Mushibugyou

So what do you do when insects come knock at your door? Well, normally you'd call the pest control. But here's the problem. These are not your ordinary insects. In fact, these are the type that will tear you apart and eat you alive. It takes more much than the pest control. Luckily, you can call upon a more reliant force known as the City Patrol, an elite unit of insect exterminators who are specialists in dealing with those pesky creatures.

As one of the lesser known series from the 2013 Spring lineup, Mushibugyou might of slipped under some people's radar. In fact, I wasn't ... aware of this show until a friend told me about it. No, it's not because I hate bugs. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people hates them in real life as well but this series fits within more of the 'underrated category. Anyways, it is adapted based off the manga known as Joujuu Senjin!! Mushibugyou. (take note that it is adapted from the alternate version of the Mushibugyou manga). Otherwise, the series stars Jinbei Tsukishima, a young man who becomes a new recruit of the City Patrol. The boy is inexperienced but joins the unit to honor his family and protect the people.

The series takes place in an alternate Feudal Era Japan setting. Thus, expect some of the architectures' designs to look like some of the more traditional style of Japanese culture. The country in which the series takes place at is simple though with no complex technology. Rather, there is a system where people tries to follow to maintain order. But then of course, that order is disturbed thanks to these monsters known as the Mushi, the giant insects as well as the antagonists of the series. They disturb peace and causes destruction. Now, who you gotta call? The Ghostbust- I mean, City Patrol.

I'm not a big fan of historical theme series but there's something about Mushibugyou that seems to have more interest than meets the eye. The first few episodes aren't very impressive though so patience is required in order to progress through the series. In fact, we meet the members of the Mushi Magistrate City Patrol. Its members are specialists and quite diverse in terms of their appearances, abilities, and personalities. Jinebi is the most cheerful of the group with his personality. Despite being the weakest member of the team, he makes it up with his heroic efforts to protect the people as well as determination. On a complete different scale, there's Mugai, a mysterious individual whose skill is almost unrivaled in the team. In terms of skills, they are worlds apart and it's fun to see how they balance out during battles.

The other members of the City Patrol consists of the tough guy (Shungiku Koikawa), action girl (Hibachi), and and shy boy (Tenma Ichinotani). All of their skills complicates the team's efforts in some way or form despite their conflicting philosophies. These often result in hilarious belittling of each other to a point of almost absurdity. Speaking of that, there's some absurdity in this show besides the repetitive arguments. I'm talking about the insects involved as they seem to attack humans out of nowhere for little to no reason. Then, there are some of the character designs like Mugai's hair style. Some other forms of absurdity involves the deus ex machina scenarios involving our hero Jinebi when he pulls out a victory from nowhere.

As for the show itself goes, it balances between seriousness and comedy. The seriousness part comes from the Mushi as they truly are bloodthirsty for destruction. In fact, there is actual deaths involved in this show and some moments are even graphic with no censorship. The fact that the Mushi wants humans as food (or more like for dead) is a reality in this series. Make no mistake as the bodies do pile up especially in later episodes when some of the stronger Mushi are introduced. Jinebi also takes his work seriously as he trains hard to honor his family. His determination is unrivaled in his team and often strives to protect those who cares around him. There's also some back-stories involving the supporting characters that shows why they are members of the City Patrol that are spawned from tragic stories. For comedy, there's the frequent actions from Jinebi that usually results in some sort of undesired result at first. This typically starts in the beginning in the show due to his lack of experience as well as some of his lack in common sense. Then, there's the fan service. There's fan service more than just the blood and gore. Thanks to a particular fan service girl (Haru), there's skin showing and cameras fixed on angles that are lascivious. In fact, Haru seems to be the kind of girl in this show that serves little to no purpose beyond the fan service as she has no skill to fight against the Mushi or brains to formulate plans for attack. Instead, she has to rely on her knight in shining armor (Jinbei) to save the day. But of course, Jinbei always gets some sort of reward from her in the form of a 'thanks' or sometimes more...

