Mushishi is an episodic show that follows Ginko, a Mushi master, as he travels around the world investing Mushi and helping the people that come into contact with them. As such, there is no overarching narrative leaving the interest in the series to derive completely from the sole recurring character (besides the narrator and one friend of Ginko who appears in 3 episodes). Ginko carries said burden wonderfully. Generally, he appears apathetic and removed. His voice (done wonderfully by Travis Willingham in the English dub) is generally monotone, however as you watch the show you will begin to realize that Ginko is deeply passionate about learning about Mushi and helping people. The credits rolled on the final episode leaving me with an empty feeling because I felt like a good friend of mine was leaving.
Artistically and musically, the show was unlike anything I had ever seen. In a world that is so filled and ran by mystic beings (the Mushi) the art style and music had to fit with that and it certainly succeed in this task. The lighting and use of bright colors make the world feel magically. This feeling is complimented by the music. Ambient and minimalist the music exists perfectly within the show. I listened to the music some outside of the show and it conjured up scenes in the show. The music is so well-intertwined with scenes that they exist hand-in-hand and to have them separated feels as though I am cheating myself out of the full Mushishi experience.
The story always drew me in too. No episode is directly related to any other episode (the closest thing being that events from other episodes are referenced in other episodes ex. the events of episode 1 are talked about in episode 5). Each one was wonderfully creative and served to add to the already vast and sprawling world of the Mushi. From this, you will get my only critique of the show: many episodes are vastly less interesting than others. Mushi are not good nor are they evil. They merely exist. Often times then, the mushi, in their own existence, will cause problems for humans in their existence. Sometimes, these issues are interesting and sometimes they are not. I can remember several times throughout the series where watching one of the episodes felt like a chore because I either did not care about what the Mushi were doing or I didn't like the people that were being effected by the Mushi. However, these episodes are few and far between and should not prevent anyone from watching this excellent show.
