Let me preface by saying that I grew up on Studio Ghibli films and now my children are growing up with them as well, it's been a wonderful experience to watch all of the classics back to back with my son and daughter. My daughter is 2 and 1/2 and she particularly loves Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, Spirited Away and Castle in the Sky. Tonight we sat down to watch Nausicaa, she was captivated as usual which always brings me so much joy. She made a very keen observation that surprised me and honestly just made me feel so proud, let me explain. In the beginning of the movie Nausicaa is exploring the perfectly intact Ohmu shell when suddenly she hears gunfire in the distance, she rushes to a high point to look across the land only to find a large Ohmu chasing down Lord Yupa, after shooting some flare signals she rushes down and flies into action! It was at this point my daughter said "Shes just like Ashitaka". I had never made that connection before! Then Nausicaa flies next to the Ohmu pleading with it to return from where it came! Even saying "Its blind with rage". I was so impressed to see my daughter make that connection, at such a young age too. Proud Dad moment right here. The similarities to the opening of Princess Mononoke when Ashitaka chases the boar down are definitely striking! Very cool indeed. Maybe this is old news that I never read about and certainly didn't puzzle together myself even though Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite films ever.