The plot originally follows more of a the 'monster of the week' format but later transits into a more complex story. In the center of that story is Jinebi and another mysterious girl known as Kuroageha, the Insect Magistrate. She represents a more mysterious side to the overall series with her gifted powers behind that noticeable white silky hair. There's also dangerous foes later on (including an organization) that really takes the action and plot to the cake. If you survived the slow pace of the first few episodes, then this show might not be disappointing for you at all.

As for the Mushi, their designs gives off a dangerous vibe along with their behavior. Most of them are modified after real life insects such as mantis, stag beetles, dragonfly, etc with abilities that matches their rights. Some of them do looks more silly than they should be though with their enormous heads and some of their humanoid/hybrid designs. There's also plenty of action of course! It generally involves the struggling conflict between the Mushi and the City Patrol. There's bloody spilled and heads falling off here and there. The movements and fights are generally fast paced with quick successions. Among other factors, Mushibugyou also has some potential romance development later on. The problem here is that Jinbei is way too dense to notice it. In terms of the romance, the show only gives signs and teases. Thus, don't expect some form of love story as this would be the wrong show to watch.

Overall designs for the characters are fine that shows why they are part of the City Patrol. The Edo like feeling is obviously there with the architectures and village like settings. Then, there are the dangerous insects that shows why they are enemies of humanity. The fan service might be more than meets the eye but even ignoring that aspect doesn't make this series' artwork outstanding.

The soundtrack of the show is noticeable but nothing earth shattering. There's the action scenarios, the comedy tones, and then some more of the emotional parts accompanied by soft paced music. Most of the VA plays their roles well. In particular, Jinbei's VA (KEEN) has that tone of determination coming from his voice whenever he wants to protect someone. There are two different OP and ED songs and both of them fits within the theme of the show with the Edo-like atmosphere.

All in all, Mushibugyou is a show that is underrated but can be worth a watch if you have some patience. What I mean by that is getting through some of the introductory episodes and then later on to the main plot. I mean, the show is dominated by man eating insects as the enemies. I'm sure most of us hates insects in some way or form. There's also fan service so be prepared for some gratuitous camera angles and bloody gore. The show is more intimating than meets the eye though so once it gets to the main dish, it can be a somewhat enjoyable ride. Just don't forget to fasten the seat-belt unless you want to become insect food.

This is my first review so don't be too harsh.

Edited as of 10/1 upon completion of the series.

Mushibugyou is your typical shounen really, but It has a few stylish and interesting choices for subject matter, that being insects. At first it's treated quite like a monster of the week affair. Similar to the very beginning of bleach. However as things go on stuff gets more interesting. Characters develop, romance develops, and Arcs unfold. I'm gonna be honest there isn't much original here, however there isn't much original about most shounen. It's all about how well it's executed when it comes to shounen's story. In this ... regard I believe Mushibugyou was executed well, but not as good as others like Hunter x Hunter or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. So, is the story good? Yes. Is it a legendary tale passed down from the shounen gods? Nope. 7.5/10 for the story.

The characters overall aren't really all that special. That is at first, everything becomes alot better as time goes on characters included. Character development is actually rather robust for mainstream shounen. When I first thought about it the characters weren't all that original at all until later on. Most mainstream shounen (Bleach, One Piece, Naruto) nowadays have very little romance or none at all. I don't view that as a bad thing. Everything has its time and place including love stories. Although, It is nice that Mushibugyou took it back to the days of old when shounens had a nice bit of love and romance. Every character progresses in their own way and it has some love on the side which gets it an extra nod from me. Overall, 7/10 for the characters.

The art and sound really are just as good as anything else that's come out recently. Nothing really to say, It meets the industry standard of good looking and good sounding anime. It is of note that both of its openings were quite enjoyable artistically and musically. 7/10 for both art and sound. Would have probably been a 6 for sound, but those openings really saved it's soundtrack.

My overall enjoyment of this anime is really the saving grace to it all. There is something fun about seeing how all the bug slaying will turn out. How the Insect Magistrate's Office will handle giant bugs or a new arc of differing enemies. It seems to also stay fresh with a revolving door of characters working with Jinbei. Everything moves fast and stays fresh with it never seeming like time was wasted unnecessarily. I think its quick development at first can also be attributed to the way it works in a monster of the week fashion. I always feel like I'm having fun when watching Mushibugyou, in a way similar to the same type of feeling I get when I watch Starship Troopers or Godzilla movies. 8/10 for enjoyment. It simply put is pure hearted fun for me.

