Shuna’s Journey
Hayao Miyazaki is internationally famous because many, if not all, of the anime films he has directed are certifiable classics. In addition to these films, the man also found time to create the greatest work of comics ever made, “Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind,” over a twelve-year period. While I’ve recommended a lot of comics over the years – and while I know it’s a manga, those are just comics that originated in Japan – this is the one that, above all others, belongs on the bookshelf of anyone reading this.
It’s not the only manga Miyazaki has created, however. Just the only one to have been translated into English. Publisher First Second and translator Alex Dudok De Wit have now remedied that with “Shuna’s Journey.” While the publication of another manga from the creator of The Greatest Comic Series Ever Made would normally be a cause for rejoicing, you’re going to want to bear in mind the circumstances in which it was made.
As De Wit explains in his thoughtful and informative translation notes, Miyazaki began work on “Shuna’s Journey” in 1980 two years before “Nausicaa” started in 1982. This single-volume series was eventually published in 1983 and it has remained in print in Japan to this day. While it clearly resonated with its target audience, we’re dealing with something from earlier in Miyazaki’s career before he delivered the works that would make his name.
The story concerns the title character, the son of the chieftain of a small mountain kingdom. Life is meager and hard for its subjects, but they’ve managed to eke out a sustainable life for themselves. Things continued on like this until an aged traveler arrived on the brink of death at their kingdom one day.
Despite the best efforts of the kingdom’s healears, the traveler’s time was at hand. It’s on his deathbed that he tells Shuna of the seeds he carried. Seeds that were said to grow a crop that would leave no one wanting for hunger and could be found at the edge of the world. While the seeds the traveler carried are worthless now, Shuna takes the man’s words to heart and sets off on his own to find out where they came from and ease the burden of his village.
The first thing that will strike most readers after a few pages is how similar the look of this world is to that of “Nausicaa.” I’m not talking about Miayzaki’s style of drawing, but the clothes they wear, the tools they wield, and the places they live. Shuna himself will likely remind more than one person of Asbel of Pejite. This similarity in visuals isn’t too surprising given that Miyazaki was developing both series at the same time. There are no story links between the two series beyond what the reader is willing to imagine for themselves, however. So you’re free like me to think of this as some kind of myth or fable from “Nausicaa’s” world.
Reading further into the volume, readers will also notice that this isn’t a very complex work of sequential art. De Wit describes the story as an “emonogatari” or “illustrated story” which feels appropriate. Miyazaki relies primarily on captions to communicate the story with actual spoken words from and between the cast being few and far between, coming only when it’s absolutely necessary to convey a plot point or forge some deeper connection between the characters. It’s the art from the creator that does the heavy lifting of getting the reader invested in the story.
So it’s a good thing that Miyazaki is a strong visual storyteller. You’d be able to pick up on the fact that Shuna’s Kingdom is a small, struggling one from the way it’s presented from its visuals alone in the opening pages while his frustration about not being able to help two sisters who are also slaves rings completely true. There are also more intricate and otherworldly sights to see as the narrative takes us closer to the edge of the world as Shuna beds down for night on some giant exposed bones in a cliffside, and later witnesses a god who has a unique use for slaves.
There are some minor quibbles to have here. While there are sparse action sequences throughout the story they almost come off as a distraction. A couple are essayed decently enough with Miyazaki detailing their essential moments on the page. One, however, suffers because it’s a single double-page visual that tells us about Shuna’s fight against slavers rather than showing it. There’s also the matter of the City of the God-Folk, which gives us the story’s most satisfyingly weird visuals, but also asks the reader to accept a lot of stuff that happens there without explanation. I didn’t have a problem with it, though, I can easily see how someone would.
As for the story itself, it’s a fairly straightforward tale without any major twists or turns. Shuna goes on a journey, some stuff happens to him, tragedy strikes, and then there’s a resolution. What kept me involved with it were the visuals and the fact that Miyazaki never makes a bad storytelling decision along the way. Everything that happens to Shuna along the way feels like it contributes something to our understanding of the character and his world. Nothing is wasted in the storytelling, which is something that you can’t say about many stories.
If nothing else, “Shuna’s Journey” is proof that Miyazaki doesn’t deliver bad stories. Some of them may seem less impressive next to his great works, but there’s always something to appreciate in whatever he does. This may be an early, minor work of his, but it’s still capable of drawing the reader in and getting them invested in the title character’s travails. Yes, you do need “Nausicaa” in your library if you don’t have it already; though, you should consider adding this one to it after you do.