Mushishi

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Alternative Titles

English: Mushi-Shi

Japanese: 蟲師

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 26

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 23, 2005 to Jun 19, 2006

Premiered: Fall 2005

Broadcast: Sundays at 03:40 (JST)

Producers: Avex Entertainment, Marvelous, SKY Perfect Well Think, Delfi Sound

Licensors: Funimation

Studios: Artland

Source: Manga

Genres: Adventure, Slice of Life, Mystery, Historical, Supernatural, Fantasy, Seinen

Duration: 25 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.69¹ (scored by 203,901 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #45²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #167

Members: 620,789

Favorites: 23,068

8.69

Ranked #45Popularity #167Members 620,789

Fall 2005TVArtland

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Synopsis

"Mushi": the most basic forms of life in the world. They exist without any goals or purposes aside from simply "being." They are beyond the shackles of the words "good" and "evil." Mushi can exist in countless forms and are capable of mimicking things from the natural world such as plants, diseases, and even phenomena like rainbows.

This is, however, just a vague definition of these entities that inhabit the vibrant world of Mushishi, as to even call them a form of life would be an oversimplification. Detailed information on Mushi is scarce because the majority of humans are unaware of their existence.

So what are Mushi and why do they exist? This is the question that a "Mushishi," Ginko, ponders constantly. Mushishi are those who research Mushi in hopes of understanding their place in the world's hierarchy of life.

Ginko chases rumors of occurrences that could be tied to Mushi, all for the sake of finding an answer.

It could, after all, lead to the meaning of life itself.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Mushishi is an adaptation of Yuki Urushibara's award-winning manga of the same name. The series adapts the first 26 chapters of the manga, adapting one per episode. The anime aired these stories in a different order than that of the manga.

The series won the Tokyo Anime Award in the Television category in 2006. The series premiered on October 23, 2005, but went on hiatus on March 12, 2006 after having aired 20 episodes. Broadcast resumed on May 15, and aired the remaining 6 episodes, concluding on June 19, 2006.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Mushishi
Sequel:	Mushishi: Hihamukage, Mushishi Zoku Shou
Summary:	Mushishi Recap

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Ginko

Main

Nakano, Yuto
Japanese

Karibusa, Tanyuu

Supporting

Tsuzurahara, Miyu
Japanese

Adashino

Supporting

Ueda, Yuuji
Japanese

Nui

Supporting

Doi, Mika
Japanese

Narrator

Supporting

Doi, Mika
Japanese

Sui

Supporting

Oka, Akiko
Japanese

Maho

Supporting

Honjou, Yuutaro
Japanese

Ioroi, Shinra

Supporting

Sanpei, Yuuko
Japanese

Aya

Supporting

Nazuka, Kaori
Japanese

Koro

Supporting

Maeda, Takeshi
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Suzuki, Atsushi

Producer

Nagahama, Hiroshi

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Series Composition

Tanaka, Kazuya

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

"The Sore Feet Song" by Ally Kerr

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Ending Theme

#01: "Midori no Za" (緑の座) by Masuda Toshio (ep 1)
#02: "Mabuta no Hikari" (瞼の光) by Masuda Toshio (ep 2)
#03: "Yawarakai Kaku" (柔らかい角) by Masuda Toshio (ep 3)
#04: "Makura Kouji" (枕小路 ) by Masuda Toshio (ep 4)
#05: "Tabi wo Suru Numa" (旅をする沼) by Masuda Toshio (ep 5)
#06: "Tsuyu wo Suu Mure" (露を吸う群れ) by Masuda Toshio (ep 6)
#07: "Ame ga Kuru Niji ga Tatsu" (雨がくる虹がたつ) by Masuda Toshio (ep 7)
#08: "Unasaka Yori" (海境より) by Masuda Toshio (ep 8)
#09: "Omoi Mi" (重い実) by Masuda Toshio (ep 9)
#10: "Suzuri ni Sumu Shiro" (硯に棲む白) by Masuda Toshio (ep 10)

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Reviews

Jun 27, 2008

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

TheCriticsClub (All reviews)

566 people found this review helpful

“Don’t let yourself be blinded by fear or anger.
Everything is only as it is.”

