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Miyazaki hints at possible 'Nausicaa' sequel

10 Comments

For all of Studio Ghibli’s acclaim, the famed House That Miyazaki Built has never once put out a direct sequel to one of its works. While various thematic threads run through all of Miyazaki’s films, the man, for all his genius, apparently lacks the attention span to stretch a concept into two films. That or he was just really hates the idea of tacking numbers to his movies’ titles.

However that may change soon if comments Hayao Miyazaki made at a recent interview promoting his latest film and ode to tobacco smoke, "The Wind Rises," are to be believed.

While appearing for a one-on-one interview during the TBS Saturday morning talk show, "Osama no Brunch," Miyazaki indicated that he’s open to the idea of a sequel to his 1984 film, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" – his sophomore film as a director and one of his most cherished by fans. The only catch is he wouldn’t be doing the film himself.

That honor would apparently go to acclaimed "Neon Genesis Evangelion" director Hideaki Anno.

Anno and Miyazaki’s relationship goes back a surprisingly long way: Anno originally met the director when he was selected to help animate the original "Nausicaa." Reportedly, Miyazaki was so impressed with Anno’s drawing talents, he gave the man animating duties for some of the film’s most complicated climax scenes. That, in turn, opened the door for Anno to helm the original "Evangelion" series.

Since then, Anno had long expressed an interest to Miyazaki in creating a sequel to "Nausicaa," which makes sense as the film is actually an adaptation of just the first third of an epic manga series.

“I have no interest in doing a sequel to Nausicaa,” Miyazaki said on "Osama no Brunch." “But these days I think if Anno really wants to do it, he should.”

You can see the interview below. During the interview, Miyazaki also reveals a fun fact about "My Neighbor Totoro" -- Mei, protagonist Satsuki’s little sister, was written into the film last minute – explaining why she’s absent from the iconic bus stop scene on original film posters.

Source: My Game News Flash

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Can you find your favorite Ghibli characters in this portrait of Hayao Miyazaki? -- Plenty of smoke in Ghibli’s ‘The Wind Rises’ -- Evangelion Director Shocks the Anime World

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10 Comments
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Miyazaki's movies for Studio Ghibli are usually written so it's really difficult to have a sequel--even Porco Rosso had an ending that would have made it difficult to have one. This is why I find it very intriguing that Miyazaki is open to the very idea of a sequel to Nassicaä and the Valley of the Wind.

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Raymond.

Nausicaa the movie is the 1st of a book/manga series he wrote, so there is enough materials for sequels. Story wise you could say that mononoke home is the final as yet unwritten book.

Neko no onegai is also a sequel to mimi wo sumaseba.

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The Nausicaa manga continued for years after the film came out, there is plenty of good storytelling left to animate there.

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Sequel = running out of ideas in the movie/anime business.

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I saw Nassicaä and the Valley of the Wind long ago. It would be nice to have a sequel, but then I have to watch the first part again to refresh my memory about the story. I acknowledge that I don't really like the masculine, especially heroic, aspect of the main character, although as a young boy (over 20 years ago) fascinated by aircraft, I really fancied her motorized flying wing :)

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Totally disagree with the assertation that the director "apparently lacks the attention span to stretch a concept into two films."

Most sequels are nothing more than cash grabbing attempts before the milk cow runs dry.

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I agree with gokai,

I'm glad he never does sequels, all his work is fresh and really good. There are several I don't like, but they too are generally well made.

If the sequel's well-done, fine. But too often it's a waste.

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The manga was amazing, and I'd love to see more... but the movie killed the Giant Warrior... where the Giant Warrior kinda played a HUGE role in the manga (See: Without him, the plot cannot continue). So I don't really know how they would follow that particular story.

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I loved Evangelion episodes 1-17 though after that the rest of the series fell apart and became a psychological nightmare. The OVAs and alternate endings in the more recent versions were rushed and ill-conceived. I fear that Nausicaa 2 could suffer the same perverseness and distort the true message it delivered. As long as the story doesn't go down the EVA path there may be a lesson to be taught/learned.

Nausicaa had themes that children at first could not understand wholly until they had re-visited the film at an older age to understand the true lesson that was being conveyed. It was a direct criticism and reflection of nuclear war (weapons of mass destruction) that transformed the planet into a toxic wasteland in which the inhabitants had to endure suffering caused by their predecessors. The poison and toxic air were the results of the processes of nature cleansing and purifying the soil that humans tainted.

My other Miyazaki favorite is Laputa, Castle in the Sky, which is also a criticism of government political elite and their relentless pursuit of technology and power in the name of science, at the expense of civilians and commoners. Based on Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's travels, the floating island of Laputa is an eerie depiction of India's ancient Vhimana of legend (weapons of mass destruction that Hitler himself was obsessed over), a forbidden technology mankind should never have wielded in which man ultimately destroyed himself(Atlantis). Miyazaki's films may be controversial but the life lessons conveyed are so deep that 15 years later the films still bring tears to my eyes. The themes of "end of innocence", suffering, retribution, redemption, and recovery are masterfully intertwined on a canvas that only a few genres like anime can deliver (or gently insert into the sensitive, impressionable minds of youth). I am grateful these stories exist for they educated the Japanese youth(and adults) of the day to be peaceful and loving, and to cherish our one and only mother Earth. Lastly, like Evangelion, they stressed the importance of resting our hopes for the future in our children, that we mustn't breed hate and animosity into our youth culture (Blue Skies For Our Children). Perhaps Anno shouldn't make a sequel but instead a prequel - the events that led up to why Nausicaa's world was how it was. The VERY first scene of Nausicaa is so powerful and melancholy I cannot forget it to this day. IMO, He should [not] redo the End of Nausicaa.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

That is the point there is a continuation in the manga and the original Nausicaa's ending don't need to be touched.

Every ending is also there start of something new.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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