We all know about Mushishi: it's an episodic supernatural drama about a wandering shaman who does exorcisms. Each episode follows a rather formulaic approach: we have a person who's being plagued by spirits, our shaman comes to the rescue by performing an exorcism, then leaves to wander the earth some more. Argue all you want about semantics but that's the basic plot and formula that the show follows over the course of 26 episodes. Now this approach has a lot that's going for it. I mean, Western programmes pretty much rely on an episodic format so it must do *something* right. Since each episode is a self-contained story, you can (quite literally) watch this show in any order you wish. Even though each episode follows a formulaic approach, what goes down in every episode is something to behold. There's something inexplicably mystifying about the way that the mushi affect the lives of others along with how Ginko resolves the problems that people have because of the mushi.
Inexplicable mystification aside, the episodic format lends itself to one problem that all shows of its ilk tend to have: consistency with episode quality. Given that every episode in a particular show is NOT written by the same person, it's only natural that some episodes would be much more entertaining to watch than others. Whilst this problem affects all programmes, this dilemma is especially noticeable in episodic shows. Even if a particular episode in a show with an overarching story is lacklustre, at least it contributes *something* of relevance to the plot. Mediocre episodes in episodic programmes are no better than sour grapes on the vine: finish one and you're left with a bad taste in your mouth. As blasphemous as it may be to say, not every episode of Mushishi is the epitome of perfection.
On another note, the episodic format also has one other problem: it doesn't give the viewer an impetus to keep watching more episodes beyond whether or not they want to see more of Ginko and his exploits against the mushi. As much as I liked watching Ginko work his magic against the mushi that were plaguing some poor unfortunate soul, it's not the kind of show I would gladly watch again. If you've watched one episode of Mushishi, you've basically watched them all (this statement is especially true in both seasons of Zoku Shou). Obviously, that's not the case but that's what it feels like to me! I don't have any impetus to keep watching more episodes because there's no overarching story gradually progressing nor is there anything remotely entertaining I found whilst watching this show. Sure, I was mystified by what was going on but I wouldn't necessarily conflate that sort of enchantment with any feelings of being entertained.
On the subject of characters, Ginko (the wandering shaman) is the only character (of relevance) we're ever exposed to. Yeah, every character we're exposed that ISN'T Ginko is exclusive to that episode alone and that's quite a shame too. There were some characters that I would've loved seeing again but just didn't because of that damned episodic format. As great as Ginko is, it would've been nice to see some familiar faces along the way. Speaking of Ginko, we never really learn much about him aside from a few details surrounding his past and he doesn't really go through much in the way of significant changes over the course of the programme. It's no stretch of the imagination to think that I actually struggled to find a reason to care about Ginko at all that goes beyond the fact that he's cool and he's also voiced by Travis Willingham. Yeah... Mushishi isn't exactly the epitome of characterisation to say the least.
In terms of production values, Mushishi has it down-pat to say the least. This was a show produced by Artland and it would seem that they know how to keep the critics pleased, especially given that Artland was one of the studios responsible for bringing us the much-lauded Legend of the Galactic Heroes, the biggest critical darling MAL has to offer. It's safe to say that these guys know what the hell they're doing when it comes down to animating something. Audio-wise is also a similar story, since the OST and dubbing (across both the Japanese and English tracks) are also pretty damn good. Say what you will about Mushishi's story and characters, but I think we can all agree that this was one of the best-produced programmes to ever come out of 2005 as a whole.
So, final thoughts? Mushishi is one of those shows that I can see why people like it in the first place but I just can't see myself getting into it but what do I know? I'm a filthy casual who likes garbage such as Elfen Lied and InuYasha in earnest. Maybe I lack the capacity to understand the true beauty of what's going on in front of me. Then again, you know what they say: different strokes for different folks. If you like Mushishi, that's fine and dandy but it's one of those shows I'm simply not a fan of. Anyway, feedback is always welcome and with that, I'm out. Peace :)
