Mushishi
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| What a great episode about people taking away from the land and its consequences. How long distance friends still exist without technology, no matter how faraway or how long since they seen each other. |
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| No plot, still awesome. I love this anime. |
Oh, pitiful shadow cloaked in darkness. Thy actions cause men pain and suffering. Thy hollow soul drowns in thy sins. How would you like to see what death is like? -Enma Ai |
| They definitely saved one of the best stories for last. Not only did we get backstory on Isaza and slightly more on Ginko, but we also got to see a wonderful friendship develop. |
| 8/10 for me :) |
| A late bloomer, it got me hooked in around the middle I think. Still a solid series overall, looking forward to its sequel. |
Plate said: Lister said: Maybe because it's a slice of life kind of anime, that's why it has an open ending, like "life goes on" or something like that I'm satisfied with the ending, since i watched many anime with this kind of ending Although i'd really love to see more of the story between ginko and the one, that women who has ability related to ink?(i forgot), she's cool It has an open ending simply because the manga is not done yet, the anime ends in the middle of the manga. They didn't just tack an ending on for the sake of closure, I like that. Indeed, that is the better alternative. Of course, they could have just ended the show earlier and chosen a better episode to end on. This was definitely not planned very well for a final episode, but it's funny to think that "not planned very well" for mushishi is still > the majority of other anime. I do agree that an open ending seems to fit this type of show as well. However, if you look at shows like Aria or Kino no Tabi, they seem to do a good job of wrapping up each season in an open ended, yet fulfilling fashion. Mushishi kept gettign better and was so consistent, that when this final episode, which may be the weakest imo, came around it just seemed out of place. Definitely not the worst way to end an anime, just not planned very well (unless they specifically meant for the last episode to disappoint audiences...) |
| Quite beautiful ending.. but not the best episode at all.. just beautiful. Nice to see young Ginko again *-* Mushishi is a great anime series at all.. I wanted to drop this like many times because the episodes doesn't seem to have a conection.. like, it works better as separated ones than in a series.. but all episodes are at least very good.. I'll give Mushishi a 10/10 'cause it's different, it's touching, it's scary and it's beautiful.. just great!! |
| Rating for the episode: 4/5 Rating for the show: 8/10 |
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| Not as terrible as I initially thought itd be. |
| I realllly liked this episode! Glad that his friend remembered him and eventualy helped :) In every episode of Mushihi, the way of storytelling is amazing. It feels natural how the story progress, and the connection between different parts of the story. Overall, great series, nothing to say. I'm happy, that there is second season of it, will watch right of the bat! So 9/10. Best episodic anime that I've seen so far. |
| "Even when our eyes are closed, there's a whole world out there, that lives outside of ourselves and our dreams." |
| My favorite episode of the season. |
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| It was pretty good but some episodes was not as good as others so I'll give it a 8/10. |
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Neverender said: 'Kayro said: This didn't feel like a last episode at all, I hope there's a new season coming, in the near future. Lol, people are too busy blowing money on stupid shit like new seasons of Da Capo. Lol de capo was so bad. Wow that wrap up at the end though with Ginko meeting him again. 10th_man_down said: It was pretty good but some episodes was not as good as others so I'll give it a 8/10. Yeah the quality wasn't always the best. Some weren't as good as others. Mainly some before ep 12. |
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| Mushishi is a masterpiece and will likely always stand as my absolute favorite! 10/10 |
HiraxApr 27, 2016 11:22 AM
| Beautifully done series,a few weaker episodes here and there but can't recall how many out of the 26.But I'd say majority of them were great,thinking of giving this an 8/10 solely because the few weaker episodes are preventing me from giving this a higher score. Though idk,the last few episodes were exceptionally strong,so might overlook the weaker episodes and give this a 9/10 cause feel an 8 is underrating this series. |
| Really love the way each episode ends: A small narration that fades away into the soundtrack and the credits. Such a good way to end a short story and leave you speechless. 8/10 |
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| Well, 9/10 for moi. I feel like Mushishi transcends Anime. |
