Reviews

Before typing the review down, I just want everybody who is reading understand that rating an anime is purely subjective, but not without facts of course. We may be bias at time to defend our favorite series because ultimately, a review is a mixture of your own opinion and the facts that are lay out to you so that you can let others know what's the object/subject is about. In short, Mushi-shi is a Masterpiece (10/10) for me. Objectively, it deserves, at least, a 7 if anything, but deserves no more than a 9. It deserves, at least, a 7 because of its' innovative idea and concept of mushi. It's also not an anime for everybody. It's really mature and questions the very nature. Like how there are many studies of different things such as psychology, biology, Entomology, etc., this is a "Mushiology." Well, technically and literally, mushi in japanese is called bugs. But in this series, Mushi-shi is actually not just bugs, but more of a wider and vague groups. Think of it as a combination of spirits/ghost, paranormal, bugs, fungal, and nature. This is what the anime is really all about, hence why it deserves no more than a 9 out of 10. It would have objectively earn itself a 10 if the main character, Ginko, was more to him, but I want to believe that Ginko was made to be plain and simply helps other out during his travel because the series strongly involves solving and understanding about Mushi and letting people who doesn't know what mushi understand that they aren't "evil" things and are just bound by nature to live. Like how us, human, struggle to live, the mushi too, are just struggling ways to survive. "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." quoting H.P. Lovecraft. This is what precisely what Mushi-shi tries to convey as a message to both viewers and in the story. Now, if you want to know why it is a masterpiece in my opinion, simply keeping reading from here on out.

Story: The story isn't like an arc or the whole show, but rather each episode or two is a another different story as the main character travel areas to areas solving abnormal/paranormal problems because the main character is a Mushi-shi, which stands for "Bug Master." It continues on without an end. Honestly, there is no end to this series. It could kept going on and on like a detective cases. This can be unfortunate to some people who actually wish an end to the story, and I completely understand that. But for me, a never ending story of something I like watch is a bit sad even though it should end at some point. But anyway, the reason why I like the story of how it is because from my standpoint, it's like listening to a companion's travel story and how it start and end up. Was the problem solve? Was Everyone Okay? Did you regret meeting those people? and stuff like that. Each episode felt surreal in some way, but also felt realistic. And that not all problems could go away and sometimes you just have to live with it like how our daily lives are.

Art: Art is never my forte so perhaps, I may be more bias here than other section. I simply like the art style! There I said it! It's immersive. It's dreamy. It's spiritual. It's beautiful. It's NATURE! It's very Japanese probably because of the setting of the anime. It looks like edo time to me. perhaps even further. Ginko design character is probably the reason why you wanted to watch in the first place. Any character with white hair is an eye catcher. Unfortunately, we reach modern world where white hair guys/girls isn't uncommon anymore though.

Sound: Calming and spiritual. I don't know what else to say. It's certainly appropriate for the anime.

Character: Ginko may appears rather plain despite his white hair and green eye and one missing eye. Will you are half right and half wrong. You see, like many other ordinary people, Ginko in the past was an ordinary child as anyone else is. So, it make sense and does not contract his personality. But he can be humorous at time. Like everybody else in the series, Ginko is just trying to live his life.

Enjoyment: Because it was my type of anime, I enjoy it thoroughly.

Overall: I consider a masterpiece even if there are some flaws to it. The concept of it strikes me and I liked the pacing of the show and it story of episodic manner.