Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most recognizable anime directors of all time, but before his famous films like Nausicaä or Princess Mononoke, he released the graphic novel Shuna's Journey. Though it's one of Miyazaki's more obscure works, a closer look reveals it's actually the blueprint for some of his most iconic films. With Shuna's Journey just recently translated to English, it's never been a better time to revisit this classic.
Released in 1983, Shuna's Journey tells the story of a young prince named Shuna as he journeys beyond his kingdom in an attempt to end his village's famine. Along with his reindeer mount, Yakul, Shuna wanders through a harsh and desolate land that tests him at every turn. Eventually, Shuna encounters a bustling city that trades in slaves, leading him to meet a girl named Thea. Though the graphic novel was exclusively Japanese for a time, that recently changed as First Second Books released an English translation of Shuna's Journey.
What immediately sticks out about Shuna's Journey is how it contains so many elements that Miyazaki would later incorporate into his films. While Miyazaki's Nausicaä manga began a year prior to the release of Shuna's Journey, it's hard not to see visual similarities between Thea, and Nausicaä. There are also obvious comparisons to Princess Mononoke, with Shuna possessing a slight resemblance to Ashitaka, right down to both sharing the same reindeer mount in Yakul. More than any concrete recycled ideas though, Shuna's Journey captures the spirit that would make Miyazaki's work world-famous. Themes of environmentalism and preserving your identity in a harsh world are all present and welcome. Still though, it would be a mistake to think Shuna's Journey is only for Miyazaki aficionados.
Why Shuna's Journey is such a Breathtaking Work of Art
Copyright © 1983 Studio Ghibli
All rights reserved.
First published in Japan by Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd.
Ignoring everything else, Shuna's Journey is nothing short of gorgeous. Miyazaki's watercolors here are distinctive and give the story such a unique character. Though the narrative is heavy on narration, it's almost unnecessary, as the art does so much work in conveying the action and mood of every single scene. There are pages in Shuna's Journey that are nothing short of breathtaking. Though the narration is a little overbearing at times, it starts to click into place once it's clear that Shuna's Journey is intended to be read as a myth or legend. It's not difficult to imagine this story told around a campfire by some trusted elder.
The release of Shuna's Journey in English should earn the attention of not just any fan of Miyazaki, but any fan of comic or manga in general. Though most in the west might not be familiar with Shuna's tale, it's a beautifully told adventure that still resonates almost forty years after its original release. Do not miss out on Shuna's Journey.