In conclusion I give this anime a 7.75/10 with the score being rounded to 8 due to lack of decimals in MyAnimeList's rating system. If you are looking for fun watch this anime. I hope my anime review helped anyone who read it.

This anime's strength is in it's simplicity, not in it's complexity.

So for everyone who is looking for a mind-boggling sophisticated psychological thriller, this anime is not for you. The anime this is for is just for children, for one, due to it's oversimplified nature, and secondly it is for those who are willing to watch the non-mainstream anime. But arguably due to all the gorey bits, it's probably suited towards the mature audiences. But nevertheless it's very simple even a child could understand.

If the first episode doesn't deter you from watching the anime, then that's basically what you get. The first episode clearly sets ... the scene for the anime, and how it's probably going to go.

Sounds, Art, Story, Character is probably all below 5 in all honesty.

For one the story seems to advance too quickly for the supposedly 26 episode anime, and the first arc of the series seemed to be the final arc of the series. In bleach terms (I know I'm using these a bit), it'll be the soulbringer arc.

Art, the art is different, it seems more crude and relies heavily on thick brushes rather than fine lines that are often depicted other shounen.

The only thing this anime has going for it is the action. Action is one of the central themes of the anime as the MC, though weak in comparison to his comrades, struggles anyway to protect them with all his might. However, the anime takes a strange twist on in the later episodes, where the plot development becomes unrealistic to the previous episodes. Such a development could be described as ichigo becoming a soul reaper and then 3 episodes later, learns banaki. It's quite unrealistic. But this isn't to the anime's disadvantage. It's quite entertaining to watch even with such a strange turn of events. They probably didn't want the main character to stay weak forever.

But in all honesty, I really enjoyed the anime, even though it wasn't the best anime possible, out of all the other animes, it seemed nostalgic in ways that all the current animes do not have. This is probably due to the fact that the main themes of the anime is protecting others with all your heart, regardless of your situation. So thus for enjoyment I give it 10/10.

And after careful consideration, and (not) taking the average. I found the anime to be a good 7/10.

If you've read this far, as always, thank you for reading!

I first saw Mushibugyou as a manga, and since i love martial arts shonen mangas, i gave it shot. I dropped it after a few chapters because the main idea was just too boring. When i saw it became an anime i decided to try it again, because i thougth the animation could draw out whatever potential it had. Yet again i was wrong.

The show is basicaly all the shonen cliches brougth together. The main character who wants to protect his friends, the strong guy with the dark past,the big brest stupid girl whose only role is to get in danger so the cast can ... save her. Seen it before and it's simply not worth it.

The story is unexisted. An organisation who figths off giant insects.It could not get any duller than this.I know, it is hard to imagine and write an original idea, but please mangaka, if you do not have anyhing interesting, don't bother to write about the first thing that popped in your head, it is like an insult to the manga/anime community.Again, the cliches is here, the dark organisation who figths the good one, the lame backround for the characters, the bonding between them and etc

The most annoying thing are the characters. They have no personality, no originality and no interest. After 5 chapters of the manga and 8 episodes, i barely remember one, Jimbey, and that is only because that is a name we know and love FROM ONE PIECE.

The only decent thing about it is the animation,but that is impossibe for me to enjoy because everything else simply annoy me too much. Nice lines(way better than in manga)and generaly a good work, that is wasted on this "plot" and "characters"

Seriously, i could watch only the first 2 minutes of every episode and i would stil be able to predict accurately everything.Long story short,why bother with this anime?I do not know,way too much free time?But then again, you could watch shingeki no kyojin on rerun.

This is my first review so spare me.

When I first saw this anime, I thought it would be another typical shounen anime with generic characters. Well, I was somewhat right or completely correct.

Story-6/10
The story follows our young protagonist Tsukishima, Jinbei who has just left his home. After some events he ends up joining the Mushibugyou, a group of people who fight giant bugs. Although it doesn't seem very interesting at first, as the story unfolds a bit we get a slight idea to how the giant bugs came to be and to who the head of the Mushibugyou really is.

