I have a phobia of small holes close together, so this really gave me the fucking willies jesus christ >___<
Episode 8
[spoiler]
I wasn't aware of it but I may have the same condition xD. Those scenes in the first half were among the scariest/creepiest anime scenes for me, really made me feel uncomfortable for a short while, in a good way.
Overall a briliant episode, a contender for favorite of the season. And not ONLY because of my bias for anything that has to do with ships :>.
Episode 9
[spoiler]
Not a god-tier episode, but another very good one nonetheless. Like Sandy I like that the conclusion was unusual and he decided to just stick with the Mushi until who knows what happens.
Episode 10
[spoiler]
Wow, this might be my favorite episode of the season now that I've seen them all. I was hoping/waiting for an episode that didn't center around people and how they are under the influence of Mushi, but only on the Mushi and nature. It was also interesting to see Ginko not knowing what is going on for once, he is usually quick to figure out what happened but not this time. Only in retrospect did he realize that the mountain lord 'used' him, but no real harm was done so he just went with it.
Perfect way to end it with another unique episode. The visuals were also superb, even better than usual as battosai mentioned.
I was debating a 9 or 10 before this episode and seeing how this turned out even better than most other episodes, I'll have to go for the 10 here. I MUST. 10/10 (95%). AOTY
Sorry I'm late posting my thoughts, I've been watching, just been too busy to make time for MAL :P
I've gone through everybody's comments with the exception of those for episode 10 as I've yet to watch that but I'm amazed that NOBODY had the same issue I had with episode 3...
Episode 3:
I enjoyed this episode however I had a small issue with it, early on in the episode Ginko explained how the mushi was only deceiving the guys senses, how although he didn't feel it, he was already showing signs of frostbite. So that means the mushi only tricks the senses and does not prevent the physical effects on the body from the cold. So my question is, how come the man didn't die when he fell into the lake? I know that in water that cold you'd die of hypothermia or freeze to death long before you ever have the chance to drown. What's even more bizarre was that he was under there for ages, like over a day. I was thinking at the time somehow the mushi was protecting him and then I remembered early in the episode that Ginko clearly stated that the mushi offered no protection from the ravages of the cold. Later on it stated he lost some fingers and toes but what a cop out! He should have died! So ya I know I should put it aside and let it go but it really bothered me. Did it bother anyone else?
Episode 4:
I particularly enjoyed this episode, I liked the premise, the darker tone and the lesson to be learned. I however once again felt cheated in a certain respect, when the birds descended (I thought awesome they're not going to pull any punches here, it also reminded me of the Hitchcock film "The Birds") I expected the man to be pecked to death by the birds, however once again they went for a "happy" ending with the man only losing an arm. I was however to a degree willing to accept the explanation of the mans survival here. I understood the reasoning of how the arm became irresistable to the birds and put my concerns of blood loss etc out of mind.
Episode 5:
Solid enough episode, I didn't really enjoy the particular mushi in this episode. I didn't find it creepy, mysterious or all that interesting. However the episode went for some solid tactics by showcasing two emotions all people can understand, rejection and loneliness. So while this episode was more relatable in the human aspect, I found the mushi aspect lacking.
Episode 6:
My favourite episode I've watched thus far (I really enjoyed episode four though also), visually stunning, fresh and interesting idea. Slightly dark, Ginko was decisive and the cherry blossom lady actually perished. A bit macabre but it serves the episode well, unlike previous episodes where we the viewer were asked to accept some pretty ridiculous survivals.
Episode 7:
Ah the rainmaker episode, we Irish could talk about the rain till we're blue in the face so I'll keep this short. Decent episode, not as good as some of the others but I liked the explanation behind how the mushi worked in this one, yes a bit out there as to be expected but in a way "believable" xD
Episode 8:
Bird shaped mushi again? Huzzah! For that alone it's a good episode but in all seriousness another solid entry but that's to be expected by the consistent high standards of this anime.
Episode 9
Where to begin? What the fuck! I'm not even going to talk about the ending, I'm not even going to talk about the mushi, art or anything else, only one thing needs to be stated.... I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING MORE CREEPY THAN BREASTMILK COMING FROM THAT WOMAN'S EYES!
That was me trying to keep my thoughts brief considering I had to discuss all those eps together, anyway did anybody share my concerns? I've had to take some things with a pinch of salt and I've let a lot go, maybe I just hold this series up to ridiculously high standards. Also no idea of the name of the guy who is voicing Ginko now but he sounds a little more serious than the fella that voiced him in the first series. I might sound crazy but the guy in the first series sounded a bit more laid-back which suited Ginko better imho, anyway I'm nitpicking and starting to ramble.
Nice! Loved the comments. I'm going to have to go back and watch episode 3 and see if I can explain or pick up on what you stated. To be honest, I didn't notice the flaw the first time through.
