Fortnite Got A Lot Messier This Year https://ift.tt/OnyYgkS Epic has spent the past few years trying as hard as it can to will the Fortnite metaverse into being--and now, at the end of 2025, it's actually starting to look like it's getting there. Things are still very messy, but Epic's moves in that direction--which frequently seem to involve trying random things just to see what happens--may have finally borne fruit. Back at the end of 2023, Fortnite attempted to usher in its metaverse in earnest by launching Fortnite Festival, Rocket Racing, and Lego Fortnite all at once. It didn't quite work, because all three were half-baked and missing key features. The only way to play Racing was in Ranked, Festival lacked instrument support and still doesn't have a practice mode, and Lego Fortnite had the feel of a generic early-access survival game wearing Lego clothing. Two years later, we've got a much prettier picture, but not because Epic went all in on those modes...
Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Box Set is on sale for an excellent price at Amazon. Normally $80, the 1,104-page, slipcased collection is discounted to only $47.89. Nausicaa is Miyazaki's only manga series, and the hardcover box set collects the complete story arc. Amazon's current price essentially matches the best deal we've seen all year ($47.61)--and that deal didn't stick around for long. Amazon estimates orders placed today will ship within one to three weeks.
Viz Media originally printed the Nausicaa manga box set in 2012, and the publisher has kept it in print ever since. That said, the box set has been out of stock at Amazon more often than not this year. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Box Set would make an awesome gift for a Studio Ghibli fan this holiday. For a lower-priced gift, check out Miyazaki's illustrated novel Shuna's Journey, which is on sale for 50% off at Amazon.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Box Set compiles all seven volumes of Miyazaki's beautifully written and illustrated manga into two premium hardcover books totaling 1,104 pages. Each oversized volume has lovely watercolor cover art and endpapers painted by Miyazaki. The books are packaged in a decorative slipcase featuring original artwork by the author. In addition to the books, the box set includes a fold-out, watercolor poster of Nausicaa, the princess of the Valley of the Wind.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is best known as an animated feature film written directed by Miyazaki. The movie premiered in 1984, two years after the manga debuted in Japan. The manga was still in its early days when Miyazaki penned the script for the movie. As a result, the roughly two-hour feature film is a condensed interpretation of Volume 1 with some plot points and themes from Volume 2.
The manga concluded in 1994, a full decade after the movie's release. So if you've only watched the movie, you have roughly 1,000 pages of story to experience for the first time. Viz Media first printed the English translation in 1990, and the full story has now been available for English readers to enjoy for nearly 30 years.
The series is also available in trade paperback, but all seven volumes would cost you roughly $86 right now.
If you don't own the film adaptation, you can pick up Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind's Steelbook Edition for $18.89 (was $27) at Amazon. The Steelbook is actually cheaper than the standard edition right now. If you don't care about steelbook cases, Walmart has a Studio Ghibli 2-Film Box Set with Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke for $20. All of the Blu-ray editions of Studio Ghibli movies come with a DVD, too.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind technically isn't a Studio Ghibli movie, as it premiered one year prior to the formation of the studio. But while Castle in the Sky is Studio Ghibli's first official movie, Nausicaa is widely viewed as a Ghibli movie these days. All of the Blu-ray and DVD releases are marketed with Studio Ghibli's name attached.
The manga and adaptation are set in a distant future where humanity has turned the world into a toxic wasteland, forcing survivors to live in domed cities that can protect them from the poisonous air and the giant mutant insects outside. Enter Nausicaa, a princess on a quest to stop a militaristic faction from gaining control of an ancient weapon that could spell the end of everything.
It's a story with quite a few similarities to Princess Mononoke--another Studio Ghibli film with a strong message regarding mankind's attempts to dominate nature constantly--and like that beautiful fantasy movie, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind has gorgeous visuals and fantastic character designs. So it makes perfect sense why the two are paired together in the Walmart-exclusive 2-Film Set.
For even more on Nausicaa, check out the official art book for the movie and the collection of watercolors illustrated by Miyazaki while working on the manga and adaptation. There's also a 214-page picture book adaptation for middle grade readers.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Companion Books
For even more on Nausicaa, check out the official art book for the movie and the collection of watercolors illustrated by Miyazaki while he developed the manga and adaptation. There's also a 214-page picture book adaptation for middle grade readers and the a collection of the original storyboards for the movie. The picture book is in English, but the storyboards are in Japanese.
Nausicaa is Miyazaki's only manga series, but he has authored a small number of other original stories, including Shuna's Journey. The illustrated novel was published in Japanese in 1983 and translated to English in 2022. You can buy a hardcover edition of Shuna's Journey for $13.81 (was $28) at Amazon. Miyazaki wrote and created the watercolor illustrations for this book. If you love Ghibli films, chances are you'll love Shuna's Journey.
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