Art- 7/10
Nothing to spectacular here. The ... art matches the overall atmosphere of the show and stays consistent throughout the anime from what I can see.

Sound- 8/10
The sound fits the anime well from what I can remember and the first OP and ED were decent. The second OP and ED were what really caught my ear, the second OP was fun and matched the show very well, while the second ED had a more serious tone to it with good visuals to boot.

Character- 7/10
This is where some people may be skeptical. The characters don't seem like anything special, especially the protagonist Jinbei. The other characters are; Hibachi the ninja/tsundere who uses explosives, Tenma the onmyouji with his two shikigami, Shungiku the samurai/criminal who uses swords, and Mugai the strongest member of the group. I'm only going to talk in detail about Jinbei and Princess Naa

Jinbei the new member in the group. Although he seems generic and boring, he is one of the reasons as to why I liked this anime. Even though he's not very strong he makes up for that with enthusiasm and his undying will to fight for what he believes is right. He is very respectful of everyone usually adding the honorific -dono to their names. His interaction with the main cast is entertaining to watch and feels natural.

(Some Spoilers Ahead)

Princess Naa also known as the insect Magistrate is the head of the unit. Not much is known about her at the start. She starts out practically emotionless and meets our protagonist at the start of summer, where she is seen just standing around looking up at the sky waiting for the fireworks to start. Despite her past, she starts to show more emotion as she interacts with Jinbei and later realizes she has developed feelings for Jinbei.

Enjoyment- 9/10
The show was always entertaining to watch even though the start was slow. It never felt like a chore and I was always exited for the next episode.

Overall- 8/10
I feel like Mushibugyou is a somewhat underrated anime but if you're looking for a casual/happy anime Mushibugyou is a great choice!

-Note there are some gory parts.

The whole idea of the anime can be considered a typical shounen, and from what has been presented so far, it is doing a relatively good job on being such. Mushibugyou is an anime that is not meant to awaken some deep and thoughtful side of the audience, instead entertaining with uncommonly plotted story, fairly well animated fighting scenes and funny, but superficial characters. The strenght of this anime is more of a simple and comical nature. One cannot expect wonders when it comes to the concept of Mushibugyou as a whole, seeing as it is most likely to be meant for the kind of ... audience that seeks quickly unravelling events, a light story and a good portion of comic relief.

As for the components, each and every one of them has its good and bad side. This anime, like all others, is not a flawless one, but here is an evaluation of every aspect and element that composes the basics of an anime.

The whole plot is not something exceptional or too extraordinary. The concept of fighting monsterous creatures to save people is well-known and widely spread amongst the animes of the likely genres. What positive and different can be found in this particular piece is, however, the way they managed to recreate the spirit of old Japan. It cannot be stated that it is close to being accurate, naturally, due to the fact that it is all too shallow and innocent, but what can be noticed throughout the whole series is some strangely pleasant sense of being really drawn into the world that the anime is trying to present, no matter how ridiculous this may sound. The story moves forward quite fast and is not burdened with unnecessery complications and annoyingly long speeches or flashbacks. It is all reduced to the recommended for every action-packed anime minimum. The plot developement is very dynamic, which is also a good thing considering the corresponding genre. In the end, all said and done, the story has its flaws, but for a typical shounen, it can be classified as satisfying.

The art is simply too rough and at some points - even uncomely. The characters are drawn in a childish manner and the hairstyles are just ridiculous. That is however one of the unique things about this anime and may be considered as a positive feature by many. It cannot be denied that a unique art, no matter what it looks like, marks the anime as something that is one of a kind and helps the audience sink into its world faster and easier. Overall, this particular art is a disputable topic that mostly depends on each and every person's own opinion.

The sound effects, the songs and the acting skills of the voice actors are a great match for this type of anime and its purposes. The first opening theme may have sounded a little bit too ear-teasing, but that's to be expected from an action series. The soundtrack follows the steps of original Japanese culture sounds, which is the highlight of this section. An amazing selection of perfectly matching traditional music completes every single scene and brings out emotion and sensuality to every frame. The sound is most probably the component most sophisticatedly done in this anime.

