Mushishi: Hihamukage (Mushi-shi: The Shadow that Devours the Sun)

The entire countryside comes to a halt midday to witness a rare solar eclipse that is rumored to allow the average person to see Mushi. Unable to avert their gaze, the air is full of awe and wonder—but those who know the Mushi are preparing for the eclipse's aftermath.

Based on a prediction from Tanyuu Karibusa, the cursed recorder, Mushishi Ginko finds himself in a very unlucky farming village. Immediately following the solar eclipse, a strange black cloud begins to gather in the sky and blocks the sun once more. Suspecting it to be the work of a Mushi known as Hihami, Ginko seeks to liberate the village from perpetual darkness. However, it seems that not all of the villagers are eager to return to the light.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Mushishi Tokubetsu-hen: Hihamukage
Prequel:	Mushishi
Sequel:	Mushishi Zoku Shou

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Characters & Voice Actors

Ginko

Main

Nakano, Yuto
Japanese

Hiyori

Main

Watanabe, Yuuna
Japanese

Karibusa, Tanyuu

Supporting

Kobayashi, Ai
Japanese

Adashino

Supporting

Ueda, Yuuji
Japanese

Narrator

Supporting

Doi, Mika
Japanese

Hinata

Supporting

Sasaki, Rio
Japanese

Tama

Supporting

More staff

Staff

Nagahama, Hiroshi

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Soutome, Kouichirou

Episode Director, In-Between Animation

Urushibara, Yuki

Original Creator

Masuda, Toshio

Music

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Opening Theme

"Hihamukage (日蝕む翳)" by Toshio Masuda

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Ending Theme

"Hinata (日向)" by Toshio Masuda

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Apr 15, 2014

Veronin

Recommended

Nearly a decade later, the anime industry has seen a sequel to the beloved Mushishi adaptation. It's rare enough for any anime to receive a sequel, but after eight long years? Did anyone expect there to ever be more Ginko on-screen? I certainly did not. But it seems Ginko's absence has not made him any more weary than before.

Mushishi: Hihamukage, the first instalment in a larger second season, details Ginko's experience in a village approaching disaster. The sun in the surrounding area has been been blocked by a Mushi, creating eternal darkness and a scarcity of food. With the winter around the corner, total ... annihilation seems inevitable.

Making matters worse, one of the village's children has run away from home. As her disease makes any source of sunlight hazardous to her skin, she is kept inside by her father for protection. Always. She is not allowed to leave the house-- not even to interact with other villagers. She resents her father for keeping her locked in a personal hell, and she resents her sister, too, for living the life she could not have. When the sun is mysteriously blocked, she takes the opportunity to finally see the outside world. She does not care if her family is worried. She simply wants to live.

Hihamukage is immediately recognisable for its tense and melancholic atmosphere. It is not the story itself that stands out (although it's just fine), but the mood. Mushishi has always been a series about mood. It is less about making you ponder and more about making you feel. It achieves this through subtlety rather than through ghosts and monsters and long walks through abandoned hospitals. Ginko and those he meets behave rationally. They are flawed people, certainly, but their motives are always justified. It does not need axe-wielding murderers and sharp, piercing sounds to unsettle you. Mushishi holds itself to a higher standard than that.

If there is anything to take issue with, it might be the stubbornness of the run-away girl. She is not a likeable character in the least. She treats her father like garbage without ever trying to understand his motives (what else could he do in this situation?) and throws insults upon her sister merely out of childish jealousy. But isn't that how it should be? She's a young, broken child who is afraid of the world around her. She doesn't know how to behave like a normal girl because she was never raised as one. She can't pretend to be happy when she is clearly hurting inside. The characters in Mushishi are designed as humans rather than as plot-devices. If there is any character to be given more than a moment of screen-time, they will become fully developed, three-dimensional characters by the end of the episode. Mushishi does not add anything without meaning. It is focused in its simplicity.

What about Ginko, then? He is as he's always been. He tells people directly when they are being foolish and states the facts without regard for the listener's emotions. He is kind-hearted but not motivated solely out of a kind-heartedness. Dealing with Mushi is Ginko's job-- not an altruistic desire to better the lives of everyone he meets. There is a lot of maturity to Ginko's character, especially when the majority of anime protagonists fall into the dichotomy of either 'selfless saint' or 'anti-hero'.

Hihamukage is visually appealing. It may not have the budget of a big film, but it never really needed such a thing in the first place. The background artwork is beautiful even in the apocalyptic darkness and the eclipse looks absolutely terrifying. The only major problem with the visuals is that there many scenes with the characters' faces drawn blank. It seems very out-of-place for an anime that pays so much attention to detail. There is also a lack of animation, with regular panning shots and still-frames, but perhaps that is simply a way to intensify the mood.

Mushishi is known for its stellar soundtrack, and Hihamukage does not disappoint in that regard. There's a very mystical, perhaps even dream-like quality to the music. It is also only used during the important scenes (with ambient sound or silence occupying the rest), which serves well to make each track effective and meaningful. Many times an anime will have either no noticeable music or too much of it, with loud, turgid orchestral pieces stealing the audience's attention (Shingeki no Kyojin, I'm looking at you). Mushishi strikes a nice balance. It is confident with itself but never pompous.

