Shuna’s Journey is a translation of one of Hayao Miyazaki’s first graphic novels. It’s a retelling with Miyazaki’s signature gorgeous landscapes. The story feels slow, but is evenly paced. The afterword by the translator shows the historical relevance.

When I saw the art for this book, nostalgia and longing filled me. Princess Mononoke defined my feelings on adolescence and moral ambiguity, while the Nausicaa manga allowed one to navigate bits of undergrad. We get beautiful art as a prince tries to help his people survive in the desert.
I cannot wait to read the rest of this story.

An exciting look into what looks like will be another amazing piece in Miyazaki's works of art! The story looks promising and the art is absolutely gorgeous. I'm very ready to feel all the feels when this book is published.
-happy sigh-
(This review is based on the sample that the publisher provided, not on the book as a whole.)

Shuna watches his people work themselves to death. He hears about a golden grain that can give everyone a better life. By Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli this story hits everything you hope you will get from a Ghibli film. It was first published in Japan in 1983, but was not translated until now. Based on the Tibetan folk tale of the prince who turned into a dog. The story and art was beautiful. I can't wait to get my copy.

5 stars

This book is gorgeous. A full-color fable with Hayao Miyazaki's distinct styles, both visually and story wise. Speaking of the story, those familiar with his work will notice similarities to both Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke. This is not a bad thing for old fans who will recognize some of the world or story beats or for new fans who might be drawn into its deceptively simple style and discover something very different. This was just a sample, but it did a wonderful job of showcasing the characters and world.

Requesting this sampler was easy for me; like countless other people, I love Hayao Miyazaki's films and enjoyed his Nausicaa manga. The yakul creature definitely looks familiar to anyone who has watched Princess Mononoke, so I am glad to see one in action again. I cannot wait to see the rest of the book.

I had a bit of trouble with the file format to start with, and had to scroll to the bottom to find the actual beginning of this sampler, otherwise it made almost zero sense. The art is, as expected, absolutely gorgeous and evocative, and you can almost tell the story from the art alone. Which is good, because there isn't much text at all, and I found the text sometimes confused me a little bit as to what was happening. Would this have been better as a silent picture book? Maybe? But overall it's always a joy to read/experience Miyazaki's work, and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to do so here.

I don't think Miyazaki is physically capable of putting out a bad piece of media at this point. This had all of the things I've come to expect from his work- incredible artwork, charming characters, and the coziest feeling known to man. Consuming Miyazaki's work is like a hug directly for my soul, and I loved every minute of this story.

Wow! This is an absolutely beautiful manga, from the sample provided here. How I wish I could read the entire book immediately! This dreamy tale captures the spirit of Miyazaki's screen work while exploring a slightly new aesthetic. I loved the color palette and gorgeous illustrations.

This was a wonderful, engaging story with the "feel' of much of Miyazaki's work, notably Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind and Princess Mononoke. The watercolor-like art is subtle and expresses the beauties in rough or desert terrain and in all the people portrayed. Characters are well-rounded and of interest.

A beautifully drawn sampler setting up the hero's journey to rescue his people from a life of hardship. Can't wait to read the rest in November!

Written by Hayao Miyazaki before his career with Studio Ghibli, you can find echoes of his other works in this piece. Gorgeous water-color style artwork and Miyazaki's trademark story of a hero in a dystopian society. Shuna hears stories of the golden seeds kept by the gods. He goes in search of them in order to save his people. On his way, Shuna saves two young girls from the human slave market. After separating from them, Shuna finally discovers the land of the Gods and the mystical golden seeds. Desperate to bring them back to his people, Shuna seizes some of the golden grains. When he finally makes it back to the mortal realm, he has lost his name, his memories, and his ability to speak. The young girls he saved from slavery help him to recover and sow the seeds. Soon with their care and protection, the seeds sprout and produce food for the people.
A beautiful and simple story with the usual stunning Miyazaki art.

Miyazaki fans will love this. It was a lovely story and gorgeous illustrations. I was a bit thrown by the backwards reading (which I totally understand that is traditional Japanese way, but I had to concentrate to make sure that I was reading the panels correctly.

A beautifully illustrated masterpiece. Miyazaki strikes gold again. Although written and illustrated in the early 80s the book still feels remarkably vibrant and current. Fans of any of Miyazaki's films or manga will be in heaven with this newly translated masterpiece.

As always, Hayao Miyazaki's artwork is absolutely gorgeous. This work shows his signature style of art with similar-looking faces and his themes of nature, human greed, and journies. This work is very reminiscent of his early work, especially Mononoke and Nausicaa with the creatures like Laputa. The story also follows the similar structure of a hero from a small tribe making a journey on a deer to find a source of hope in a cruel world. Shuna finds cruelty in slave markets, kindness in himself, and finally, the golden grain they have been looking for. The story itself is not something unique from him, but it is still decent. As the art is fantastic, the writing is lesser so. It felt like a lot of tell, not show, and more like a storyboard than a novel. Overall if you like Hayao Miyazaki, you will enjoy looking at this work, but someone new might think the story a little flat.

(Also, I read this through NetGalley, and for some reason, the pages were backward, and I had to start at the end on the download and scroll up to read, It was not a good reading experience.)

True to all his other stories, Miyazaki's "Shuna's Journey" is absolutely delightful and charming. The artwork as usual is mesmerizing and beautiful. The story is compelling and I really enjoyed reading a hidden Miyazaki as it felt like a special treat.

For anyone who has ever loved fantasy, Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki will be an enjoyable read. We meet a young prince Shuna who hopes to find seeds to bring back his people. He is fiercely stubborn in achieving this goal at the expense of his health. The young woman he saves is not a one-note damsel in distress. Thea is her own person and takes the initiative to help him. You will find yourself immersed in the story and art itself. Overall, I would rate this 4.5/5.

For those who are not familiar with Miyazaki, I highly recommend reading his magnum opus Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind!

Mr. Miyazaki's 1983 Graphic Novel Shuna's Journey has been issued for the first time in English. Shuna is a hero for his people trying to find food for his impoverished homeland. The art and dialogue are truly great. The reader will once again realize how great Mr. Miyazaki and his work both printed and video is.

Shuna's Journey is now an fascinating piece of insight into the early work of Miyazaki. A graphic novel that never found a home in an animated film, it tells the tale of Shuna who goes in search of a golden grain so his people can once again plant and sustain themselves. The art in this work is beautiful, and the translator's note at the end of the graphic novel is rich with history both on the original folktale the story is based on as well as context for the type of work and where this fits into the Miyazaki body of work.

I loved this! It had so much in common with Nausicaa that it brought on fond memories for me of watching Nausicaa for the first time.

Beautiful illustrations.

Once again Miyazaki tackles the issues of ecological crisis, anthropocentrism, and the interdependence of humanity and nature. Though they are the central themes and often the stories can provoke feelings of despondency, there is still a sense of hope at the end that if humanity could move to a more ecocentric worldview, perhaps we could do something to at least slow down the rate of climate change etc.