Heartbeat Symphony

I had no idea Miyazaki created any mangas—until I came across this, his name was always associated with anime films like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. I was curious to explore this work since it predates many of his other creations. I started reading Shuna no Tabi hoping it would match the brilliance of Miyazaki's later projects.

And I wasn't let down! The artwork is crafted in the classic, breathtaking Miyazaki style—fully colored! The visuals are stunning. It's hard to fathom the hours he must have spent on each panel. The character development suits the story's length well, though I wished for more insights into Thea and her sister's backgrounds. Yet, you grow to adore them despite limited knowledge. From the start, you're fully behind Shuna on his adventure.

This manga stands out from others I've read because the narrative is primarily conveyed through the art and some narration, with minimal dialogue. Still, the story unfolds seamlessly and remains easy to follow. The scarcity of dialogue enhances its fairytale quality.

You'll spot several elements from this manga reappearing in his subsequent works. I believe Shuna served as the foundation for Ashitaka's (Princess Mononoke) character; they look strikingly similar and both ride a reindeer-like creature.

At first, when I saw the title "Shuna no Tabi," I thought it was going to be a boring story. But when I saw Miyazaki's name, I knew this would be something special. So, I read it.  

Basically, it takes about 30 minutes to an hour to finish this manga. It's short and enjoyable. I recommend you give it a try—it was quite amusing.  

The manga is beautifully colored, and the characters look great. You won't find too many dialogues here; it’s more about brief descriptions of the characters' actions.  

Overall, just go and read it—you really won't lose anything at all!  

^,^

Well, to start with, the primary reason I chose to write this review is that I believe the other reviews have given overly exaggerated ratings. It's a very good manga, but it's neither a masterpiece nor particularly remarkable. However, I understand that being a masterpiece wasn't the goal; it was simply intended to be a beautiful and straightforward story, which I believe it successfully achieved. Also, while I'm not an experienced manga reader, I have seen most of Miyazaki's works, so I feel qualified to write this review. With that said, let's dive in.  

Shuna no Tabi is a small yet beautiful manga, one of Miyazaki's lesser-known works created early in his career.  
The story resembles a folktale and is inspired by one (a Tibetan tale). The protagonist, Shuna—as the title suggests—is a prince from a small, impoverished country. He learns of magical seeds that might exist in a distant western land, seeds that could potentially save his homeland. Thus, Shuna embarks on a journey to find them. Along the way, he travels through varied and diverse landscapes, faces dangers, forms friendships, encounters a grand yet cruel city, and discovers a fantastical place. Consequently, it's an engaging and well-paced adventure story, albeit a simple one, though it does include some darker and more profound moments.  

This being a work by Miyazaki, the art and atmosphere are, as expected, exceptional. The world-building in this imaginative setting is surprisingly effective given the story's brevity. In fact, creating magical worlds is a hallmark of most of Miyazaki's works, and this manga is no exception. Shuna no Tabi is an unconventional manga, sometimes resembling an illustrated book more than a traditional comic, as the storytelling relies heavily on narration and images with minimal dialogue. Additionally, the manga is fully colored, which is atypical.  

Shuna no Tabi is a quintessential Miyazaki work, and it's possible to see elements of his later films reflected here, especially Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä. Therefore, I highly recommend it to Miyazaki fans. However, even for those who aren't fans, it might still be worth reading, as it's interesting, beautiful, and concise.  

(Parts of this text may echo information already mentioned in other reviews, but I've chosen to retain all details I consider important.)  

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"Once upon a time, there was a tiny kingdom..."  

Miyazaki-sensei, what more should I add? This manga is inspired by an ancient Tibetan tale. It's quintessentially Miyazaki—a beautiful fairytale (though the English word "fairytale" doesn't quite capture the essence of the Polish "Baśń" or the German "Kunstmärchen"). It tells a story centered on fundamental values and the strength of friendship.  

Fans of Miyazaki will notice similarities to *Nausicaä*.  

This is undoubtedly not for those who aren't fans of Miyazaki's work.  

In the postscript, Miyazaki wrote: "My only dream was to make this animation, but in modern Japan, a simple story like this wouldn't be accepted at all." I suspect it's not just in Japan...  

So, you now know what you should expect from this short yet enchanting comic.

Hayao Miyazaki fans, particularly those who have watched "Princess Mononoke" or read/watched "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," should definitely check this out. It's a brief yet excellent manga by Miyazaki, filled with familiar designs and storylines that fans will recognize from those works, or can simply enjoy independently. This piece also predates much of his work that people are most familiar with, having been created while he was writing the "Nausicaa" manga in the 80s.

The main storyline mirrors "Princess Mononoke" in that the primary protagonist, Prince Shuna, departs his homeland in search of a special kind of wheat in a starving world and does not return to his homeland within the narrative. This might feel slightly off-putting, as it's based on a Tibetan folktale where the prince's redemption upon returning home is crucial. However, the story remains enjoyable and helps mitigate that oddity. You may read this with only a vague understanding of what's happening most of the time (the slaves' destination/what happens to them is never explained and is actually quite dark, even for Miyazaki), but it's a quick read regardless.

