Synopsis: People of the Desert

Miyazaki wrote a manga for a children's newspaper that is more like a graphic novel with minimal dialogue bubbles and most text is outside of the frames. Despite this, the story is surprisingly dark and touches on themes of war, betrayal, and the ugliness of human nature. The influence of Tezuka Osamu can be seen in the art style, but Miyazaki's later works such as "Nausicaä" can also be detected. In fact, this manga can be considered a prototype of "Nausicaä." Several characters also meet their demise throughout the story.