Mushishi Zoku Shou 2nd Season

Ghostly, primordial beings known as Mushi continue to cause mysterious changes in the lives of humans. The travelling Mushishi, Ginko, persists in trying to set right the strange and unsettling situations he encounters. Time loops, living shadows, and telepathy are among the overt effects of interference from Mushi, but more subtle symptoms that take years to be noticed also rouse Ginko's concern as he passes from village to village.

Through circumstance, Ginko has become an arbiter, determining which Mushi are blessings and which are curses. But the lines that he seeks to draw are subjective. Some of his patients would rather exercise their new powers until they are utterly consumed by them; others desperately strive to rid themselves of afflictions which are in fact protecting their lives from devastation. Those who cross paths with Mushi must learn to accept seemingly impossible consequences for their actions, and heal wounds they did not know they had. Otherwise, they risk meeting with fates beyond their comprehension.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ginko Main

Nakano, Yuto Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Doi, Mika Japanese

Kaoru Supporting

Furukawa, Toshio Japanese

Shino Supporting

Kobashi, Megumi Japanese

Akane Supporting

Suguro Supporting

Nakao, Ryusei Japanese

Sumi Supporting

Shimamoto, Sumi Japanese

Taki Supporting

Orikasa, Fumiko Japanese

Youkichi Supporting

Nishimura, Tomomichi Japanese

Izumi Supporting

Matsuura, Ayu Japanese

Watanabe, Hidenobu Producer

Abe, Ai Producer

Tsuchiya, Junichirou Producer

Odagiri, Narumi Assistant Producer

Reviews

May 9, 2015

Veronin

Recommended

It's a bit difficult to write about a series that has been hailed as one of the anime industry's greats. The first season was an atmospheric work of art, an enrapturing experience that sent chills down my spine with the end of every episode. But I'm not entirely sure that Mushishi's second season has necessarily lived up to those memories. It's still an excellent anime, and while it is better than almost anything that has come out in the past few years, there's this constant sense that something - just something - is missing.

Perhaps that 'something' is the fact that the series has gone ... on for a long time now and no longer feels as fresh as it did at the beginning. Maybe it's just that I've gotten older since I watched the first season and am no longer capable of feeling those same emotions again. Or maybe the staff just haven't been able to fully reproduce the magic of the first season. Even so, whatever the case may be, it turns out that Mushishi's second season, even if it is a slightly inferior Mushishi, is still one of the most pleasant experiences I've had watching an anime in quite a long time.

An interesting detail about Mushishi is how not all its stories end on a happy note. Many of them are bittersweet or flat-out depressing, which eliminates any of the predictability that often comes with storytelling. The episodes are not merely different in their content, but also deliver completely different emotions at the end of each episode, ensuring that the series never reaches the point of staleness. Mushishi always has something new to offer to its audience. And it never goes the route of preaching morals, as even its villains are deep and human enough to be empathised with. Nobody is inherently right or wrong in Mushishi; even Ginko cannot say for sure what the best path would have been.

Not surprisingly, Mushishi delivers on the atmosphere front. It is minimalistic in nature and focuses once again on quiet rural life -- the supernatural issues plaguing a modest farmer or small group of villagers -- rather than the usual city problems we have seen in so many anime before. And that's for the better, I think, as there haven't been many other anime out there that have captured rural life in the quiet, subdued way that Mushishi has. It makes you want to roam around the woods or raise a family where things are calm and peaceful, even if those thoughts are only for a fleeting moment.

There are only two minor issues I have with Mushishi's second season. First, the show focuses exclusively on mushishi incidents and the victims surrounding them and does surprisingly little with Ginko himself. The entire story is about Ginko's travels, yet at the endgame of the story, we know very little about him or his thought process. Secondly, the mushishi incidents feel far too numerous, perhaps owing to the episode count. It feels like Ginko just comes across some world-changing event every second day, which makes one wonder what he's doing in-between all the episodes. Showing those quiet moments, the moments when he's not dealing with mushishi, would be just as interesting as the supernatural.

Mushishi continues to have some of the best scenery in anime. It looks absolutely fantastic, with nearly every shot of a forest or a lake being embodied by a simple sort of beauty, similar to the wabi-sabi aesthetic in Japanese culture. The animation itself leaves some room for improvement, though, as characters will sometimes have missing faces, and the show seemingly prefers panning shots far more than movement.

It also has an incredible soundtrack, much like before. Mushishi is a master at timing its music. Often a quiet piece will start playing in the background without you even noticing, and gradually it will pick up and seamlessly lead right into the credits. Small little touches like this do a lot to enhance the emotional value of the show. And of course I would be silly to not mention the opening track, which is one of the most relaxing things I've perhaps ever heard. It is medicine for the soul.