The art style is quintessentially Studio Ghibli, and many characters and objects featured here were later reused in "Princess Mononoke" and "Tales From Earthsea." Shuna resembles Ashitaka and even owns an elk named Yakkul, while Thea looks a lot like Nausicaa. Shuna rescues a prince who bears a strong resemblance to one of the old men in Nausicaa, which makes sense since Miyazaki was writing this simultaneously with the Nausicaa manga. The slave cart Shuna rescues Thea from looks identical to the one Ged rescues Eren from in "Earthsea." The references to "Earthsea" exist because this book served as Miyazaki's template for that film, and Goro adhered to it when the time came to produce the movie. In essence, the art is stunning, as expected from Studio Ghibli.

This story features a variety of intriguing characters. Shuna is much like Ashitaka, and reading his tale is enjoyable. His adventure is a long and arduous journey. Thea is another fascinating character who takes center stage when Shuna's story temporarily fades. She's a diligent worker and a good person, and it was refreshing to see her assume protagonist status for a while. Otherwise, this story is predominantly male-centric. There's an old woman who orders Thea around (and even tries to force her into marriage so she'll have another worker to command) and Thea has a sister; there's also a wise woman who advises Shuna at the start. However, all the royalty is male, the slavers and soldiers are male, most of the townsfolk we encounter are male, and the elders from Shuna's village are male. Given the many heroines in Miyazaki's films, it's easy to overlook that he often populates his casts with men, who typically handle the fighting and politics. He occasionally switches things up - "Porco Rosso," "Spirited Away," and "Princess Mononoke" are prime examples - but this is from his early work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. At the time of my original review, there was no non-Japanese print version, but an official English translation by First Second (translated by Alex Dudok De Wit) was released in 2022, and it's stunning! It's also highly enjoyable if you've watched his other films and revisit this to discover the origins of many design elements. At least half of "Tales From Earthsea" is present here, along with a good third of "Princess Mononoke" and half of "Nausicaa." I hope you find it equally enjoyable!

Shuna’s Journey – Spoiler Free – Recommended  

TLDR  
Story – 5/10 – x 0.275 = 1.375  
Art – 10/10 – x 0.2 = 2  
Characters – 5/10 – x 0.225 = 1.125  
Enjoyment – 7/10 – x 0.3 = 2.1  
Total: 6.6 -> 7  

Story – 5/10  
Shuna’s Journey is an exceptionally brief manga crafted by Hayao Miyazaki himself. The author's reputation is the sole reason this manga has any readership at all. It tells a very straightforward story inspired, as noted in the postscript, by a Tibetan tale called "The Prince Who Became a Dog." Shuna, the prince of a famine-stricken kingdom, resolves to end his people's hunger. He sets off on a quest to obtain golden barley to cultivate in his lands. There isn’t much complexity here. The theme of slavery is touched upon only slightly. Otherwise, it’s rather unremarkable, even for a short story. The ending also feels underdeveloped, leaving an unsatisfying impression.  

Art – 10/10  
This is undoubtedly the manga's strongest aspect: its stunning art. Rendered similarly to Nausicaä, which speaks volumes, Miyazaki employs watercolor in every panel with incredible skill. The result is a fully colored and visually captivating version of an otherwise simple story. However, there is one significant flaw in the art: sometimes, the text within panels without speech balloons is difficult to read, making the experience confusing and less fluid. That said, this issue might stem from the translation edition and won't affect the final art rating.  

Characters – 5/10  
The characters have minimal dialogue, making it hard to gauge their personalities. This is a major shortfall, as the story relies heavily on narration. The brevity of the story also precludes any character development, though there was potential with the freed slaves. The characters receive a 5 because they lack distinct traits, a common feature in folklore tales like this one.  

Enjoyment – 7/10  
Shuna’s Journey offers an enjoyable experience, largely thanks to its breathtaking art. Regrettably, the story is forgettable, and the characters are nearly nonexistent. Fans of Miyazaki will likely appreciate the simplicity and positive undertones of the story (despite the backdrop of starvation). Non-fans may find the tale trivial but will still admire the fantastic art—albeit with some issues regarding speech balloons. Nonetheless, it’s a worthwhile experience, primarily due to the superb art, which makes this manga deserving of a recommendation.

Absolutely loved this. It feels like one of his films, but crafted perfectly for a book medium. I can't help but wonder what this would have been like as a movie—it likely would have been a more complete and cohesive story than the Nausicaa adaptation—but honestly, it stands so strongly on its own that I'm not disappointed at all. The watercolor artwork is breathtaking, and being able to take in a finished work at your own pace is truly enjoyable. This is a great example of how "show don't tell" isn't always the best approach. I really appreciated the narration; you usually get a sentence or two for each panel, and it's not always Shuna's inner monologue. There are novel-like descriptions that could be conveyed visually, but the small bits of text in the corner enhance the tone beautifully and make the story more dynamic.  

I believe this should be considered just as essential to Miyazaki's body of work as his other pre-Totoro films. More people need to know about it.  

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loved this story ❤