The characters are colourful and funny, but on a sad note - too chliché and too innocently superficial. Of course, one could say - that's to be expected from an anime that focuses on entertainment through super-power fights and action. But really, a significant part of the audience has grown tired of simple and poorly developed characters in exchange for good action. Why not just mix them up both for a change? Who knows, maybe something good could be born. But back to the topic, the characters have their positive traits as well. They are all unique in their own way, and there is a huge conrast and variety between different personalities and appearances. They are all bright and funny, each of them is developed in a way that at some point to be able to provide some comic relief. Slightly overdone and exaggerated reactions, but let's not forget the fact that this is an animation that has, above everything else, the purpose to entertain.

Overall, the enjoyment that one can squeeze out of this anime differs from person to person. As I am left with no other choice, I will simply share my thoughts on the subject. I am having a really nice time with this anime, it is so light and ought to improve your mood in an instant. That, combined with the factor of some really well directed fighting scenes and charming in a very dumb way protagonist, brings me immense joy every time I sit back and play the latest episode of Mushibugyou.

This is an anime that I wouldn't recommend to everybody, since it has, let's put it this way, a selective audience. It will be liked by those who don't search for something significant and life changing, but instead seek enjoyment in the simple things. It is a great choice when you're in a need to lift your spirits and will always make you laugh, as long as you let its humor reach you.

As a conclusion, you will enjoy this anime, as long as you let it make you enjoy it.

Mushibugyou follows a young samurai named Jinbei Tsukishima in Edo, hoping to be a member of the Insect Magistrate's office in the place of his father. In the Insect Magistrate's office, their only duty is to protect the peace in Edo from the monstrous insects. When Jinbei got to be one of the members of the office, he met his new teammates namely Mugai, Hibachi, Tenma Ichinotani, and Shungiku Koikawa. But the problem is that, all of his teammates believed that he will quit in less than 3 days and he was too weak to fight the insects.



Story (9/10):

Mushibugyou was one of the rare ... action animes that the MC was not that too powerful and too weak either. The anime's story lets the MC, Jinbei Tsukishima, too grow more powerful and wiser as the series progress. The comedy and the fanservice, "the plots", are not too excessive that may cause a downhill and a sort of a bland taste that leave in the audience's eyes. It also shows how beautiful human relationships are. The transition between the arcs was clean and well-thought that avoided some confusion.




Characters (8/10):

1. Jinbei Tsukishima: Jinbei Tsukishima acted as a human pillar of goodness and hope. Throughout the anime, his goodness towards other people, whether foe or ally, doesn't change a single bit but it became stronger as he met more people,with different perspectives and experiences, as a member of the Insect Magistrate's office.

His goodness was first shown when he saved Oharu from getting eaten by an insect. Oharu told him about her parents' horrible death in the hands of the insects and lost hope in living as being eaten was always an everyday activity in Edo; but he gave her hope by promising her that he will do his very best to protect her and Edo from the insect. Later on, with Hibachi, he encouraged and shared sentiments towards Mugai. He helped Tenma to overcome his fears. He admired and strongly believed in Shunguki. His strong determination and will touched Mugai which lead Mugai to open his heart on Jinbei. His promise of seeing the skies in Edo with the Insect Magistrate or Princess Naa. And it made his teammates to accept him and to believe in him as one of them. These things were only some of his goodness list which changed lives for the better.

His iron determination, will, and persistent were also one of his good points. Because of these characteristics, he gave hope to his teammates to overcome the struggles in battle and to have strength that can kill their enemies. Although the foe was not in his league, for example Yukimura Sanada, he didn't lose hope and continued to battle although his body was not in fighting shape. That's because he didn't waver on his philosophy that to win every battles until he died. He also obsessed about being stronger since he didn't want to burden his teammates and didn't want to experiece the humilation that he can't protect anyone on his power. It was also to become an aide for his teammates.



2. Mugai:

In the case of Mugai, since he's rarely shown in the anime, he didn't have that much character development compared to others; but his character still plays an important role. Him, being strong and powerful, became Jinbei's goal towards an ideal swordman that can erase people's fear; that honed Jinbei's skills as a samurai and leave a bigger room of development for Jinbei.