Mushishi's second season may be a bit weaker than its first, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's disappointing. It still delivers the same mature themes and atmosphere that you'd come to expect from the series. It just doesn't carry those same awing moments of before, the ones that screamed "I'm watching a masterpiece". But I don't think that is necessarily a problem. If its greatest sin is being merely great rather than a masterpiece, then Mushishi's second offering is already leagues ahead of its competition.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 20, 2014

chesudesu

Recommended

I have forgotten now how I came to watch Mushishi Zoku Shou. But whatever that reason is, I surely don't regret it.

It may be appalling at first how it may seem slow-paced or even stagnant. Looking closely, we'll realize that it is this stillness and calm that give Mushishi its distinction, making it worthy to be called a masterpiece.

After all the action and drama that anime can flaunt, Mushishi gives us a refreshing retreat, a break from the hustle and bustle of trite anime antics, and presents to us its own brand of action and drama enveloped in its unique and perhaps unpredictable storytelling.

We follow ... Ginko, the main character, in his travels across Japan where he meets people affected by mushi, strange, ethereal creatures that coexist silently with every other living being. Interacting with different mushi has its implications and Ginko, as a mushishi, offers his help to those troubled by mushi to the best of his ability. The setting itself offers a horizon of opportunities. It is a captivating feat that each episode can be the darkest of tales reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe (Fragrant Darkness, Lingering Crimson) or even the most lighthearted of stories (Banquet at the Forest's Edge). The story fills out every edge of possibility and leaves room for even more.

The slow movement and breathtaking scenery are what absorb you and even more so when its superb musical arrangements come in to accompany it. Its masterful direction bring out the best of each scene - the deep-rooted characters, the intense emotions, the over-all mood (you'd have to take a closer look to see this). Mushishi couldn't ask for a better production.

The whole experience takes you to a time when man and nature treated each other with respect and lived together in peace and harmony. With each episode told in a way that closely resembles the fable of Aesop and the parables of Jesus coupled with its magnificent art direction, Mushishi gives us an experience evocative of the ways of Shinto and Zen embedded in classical Japanese culture.

And yet, Mushishi never tries to be grandiose and flamboyant in its ways. Its simplicity is its most favorable trait and it is in there that you will find its grandeur. "Mabaw nga kalipay" ("simple pleasure") is what we'd call it in Cebuano. It is not laden with complications and twists but that makes it all the more entertaining.

Among the anime series I'm watching this season, Mushishi Zoku Shou stands out the most and is easily one of my favorites in my limited repertoire. I would very much recommend the series to anyone and everyone, especially to those with an open mind.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 25, 2024

a_last_flower

Mixed Feelings

For many who have actively followed the anime industry for a long time, one title that can be defined as art is, without a doubt, Mushishi. While all anime can be considered "art" in their own way, Mushishi is the art of intellectuals. Mushishi is the kind of series that practically defines the phrase "not for everyone." If you like unexpected twists and meticulously crafted plots, then you will most likely be disappointed.
Story Development ★★☆☆☆
The anime is still episodic and has no main plot until the end. There's this constant sense that something - just something - is missing.
Perhaps that 'something' is the fact that ... the series has gone on for a long time now and no longer feels as fresh as it did at the beginning. Maybe I'm wrong, but I continue to have the feeling of slowness in the flow of the episodes. I understand the quiet and calm that Mushishi creates and gives to the viewer, unlike the countless anime full of action, hustle and bustle, and various antics,
but I still feel too much of it. It's not loaded with complications and twists, and that's what makes it monotonous.
Other than that, there's nothing else to say about it.
Art Style and Character Design ★★★☆☆
If you're a fan of the original and want to see the same style again, Mushishi doesn't disappoint. You could even splice episodes from
both seasons together and not notice any change in quality despite the 10 years that have passed. The differences in character designs are quite similar if not the same.
Character Development ★☆☆☆☆
Of Ginko's past, nada.
Music & SFX ★★☆☆☆
The soundtrack loses compared to the first season. Mushishi yes, it synchronizes the music like in previous episodes but not with
the same emotions. Try listening to Mushishi no theme or Kotowari again and you'll see how much he lost with this season. I don't
understand the choice to remove old pieces of the soundtrack but not daring to change the plot of the episodes; Let me explain:
the repetitiveness of the songs in each episode wasn't tiring, on the contrary, you were just waiting for the moment to listen to it again in the following episode, but the plots of the episodes are almost always repetitive and boring at a certain point. Without involving the opening track, Shiver by Lucy Rose, suits the relaxing series and immerses you in the fantasy world of the Mushi.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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