What do you think?
Rate this book
Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
An epic fantasy written and illustrated by the legendary director Hayao Miyazaki!
An addition to the perennially popular line of Studio Ghibli art books—which include interviews, concept sketches, and finished animation cels—of classic animated films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, based on his own manga, was released in 1984 and has been a cult classic ever since. In a long-ago war, humankind set off a devastating ecological disaster. The earth is slowly submerging beneath the expanding Sea of Decay, an enormous toxic forest that creates mutant insects and poisonous spores. Beyond the sea lies the Valley of the Wind, a kingdom of barely 500 citizens and home to Nausicaä, who risks everything to save her people and bring peace and health to the valley. Includes sketches, developmental water colors, cel animation, and more.
An addition to the perennially popular line of Studio Ghibli art books—which include interviews, concept sketches, and finished animation cels—of classic animated films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, based on his own manga, was released in 1984 and has been a cult classic ever since. In a long-ago war, humankind set off a devastating ecological disaster. The earth is slowly submerging beneath the expanding Sea of Decay, an enormous toxic forest that creates mutant insects and poisonous spores. Beyond the sea lies the Valley of the Wind, a kingdom of barely 500 citizens and home to Nausicaä, who risks everything to save her people and bring peace and health to the valley. Includes sketches, developmental water colors, cel animation, and more.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
5 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Hayao Miyazaki
366 books3,507 followersHayao Miyazaki (Japanese: 宮崎 駿) is a celebrated Japanese animator, filmmaker, screenwriter, and manga artist, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of animation. He is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, the animation studio responsible for producing many of Japan’s most beloved and internationally acclaimed animated films. Over the course of a career spanning decades, Miyazaki has developed a reputation for creating visually rich, emotionally resonant stories that often explore themes such as nature, pacifism, flight, childhood, and the human condition.
Miyazaki was born in Tokyo and developed an early interest in drawing and animation. His father’s work in the aviation industry had a significant influence on him, particularly in fostering his fascination with aircraft and flight, motifs that would become prominent throughout his later works. After studying political science and economics at university, Miyazaki began his professional career in animation when he joined Toei Animation. There, he worked under the mentorship of directors like Isao Takahata, with whom he would later form a lifelong creative partnership.
In his early years at Toei and other studios, Miyazaki contributed to several television series and animated films. He worked as a key animator and storyboard artist, gradually gaining recognition for his storytelling abilities and attention to detail. Among his early projects were contributions to series such as Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Future Boy Conan. His directorial debut in feature films came with The Castle of Cagliostro, a film adaptation of the Lupin III manga series, which already showed signs of his distinctive style and sensibilities.
Miyazaki's breakthrough came with the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, based on his own manga. The success of that film prompted the establishment of Studio Ghibli, which he co-founded with Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. From that point forward, Miyazaki directed and wrote many of Ghibli’s most iconic works, including My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle. His films are known for their hand-drawn animation, strong character development, and philosophical underpinnings.
In 2001, Miyazaki directed Spirited Away, which became one of the most critically and commercially successful animated films of all time. The film received numerous awards and international recognition, including an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It also became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history at the time of its release. The film’s success further solidified Miyazaki’s reputation as a master storyteller and a visionary in global cinema.
Despite announcing his retirement several times, Miyazaki repeatedly returned to filmmaking. His later works, such as Ponyo and The Wind Rises, continued to showcase his evolving themes and storytelling maturity. His most recent project, The Boy and the Heron, marked a highly anticipated return to the director’s chair and once again captivated audiences with its dreamlike visuals and emotional depth.
Miyazaki’s films are often distinguished by their complex female protagonists, environmental messages, and moral ambiguity. Rather than presenting clear-cut villains and heroes, his stories explore the nuances of human behavior and often focus on characters finding their place in the world. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades and honors for his contributions to the arts, including lifetime achievement awards recognizing his impact on both Japanese and international cinema.
His legacy continues to influence generations of animators and filmmakers worldwide, and Studio Ghibli remains one of the most respected names in animation.
Miyazaki was born in Tokyo and developed an early interest in drawing and animation. His father’s work in the aviation industry had a significant influence on him, particularly in fostering his fascination with aircraft and flight, motifs that would become prominent throughout his later works. After studying political science and economics at university, Miyazaki began his professional career in animation when he joined Toei Animation. There, he worked under the mentorship of directors like Isao Takahata, with whom he would later form a lifelong creative partnership.
In his early years at Toei and other studios, Miyazaki contributed to several television series and animated films. He worked as a key animator and storyboard artist, gradually gaining recognition for his storytelling abilities and attention to detail. Among his early projects were contributions to series such as Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Future Boy Conan. His directorial debut in feature films came with The Castle of Cagliostro, a film adaptation of the Lupin III manga series, which already showed signs of his distinctive style and sensibilities.
