I’m watching the Ghibli movies in chronological order, so after Nausicaa comes Laputa: Castle in the Sky
“Be careful what you wish for” is normally the theme of this kind of movie, but in this case it’s more like “Wish for whatever you want, just don’t be mean to other people while doing it.” Wanting to find the legendary Laputa wasn’t a bad thing in and of itself, and as Pazu said, someone would probably have found it eventually. In fact, if the bad guys had treated Sheeta and Pazu a little better, they might have cooperated willingly (Pazu especially, seeing how eager he was to find it). So they really got what they deserved in the end for their child-kidnapping robot-killing town-blowing up ways.
Laputa is more child-friendly than Nausicaa as well. It’s not half as preachy and Pazu and Sheeta feel more like regular kids just having a fun adventure. What a lovely movie. But the castle itself is such a sad place. I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch it again for a while, but it was a great experience nevertheless.
