Here's a breakdown of the key themes discussed in the Hacker News thread, along with supporting quotes:
Grave of the Fireflies' Impact and Emotional Weight
Several commenters emphasized the intense emotional impact of "Grave of the Fireflies," with some finding it deeply disturbing but also acknowledging its artistic merit.
- "Grave of the Fireflies is the most emotionally disturbing movie I have ever watched (including non animes). It is a masterpiece but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone." - randomNumber7
- "It's the only movie that I liked that I'd only want to watch once." - iamwil
- "It was definitely not a barrel of monkeys, but I think it is an important expression of the costs of war on the innocent, and the effects of societal inequality in general. It's powerful in a way that statistics cannot deliver. You'd also be hard pressed to find a better story of unconditional love, duty, sacrifice, and maturity." - pchristensen
- "Utterly devastating." - BriggyDwiggs42
- randomNumber7 clarified: "I actually have seen old boy and it is an order of magnitude less disturbing."
The Nausicaa Manga vs. The Film
A recurring theme was the superiority of the "Nausicaa" manga over the film adaptation, with many users strongly recommending readers explore the original source material.
- "Also the secret truth about the world in Nausicaa (not going to spoil it here) has been copied by several other animes and video games since, it's been very influential." - HideousKojima
- "Worth mentioning that the manga is itself drawn by Miyazaki, and that he originally stipulated that it should never be made into a film. Fully agreed that the manga is far more beautiful and complete than the film." - kibwen
- "Like others I want to recommend the manga. It's a masterpiece and in my opinion Miyazaki's Magnum Opus." - omnee
- "The messiah theme is much stronger in the manga." - brazzy
Kapura added that the manga's completion after the film allowed for the development of more complex themes, "... the expanded freedom allows the story to be expanded in every direction. Many of the themes present in later Miyazaki works (stuff like redemption for certain villains) are absent from the film but have time to develop in the manga."
"Warriors of the Wind" and Dubbing
The discussion also touched on the early English adaptation of "Nausicaa," known as "Warriors of the Wind," with some users expressing a paradoxical fondness for its flaws.
- "Don't forget how horribly the first English adaptation of the film went too." - KeepFlying
- "Was the plot completely butchered...? Yes. Were there gaping narrative discontinuities...? Certainly. But that 80s voice acting in the English dub... chef's kiss. The guy who voiced Milo("Asbel" in the movie) was the voice of Leonardo from Ninja Turtles and Kaneda from original dub of Akira!! (Cam Clark)If I watch any version, I watch Warriors of the Wind. It really is the "Hollywood version" of Nausicaa. Yeah, the newer one is better, but it doesn't hold a candle to the manga so give me that 80s synth and big hair voice acting any day. Also I was like 5 when I saw it so nostalgia goggles." - upghost
- "It wasn’t that bad. It cut a few scenes but most of the movie is still there perfectly intact. It even won film festival awards." - InvisibleUp
Nausicaa as a Christ-like Figure
Several commenters noted the interpretation of Nausicaa as a Christ-like figure, citing her sacrifice and resurrection. * N_Lens quoting research that had been done previously stated: "Nausicaä serves as a Christ-like figure, while both Morgan (2015) and Nunes (2021) believe that Nausicaä serves as an example of how to restore balance between humans and nature." * "I thought this was intentional, cause she sacrifices herself then gets resurrected, also visuals like https://www.mother-god.com/images/nausicaa.jpg and https://beneaththetangles.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/507..." - frollogaston * "The visuals of her sacrifice and resurrection are very similar to Neo’s sacrifice in Matrix pt 3" - mmustapic
Environmentalism and Miyazaki's Themes
The thread recognized the environmental themes prevalent in Miyazaki's work, specifically regarding "Nausicaa".
- "It's certainly his biggest world, and the themes of climate change and environmentalism are directly relevant." - echelon
- N_Lens quoting research that had been done previously, "When analyzing Miyazaki’s films, including Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, often the messages regarding warfare’s effects on the natural world focus more on the direct impacts rather than the indirect ones."
Recommendations for similar anime and manga
Many commenters recommended similar anime and manga, some to increase the trauma and others to discuss similar themes.
- jpecar: "And if you want an anime series that you can classify like this, check out "Now and then, here and there"."
- echelon: "There is no work from Miyazaki that should be more relevant to us on HN than Shuna no Tabi (シュナの旅, Shuna's Journey). It reads like Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", and the themes are incredibly prescient for the world we're about to be living in."