Miyazaki's breakthrough came with the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, based on his own manga. The success of that film prompted the establishment of Studio Ghibli, which he co-founded with Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. From that point forward, Miyazaki directed and wrote many of Ghibli’s most iconic works, including My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle. His films are known for their hand-drawn animation, strong character development, and philosophical underpinnings.
In 2001, Miyazaki directed Spirited Away, which became one of the most critically and commercially successful animated films of all time. The film received numerous awards and international recognition, including an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It also became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history at the time of its release. The film’s success further solidified Miyazaki’s reputation as a master storyteller and a visionary in global cinema.
Despite announcing his retirement several times, Miyazaki repeatedly returned to filmmaking. His later works, such as Ponyo and The Wind Rises, continued to showcase his evolving themes and storytelling maturity. His most recent project, The Boy and the Heron, marked a highly anticipated return to the director’s chair and once again captivated audiences with its dreamlike visuals and emotional depth.
Miyazaki’s films are often distinguished by their complex female protagonists, environmental messages, and moral ambiguity. Rather than presenting clear-cut villains and heroes, his stories explore the nuances of human behavior and often focus on characters finding their place in the world. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades and honors for his contributions to the arts, including lifetime achievement awards recognizing his impact on both Japanese and international cinema.
His legacy continues to influence generations of animators and filmmakers worldwide, and Studio Ghibli remains one of the most respected names in animation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Read
September 18, 2019I have been wishing for an Art of Nausicaa for a long time, as the The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions only looks at the watercolour illustrations and concept art and not a movie as the whole. 35 years later, Viz have translated it!
The book starts with some of the initial concept sketches by Hayao Miyazaki followed by some close ups of the tapestry from the opening credits and sketches for it. After this, it goes through the movie looking at concept art, background cells and film stills from different scenes. There’s then a section looking at animation techniques within the movie, and lastly, on cheaper quality paper, a text by the Animage Editorial Division about the production of the film (this has been taken from a serial in the Animage magazine).
There are some differences from this and some of the more recent ‘Art of…’ books. I think this is the first produced and you can see where later ones have improved. Other ‘Art of...’ books I have read included comments from various people involved in the film as they go through the movie characters. This doesn’t have of that. In comparison ‘The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions’ has Miyazaki’s thoughts and comments on them which I find much more informative and interesting, and make it feel more personal. There’s no script at the back which is something I had hoped there would be, given that scripts appear in the others. I do appreciate that Viz decided to just keep it the same as the original but it’s something to bear in mind in comparison to others in the series.
Translation-wise I felt that some parts were awkward or a bit hard to follow. Some bits like ‘Although it’s a simple, it’s not actually used very much’, could have been fixed with a better proof read. They also have not translated the annotations on a couple of the concept drawings – the same drawings in ‘The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions’ do have translations, so why couldn’t they do it for this too?! I was a little puzzled in that what clearly looked like backgrounds used in the film were all labelled concept art.
The quality of the film stills varied throughout. Some were absolutely fine, but others were really grainy and the colours off. Generally, these were quite a small size so it had less of an impact, but it seems a shame. Only the stills seemed affected and not any other images on the page so I don’t think it’s a printing issue.
In the end, I prefer The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions as the quantity of concept art and Miyazaki’s thoughts really gave you more insight and new material. However seeing some of the techniques used on the film cels used in this, such as the use of camera work and the construction they came up with for the ohmu’s movement was really interesting.
The book starts with some of the initial concept sketches by Hayao Miyazaki followed by some close ups of the tapestry from the opening credits and sketches for it. After this, it goes through the movie looking at concept art, background cells and film stills from different scenes. There’s then a section looking at animation techniques within the movie, and lastly, on cheaper quality paper, a text by the Animage Editorial Division about the production of the film (this has been taken from a serial in the Animage magazine).
There are some differences from this and some of the more recent ‘Art of…’ books. I think this is the first produced and you can see where later ones have improved. Other ‘Art of...’ books I have read included comments from various people involved in the film as they go through the movie characters. This doesn’t have of that. In comparison ‘The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions’ has Miyazaki’s thoughts and comments on them which I find much more informative and interesting, and make it feel more personal. There’s no script at the back which is something I had hoped there would be, given that scripts appear in the others. I do appreciate that Viz decided to just keep it the same as the original but it’s something to bear in mind in comparison to others in the series.
Translation-wise I felt that some parts were awkward or a bit hard to follow. Some bits like ‘Although it’s a simple, it’s not actually used very much’, could have been fixed with a better proof read. They also have not translated the annotations on a couple of the concept drawings – the same drawings in ‘The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions’ do have translations, so why couldn’t they do it for this too?! I was a little puzzled in that what clearly looked like backgrounds used in the film were all labelled concept art.
