Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind OST CD, booklet front
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ Kaze no Tani no Naushika) is probably the first Ghibli film that I watched–if I remember correctly, the one I saw in the Philippines was the much maligned, heavily cut English-dubbed Warriors of the Wind, which is reportedly derided by Miyazaki himself.
I have watched the original version of course, and it has since become one of my favorite films, with repeated viewings throughout the years.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind OST CD, booklet back
Nausicaa has a number soundtrack albums. This album (Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind Soundtrack: Toward the Far Away Land) contains the actual music that was used in the film.
If you’re a fan of the movie, this album is perfect background music on lazy afternoons when you’re reading a book or doing light chores around the house.
Listening to the opening song, you can picture Nausicaä cruising silently over the Sea of Decay on her Mehve.
Nausicaa Opening Scene
Track listing
| Track | 曲名 Title / [English translation] | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 風の谷のナウシカ オープニング Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Opening) [Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (Opening)] | 4:39 |
| 2 | 王蟲の暴走 Ohmu no Bousou [Ohmu Stampede] | 2:35 |
| 3 | 風の谷 Kaze no Tani [Valley of Wind] | 3:14 |
| 4 | 虫愛ずる姫 Mushi Mezuru Hime [The Princess Who Loves Insects] | 3:12 |
| 5 | クシャナの侵略 Kushana no Shinryaku [Kushana’s Invasion] | 3:29 |
| 6 | 戦闘 Sentou [Battle] | 3:11 |
| 7 | 王蟲との交流 Ohmu to no Kouryuu [Interchange with the Ohmu] | 1:39 |
| 8 | 腐海にて Fukai nite [In the Sea of Decay] | 2:33 |
| 9 | ペジテの全滅 Pejite no Zenmetsu [Annihilation of Pejite] | 3:51 |
| 10 | メーヴェとコルベットの戦い Mehve to Korubetto no Tatakai [Battle Between Mehve and Corvette] | 1:17 |
| 11 | 蘇る巨神兵 Yomigaeru Kyoshinhei [Resurrection of the God Warrior] | 3:29 |
| 12 | ナウシカ・レクイエム Naushika · Rekuiemu [Nausicaä · Requiem] | 2:55 |
| 13 | 鳥の人ーエンディング Tori no Hito (Ending) [Bird Person (Ending)] | 3:48 |
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind OST CD case, disc and booklet
Inside the CD booklet is this short introduction to the story:
Beautiful Nature and Nausicaa
Because beautiful nature still remains, people are shouting loudly, “Let’s treasure nature!” and “Let’s stop the destruction of nature!” What will people shout when beautiful nature is completely destroyed? In the movie “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” Hayao Miyazaki sets the future of Earth’s nature–the sea is a world where not a trace of beauty remains. On the contrary, it is depicted as a vast forest of poisonous fungi, and people are not even allowed to enter. What’s more, instead of the beautiful chirps of small birds, it is inhabited by disgusting giant insects called Ohmu and Ushiabu. Naturally, the people living in this era despise these insects and the Sea of Decay, and do not shout “Let’s treasure nature!” However, fools who, out of ambition, plan to burn down the sea and take the world for themselves appear in this era as well. This type of people are similar to modern people who want to conquer nature and achieve prosperity through scientific civilization.
However, what is different from today is that in this time, burning the Sea of Decay meant the extinction of humanity. Nausicaä despairs at the reckless plan of the people. She is the only one who intuitively realizes this. Nausicaä leaps into the sky and jumps onto the Mehve. At that moment, a miracle occurs. Nausicaä points out to the people that unless they live in harmony with the nature called the sea, which they despise, there is no future for humanity. Perhaps that future will only last for a short time. The film does not say whether humans can survive for only a short time or forever. The author himself does not know the answer yet. The author himself will probably look for the answer in the serialization that will soon be resumed. Anyway, the first half of the film was quite enjoyable, so Hayao Miyazaki’s cry at the end of the film is heartbreaking.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind OST CD, case back