| I was somehow hoping for Adashino-sensei's backstory. I would have been really depressed if I didn't know there's a follow-up sequel. 1. Characters: +1 | There were many well-fleshed out characters despite their episodic role, some of which I liked better than Ginko himself(Koro being the 1st). Overall score: 9/10.2. Atmosphere: +1 | I can't even recall if there was a single episode with lacking atmosphere. One of the anime's strongest points for sure. 3. OST: +1 | Same as #2, and one of the main reasons the atmosphere was so superb. 4. Animation: +1 | Fitting really well the setting and you just get more and more into it as the episodes pass. 5. Background story: +0.5 | I guess this concerns episode 12 which was 5/5 to me. Maybe a bit more into Ginko's past would still feel nice, who knows? 6. Storyline: +1 | In this case this should concern the stories of each episode, and the while they were never lacking, some of them were downright as good as they can be. 8. Drama: +1 | One of the anime's strongest points, there were many stories involving drama, but some of them were some of the most dramatic(and at times tragic) stories I've encountered. 9. Overall affect: +1 | I was into the anime few episodes in and as episodes passed it became the source of calming and reflecting stories I'd always sit down to hear. 10. Bonus score: +1 | For all the everything mentioned above and for how much I came to like this anime. (Irrelevant points: 7/Ending) |
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| I find this episode the most boring one. :( |
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| Soooo calming, 10/10 I look forward to season 2 :) |
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| Just finished the series. Its simply pure and beautiful. Really an experience which can't be describe by words you have to feel it to understand it. Feeling really luck to be able to enjoy this rare experience. Many thanks to the creator and all the cast and crew for making this wonderful anime for all of us to experience and enjoy :) |
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| Awesome rewatch since I understood Ginko and the Mushi much better this time around. The episode itself wasn't as good as some of the previous ones but it was still nice to see a tiny bit more of Ginko's past, even if he barely had any screen time in this one. Regarding that, I find it an odd choice to make an episode where he's barely shown the last episode of the season. Especially since at the time, there were no plans/announcements of a second season. |
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| Bruh this show went from Boring, to Relaxing to Good to One of my all time favorites and i don't even know how. This is the first time that i've seen a show from start to finish without skipping the OP. It was that damn good. 9/10 Amazing show. |
| Fantastic "last" episode. It's great that we got a little bit more of background, not only on Ginko, but on his friend as well. All while being accompanied by another very interesting story. For some reason, I liked seeing the shadow of the "Master" on the water... It's actually quite reassuring that at this point in time, when I watched Mushishi (2005), there are already new seasons and movies and a whole bunch of episodes with more sweet sweet traveling!! :P A series I would recommend to anyone appreciative of quality story telling, despite pacing or plot, just like Kino's Journey, another genius anime series for the mind. 9/10 for now, might become a 10 depending if I re-watch it in the future and am still in awe. Happened with Kino's Journey. |
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| Gosh, now that I've finished the series, I'm so conflicted. All of the episodes, on their own, are well made, well written, and have good directing, but they all tend to follow the same basic story structure and each episode just feels like a re-hash of all of the ones that have come before it, with only some minor differences. Even waiting weeks, sometimes months in-between episodes, I just couldn't shake this feeling of similarity between them all. The episodes might not be as drastically similar to each other as something like, say, the endless eight arc from Haruhi Suzumiya... but the similarity that is present between them definitely evokes a similar response of getting worn-down by the repetitive nature of the series. Even if everything is well made on a technical level and even if all of the stories are well-written on their own, it's still impossible to review the entire series without taking it's repetitive nature into account, and it's definitely a major downfall of the whole thing, as being 26 episodes... this repetition, and the show itself... vastly overstays it's welcome. If any of these episodes were a standalone film, the hsow would easily get a 9 or a 10 from me... but judging all of the episodes together as a complete package whittles it down to a 7 or an 8. |