Any fan of Mushishi will find plenty to enjoy with Hihamukage. But how does it compare to the main series? Is it better? Is it worse? ... Does it even really matter? There's enough satisfaction in simply seeing Ginko's adventures once again. A protagonist so well-written could make even the mediocre seem brilliant. If Hihamukage is any indication, Ginko's return looks to be a strong one.

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Jan 4, 2014

Xiaraith

Recommended

Do not take anything for granted, not even life itself. This simple yet profound message is splendidly conveyed by another episode of the calming drug called "Mushishi". What an adventure this series has been; watching Ginko investigating various mushi species in a clever but always comprehensible way, not only curing every human in need of help whatever their origin, but also depicting the essence of life.

An anime not for everyone, to say the least, but certainly for anyone who wants to shed light on human mysteries. Ginko as our protagonist, being the most sincere and suave guy you could probably imagine, doesn't miss a chance ...

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Jan 6, 2014

QuietDiscourse

Recommended

2006 marks the last airing of Mushishi, a small journey within a rural Shinto-inspired Japan. It is, in essence, about harmony—emanating the struggle for humans to find balance in their lives and to attain kiyome ("purity") among the cycles of nature. Prospects of a sequel have been teased for a while now, and as time passed, hopeful fans were beginning to lose faith. Now, 8 years later, studio Artland and director Hiroshi Nagahama relaunch the series with a one hour-long Mushishi episode, entitled "Hihamukage" ("Sun-Eating Shade").

Hihamukage is in tone with the original season, with a spiritual phenomenon kindling discord, followed by a diagnosis by the ... mushishi Ginko, and then character-driven drama bringing about resolution. In this case, the mushi "hihamukage" is cosmic in scale, blocking all sunlight and causing crops to wither and die. Hiyori, a young albino girl unable to stay under sunlight, must come to terms with her condition in order to save the village. The format is a consistent model that heaves a rhythm to Mushishi's plot: we can recognize and predict the story's end, but we always treasure the means by which Mushishi arrives there.

Mushishi is based all on naturality; there is nothing malicious, nothing violent or overtly sinister, nothing but the link between humans and nature as they coalesce and work in tandem to solve conflicts. Villagers are depicted to be unperturbed by all this (at first), routinely harvesting farmlands and going about their daily lives. It is by a change's subtle effect that these activities come undone, having a much larger impact than if it were spurred spontaneously. The eerie yet serene aura of the hihamukage awes both character and viewer. Characters from previous episodes witness the eclipse as well, making a discreet cameo which will not fail to please the fans.

As the sun is blocked by the hihamukage, Hiyori realizes her newfound freedom to waltz around the village without a worry for her condition. Simply walking around, crossing the river, and splashing water as fish pass is exciting for Hiyori. There is something to be said about the joy of freedoms we take for granted. However, she too realizes this about the sun; it is vital to the well-being of the villagers and her family despite her protest for others to feel her suffering. Hiyori must learn to accept this fact, and the drama while she confronts it is nothing short of exemplary.

Part of what lends to this is the atmosphere, ranging from its lagging camera, its setting, its sounds, and its colors. Void silence assaults key moments in order to render them more impactful. Strings, loosely structured "clinks" and "clanks", place emphasis not on the sound or the visuals, but the moment of the scene, to immerse you into Mushishi's rich world and observe it in the eyes of the characters. The landscapes are resplendent in sea-green grasses, but they are laid bare onto the blander browns of the farmlands and villages when the hihamukage ruins the land. The lighting is suggestive; visual actions such as Hiyori lying in darkness remain symbolic of an inner turmoil. Florescent white flowers make the climax all that more meaningful when the villagers destroy them, shoveling their way to the hihamukage's root. Its exposure to the sun removes the darkness once again.

The manner in which Mushishi explicates its lush universe is also in tune with its storytelling: calm, unhurried inspection of the initial surroundings, followed by an omen that marks misfortune. Mystical and strange-looking, the mushi are inscrutable creatures bearing a likeness to folkloristic legends. Part of what makes the mushi so intriguing are all the diverse habitats that they live in. There is something familiar about every legend and every story, but they are different in such a way that they shock you; they confound you, and most of all, they inspire you.

Among other purposes, Hihamukage is an excellent addition to garner excitement for the new season. Artland and Nagahama have preserved the essential aspects of the series, and fans—whether old or new—will be astonished by the work's subtleties. Mushishi's relaunch will not be one to forget.

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This review is written by members of the club Quiet Discourse. We thank the writers nil- and Stellio, as well as the editors lpf and RMNDolphy.

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Jan 4, 2014 7:55 AM by tsubasalover | Discuss (313 comments)

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Poll: Mushishi Special: Hihamukage Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jan 4, 2014	143 replies	by Dawizz »» Jan 14, 12:27 AM
Is this a must watch? Jundal - Aug 18, 2022	10 replies	by Dawizz »» Jan 14, 12:23 AM
Actually watched this by accident CautiousShadow - Apr 14, 2022	3 replies	by AndreaNini »» Apr 14, 2022 10:13 PM
The returning characters from the first series. (besides Ginko) thecurrymaster - May 10, 2014	6 replies	by Amatniki »» Jun 11, 2020 8:04 PM
Which chapters is this special adapted from? Shii4 - Apr 2, 2014	2 replies	by Shii4 »» Apr 3, 2014 1:48 PM

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