Thats when the first episode started. And that changed everything. The stories that this anime brings on the table are amazing! There are 26 episodes and each episode has its own story to tell. Ginko is the main character, and he is a Mushi-shi. Basically he is one of the very few people that can see Mushi, the life form between life and death, and he goes travelling and tries to help people that were affected by Mushi. One thing Ginko does that many mushi-shi don't is the fact that Ginko is very keen on preserving life and that applies to Mushi. If possible, he will try and find the method with the least death/violence possible. So when he says that something has to be done, usually it has to be done.
Ginko had a very hard life growing up, and he does not want people to face the same hardships he faced so that is one of the leading reasons he goes around helping these people. The problem is that he attracts Mushi so he cannot stay in one place for long. Hence that is why he is a traveling Mushi-shi. Helping people is what we see, although that may or may not be by choice. He sells artifacts he finds to a village doctor so he earns some income through that but most of the time he relies on village people feeding and sheltering him, which most of the time they do.
This is set in like pre-edo period Japan in a mystical world. Thats why a lot of what you see might seem weird, such as the one instance where a husband waited 20 years for a reborn child to marry. And many other instances. I did not care whatsoever so it is what it is.
The intro was great, did not expect english so that was a surprise. But Yeah the gray aesthetic definitely carries over. Not too much color going on. One anime this relates to the most is Violet Evergarden. Both go around and find stories to tell, and both offer services. One is an Auto-Memories doll while other is a Mushi-Shi. Violet was very emotional (Especially that movie!!!) And it was a lot more colorful. But goddamn was Violet animated beautifully. KyoAni! But the one trick Mushishi has up its sleeve were the stories told. Man were the stories told in Mushishi so good. Better than Violet (IMO). Overall I actually think the both of them are tied, maybe Violet having a slight edge cuz of the movie.
All in all amazing amazing anime!
9/10
Thanks!
-CyanCheetah
