Princess Mononoke vs. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

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6 comments

Both are amazing Miyazaki works that involve some sort of environmental issues, but Mononoke wins out by a hair. Kodama FTW!

Few films were as disappointing for me as Nausicaa. Wouldn't've recognized it as a Miyazaki film if I hadn't gone in knowing that. Princess Mononoke is signature Miyazaki. His best.

they have an extremely similar plot but Monoke has more polish

I enjoyed both of these films to a certain degree,but I enjoyed Nausicaa slightly more visually.

Both are awesome. I liked Nausicaa more than I though I would but Mononoke is my favorite Miyazaki film.

I saw Nausicaa after Mononoke and it felt like more of a rough draft. But I have a friend who saw Nausicaa first and feels like Mononoke is a pale imitation, so maybe we're all influenced by which one we saw first (I'm guessing it's usually the later film).

Both are great. I really love Mononoke Hime, it's an awesome movie; but Nausicaa is my favorite Studio Ghibli movie. (:

I saw Mononoke first, but still choose Nausicaa. I think this is mainly because of the main female character; as interesting as San is, she's not exactly a charmer. Totally understandable considering she was raised by wolves and wouldn't know how to be personable if her life depended on it. Nausicaa has the right balance of idealism and strength, which makes her and the movie more appealing to me.

I'll go Nausiacaa. Possibly because it was my first miyazaki film, but I also adore the creatures in it.

Princess Mononoke is my favorite movie of all time, Nausicaa is top 20.

I saw Mononoke first, and it absolutley floored me. it was the most epic animated adventure i've ever seen. then i saw Naussicaa, and i was very impressed with the animation and grandness of this epic, but it didn't have the depth and the interesting characters of Mononoke. Naussicaa herself is pretty two-dimensional, and it's not very subtle about it's eco friendly message. but i still really like it:)

Both are among Miyazaki's very best. It's Mononoke for me, but Nausicaa is an extraordinary film as well. Seeing it (Nausicaa) again today reminded me of just how emotionally powerful it is.

These are both very powerful, very striking ghibli films. I think I have to go with mononoke though, but just barely. The visuals are just a little more beautiful.

Princess Mononoke is easily my favorite Miyazaki movie. It's the only one of his that I would call truly great. Nausicaa is like an unrefined and boring version of Princess Mononoke. It's an easy pick.

Disappointed the first time I saw Nausicaa but I loved Mononoke. Looking back, I fell oppositely. I'm going with Nausicaa.

I guess it is preference of genre but I enjoy Nausicaa more

Probably my two favourite Miyazaki films. I think Mononoke edges it slightly.

Nausicaa is like an early, unpolished version of the same ideas and story explored in Princess Mononoke. The latter is a greater film for a lot of reasons. 1) The animated action is some of, if not the best action sequences I've ever seen in any movie. When its not delightfully gory and visceral, it's melee duels of pure visual craftmanship. 2) (SPOILERS) The ending has far more emotional weight. In Nausicaa, the day is saved, and disaster is averted. In fact, the ending was so weak compared to Mononoke that I can barely recall it. Mononoke, on the other hand, is bittersweet and powerful, because everything is destroyed but there is still hope. This also makes the environmental message heavier. 3) The male side character in Nausicaa is now the protagonist in Mononoke along with Mononoke herself, and the contrast between them is increased. In Nausicaa, he's just from a neighbouring society, and plays hardly any role in the movie. In Mononoke, they're equals, and the movie makes their not-quite-relationship an allegory for the world around them, instead of just happening to be together in a story and world otherwise unimpacted by that. 4) Lady Eboshi is a superior, and more ambiguous antagonist, with real motivations. Eboshi is Miyazaki's best "unvillainous antagonist." 5) This is the most subjective, but the art style and creature designs in Mononoke are much better than in Nausicaa. Some standouts from Nausicaa however are the bug designs, the toxic forest underground, and the laboratory, but Mononoke has such lively towns and villages, and the design of the forest spirit is better than anything in Nausicaa. That's all my reasons.

Princess Mononoke for now.