THE
It was published by Animage 28 years ago in
Scanned copies of this book have been on the net for years. But even with its availability online, thousands or even millions of
We are, of course, talking about Hayao Miyazaki’s Shuna No Tabi which was published in 1983 by Animage. Illustrated and written by the director himself, many visual elements and themes from the book have been consequently reflected in several of Studio Ghibli’s biggest hits. (Like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke) But to say that the book was the sole springboard for his later films would be inaccurate. We have to remember that the Nausicaa manga made it to print much earlier than the storybook. More than anything else, Shuna No Tabi, very much like the Nausicaa manga, serves as a small window into
Shuna No Tabi’s story revolves around Shuna, a prince who lives in a poor distant village at the bottom of an enormous valley. The prince is burdened with worries because the land can barely support the needs of his people. One day, while riding his Yakkul, he stumbles upon an old dying traveler along a path. He then brings the traveler back to the village to nurse him. Too weak and riddled with old age, the stranger passes on but not before showing Shuna a mysterious pouch filled with dead seeds. The stranger is able to tell Shuna that the seeds, when alive appear golden. He is also able to mention, that in legend, the seeds may be found at a point where the earth ends. Shortly after the death of the old traveler, Shuna goes on a quest to find the seeds in the hopes of saving his people from their plight.
Okay, that’s all we’ll be mentioning with regards to the plot. For those new fans of
On that note, we hope that the book is turned into a film some time in the near future. But more than that, we wish that there was an original 1983 copy of it on our shelves.
If you wish to order reprints of Shuna No Tabi online from
