Copyright © 1983 Miyazaki Hayao

Miyazaki Hayao, Japan's beloved animator, really needs little introduction to anime fans. Creator of such classics as CAGLIOSTRO NO SHIRO ("CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO"), MAJO NO TAKKYUUBIN ("KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE") and MONONOKE HIME ("THE PRINCESS MONONOKE"), his beautiful art and wondrous stories have captivated audiences all over the world. Movies aside, Miyazaki is also well known for his manga masterpiece KAZE NO TANI NO NAUSICAA ("NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND"), but regretfully Miyazaki has produced few other non-animated works. Of these, SHUNA NO TABI ("SHUNA'S JOURNEY") is one that no fan should overlook.
SHUNA NO TABI is a short book, running at only 147 pages. What makes it special is that it is done completely in oil colors. There is little dialogue; most of the story is told in narration format that gives it a folktale flavor. Indeed, SHUNA NO TABI is based on a Tibetan legend of "A Prince Who Was Turned Into a Dog", although you would never guess it from the original, self-contained world that Miyazaki presents.
Shuna is a prince of a poor country where its few people toil to grow precious grain from barren hillsides. One day, he finds a stranger collapsed from exhaustion. The old man dies, but not before he shows Shuna a pouch of golden wheat and recounts traveling the world and searching, in vain, for the live seeds that would bring salvation to his own people.
When Shuna hears this tale, he too becomes determined to bring back seeds so his country need no longer starve. Setting forth on a journey that would take him far to the west, he weathers dangers and follows clues until reaching a slave city—a city that trades people to mysterious gods for golden wheat. There Shuna frees a pair of sisters and, after seeing to their safe departure, continues on to find the land of the gods and the source of the golden seeds. He succeeds, but is severely punished for his transgression...
Published in 1983, SHUNA NO TABI has been called a prototype to the themes found in the NAUSICAA manga (1982-1994), and after reading through one cannot help but compare these two worlds. From the overall theme of salvation, to the masks of the slavers, to Shuna's antelope-like ride, the similarities are obvious.
Yet, there are personal elements brought up in this book that are underplayed in NAUSICAA, while SHUNA itself does not deal in the philosophical aspects of Miyazaki's lifework. One might say that SHUNA is a very personal tale, and a rather dark one at that, while NAUSICAA struggles with the themes of the world. In that sense, SHUNA makes for much simpler reading.
As always, Miyazaki love of nature, of the magical and of humanity shines through in this manga. "When I first read this folktale, it was my dream to animate it," writes Miyazaki in his afterword. "But the story is not interesting enough to gain production approval." That may be so, but we are indeed grateful that Miyazaki chose to present it to us in this next best format. SHUNA NO TABI is a wonderful manga and collector's piece to any fan.

Published by Tokuma Shoten
1 volume, complete
147 pages, Color
ISBN4-19-669510-8
¥448
Available now in Japan
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