The story starts off with a Mushi-shi named Ginko, which throughout his journey, encounters different kinds of people that are in strange situations that are caused by these creatures called "mushi." They exist to somehow help out people that are afflicted by the mushis, so they act like medical doctors that's wandering about from place to place. The people he encounters are really unique, and their problems symbolize diseases in the real world, at least as I see it. Ginko appears in the villages where these peoples are and try to relieve them of these mushis, or just to try to help them out somehow. The mushis could be infesting inside the person, or exist outside their surrounding environment that could even affect an entire village. Either way, they cause something that makes their victims act strange. The story line is very episodic, but it really does fit the plot since each episode depicts Ginko being faced by a different problem each time.
The art in Mushishi is really something that's worth appreciating. The vivid forests that Ginko travels through, the ocean that's constantly shown in the story, and the villages themselves are all very detailed and are just great just staring at them. Right when the first episode started off, I was thrilled by the details the people behind this anime put their backs into. The fog and mist surrounding the forests and the village makes me think of going outside on an early morning and breath in the crisp morning air while the birds chirp on the trees. That laid back feeling is really something. This could be a recent series that was first aired only two or three years ago, but I totally appreciate the animation and art on this one.
The sounds involved in Mushishi are also great. The opening song just resembles one or two of my all-time favorite bands. The slow and mellow flow of the music is just laid back, and it just fits what the story is all about. Even the ending is very unique for an anime. Every episode ends with a different ending music, along with a different piece of art to show with it. With other anime, I usually just watch the opening and ending once, then the rest of the series I just skip them and go directly to what I'm supposed to be watching. But Mushishi is different. Every episode, I watch (or maybe just listen) the entire opening just for the music, then watch the whole ending for each one too. It's that great. The voice actors, specially the one doing Ginko's voice (in Japanese of course) really did a great job, so I give kudos to him for that. The sounds just come in at the right time, especially that bell or chime that rings out of nowhere, but fits the scene.
Mushishi's characters are also great. There's the doctor that buys all of Ginko's weird collection, then the people that are afflicted by Mushis themselves. I kind of felt like there was a shortage of main characters though, but I think that making Ginko the character that everyone revolves around fits this anime anyways. That's because he travels around, and that's the only way of fitting all the pieces to the puzzle. Ginko's history also depicts someone that makes him what he is today. The people on this series also somewhat felt like they have the same faces, well at least mostly everyone, with a few that's just different. It felt like they have the same ancestors from way, way back then that just shows just now. But, that's just something weird that I had to add. But back to the discussion, I say the characters that Ginko meets on his travels are very mysterious as if they're ominous or something. But in the end, they're just regular people.
This series is really something that I have enjoyed. It's something that persuades me to travel myself. No, it MAKES me want to travel. I really like shows where the main character travels to different places, and Mushishi just took the word "Adventure" to the next floor upstairs. I really had fun watching the series, and it's a show where everyone will find something to enjoy. The creators really need to start thinking of making a sequel that covers the last half of the manga. PLS!
Overall, this anime is my top favorite all time anime that even surpassed Cowboy Bebop. I'm really into action animes like Bebop and hilarious ones like GTO, but Mushishi got that humble feel to it that just makes one feel good about something. This work is truly a masterpiece, and I recommend it to anyone who's reading this review.