Although in the anime, his past was shown, it was somehow a little bit lacking in explanation in some parts; like on his reason why he left a criminal group. But he still did show a little development in the anime.



3. Hibachi:

Hibachi is the tsundere of the anime. She punched and kicked Jinbei for being a so-called pervert and for whatever reasons. She became Jinbei's first friend in the Insect Magistrate when they both shared admiration for Mugai. As a fellow member, she believed on Jinbei which gave him support. Her character development wasn't that impressive but still worth praising for; for when she became stronger ninja and changed her opnions of Jinbei.



4. Tenma Ichinotani:

Tenma Ichinotani was the character who showed a great character development throughout of the anime. From being a cry-baby to being a strong, noble, and dependable onmyoji. He's very likable character since it was like watching a baby to grow up as a good adult. His love for his parents stayed true and his friendship with Jinbei and the others became stronger.



5. Shungiku Koikawa:

Just like Hibachi, Shungiku Koikawa doesn't have that much character development. But Koikawa has this misleading image of him. He's a badass samurai who had a clean cut in everything he cuts but he's also a drunkard. But I never thought that he's also quite fair in fights, for a murder, when he didn't strike Mugai when Mugai threw his longsword to the ground, and a little bit a mature and responsible adult, for a drunkard, when he's aiding his teammates in battle.



Overall (8/10):

The anime let it's characters to grow and to have a meaningful development. It's quite rare, these days, to find an anime which all of its characters are growing together; not the typical anime in which the main character is only the one who's getting stronger. The story is not confusing and not too predicatble. But the only downside of this anime is that it doesn't have a second season.

Anime Genre Roulette 🎰 Review 1 🎰 Samurai
Since i started playing this amazingly fun game i thought it'd be cute to start a review series of all the anime i'll be watching in this gambling anime challenge, starting with roulette win n. 1: Mushibugyo!

And unfortunately there is no way in hell i can recommend this first anime...
The script is beyond mediocre, with a plot that is very disconected and often completely nonsensical

If i had to give it a couple of very minor good points
The first OP is an absolute banger and the giant bugs look super cool
It also has some interesting character designs, combining costumes ... and styles from different eras giving the show more of a post apocalyptic future vibe than a historical one

But anything interesting about the characters is purely superficial, 'cause in 26 episodes there is zero character developement whatsoever

The one thing that could potentially give you some enjoyment out of this series is the humor, well, that is if you like dumb-ass raunchy comedy, 'cause this anime is boob jokes galore
But this element gets mostly lost in the second half of the show, with the attempt of giving it a more serious tone leaving it to be a complete snoozefest

Set in an alternate Feudal Era Japan, Mushibugyou combines a unique mix of historical themes with comic relief to create a thoroughly enjoyable story. In this alternate world, humans are not the beings at the top of the food chain. Instead, that position is held by giant man eating insects. Being not only uplifting but enjoyable to watch, the show manages to captivate and hold its audience in thrall. Though admittedly not at spectacular as the other 2013 Spring releases, Mushibugyou is simply too fun to simply pass by.

[POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW: I have refrained from spoilers as much as possible. Read at your own risk.]

Story ... & Setting
The story revolves around the story of Tsukishima Jinbei and his friends as he joins the Mushibugyou, a group of shogun appointed specialists who combat and fight the insects to the best of their ability. Two major arcs are in the story, the first being in Edo and the second being in Kishuu. As expected from a Shounen Action anime, the greatest focus of the anime is the combat which in itself was done spectacularly, though the usage of Deux Ex Machina is plainly obvious at times. Though the story itself isn't spectacular, it certainly is not the bane of the anime, possessing a straight forward plot which is easy to follow and yet more unpredictable than expected.

When I first started watching this anime, I was captivated by the first few episodes and found myself unable to stop watching. Though the most of episodes did not end in cliffhangers or anything even close to that sort, I found myself craving for more after each and every episode. To top that off, both the action as well as the absolutely hilarious parts managed to very effectively uplift my spirits and help me enjoy my day even more. Though lacking any deep meaning in both plot and actions of characters, or perhaps due to that, Mushibugyou remains a definite must watch for anyone looking for a casual and most importantly, fun anime.

