Movie Nausicaa is an Enchanting Masterpiece Nausicaa of the Valley of the’ Wind , 2005 - Walt Disney/Studio Ghibli _ Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Br SEAN DOBBYN STAFF WRITER Nausicaa of ‘the Valley of the Wind originally premiered in‘Japan in 1984 by the artists who later founded Studio Ghibli, the studio behind such cele- brated works as Princess Mononoke and-2002 Academy Award winner, Spirited Away. . This past February, for the first time, Nausicaa was made available to North American audiences uncut and faith- fully recreated on DVD. Canadian’ film lovers should be thankful; for this film is an amazing piece of work. The greatness of Nausicaa comes from the character dynamics used to subdue the possibility of this story being regarded as a simple play on good and evil. Despite the large amount of conflict present in the film, no one here can be seen as a villain. Everyone is human, and everyone is just trying to change the world accord- ing to what they believe to be right. Rarely is such a thoughtful outlook on the nature of humanity present in CD Manga 10 _ MARCH 9, 2005 film; let alone animation. This themat- ic material, along with the present eco- logical message is what made me fall in love with Miyazaki’s work when’ I first saw Princess Mononoke years ago. "Phe film’s opening scenes do a solid job of introducing the post-apocalyp- tic scenario where the story is ‘set. Human civilization was all but wiped out more than a thousand years ago, and the traces of human kind left are under constant threat from a spread- ing toxic forest. Guarding this toxic forest are armies of terrifyingly huge insects, some of which are large enough to give the sandworms of Arrakis a run for their money. Nausicaa herself, is a teenage princess of the Valley of the Wind, a peaceful region protected from the toxic forest by an offshore breeze. Her home is inevitably drawn into conflict when a foreign aircraft crashes near her village with a cargo that compet- ing nations are willing‘to fight over. Nausicaa is a high-spirited, yet mature minded girl, who sees past the imme- diate quarrels of humans and insects and comes to empathize with the very things that threaten her and her peo- ple’s existence. Nausicaa’s English dub features such voices as Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart and Uma Thurman. The dub itself has some emotional inconsisten- cies, but is generally better than most anime adaptations Purists will be happy to find that the original uncut Japanese dub is included in the DVD as well as English subtitles. The film also features a beautiful musical score by Joe Hisaishi, a man who is definite- ly no stranger to the works of Miyazaki. His compositions capture the wondrous freedom associated with the film’s obsession with majestic flight. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a timeless masterpiece. Lying some- where between the serious thematic and visual subject matter of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, Nausicaa will not alienate older audi- ences in the least. In fact only older audiences will be able to appreciate the film to the upper degrees that it deserves. It may be twenty years old, but the animation is still certainly capable of inciting awe. The charac- ters and story are marvelous regard- less, and make the film worthwhile just for that. . Nausicaa is an enchantingly epic tale.that I recommend to everyone. Escaflowe is a Disappointment The Vision of Escaflowne Katsu Aki Tokyopop 2003 Br DANA SCHWEHR STAFF WRITER It is often the case that popular anime series are based on a story originally told in manga form. It is more rare to find a manga series based on a popular anime. One almost never finds a manga that was based on an anime, but appeared on the market before the original anime did. That is what happened in the case of the Vision of Escaflowne manga series by Katsu Aki. He based his series on the concept that was used for the popular TV show, but his manga was published serially before the anime was finished. Vision of Escaflowne is the story of a high-school girl who gets trans- ported to a different planet, where the Earth can be seen in the sky, She is told that only she can power the mystical Escaflowne, which is ‘the gigantic robotic armor that is the guardian of the kingdom of Fanelia. It turns out that Escaflowne’s protec- tive abilities are needed, as the evil Zaibach Empire is out to take over the world, and Fanelia is next on its list. That being said, I have to make clear that this manga is disappoint- ing at best. The artwork is generally cluttered, and the art was not pro- portional at times. Of the two main characters, one is a terrified crybaby, while the other is an obnoxious ass. The story is not bad, and while it shares main points with the anime, the two storylines are quite different. Fans of the original TV series may be disappointed with this telling of the Escaflowne story. Lay It Down Kids These Days Br TRAVIS NIELSEN DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Sometimes the things we think are impossible are the things that turn out to be the best. This certainly holds true’ for the’ quintet: ~ sof musicians/songwriters who have dubbed themselves Kids These Days. Their music is a new and smooth hit on classic indie-rock with what seems like influences from Radiohead and Cracker in their songs. What sets them apart is the well-paced, smooth tunés that ease up to the ears and relax the mind. The band itself is a simple collective of musicians started by Marc Mornissette. All the members of the Aa neeeneer nena sehen pty. ete ne tn SPS tN i band write the songs, and a few of them share the job of being lead vocalists. Their debut album, titled All these Interruptions, has the first ten songs written by the band, starting with the smooth and pleasing song ‘About Every Twelve Hours’ and going through a series of well written tunes, ending with a great piece called Aging Friends. They maintain a fluid, yet rapidly changing melody in their songs through the change of singers and mood as the songs progress. Overall, Kids These Days produce a quality sound that is sure to move up the charts fast, playing tunes that will keeps us wanting more. Kids These Days will be performing in Prince George on March 19th. If you have heard them before or want to see the concert, please contact the CFUR radio office for more details. Different Stars Trespassers William Netwerk Records Br TAYNA ALVAREZ STAFF WRITER Trespassers William’s album Different Stars is like cough syrup, something that should be taken in small doses and not when you need to be operating a vehicle. Anna- lynne Williams has a very bleak out- look on life and love. The music is a. West Coast kind of folk mixed with a little blues and a country twist that blends beautifully, but also depress- ingly.. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the songs on this album, but this is not a disc to listen to all at once. Even Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill: had moments where she claimed that love was a happy thing, Re en AS MOH ee This album is full of a haunting type of music with very well written lyrics. Anne-lynne’s voice is remark- able. There is no doubt about her talent, or the band’s talent, once the audience gets past the initial shock of how grim love is in William’s eyes. There are a few songs to take note of on this album. The second song, Lie in the Sound, is being featured in the One Tree Hill soundtrack and is about unhealthy love. Most of the songs run along the same line in almost the same’ tempo. Different Stars has received a lot-of attention after being played live at KCRW (a non-commenal station based at Santa Monica College). However, the best song is a rendition of Ride’s Vapour Trail. It is hypnotically beau- tiful in its sadness and simplicity. This album could be great, if people don’t mind it being such a downer.