Nausicaä, Written by Hayao Miyazaki

'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind' is a story about a young girl (Nausicaä) that takes place in the poisoned world Torumekia many years in the future. The young girl, barely into her teans has to lead her nations people into a fight against invaders from across the oceans, in an combined army of the neighbouring nations.

Not only does she have to watch for danger from the invaders, but also her allies. The leader of the combined armies wants nothing more than to remove her brothers from her nations throne, and will trample on anybody in her path.

From the blurb on the back of the first volume...

In the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien comes an epic environmental cautionary tale created by world-renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki!
Humanity, in hts hubris, ahs percipitated a devastating ecological disaster. Flourishing industrial civilizations have been swalled up and Earth is covered with the Sea of Corruption, an enormous forest of fungi that releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air.
Nausicaä, a genle young princess, has an empathic bond with the giant mutated insects that evolved in the wake of the destruction of the ecosystem. Traveling by cumberson flying ship, on the backs of giant flightless birds, and perched atop her beloved glider, Nausicaä and her allies must negotiate peace between kingdoms battling over the last of the world's precious natural resources...

This story is well worth the read. The depth of character, and the delightful world that is emoted is a feast for both mind, and eyes.

Volumes, Perfect Collection (Viz)