The quality of the film stills varied throughout. Some were absolutely fine, but others were really grainy and the colours off. Generally, these were quite a small size so it had less of an impact, but it seems a shame. Only the stills seemed affected and not any other images on the page so I don’t think it’s a printing issue.
In the end, I prefer The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions as the quantity of concept art and Miyazaki’s thoughts really gave you more insight and new material. However seeing some of the techniques used on the film cels used in this, such as the use of camera work and the construction they came up with for the ohmu’s movement was really interesting.
May 27, 2023
I could stare at the art in here forever.
Compared to the Castle in the Sky art book, I felt as though there was less information and in-between process art provided but I absolutely love this world and the creature design so I'm glad I have it. I now have the art books for both of my favourite Ghibli movies and can stare at them whenever I want. That brings me so much joy.
Compared to the Castle in the Sky art book, I felt as though there was less information and in-between process art provided but I absolutely love this world and the creature design so I'm glad I have it. I now have the art books for both of my favourite Ghibli movies and can stare at them whenever I want. That brings me so much joy.
Read
November 12, 2023fought through this with google translate as my sword. i love this damn movie
September 19, 2019
A few years ago I went on a Miyazaki art book kick and got all of the VIZ editions. At the time, Nausicaä was oddly absent, but in its place was the collected manga and a larger Watercolor Impressions book that didn't 'match' the dimensions and presentation of the other 'Art of' books. Well this year it was finally rectified and we have the Art of Nausicaä proper. As with the other books, this is a collection of the pre-movie conceptualized sketches and art as well as some final cells from the anime feature. The paper is relatively heavy, glossy and attractive like the others in the series (note the Watercolor Impressions book is heavier stock but matte vs. glossy). There's about 20 pages worth of explanations of the special effects employed in the movie and further editorial stories from the serialization of the manga. A great book all told, recommended! (j4.)
June 12, 2022
Not just pictures from the film. Lots of concept art, explanations of the animation process, and a detailed history from the publisher of the manga about adapting Miyazaki's manga to film.
May 5, 2021
5 stars for the art, 3.5 for translation. I have the original Japanese edition and this one is worth the wait but incomplete. All the printed material from the original is faithfully translated, with a great inside view of the techniques and spectacular effects used in the film. But none of the notes in the concept art were translated. Maybe the designers wanted to preserve Miyazaki-sensei’s handwriting, but when you’re staring at a full page of diagrams, cutaways and side views filled with notes and the caption just says ‘Mehve design’ or ‘Valley of the Wind (Miyazaki concept sketches’ it can get a little frustrating. A few of the watercolour sketches are surprisingly low resolution as well.
I hate to be a sour note when the other reviews for this book are so stellar, but as an illustrator and visual developer whose whole career was basically started by this film I was hoping for something more in-depth. This is a feat of film knowledge but a lot of the more personal and specific magic that went into the building of this world was lost, just because it was written by hand.
I hate to be a sour note when the other reviews for this book are so stellar, but as an illustrator and visual developer whose whole career was basically started by this film I was hoping for something more in-depth. This is a feat of film knowledge but a lot of the more personal and specific magic that went into the building of this world was lost, just because it was written by hand.
July 17, 2021
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful book and probably essential for completists. It’s divided into a visual and written section. I did enjoy the art, but what I missed was more insight into the creative development, instead there’s an over reliance on reproducing film frames and the production art is provided with only short generalized captions. So while it’s useful as a shelf reference, it’s not particularly illuminating (although the elastic ohm rig was exciting to see!). My gut feeling is that this was produced so long after the fact that much of the process is lost and forgotten. Some of this is made up for by the all text production diary at the end that details the journey from comic to screen. It’s an interesting overview that covers making an ambitious film in a crazy tight schedule, but it still doesn’t offer much in the way of creative insight. I always felt that Miyazaki was inspired by Moebius when creating Nausica. It stands out from just about everything else he’s done. None of that is here. Still, I’m happy to have a book that I can grab and remember the movie by, but I was hoping to get deeper into the inspiration.
January 5, 2023
Pravo uživanje za fanove, uz par kritika.
Neke ilustracije su premale (baš ne moramo da čkiljimo), a nije da nema prostora na stranicama da se makar malo razvuku. Tu i tamo se primeti da im je falio lektor, ali ne smeta. Ono što mi zaista nedostaje je više referenci na srodne Mijazakijeve radove (tipa Laputa). Naušika manga se spominje i prisutna je samo kroz omote u boji, a poređenje stripa i animacije mislim da bi doprinelo boljoj informisanosti i prožetosti ova dva dela. Začudo, manga "Shuna's Journey" koja je nastala u istom periodu se uopšte ne spominje, iako su neka vizuelna i narativna rešenja jako slična.
