Nausicaä: More Than Just an Eco-Fable?

Okay, oliviacinema here! Been thinking about Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind AGAIN. I feel like everyone talks about it as this environmentalist masterpiece (which, yeah, it IS), but I wonder if there's another layer to it that people sometimes miss? I'm talking about the themes of pacifism and, honestly, maybe even a critique of… saviour complexes? Think about it: Nausicaä is constantly trying to understand the Ohmu and the Toxic Jungle, striving for coexistence instead of destruction, which is what like... 90% of the other characters are doing. But, and this is key, her passion to understand and protect, while admirable, almost gets her killed multiple times. Remember the scene where she shields the baby Ohmu? In the moment you're rooting for her, but she's lowkey throwing herself into danger and is arguably making things worse. She's so certain of being right that she almost ignites an even bigger conflict. It's messy! And then you have Kushana, who seems like the antithesis of Nausicaä at first. War-hungry and determined to eradicate the jungle with fire. But she's acting out of trauma and fear. So I wonder if Miyazaki is arguing that absolute pacifism as a philosophy, as beautiful as it is, needs to be balanced with understanding the motivations, even the ugly ones, of those who choose violence. It's not enough to just be right. You have to actually connect with people and challenge their viewpoints from a place of understanding. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but that's what makes this movie so endlessly fascinating, right? What do you guys think? Is Nausicaä’s unwavering belief in goodness a strength? Or a potential pitfall? Let me know your thoughts!