vigorousjammerOct 19, 2016 6:13 PM
::End of Transmission:: What have I been watching? Click here and find out on my viewing blog, "Vigorous Viewing" |
| Definitely my least favorite episode so far. Overall tho, excellent series. Very calm and tranquil but intense where required. Very strong storytelling. And Ginko is a great character. There were others ranging from less memorable to more. I have a bunch of favorite stories. The rainbow one. The voice one. Bridge one. False spring one--my favorites are mainly these. The string one was very nice, too. Also the writing one, and the ear one. Honestly tho, too many great episodes. Mushishi is beautiful. This season was a breathtaking ride so I can't wait to watch the rest of it. Just hope it keeps this slow pace. 10/10 |
TragicRomanceNov 2, 2016 1:39 PM
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| Very few shows on the so called MAL top page live to it's billing but this certainly did, one of the best anime i've seen in a very long time and into my favorites list it goes. 9. |
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| Nice series with beautiful stories and a perfect MC. Definitely a different kind of anime, rather to relax (imo). On the other hand, you must always remain attentive to understand what is going on. However, it was often too boring for me. I like the series with more action / comedy / drama a bit more. |
| I have no words to describe, it's a very cute anime... |
| Very peaceful ending. This anime is definitely not my cup of tea but interesting stories, amazing soundtrack and visuals, and high quality and complex narrative are gonna make me gave this an overall rating of 8.5/10. |
| Last episode was a little weak, but it was still nice. Not all episodes were equally amazing. Some were hella slow paced. But the stories and creative thoughts that the author put into this series is commendable for sure. I give it a 8/10 :) Very good. Ginko is definitely a likable character. I love the Nui faces he makes xD cracks me up every single time he's like =.=" |
| I feel bad for delaying to watch this anime for so long. Nice atmosphere, consistently enjoyable episodes, and a great protagonist, totally deserving of its spot in the top page of MAL. 9/10 from my part, season 2 hype! |
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| Absolutely majestic series. Every episode has a creepy feel to it and has both a sad and happy ending. The mushi are a wonderfully interesting phenomena and Ginko is a very likable MC too. I can only give this a 9/10 and is now my 6th favourite anime. |
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| Never would I have thought myself enjoying an episodic series to this extend. Now for the next season. |
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| Nearly four years later, I've returned to witness this master craft unfold once again. My appreciation for Mushishi has deepened exponentially in that time. What started as a bore in 2012 has now transformed to a personal favorite to this day. I ended up watching the director's interview immediately after and he touches on this point a bit. He talks about how if you read/watch Mushishi at different points in your life, you can find new ways to look at it because you're approaching it from a different perspective than last time. While my core feelings for Mushishi remained the same, I could definitely see this in a few specific episodes and it helped to take familiar experiences and turn them into brand new sensations. Nagahama Hiroishi's insight into the series basically sums up my overall thoughts on this re-watch. This was a great way to build up for Christmas and I may end up saving my re-watch of Zoku Shou for next December as well. Edit: Just to add another point, one of the ways I changed my approach to this watch was to randomize the episode order. This definitely made the way I connected the dots take a different shape and, though Mushishi is episodic, gave it a different shade than the last time I saw it. |
ZekkenshinDec 25, 2017 1:26 PM
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| Gotta say this was one of the nest calming anime out there it's really unique and special this episode kinda started weak but man when they showed that volcano that was epic lesson of this episode never oppose Mother Nature. 9/10 |
