Mushishi - Reviews

Mushishi has always had a special place in my heart.

I will make this clear right away: if you are looking for intense action, an epic overarching plot, or flashy animation, this isn't the right anime for you.

No, what Mushishi does best is make you think. It explores interesting situations, without beating you over the head with philosophy. No ideas or specific dogmas are forced upon you.

Nature plays a large part in this anime. Much of the series takes place in the wilderness, or at least in isolated villages. Scenes of nature are rich and beautiful, showing great attention to detail. I also found some of the 'mushi' designs to be rather interesting. The little creatures come in all shapes and sizes.

That said, character designs are poor. Many of the supporting characters look like they are recycled from episode to episode. Ginko and a few select characters are unique, but most are indistinguishable.

The episodic nature of Mushishi lends itself well to the series. Each episode is completely self-contained, telling a story unto itself. The creators do a good job of bringing each story to a satisfying conclusion. Even though the minor characters' appearances are resused, their personalities are not. Many intriguing souls pop up through the series' duration.

The music is fairly peaceful, as one would expect. It does not call attention to itself, nor does it detract from the story.

In summary:

• Mushishi is a slow-paced, episodic anime.
• It explores interesting ideas and questions without being overbearing.
• Some of the character designs are reused.
• Nature scenes are rich and beautiful.

Do I recommend this anime? Yes. If you're willing to take a break from ninja fights, mechs with beam weapons, and ridiculous ecchi shots, this show could be for you. Just be patient, and think a little about what you're seeing.

Mushishi is perhaps the greatest storytelling I've seen from any anime. This is not for some epic overarching plot, but rather for a minimalist episodic approach that gives you new characters, new settings, new stories, and new mushi to deal with each episode. Other episodic anime may have the tendency to lose your interest partway through, but Mushishi is special in that each episode will leave you totally and completely satisfied.

After an episode of Mushishi ends, there is no need to rush in to the next one to conclude the cliffhanger from the previous episode. That's because there is never a lack of a conclusion in each episode. Each episode is its own story, completely unique from all the other episodes. When I watched Mushishi, I'd see an episode, be satisfied, and when I was in the mood I'd watch another. I was never addicted, but it never fell off my radar. It held my interest consistently throughout the two month period that I watched it, and while some may praise shows that make you want to watch it all in a day, I view that as a weakness. It seems to suggest that you were never satisfied with a single episode, and that to get your "fix" you had to burn through many at a time. That difference is the biggest strength to Mushishi, and what gives it its lasting appeal. 

Another strength of the show is its beautiful rendering of nature. Of course, when the show is steeped so heavily in nature you would expect this, but there are some truly breathtaking scenes in this anime. The only flaw in the animation is the lazy character design. Humans from episode to episode are indistinguishable from each other, and Ginko seems to only be recognizable through his white hair and green eyes. This feeds into the other big flaw in the show: the characters. No character other than Ginko is ever fully realized. We can feel for some of their problems and emotions, but what we are really left with at the end of the episode is the story they were used to tell. This is fine: it's an episodic anime and no one would expect these characters to be terrificly developed, but it may be an issue for some people.

Finally, I must talk about how each episode fades into a new ending piece. It gives the viewer a sense of closure with each story: that what they had just viewed was not just a piece of something larger, but rather a work of its own.

Story:  Mushi-shi is such a lovely story.  It tells the story of a man named Ginko who seems to be keeping the balance between human beings and spirit-like beings called Mushi.  The show has a delicate charm about it.  It doesn't need to slap you across the face to get your attention.  I just found myself facinated by the loveliness of every episode.

Animation:  I frequently found myself pausing the show just to stare at a scene.  The art was lovely, detailed and nothing short of amazing!

Sound:  The opening theme is one that was so simple yet so calming.  The voices were well done in the english and japanese versions.  Also, the background music and noises were so smooth and calming that it truely embodied the nature of the show.

Characters:  There is only one character you get to know really well.  Ginko is a rare type of character that I love to see.  He doesn't need to say very much about himself for me to feel like I know him.  This is so refreshing after seeing so many anime where the characters need to spell out every detail of there lives and still can't make me care about them.  Then again, all the Mushi-shi characters were like this.  Most characters would only appear for an episode or two but had such a distinct energy about them that I didn't feel like any of them were lacking.

This show gave me a new appreciation for nature and life.

Good old fashioned story telling. Mushishi is something not everybody will like, it is slow, doesn’t have a lot of action, and no panty shots; it is different from a lot of anime out there. That being said, Mushishi spends its time in the moment, building a story, ending a story, and doing it all over again. This show can be watched out of order if necessary. Each episode is something special to be enjoyed.

The characters are not the flamboyant characters you usually see in anime however; there are some really unique characters here, primarily Ginko, the stories protagonist. Our hero sticks to his morals and always tries to help, has a mysterious past, and an uncertain future, really an ideal protagonist for this type of storytelling.

Music is always fitting and knows how to build tension. Often times it relies on very little, bells here or there, dialogue takes main stage.

Animation looks really great. The style and characters are fairly normal but the mushi, they are a different story. Effectively representing such intriguing species was not easy I wager. They certainly feel special and different from everything else in the show. The subtle beauty of this show surely shows itself to those who are paying attention.

I believe that Mushishi is a series I will come back to and enjoy again. Something so beautiful and creative surly has my appreciation and admiration.

9.7

Mushishi captivated me from he first episode. It was gloriously animated with a score that not only was matched perfectly to the scenes played out before you but leave the watcher with a profound sense of the poignancy being given across. From the first episode I was enthralled, the second takes me by storm. Then the third. Unfortunately after that, I must write that it seems to trend steadily downhill.

The concept is wonderous, the animation style and characters compliment the fantastic and alien creations that are the "mushi", another well thought out idea on how to present an alternate example of how life may develop. Each installment is indeed a tale of heartfelt human interaction when faced with a form of existence interacting with their own to which some perceive, others don't.
However, my problem, though some may regard it slight, that i take hold with Mushishi, and indeed Mushishi Zoku Shou, is that it leaves me with the strange sensation of not having finished a particularly sumptious drink, let the tears flow like Young Renzu-san's.
By this i mean that, while the concept, storyline, animation and score are all idyllically set together, the story ITSELF, seems to waft aimlessly between encounters that our main character, Ginko, has.
I don't call him a protaganist as it doesnt seem that he, as a main character, develops in anyway. Indeed following this same vein I waited on tenterhooks for some diversity to appear in the handling of the mushi, the adventure had or even the true face of danger that the mushi pose(innadvertently) which we caught but a glimpse of in episode 2.

I enjoyed watching Mushishi. That is undeniable and I wouldn't wish to give that impression across. But like a cup of watered down sake, I was waiting for the bite to take me and shake me about a bit. My point in its most simplified form can be construed as this; this anime may leave in tears but they will undoubtedly dry up after the twentieth child is saved from the beasties that dwell within/without. I wished for more out of this anime but was sadly left wanting.

Please take the time to experience the series as well as this review and make your own opinion upon the matter, particularly if you disagree with what is written above.

Many Thanks,
Thuringwethil.