1] It is a very sophisticated work that stands on its own and really deserves more attention. He is
on “The Tale of Studio Ghibli” ↗I enjoy Miyazaki films, a lot. My favourite is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind[1] but all of them are beatiful pieces of art. I also encourage people who do not know Miyazaki to see some of his works. Princess Mononoke is a good one to start with. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica%C3%A4_of_the_Valley_of_...
on “The Tale of Studio Ghibli” ↗If I had significant wealth, one of the things I'd do would be to try and commission Miyazaki to make another film in the same veins as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind or Princess Mononoke. Maybe adapting his earlier Shuna no Tabi manga, which was also great. I'd even settle for something more kid-friendly like Castle in the Sky or Spirited Away. I know money probably…
on “Miyazaki has used the art of animation to study the major problem of adult life” ↗…* GEB:EGB - Hofstader * The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas * Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister * The Mythical Man Month - Brooks * Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig * Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗If you read one manga, read Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, by Hayao Miyazaki. Yes, that's the same Miyazaki who is the famous animation director. It's after midnight and I'm not feeling particularly eloquent, but it will be worth your while. Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausicaä_of_the_Valley_of_the_W...
on “Japan: It's Not Funny Anymore” ↗If you're gonna include manga, Miyazaki's 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind' needs to be at the top of the list.
on “Willingham Sends Fables into the Public Domain” ↗Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Made me realise how little what we build matters, as most knowledge will be lost in an extinction event regardless. Since then I care less about quality and meaning in my work, and just roll with the…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2020?” ↗It's one of the underlying threads of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Both the Anime and Manga are fantastic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausicaä_of_the_Valley_of_the_...
on “Insects are more sensitive than they seem” ↗Overlocalization (and censorship) happened much more in the much earlier days of English anime (like the time when Pokemon came out). There isn't a real lot of that now because the fanbase wants true to the original translations. I have been out of the anime loop for a while now but that is my understanding. The NA release of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind comes to mind - it was released as Wa
on “How American Fans Pirated Japanese Cartoons into Careers” ↗The Burnout Society - Byung-Chul Han The Disappearance of Rituals - Byung-Chul Han Outlive - Peter Attia (This felt like a complete waste of attention) An Emotional Education - School of Life/Alain de Botton The Story of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Hayao Miyazaki Plants from Test Tubes - Lydiane Kyte; John Kleyn; Holly Scoggins; Mark Bridgen Some b
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