Animation
The animation is done very well through the anime. In particular, the action sequences are constructed artfully. Being a Shounen Action genre anime, I was anticipating fantastic action and fight scenes through the whole show. It did not disappoint. Each sequence put together with elaborate detail, almost as if it was a carefully choreographed dance. Though the other parts were also done very well however, there was no extra "WOW" effect to it. Impressive, but not to the point where the animation alone can blow one away. This could also be considered to be a good point to some though, as it as not overwhelming to the point where it would make you lose focus on what the anime intends to do.

Sound
As a whole, the sound effects are done very well through the anime, in particular during the action scenes. The sound effects set the scene very well while remaining only in the background and not overwhelming your senses. Aside from that though, there is no real change in the sound effects used, following a strict genre along the lines of hyping up the audience during the fights. All in all, music and sound was effectively used to a limited extent but managed to fulfill its task splendidly all the same.

Characters
The characters are the key to the anime aside from the action. Possessing some very unique characters in both character design and traits, the anime blends them together and mixes them up to create absolutely hilarious results. Putting the supporting characters aside, the main characters all have at least one recurring theme behind them which can be seen very clearly through the whole show. In particular, the running gags of certain individual characters or the interactions between several are particularly funny and enjoyable to watch.

Character design wise, it could hardly be more unique. With almost every single character possessing completely different traits and looking so different. Naturally, this would apply to all of the insect characters but the anime also managed to do this successfully with the main characters too. Creating a very interesting array of characters with even more unique personalities to them. However, one issue I do have with this is that some traits are not elaborated and leave slight questions in my mind. This also stems from the ultimately incomplete relationships which seemed to be headed in one direction but ultimately are not completed. Though even so, the effort put into designing and creating the characters can hardly be considered to be sloppy, but rather, was done just a few steps short of perfection.

Overall
To conclude, Mushibugyou adds a very interesting take to the Alternate History genre. Possessing a very unique, though straightforward, story and characters even more so, this anime is one which was extremely enjoyable to watch. A slightly obscure anime which for no reason what-so-ever should be ignored without trying it out. Once you taste the fun in it, you'll instantly find yourself craving for more!

[AFTERWORD: Thank you for taking time to read this review. Please do give any comments of which I could learn from and improve on for any reviews I might do in the future!]

When i first saw Mushibugyou it reminded of a combination of Fairy Tail and Katanagatari but the they fight against huge bugs. If you´re a fan for story driven animes this might not be you´re type although i really liked the characters wich hade each its unique background and fighting teqnique.
None of the main characters plays plays a damsel in distress throughout the entire series and its filled with filled with enjoyable side stories and fighting sequences. Personally i enjoyod it very much although not as much as katanagatari or Fairy tale but if you´re a fan of either of them or a fan of ... the martial arts anime then you should give it a try. I wish you an enjoyable time and a good day!

This anime was fun to watch and its not too serious. The characters are likable with pretty good back stories and the story overall is a decent story it has some deep moments but it also has alot of light moments that keep the story from being too dark. I really enjoyed the light parts of the story because i had just finished a darker anime with a serious plot. I hope more people give it watch i would like to see other reviews.

I find it always pleasant a story centered on the "edo" and samurai-like history, but the anime as it develops is losing charm in both plot and shonen's approach. I think it wastes the opportunity to give us a good leading group and develop it a little more since.
I think that the protagonists of this series do not have a bad basis but not counting tsukishima the others stay a little behind in all aspects.
In addition to the time of conflict and battles there are two great problems when it comes to watching this series:
First is that there are times when the animation is not ... even appreciated since in some battles with insects are pure images as if it were a manga what it was loses fluency to the anime and second is that the villains in this series are very uninteresting and are brought their appearances very quickly and fleetingly, there is really no battle to stand out.
At no point did i feel that i could see a battle that the characters were actually at a crucial moment in the story (except for the death of a character). The insect hunters and the ten crucifix insects were not interesting enough to make the anime that was marked by these 2 groups of villains improved as the chapters progressed.
In conclusion i think it was an anime that had a good protagonist but that did not develop with harmony like his companions and without a doubt the worst of this series were some battles and some villains that left much to be desired in desing and in the depth of their characters. It is not areally recommended anime but if you want to see the typical protagonist of shonen of good heart in his adventures by being a samurai you can see this anime although not with high expectations.