Can't find the part early in the episode where he states that mushi offers no protection, but there is the part at the end where Toki thinks the snow protected him, to which Ginko responds "…No." Ginko is not denying that it acted as a protective layer (of course, this doesn't make him impervious to cold, but it shelters him from the added intensity of the below freezing water and also explains why he showed no signs of drowning. Basically, his situation was no different than as if he was on the surface and he was already suffering from frostbite in the beginning, so he would've fell victim to a more severe condition regardless), but that it was doing more harm than good. You sound like you have zero suspension of disbelief, I would hate to be you lol.
Re: Episode 4
Killing off the kid completely is driving a home a rather cynical message that it's impossible to escape the trappings of family. Although the first season had seen darker endings, I don't think it was ever a cynical show.
Re: Episode 6
Did she "perish" though? She looked like she was in more pain while she was "alive", so in this case, death is liberating. Sounds like a happy ending to me.
CharlesTheWise said: Also no idea of the name of the guy who is voicing Ginko now but he sounds a little more serious than the fella that voiced him in the first series. I might sound crazy but the guy in the first series sounded a bit more laid-back which suited Ginko better imho, anyway I'm nitpicking and starting to ramble.
Well, the first season it was a female VA who voiced him so that may explain it. I've been happy with Nakano Yutos job in season 2 though.
Well, the first season it was a female VA who voiced him so that may explain it.
Interesting. I watched the first season dubbed. It has been a while, but I liked Ginko's english VA quite a bit back when I watched it. Ginko's voice in this second season matches pretty much what I imagined his japanese VA would sound like. I'm interested to go back and listen to the original japanese VA now.
10 minutes almost exactly in.... here comes the quotes
Ginko: "Can I take a look at your hand"
Toki: "Here"
Ginko: "(His hand is so cold. He can't even tolerate human body temperature)" "Your skin's turned white. You're getting frostbite. Even though you don't feel it, your body is suffering. If you don't warm yourself up, you will lose your hands and feet."
I think I have pretty good suspension of belief, it's only this episode that really bothered me, when you factor in what Ginko said above ^^ it seems like that man should have lost a little more than some fingers and toes :P I wish his injuries had been a little more extensive, he got off a bit light if you ask me.
Anyway I'll chalk up my frustration on that episode to being too exact, but hey Ginko's word is Gospel xD
Higashi_no_Kaze that makes a lot of sense. His voice did sound more laid back in the first series and that probably was because of the female VA, I'm actually pretty satisfied with the new guy too. I was really nitpicking on that point lol.
I'm going to watch Ep 10 tonight, really looking forward to it.
Episode 10: Overall a solid episode, better than most but certainly weaker than some in my opinion. The story on this one is a little flat. It felt as if this episode was just an excuse to show off its great animation, at least that's the vibe I was getting to a small degree.
Also do we know why there wasn't a second season sooner? Or why episodes on this season have been delayed to production issues? I may be completely wrong but I found the writing this season on some episodes a little weak, it might just be after the original series they were fresh out of ideas or just exhausted. I'm only speculating. Anyway this season thus far at least (it's never wise to make a judgement on something until it's finished but I'll do it) has not been quite as good as the first series. I'd give the slight edge to the first season as I felt it churned out more consistency. Also episode 9 of this season is easily the worst out of every mushishi episode from my point of view, it had moments that belonged in a sick fetish hentai, not in an anime of this caliber. Overall the episodes for this season for me are somewhere between an 8/10 and 9/10... considering I gave the first season a nine, I'll give it again on this in the hope that the latter half might become a little more consistent and elevate its tone.
It sounds like I'm pointing out only the things I didn't like so I better mention the things I did quickly, they've already been said by everybody already though... fantastic intro, magnificent animation, brilliant atmosphere, Ginko, wonderful music that really compliments the anime, also episodes like 4 and 6 are among the finest ever for this anime. Anyway it's inspired me to rewatch the first series, so that's a good sign. That's my mini-rant over xD
What a pleasant surprise seeing this special on my crunchyroll feed. This continues with the darker themes from the first half of the season. Two pretty fucked up situations and Ginko can't really do anything about it. The soul battle was pretty cool, as was the animation throughout. It definitely did it's job getting me excited for the second half of the season. 9/10
Agreed, this was definitely one of the darker episodes and even rekindled some fond memories of Flowers of Evil during the fantastically animated sequences of the Sanekuimushi. Much of the episode dealt with Kumado's isolation and towards the end, it even begged the question "A being who has lost his soul and yet continues to move through the world of the living...what might such a thing be?" Kumado is soulless and in turn, should be lifeless, but he's becoming somewhat revitalized due to his interactions with Tanyuu. "His soul has become frozen. However, with time...his soul should thaw." Tanyuu's final lines are especially memorable and I find it even applies to Ginko as well. "Even if our circumstances do not change, we are not alone."
Took me a while to get around to this one, but another 9/10 for me.
Ep 11-12
[spoiler]
Extremely interesting episode. It never crossed my mind that mushi-shi themselves would sacrifice their souls in order to better fight mushi. I guess it really wasn't a choice in Kumado's case though. Making artificial Mushi out of kouki is also very interesting. Great concepts, I enjoyed the hihamukage episode a bit more though. 8/10
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
-Friedrich Nietzsche