This November, First Second will be publishing Hayao Miyazaki’s “Shuna’s Journey” in a new English edition. Though more widely known for his anime films, especially those made through Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki’s work in manga is just as impressive — his “Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind” manga is an absolute masterpiece. “Shuna’s Journey,” originally published in 1983, contains gorgeous watercolor art by Miyazaki and prototypical elements that reoccur in his later works. The book is being translated by animation journalist Alex Dudok de Wit.
As de Wit describes it, “Shuna’s Journey” “isn’t so much a manga as an emonogatari (illustrated story), with all-watercolour images and text mostly presented as captions. It is based on a Tibetan folk tale, and the fantastical pseudo-Central Asian setting has a lot in common with the world of ‘Nausicaä.’”
“Shuna’s Journey” is scheduled for publication in a hardcover volume on November 1, 2022. For full details, see the original announcement from the Associated Press.
From legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki comes 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?