This is one of my very few review that i made about an anime but it had to be done

Mushibugyou is a typical shounen anime the story plot it plays really made you root for the main characters, but at the same time there are some scene which makes a person laugh or be completely wrap in the story waiting for the next episode to load faster

Overall my impression is that Mushibuyou is a good anime if you want a change of pace from reality or simple your a huge shounen fan you should watch it

tl;dr: An action anime about giant bugs that’s carried pretty much entirely by two great characters.

This anime is set in an alternate Edo that has come under the attack of giant insects. To combat them an organization known as the Mushibugyo, meaning Insect Magistrate, was founded. This story particularly follows Jinbee, a samurai from far out in the country that comes to Edo in order to join the Mushibugyo. The first third or so of the anime is centered around Jinbee and the rest of the Mushibugyo simply dealing with the various insects that attack Edo. Each episode focuses on a single character, with Jinbee ... and by extension the viewer learning more about them. The rest of the anime involves two extended arcs with more intricate plots focusing on fighting specific groups, though with a training arc episode and recap episode in between.

Overall in this anime, there were only two character’s that felt well written and utilized. The rest of the main cast have solid introductions, but they don’t really develop much beyond that. There are moments here and there where they get their moments in the spotlight, but due to the long gaps between these moments, overall they weren’t fleshed out enough to really get invested in them. Some of them had interesting enough personalities to make them likable even without much depth to them, but in that case it felt somewhat disappointing they didn’t matter more. For example, Haru pops up quite often, especially early on, but she has no plot significance whatsoever.

The first character that stood out as an exception is Jinbee, which I suppose shouldn’t be surprising considering he’s the protagonist. His personality is really fun in that he’s a complete moron that’s dense as a brick, but also really hard working and incredibly kind. The end result is that he’s just an incredibly good natured guy that sees the best in everyone to an absurd degree, and in doing so he manages to draw out other people’s best selves. He does have special powers that pop up from time to time under special conditions, but the majority of the fights he gets into, he wins simply due to the fact that he’s been training really hard and refuses to go down no matter what. It’s simple to the point of being stupid but it’s still really satisfying. Also, he’s hilarious.

The other character that stood out as well written and utilized is the magistrate of the Mushibugyo. For the vast majority of the anime she’s referred to by her titles, and you don’t really learn her real name until the end and even afterwards no one calls her that. But she is by far the best written character in this anime and definitely the one with the most depth. She can pretty much single handedly carry the entire anime in this regard. She doesn’t even show up until episode seven, but after that she quickly becomes the main heroine as the plot seems to revolve almost entirely around her. It’s incredibly easy to sympathize with her and get invested in her character arc and her relationship with Jinbee, which makes it easy to get invested in the plot and anime overall. And ultimately, she and Jinbee are enough to make the anime overall pretty enjoyable. The anime ends with a lot left unresolved, but it stops at a pretty good point that I was satisfied with, though I’ll definitely check out the manga eventually.

The art was a mixed bag. I like the art style, but I don’t think I like the general design sense for the most part. I didn’t really love any of the character designs, but I really didn’t like a few, such as Mugai’s. I also hated the enemy designs for the most part, though with the focus on giant insects I suppose that was inevitable. Also, I know chonmage are historically accurate for samurai, but I’m still not much of a fan. The animation was pretty solid. Action wise, power ups and abilities in general weren’t fleshed out all that well, so the action felt pretty random and didn’t really have any depth, but it looked pretty cool. The first OP had a pretty cool art style so visually I found it pretty impressive, though the song was only okay. The second OP is more conventional visually but still pretty good and has a great song. The first ED was okay in terms of the visuals and song. I really liked the visuals and song on the second ED though. The soundtrack was also pretty solid and worked really well at times.