This show is successful at making you think that it's good, but when you look into it, you see how badly written it is. I really wanted to like mushi-shi, but it looks like the writers went out of their way to ruin this show.
Things i liked about mushi-shi:
Art: Probably the best looking show i have ever seen, art, animation and direction is top tier. The art compliments the atmosphere and the atmosphere compliments the art.
Sound: Soundtrack is fitting and adding to the atmosphere, some songs are a little overused and voice acting is well done.
And that's about it.
So where do i start from? I guess the characters, or more specifically, Ginko.
Characters: The worst part about this show. Ginko is not a good character, far from it. The background episode makes us think that he has depth, but actually, it only explains his character design, and some random, boring moment from his childhood.
What can we learn about Ginko from those background episodes? Nothing. He is likeable, but he has no personality.
What's the reason he became a mushi-shi? What are his motives, ideology's, opinions?
You can say the reason he became a mushi-shi is because he attracts mushi, and he has to travel for his whole life, but that is not even a motive, he is forced to do it, that's lame.
Ginko doesn't display any emotion, opinions, NOTHING. People like him because they think character design and half-assed background story is enough for a good character.
Now lets get to the side characters. They are empty and shallow. Every side character is just a plot tool, the only thing we know about those characters is related to the plot (which ill cover in a minute). The characters don't feel real, they don't even have a single trait, thus we can't connect or relate to them in any way.
Character design: It's kinda minor compared to my other points in this review, but this show has probably the worst character design i have ever seen in anime. Everybody except Ginko looks the same. It happened to me multiple times when i saw a character and i thought to myself "Hey, it's that character from episode -", but it's turned out to be a completely new character.
The Mushi System: Lets talk about the Mushi system for a minute, to oversimplify it, mushi are ghosts that only small percentage of people can see, mushi bring most of the time illnesses to people/animals and strange powers. Even people who love this show can agree that they are an excuse for artland to flex their budget. It has no limits, It's just creating illnesses and shiny lights. It's an unexplained, ass pull-ish system. Same thing with Ginko's cigarette, what does it do? What are it's limits? The writers doesn't explain anything, with an excuse that "it doesn't matter, it's not the focus" or "its a tool to create conflict in the story" which both are acceptable, but if it's a tool to tell a story, why the story is so garbage?
Story: First id like to say that there are good mushi-shi stories. 4 to be exact (episodes 4,5,14,21). Most of the stories in Mushi-shi are very formulaic. Ginko finds someone with a problem that mushi caused, we see how the person deals with the problem (ill expand on it later),Ginko solves that problem with little to no effort, (often gives them a drink/ preforms a ritual) and the result is mostly a happy ending or just shiny lights.
What have the writers missed? A CONFLICT. The conflict in the stories of Mushi-shi are one-dimensional, or non existent. Ill elaborate: When there is conflict, the empty side character has to overcome a struggle that was caused by mushi. What are they doing most of the time? One of those 3 options:
1. Just accept it, live with the struggle
2. Waiting for Ginko to solve it
3. Just wait the problem solves itself.
WHAT HAPPENED HERE? There is such a small number of episodes who break that norm. (those 4 episodes i mentioned, except episode 4, there's no real conflict the concept is just carrying the episode).
Lets take episode 21 as an example:
Spoilers
A young couple is trying to have a kid, the wife gives birth to her first child, the child is infected by a mushi, what the mushi does is takes control of the child and basically wears the skin of their child, the child grows really fast and after 3 years or so (i don't remember exactly how long) he dies, and spreads spores that become more clones of that child. More and more babies came out of nowhere, (here you can actually overlook a detail like that). Ginko visits the couple when they have around 6 or them. The couple got connected to those "children", they care and take care of him like it's their own children. Now the couple are having an actual conflict. To kill their own "children", or letting them reproduce.
Spoilers end here
This is what Mushi-shi is supposed to be like. Using Mushi to create a conflict, that makes the young couple question their values and morals and make them think; what is the right thing to do here? It has actual emotional impact, you FEEL empathy for them.
The stories in Mushi-shi are unpolished concepts, they have a concept, AND THEY JUST DON'T DEVELOP IT. THIS IS A WASTED POTENTIAL.
Most of the episodes are just unpolished concepts with an atmosphere to distract you from the horrible writing. If the atmosphere doesn't get you hooked you will probably get bored.
Overall: Mushi-shi is badly written, covered behind beautiful art and atmosphere. Mushi-shi is overrated, even though i get why people like it, people like gimmicks, and that is what those episodes are, just gimmicks.
If you read this and you are a fan of Mushi-shi: Do you feel special? Do you think you are better than other people? Because you are not lol.
That's it for this review, thanks for reading.
Story: 1/10
Art: 10/10
Sound: 6/10
Character: 1.5/10
Enjoyment: 5/10
Overall: 3/10
