Shuna’s Journey (シュナの旅 Shuna No Tabi) is a relatively unknown, little gem of a manga illustrated by master animator/director Miyazaki Hayao almost 4 decades ago in 1983 – predating his first major manga/anime masterpiece Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind by a year.
The story tells the tale of Shuna, a teenage boy who must leave his impoverished home and travel to faraway lands in search of food to ensure the survival of his village. Both the story and characters from Shuna resemble a hybrid mix of those appearing in his later films Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, and Tales of Earthsea (directed by his son Goro Miyazaki ). Shuna for example, looks like a cross between Asbel ( Nausicaa ) and Ashitaka ( Mononoke ), Thea like Nausicaa and San, even Ashitaka’s ride Yakkul appears exactly as he did in Princess Mononoke.
I first reviewed the Japanese edition of the manga way back in 2009, but New York based publishing house First Second Books has just released this first ever English edition of the comic, with translations by Alex Dudok de Wit.
One big improvement of this new English edition over the original Japanese version is the larger print size, which shows off Hayao Miyazaki’s stunning watercolor illustrations to even greater effect. The paper stock used is a fairly thick, high quality matte paper. The hardcover format is of course welcomed as well, making the book much sturdier and thus allowing a longer shelf-life. And finally the language allow for fans of Hayao Miyazaki to enjoy this book for the very first time in English.
I was completely mesmerized by Shuna’s Journey the first time I ever saw it, and this new English edition is a fantastic treat of fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s beautiful illustrations. While the print size is bigger than the original Japanese edition, it is still a handy pocket sized book and will serve as a perfect little gift. My highest recommendations.
If you are interested in reading the manga in its original Japanese language, check out my review and I have also included the Amazon purchase link below –
Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki Manga English Edition details :
– Dimensions – 6 x 1 x 8.5 inches
– hardcover, 160 pages
– Full color, in English
Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES
Japanese edition –
Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK
You might also be interested in these items :
Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki Manga English Edition Release
Miyazaki Hayao’s The Journey of Shuna
The Wind Rises – Miyazaki Hayao Manga Review
A Trip To Tynemouth – Miyazaki Hayao Illustrated Manga
Nausicaa Watercolor Collection – Miyazaki Hayao Art Book Review
November 10th, 2022 at 5:21 am
Thank you for posting this. I saw this years ago and have been waiting for the english version! Excited to grab it. Beautiful!
November 10th, 2022 at 4:17 pm
Chuck – It’s gorgeous indeed ! Enjoy the book when you get it ! :]
November 12th, 2022 at 1:41 am
I just got my copy in the mail this week. It is a very nice edition. I’m really looking forward to reading it.
November 13th, 2022 at 10:26 am
Chris – Enjoy the book ! :]
November 17th, 2022 at 1:40 pm
I love this. I had the Japanese one too, since I thought this was something that would never see its way to North America. As far as art reproduction goes, there’s no question that this new edition is better. Reading it again, with an official translation, I gotta say, it’s a personal favourite. It’s such a strange, compelling fairy tale.
November 21st, 2022 at 7:54 am
Coffee – Much agreed. I’m keeping this book at a convenient spot ( I stash most of my books in storage ) because I want to re-visit it often.