Story
Mushishi is essentially a series of stories styled after East Asian legends and folktales. In lieu of gods, spirits, and demons, the paranormal phenomena are attributed to more primitive yet no less enigmatic creatures called “mushi”. Dealing with their kind is the expertise of “mushishi”; professionals whose role may be thought of as an amalgam of healer, exorcist, biologist, X-Files investigator, and Jedi master (well, sort of). Ginko happens to be one of these mushishi and he wanders from town to town, looking for interesting cases and lending a helping hand read more

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Jul 20, 2013

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

mahoganycow (All reviews)

306 people found this review helpful

In spirit, at least, each episode of Mushishi strongly reminds me of one thing: A cave painting. A depiction of man and the outside world, brief and primal but perfectly expressive, radiating mysticism, possessed of more meaning than it first appears to have.

From minute one, Mushishi's representation of a vast world grabs the eye and doesn't let go. Lush forests with dew dripping from every leaf; barren winter mountains peppered with stubborn snow-covered trees; an innocuous pond with lilies on the surface of the still water. The series roams from setting to setting, and all are presented with a lifelike attention to detail. The color palette is richly varied, reaching from the brilliant emerald of vegetation to the deep turquoise of the sea to the dusky red of a far-off sunset. Lighting is used to strong effect, whether it's beams of sun streaming through layers of foliage and mist or a candle's flame struggling to brighten a dark old house.

And within those habitats, the mushi themselves are creatively rendered as a strange mix of the familiar and the utterly alien. They are shapeless blobs propelled by twitching motions, phosphorescent insects scuttling along the earth, and great legless serpents twisting skyward. Some take the shape of a natural phenomenon, and the sight of a living rainbow exploding from the earth, or a long-restrained cloud breaking free, expanding and floating away, is bound to impress. The animation on the whole is excellent, but the mushi in particular seem to move with a vivid otherworldly fluidity. At least part of Mushishi is about making sense of the mysterious and bringing reason to something that seems unreasonable. The designs of the mushi add some believability to this; it's quite easy to see how they could be thought of as ghosts, beasts, or legends, able to inspire both wonder and fear. The tranquility of the environments is consistently impressive in a low-key way, but the spectacle of the mushi can be eerie, majestic, and everything in between.

Sound is part of atmosphere, and in the same way that cold urban horrors might use reverberations in dark alleys or the foreboding thrumming of electronics, Mushishi uses a chorus of insects or the roar of drifting snow to surround us, allowing the setting to speak its piece. The music is minimal but startlingly effective, in many cases fitting easily alongside and even seeming to mimic the voices of the earth. Slow piano notes overlap with rhythmic footsteps, a woodwind's sad screams resemble those of a forlorn bird. So, too, can the score sound almost unearthly, with an ominous progression of bells and chimes sometimes underscoring a haunting ending or signaling the arrival of the mushi. The result is an immersive ambiance where visuals and sound alone can convey dark, brooding tension or innocent curiosity with equal ease. It isn't just pretty, it's totally engrossing, exuding pure atmospheric mastery in almost every scene.

Through this vast world walks Ginko, revenant of revenants, our looking glass. Perceptive of the nature of human and mushi alike, he uses words as careful and deliberate as his journeying stride to become the voice of reason and, with an air of serene confidence, impart his knowledge to others. To become a witness to needless death, a bearer of bad news, or a participant in deception is sometimes part of his job description. As an admirer of life and truth, he cares for none of these tasks, but he'll defy his own nature and undertake them with solemn dedication if he feels that it's necessary. He is wise, but not infallibly so. Nor is he a complete stoic; outbursts of childlike wonder at incredible sights, sarcastic retorts to smart-mouthed travelers, and emotion-laden shouts of panic and warning to his fellow humans all show him as a little more than just the nonchalant white-haired sage. His development, in the traditional sense, is sparse, but he is afforded a poignant backstory that makes him and his thought process a little less of an enigma.

Of course, Mushishi gently pushes a picture of a sprawling and intricate world where all beings affect each other in ways both seen and unseen, their actions rippling outward in ever-widening circles, and in that sense, Ginko as a character is no different than any other living thing in the show, simultaneously of little and great consequence. He may be our guide, cursed and blessed to ceaselessly wander, but the world doesn't turn for him. Rather, it's in what he represents that we might find significance: The quest for knowledge, the insatiable desire to understand even while knowing that the sheer body of things in existence prevents total understanding. The need to capture the meaning of what surrounds us, spread our wisdom responsibly, and use it to form calculated reactions to the world instead of rash judgments. He truly is that silver fish swimming endlessly through dark water, opalescent barbels probing fathomless black crevices, illuminating them, if only for a brief moment. Much of Mushishi's strength lies in the ability to provoke thought without direct questions, to let an image serve as subtext, and Ginko himself represents an impressively seamless merging of humanity and idea.

Mushishi is episodic, not bound by an overarching plot. It is a series of self-contained stories which vary in theme, but are always skillfully crafted. Most episodes consist of human drama, based on relatable and familiar emotions, infused with an element of the natural world. The episodic format delivers powerful and gripping tales in an extremely brief timetable, a feat which I have no problem appreciating. The scenarios are original, and the writing is rich with little subtleties and metaphors, but each episode can be understood and appreciated as successful story even if you've no desire to peer into them deeply. View Mushishi as a progression of intelligent parables full of interesting ideas, or as a bunch of moving and affecting tales; much to its credit, it is both.

Part of what makes Mushishi work is its steadfast refusal to portray anything in terms as simple as “good” or “evil.” Stories where barbaric man stupidly abuses mother nature, or where nature is a hate-filled monster that comes from the hills to eat scared little man, are a dime a dozen, and while they might pass as entertainment, they often fail to say anything worth saying because they handle man and earth as if they're combatants in a holy war. Mushishi is not so black and white, and it has an idea that scales much better. The mushi are not red-toothed animals seeking to kill in droves. The humans are not greedy savages bent on scorching the earth. Both are just beings, trying to survive in the same place and at the same time. That they will cross paths, have conflicting interests, use each other, and hurt each other is inevitable; such is survival. Each episode is one meeting of mushi and human, one miniscule butting of heads in a massive world, with the implication being that this is simply what happens, everywhere. Instead of vilifying humans or portraying nature as a vengeful power, Mushishi whispers: This is just the way things are. It does give us a small shove by implying that, as the ones with the ability to reason and understand, the responsibility for mitigating the damage that humans inflict (and the damage that humans receive) falls on the humans, but it never degenerates into the preachy heavy-handedness or gross oversimplifications that plague many works with similar themes.

It's that theme which allows Mushishi to navigate the spectrum of human emotion. Conflict in its world does not arise from moral failings or piggish greed, only from a lack of understanding, and understanding is a sword with many edges. Ask the child who learns of death, or the old man who learns of life. Sometimes the knowledge you gain is liberating, sometimes it's disheartening, sometimes it's terrifying. Mushishi can be all of those words and more, but even when it strays to one extreme, it never loses its humanity, its worldliness, or its feeling of being completely natural. Just as it can depict the warm orange rays of the sun and the cold white howl of the snow, it can depict innocent wonder and violent loss, and with equal sincerity. It has balance, and then some.

As a caveat, I will say that this is the kind of series that practically begs me to use the phrase “not for everyone.” It's dialogue-heavy, more about the thought leading up to action than the action itself; it keeps the big guns of its visual spectacle on a tight leash, letting them explode only after a suitable buildup to assure the maximum payoff; it doesn't have the conventional storytelling satisfaction of explicitly coming full circle, instead simply tapering off and fading quietly, as episodic series sometimes do. A few episodes will likely be enough to inform you of whether or not it's to your tastes, and I've no doubt that many have labeled (and will continue to label) it as simply “boring.” I understand the origin of this opinion, but I cannot share it. Mushishi is strangely beautiful and intensely fascinating on several levels. Imbibe it a little at a time like liquor, or dive deeply into it and become drunk on its atmosphere, intrigue, and insights. In my experience, neither disappoints.

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Aug 2, 2015

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

TheBrainintheJar (All reviews)

264 people found this review helpful

Some people will tell you Mushishi is great because it doesn’t contain action and fanservice. These must be the same people who praise a film for not including Adam Sandler. They also make Mushishi look more pretentious than it is. It’s far from it. The problem is, even though Mushishi has a worthwhile aim and the right methods, it doesn’t know how to use them.

In order for something to be pretentious, it needs to put up a cover while not including the methods. An anime that has a realistic art style with dramatic characters is pretentious. It looks realistic, but the methods that are used read more

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Nov 30, 2008

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

kiriska (All reviews)

257 people found this review helpful

It's pretty rare to see a purely episodic anime that isn't a comedy, and that's just another reason Mushishi was such a treat.

STORY - The series follows the journeys of a traveling Mushishi named Ginko who investigates paranormal phenomenon usually caused by creatures called Mushi. Each episode describes one of his encounters with self-sustaining villagers in and around vast mountain ranges. Something is wrong, and Ginko does what he can. It's very straightforward, but even though each episode more or less follows the same format, it isn't a simple case of Ginko saving the day every single time. Sometimes things are beyond his control; sometimes nothing can be done regardless, and sometimes, nothing need be done at all. It can be frustrating sometimes when Ginko has revelations that he won't explain until later, and because of the supernatural nature of the Mushi, Mushishi has quite an expository air to it. The mysteries aren't of the sort you can really deduce yourself, and there's a lot of talking and explanation.

Nevertheless, the way the Mushi and humans interact can be very fascinating at times, disturbing at other times. Sometimes Mushishi feels like a cross between a nature documentary and a paranormal investigation. Fans of either would definitely enjoy this.

CHARACTER - Ginko is really the only reoccurring character in the series, though his collector/doctor friend, Adashino, does show up now and again. Each episode contributes a different situation involving different people in a different place, and they almost never have anything to do with one another. Naturally, this means the exclusive cast of each episode remains pretty generic. There is the generic little girl and little boy character, the young woman, the young man, the middle-aged woman and man, the old woman and the man. Sure, the individual characters may have unique characteristics depending on their situation, but for the most part, the cares, worries, and priorities of each of these archetypes are standard. I didn't really mind though. After all, their situations did set them apart from one another, and as almost all these characters lived in small, self-sustained villages, it's conceivable to say that their lifestyles made them similar.

Ginko, as the protagonist, gives us a little more depth and insight into his personality, but even he remains a mostly enigmatic character for the length of the series. His intentions are generally altruistic, but there is more to his actions than that. Actually, I wish Ginko's thoughts and personal feelings about Mushi are touched on more -- there are definitely morals and deeper philosophies involved, but they're only touched on in one or two episodes. Still, those are the episodes that give Ginko the most personality, and I think it's very easy to relate to him as a result. His quirky habits and mannerisms are kind of endearing too, and he's just a fun character to watch. He's easy-going: very fitting for this kind of episodic series.

ARTSTYLE & ANIMATION - Mushishi definitely has some of the most gorgeous backgrounds for an animated series (as opposed to an animated movie) I've ever seen. The forests are lush with detail and vibrant colors. It floors me the way every plant and flower and tree branch and leaf is expressed. Views from mountaintops are breathtaking, and the oceans glitter with tiny waves and light. Cloud formations are grandiose and powerful, and the night sky is always vibrant with stars. These are some really, really amazing environments, man.

The character designs, in contrast, are pretty plain. Ginko stands out with his white hair and teal eye (which have a legitimate explanation beyond "he's an anime character!"), and his face is pretty unique in itself, but all those archetypal villagers? In every episode, you'll have deja vu. "Hey, isn't that the character from the last episode?" No. It isn't. None of the villagers get repeat episodes, but you'll think so for a while because all of them look the same! Every little girl character looks like every other little girl character, and every middle-aged man villager looks like every other in the same category. It's actually pretty amusing, and I didn't particularly mind this repetition simply because... well, it doesn't matter all that much. Since none of the characters repeat, it isn't like it's that confusing. Anyway, I can accept that they blew all their character design budget on the backgrounds; it's really not that bad of a trade-off at all. :P

I also really liked that Mushishi had a very tranquil air about it. The title screens of every episode appeared quietly into the existing scene, calmly and without interruption. There is no bridge animation/page to frame where the commercial break would be. It just fades in and out very smoothly.

MUSIC - Mushishi has some really minimalistic music. The soundtrack throughout the series is mostly of the traditional Japanese sort -- bells, gongs, bamboo flutes, biwas, and other string instruments. They're all very, very fitting to the series and definitely enhance the scenes they're used in. They're moody, eerie, calming, and occasionally cheerful. Sometimes there's only silence, but that fits too. For being so minimal, the sounds in Mushishi are incredibly effective.

The opening theme is already an indication of this. It's soft and slow and reminds me somewhat of something they'd play in a yoga class: soothing. The lyrics are in English (not Engrish!) and also fit very well with the themes of the series. I love the name of it too -- "The Sore Feet Song." The ending theme is always an instrumental and changes with every episode, something you don't see often at all. The composer is none other than Toshiou Masuda of Naruto fame, and he once again does an awesome, awesome job (even if you don't like the Naruto anime, it's hard to deny that it has an amazing soundtrack). The end themes are generally very mellow, bittersweet, which echos the endings of many episodes. More yoga music!

VOICE ACTING - I saw all of the series subbed, and interesting enough, Mushishi has a gigantic cast list because there's a different voice actor for pretty much every single random villager character in the series. I thought since many of the villagers are reasonably similar, they'd just use one voice per archetype. No! All of these people have their own voice! I guess that's a pretty good way of making up for the lack of variation in visual designs, and it works out pretty well. It's worth noting that a majority of the little kid characters aren't annoying! Some of them are actually... reasonably cute? I really did enjoy Ginko's voice also; it's pretty "normal" sounding, but it fits his character very well.

Edit; I just discovered that the entirety of Mushishi is available streaming off FUNimation's website, dubbed. As such, I took the liberty of checking out a few episodes, and it's pretty good! I really wasn't sure about Ginko's voice at first, but Travis Willingham does a pretty decent imitation of Yuto Nakano's voice and it warms up to you fairly quickly. Willingham also somehow manages the same quirky kind of tone. While the American cast of villagers isn't quite as extensive as the Japanese, there are still a good number of varied talents there so it isn't too much repetition. All in all, I'd say FUNi did a pretty swell job.

OVERALL - Mushishi might be one of those series you should watch a bit at a time just because it's entirely episodic and might feel a little repetitive in large doses. (I watched it all in two or three days, but hey, that's me.) There is no ending, and actually, I wouldn't mind seeing another season of this. There is an origin episode or two to flesh out Ginko's past and development as a character, but while they do help the general story along and I'm glad for them, I don't think they're entirely necessary either. If you like scientifically presented supernatural stuff and don't mind a very easy-come, easy-go story, then I'm sure you'll like Mushishi. :3

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