| At last! After 3 years of constantly putting this on hold, I've finally finished this show! Contrary to a lot of people here, I think that the final episode is perfect and very much appropriate to end this season since it manages to tie everything thematically. By not focusing on a single Mushi, we manage to see the overall impact of all of them to the show's world and how interdependent everything is. By not focusing on Ginko, we manage to delve more into the story of the people without the world antagonizing them (since if we focus on Ginko, we focus on the problems that the Mushi brings due to his nature of being a "doctor"). Gin-iro said: I think it was a perfect last episode. In the end, the mountain had changed, giving a sense that everything changes eventually. That's the nature of life and time. It kinda gives you the feeling that, though Ginko was a good Mushishi, there will be more after him and there will still be more Mushi to be discovered. The world might not look the same, but they'll still be there. Just like the catfish. ;) This is what I also took from the ending. When the Koumyakusuji shifted away from the mountains, it implied to me that even though the show ended or "went away", life goes on but the impact it left on the viewers is there. But when Ginko arrives at the end of the episode, it made me feel like, yeah, the show will always be there to refill my longing when I need it just like when Ginko came back to heal the child. It's both a great conclusion and a good tease for the next season. This show is really something. It really did manage to live up to my expectations. From its gorgeous painterly backgrounds, the reserved but expressive animation, amazing shot compositions, realistic and somewhat-muted object sounds, soothing ASMR-like voice dubbing, astounding OST, and brilliant writing and direction, this show really solidified itself into one of my favorites. I somewhat hated this show for managing to create an extremely solid plot structure that makes it hard for me to criticize and hate. But nevermind that. I love this show. 10/10 |
KiritoBestGurlJan 31, 2018 11:57 AM
| Great anime, I love Ginko and all those interesting storys he came across as a Mushishi. I accidently skipped the episode with Nui and Ginkos past. It was kinda wierd to see his past revealed at the very last episode lol So many well written episodes...Thanks Mushishi. |
| There are some incredible little stories here and there, and some which are only okay, though none are bad. There's fragile beauty to be found here, and subtle emotions. The heartwarming stories were the most impactful. I can appreciate the slow and irregular development of ideas and concepts as the show moves on, and how it only felt complete on a thematic level once the last episode finished (obviously wasn't expecting it to close up the narrative). I want to say I like this a ton conceptually, but as in-the-moment entertainment, I like it a tiny bit less, though it was a delightful watch. Something that would have appealed to me personally would be one or two episodes that didn't feature any mushi, with perhaps Ginko interacting with people in a different way or just making his way around, something to act as space between some of the more similar stories and build up a sense of 'wanderlust' (which I honestly thought would be more pronounced). But that's probably just me. Better than the sum of its parts. |
syncrogazerDec 9, 2018 8:15 AM
| It definitely would've been better if I took this series a bit more slowly so I could appreciate the many lovely details and themes in every episode more meaningfully but I enjoyed this a lot throughout my watch. It sure help me feel relaxed in the middle of all the worries for impending exams and projects and it also helped me make up for all the missed sleep I've been getting on the way as an unintentional result. Liked it very much~ Wonder what the other seasons will be like... |
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| Well, that wraps up Mushishi. As a series, it did it's job at covering the various aspects of nature that mushi exist in. The idea of mushi was unique and very similar to that of spirits, or youkai, which is rarely seen in anime. Though there are a few points that, to me, didn't make this series quite a masterpiece. One of them being the severe lack of character development, and no, we hardly learned anything about Ginko despite him being the supposed 'main character'. Given, there were a few episodes that briefly, and I mean briefly, covered the various parts of his past. Subjectively, this was my biggest gripe of the series, along with the episodic nature which is really just personal preference. Though, this series definitely just wasn't a snooze-fest. The stories of different mushi captivated me and most importantly, kept me engaged. In the end, I might just have been a stickler for the exceedingly realistic nature of the anime. But who knows. Thanks for giving me a good time, Mushishi. |
| I can't believe the final episode actually ended up being one of the weaker ones lmao. Overall this series was incredible. A few drags here and there, but most of the story telling and themes were some of the most captivating I have seen. The imagery used throughout this show was so awe-inspiring, and every single episode was entirely unique. The amount of times I replayed a scene to relive an image or description was more than any other anime I have seen. I'm usually not a fan of episodic series, and Mushishi has singlehandedly changed my mind. Among the best I have seen 9/10. |
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