Hajde sad dobre strane: brdo sjajnih pripremnih crteža, cel-ova i tehničkih rešenja. Nisam znao da su dva neostvarena projekta za Animage, Rowlf i Sengoku Majo, uticali na Naušiku. Na kraju knjige imamo esej koji govori o procesu saradnje sa Mijazakijem i rada na filmu od strane uredništva Animage, koji nije toliko pitak za čitanje kao priča, ali zanimljiv ako vas zanima kako su ovi ludaci napravili film za nepunih godinu dana.
Neke ilustracije su premale (baš ne moramo da čkiljimo), a nije da nema prostora na stranicama da se makar malo razvuku. Tu i tamo se primeti da im je falio lektor, ali ne smeta. Ono što mi zaista nedostaje je više referenci na srodne Mijazakijeve radove (tipa Laputa). Naušika manga se spominje i prisutna je samo kroz omote u boji, a poređenje stripa i animacije mislim da bi doprinelo boljoj informisanosti i prožetosti ova dva dela. Začudo, manga "Shuna's Journey" koja je nastala u istom periodu se uopšte ne spominje, iako su neka vizuelna i narativna rešenja jako slična.
Hajde sad dobre strane: brdo sjajnih pripremnih crteža, cel-ova i tehničkih rešenja. Nisam znao da su dva neostvarena projekta za Animage, Rowlf i Sengoku Majo, uticali na Naušiku. Na kraju knjige imamo esej koji govori o procesu saradnje sa Mijazakijem i rada na filmu od strane uredništva Animage, koji nije toliko pitak za čitanje kao priča, ali zanimljiv ako vas zanima kako su ovi ludaci napravili film za nepunih godinu dana.
August 21, 2025
I don’t usually make a point of reviewing non-fiction books but I have some opinions on this one. I did overall find a large portion to be a little too heavy on the technical terms for my liking. There were a lot of traditional animation techniques used for this film (given that it was created in the 80s) as well as some techniques invented. Whilst this was interesting to read, there’s definitely a page limit to my interest in every single camera technique that can be used in a film. That being said, there’s a large chunk at the end taken from an essay in Animage that details the events that lead up to the creation of the film, including the fact that the story of Nausicaä started as a manga being published monthly in Animage Magazine. This answered some longstanding vague questions of mine about the origins of the plot of the film as I’ve always felt it was a snippet of a much longer story. A lovely read, I’d strongly recommend this to anyone interested in animation
November 12, 2020
Nausicaa is my favorite Miyazaki character, and pretty much my number one girl of all time. I adore the ecological message of this film and the way Nausicaa fights for it. These art books are so wonderful, always delivering amazing concept art and additional information about how the films were constructed. This book in particular had some amazing artwork from Miyazaki, just absolutely stunning illustrations. I also had to laugh at the different interpretations of Nausicaa as Miyazaki was first coming up with the story and artwork. Even though I really wanted to wait until I could read Japanese to start reading manga, I think I'm going to have to get the translated Nausicaa box set. This art book has basically sold me on doing this, and I'm so happy I read it.
April 22, 2023
Nausicaa do Vale do Vento é o meu trabalho favorito do mestre Miyazaki. E se é verdade que a banda desenhada permite explorar o mundo pós apocalíptico de um modo muito mais amplo que o filme, este último permite visualizar esse mesmo mundo de um modo diferente. Desde logo, a banda sonora de Joe Hisaishi é em si mesma uma maneira autónoma de contar a história; as cores do filme (ausentes na BD) permitem também perceber melhor como Miyazaki imaginou este mundo. Este livro de arte, para além de muitos esboços e arte conceptual, traz uma longa explicação sobre o processo de animação e as suas diferentes técnicas, bem como um diário de bordo da produção do filme. Essencial na coleção de todos os apaixonados pela história de Nausicaa.
July 25, 2022
Nausicaä is one of my favourite animated films, and it is a great pleasure to see some of the concept sketches, development art, individuals cels and other such details laid out in a very handsome book such as this. There is also a small section at the back documenting some of the technical details about how this film was created, and the production process. It's everything I had hoped it would be.
July 13, 2017
I got the french version of this. I'm just adding this because it's amazing and beautiful. Also, I'm late on my reading challenge
December 25, 2022
Does complete justice to the beauty and production of one of my favourite animated films of all time. Beautiful and easy to follow, with insightful comments and excerpts.
December 15, 2023
Very cool to see some of the original Miyazaki sketches.
July 16, 2022
It's some artwork from the anime film, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind". The art and character design was done by one of my favorite anime directors, Hayao Miyazaki. His animes are incredible, fantastic, adventure-filled and full of wonder. The man is pure fantasy at his finest and his artwork screams that. I really recommend any animes directed by Hayao Miyazaki. You have to see one of his movies before you die. Dead serious. As for the book, the art is downright gorgeous, as expected by Hayao Miyazaki. Ghibli fans would definitely want this in their collection.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews