Shuna's Journey

by Hayao Miyazaki, Alex Dudok de Wit (Translator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki gifts us a new classic, never before published in English, about a prince on a quest to save his land. This epic fable is perfect for fans of all things Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, young or old, or anyone interested in a moving story with stunning art and tug-at-your-heartstrings storytelling.

From legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki comes Shuna's Journey, a new manga classic about a prince on a quest for a golden grain that would save his land, never before published in English!

Shuna, the prince of a poor land, watches in despair as his people work themselves to death harvesting the little grain that grows there. And so, when a traveler presents him with a sample of seeds from a mysterious western land, he sets out to find the source of the golden grain, dreaming of a better life for his subjects.

It is not long before he meets a proud girl named Thea. After freeing her from captivity, he is pursued by her enemies, and while Thea escapes north, Shuna continues toward the west, finally reaching the Land of the God-Folk.

Will Shuna ever see Thea again? And will he make it back home from his quest for the golden grain?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250846525
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	2,200
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Born in 1941 in Tokyo, Japan, Hayao Miyazaki cofounded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with Isao Takahata. Among his eleven animated features, Spirited Away (2001) broke every box-office record in Japan, and won the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and the 75th Academy Awards for Animated Feature Film. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) received the Golden Osella award at the 2004 Venice International Film Festival. Miyazaki was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2005 Venice International Film Festival. The Wind Rises (2013) was nominated for the 86th Academy Award for Animated Feature Film. In 2014, the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented him with a Governors Award for lifetime achievement. He is currently working on a new production.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/05/2022

Animator Miyazaki (Spirited Away) has released only a few comics in his career; this lush fantasy, available in English for the first time, is cause for celebration. First published in Japan in 1983, it takes inspiration from a Tibetan folktale, spun into an original story with Miyazaki’s humanistic, abundantly imaginative touch. Young Prince Shuna leaves his small, struggling kingdom (“Beautiful and brutal was the nature,” intones the lyrical translation) in search of a fabled “golden grain” to feed his people. Traveling through wastelands with only a few pockets of civilization, he finds a harsh society driven by violence, slavery, and desperation. After a descent into the baffling Land of the God-Folk, he must rely on the kindness and strength of two sisters he once saved. Miyazaki is truly a master of worldbuilding, and this ecologically devastated fairy tale world feels more and more prescient of a postapocalyptic future. The format is a cross between manga and a picture book, with blocks of text describing the action in the delicate, earth-toned watercolor illustrations. The panels are packed with evocative cultural details: embroidered costumes, weathered buildings, rooms painted with murals and hung with tapestries, and towering statues from a forgotten past. Miyazaki’s art has a timeless beauty, and the theme of small human kindnesses redeeming a cruel and dehumanizing world feels more relevant than ever. Don’t miss this one. (Nov.)Due to a production error, this review originally published without its star.

Publishers Weekly

"Every scene in this cinematic work stands apart with breathtaking watercolors aided by expert staging and blocking... A reimagined folktale as grand as its painted visuals are sublime."—Kirkus, starred review

"This book was published decades ago in ­Japanese, but is now finally published in English, and it will inspire some long-overdue ­appreciation...For Miyazaki fans, as well as any readers who would enjoy fantastic stories that unfold in surprising ways."—School Library Journal, starred review.

"Gorgeous... Shuna's Journey foreshadows much of Miyazaki's later work while still managing to be a complete standalone story in its own right." —Entertainment Weekly

“Eerie, enchanting and surpassingly strange.”—The New York Times

"Beautiful...we rely on the children in his stories to explain his beautiful, broken worlds to us and to assure us that they will fix them.”—The New Yorker online

From the Publisher

★ 11/01/2022

Gr 6 Up—Shuna is a prince who lives in a poor land where it is difficult for anything to grow. When a dying traveler tells Shuna about a golden grain that grows somewhere in the west, it awakens his desire to try to find this grain and save his people. Most of this book is Shuna's journey, as he explores unfamiliar landscapes that at first contain empty buildings and looming statues, and later signs of a dystopian civilization. Since Miyazaki is primarily known for his films, it isn't surprising that this book has a sweeping, cinematic quality. Sometimes the world is enchanting, and sometimes it's violent and dangerous. There are plenty of amazing and surreal landscapes, and the world is filled with fantastic beasts of all shapes and sizes, which make for a visually stunning book. Shuna seems to be a sheltered innocent at first, but he is also trained to survive, and he uses his weapons (including bullets that he made himself) to fight attackers and slave traders. Readers will become emotionally invested in what happens to Shuna, hoping that he will ultimately defeat his enemies, meet allies that he can trust, and find the grain that can change the future of his people. This book was published decades ago in Japanese, but is now finally published in English, and it will inspire some long-overdue appreciation. VERDICT For Miyazaki fans, as well as any readers who would enjoy fantastic stories that unfold in surprising ways.—Andrea Lipinski

School Library Journal

★ 2022-08-03
A dangerous quest to feed an impoverished land leads to chance encounters and awe-inspiring sights.

Shuna, the prince of a humble, struggling country, acts on the advice of a dying traveler from an Eastern land to seek out seeds that will grow bountiful grains. What he finds is a hostile city built on greed with an active slave trade. After meeting Thea and her little sister, Shuna fights to free them from enslavers. Every scene in this cinematic work stands apart with breathtaking watercolors aided by expert staging and blocking. The sights along Shuna’s journey range from a derelict ship in a treacherous desert to supernatural creatures and settings. The certainty and simplicity of Shuna’s motivations along with Thea’s own narrative arc allow the story to move nimbly from one larger-than-life spectacle to another. The pages read right-to-left manga style, while large panels and minimal dialogue create an immediate, immersive experience for readers. The narration sits outside or along the edges of panels, allowing the lush visuals maximum room to impress. Afterwords from the author and translator describe the story’s roots in a Tibetan folktale as well as comparisons to Miyazaki’s later animated works; this story, translated from Japanese, was originally published in Japan in 1983 before Miyazaki rose to fame with Studio Ghibli. The story’s cultural origins are cued through characters’ garb and other visual elements.

A reimagined folktale as grand as its painted visuals are sublime. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews