Comparisons can be as misleading as they are helpful. I sometimes fall back on them because they sound succinct and are easy to write when I’m feeling lazy but can be counter-productive when comparing the likes of Natsume Yuujinchou to Mushishi. You have a restful and picturesque rural Japanese setting, weird supernatural creatures, a protagonist [...]
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Each of the 26 episodes of Mushishi offers something of its own. With so many great episodes on offer I’ve no particular reason to settle on any one, but here goes. It’s the one where Ginko meets the girl who puts messages in cocoons. The introduction of the messaging cocoons gives us another little detail of [...]
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A young boy, Yoki is climbing a mountain path with his mother in a pouring rain when suddenly the rainsoaked ground is swept away crushing his mother in a landslide and leaving the boy injured. The boy searches for her while being observed by a woman. The scene shifts to a winter landscape, a traveling man, Ginko played by Joe Odagiri (Kamen Rider Kuuga, Azumi ) inquires at a house if he might stay in their shed until the storm passes he’s invited in, he then tells them his name and occupation. The servant, who’d invited him in, informs him that the homeowner would like to see him. He meets with her where she asks him to give a diagnosis of three of her servants who’d lost hearing in one ear a common occurrence in the mountain village. The owner tells him that their ancestors told that this was caused by a Mushishi.I had never watched the anime or read the manga but I know that both are pretty highly regarded so I had high expectations for the movie but I was pretty disappointed in the result. I found it very slow, the plot at times just lumbering along. The best parts for me were when he was working on his cures for the people he met along the way, such as the arc of the movie with Yu Aoi (Hana and Alice, Osen) as Tanyu and the opening case of Un and AH Mushishi. His back story was just too slow and uninteresting to me. I liked it enough to someday find the time to watch the anime where the back story spread over more cases would be more interesting to me.Direct download the movie here. The soft subs are here.
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Mushi (蟲) are primitive organisms. They are neither plant nor animal. They are far more basic, close to being merely essences of life. Because of this, their shapes and existence are vague, only a few can discern them. When mushi are present, they sometimes cause mysterious phenomena to manifest. In time, some have come to fear mushi. But mushi aren't inherently harmful. They are simply existing. Ginko is a mushishi, an expert on mushi. He travels around investigating cases involving mushi. He has another reason for wandering --- he can't stay in the same place for too long, otherwise he will attract a dangerous number of mushi. In his journey, Ginko has gained more insights not only regarding mushi but also on human nature. [ This is only an excerpt for the post! Go the the website for the full content + pictures + links. ]
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In a season overflowing with sequels and generic “been there, done that” plots, Moyashimon’s unique premise and unusual, lighthearted style is a breath of fresh air. Basically it’s Mushishi, but instead of mysterious and sometimes sinister creatures that live in your eyeballs, it’s full of cute and harmless bacteria who appear as chibi critters with big [...]
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The literal translation for "Mushi-shi" sounds sorta like "Bug Tamer," but I think the actual meaning is a bit more interesting. At least, if you're not into entomology...
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Story: This volume continues the adventures of the wandering mushishi Ginko as he further deals with even weirder mushi. He searches for a lost mushishi who is also the master of a mushi-infested mountain. A girl with a forbidden mushi sealed inside her body objects to killing mushi. A village girl is called a god after [...]
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Mononoke is a slightly more bizarre version of Mushishi based on traditional Japanese stories and with Gankutsuou-like visuals. We follow a mysterious character known only as the Medicine Seller around as he travels around feudal Japan uncovering tortured ghosts and putting them to rest. Each story plays out very much as a detective mystery, with [...]
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Once again, venturing into the heart of London I spend more money! Not too expensive this time, I still need to get a frame for it because I don’t intend on BlueTac-ing this onto my wall. When I asked the sales, he said he was unsure but it was this was by Urushibara Yuki. As [...]
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Story: In a Japan that is niether past or present, where folktales are common and everyone wears yukata, there exist Mushi. Mushi are like insects, yet not like insects. More like beings that are the closest to the source of life. Mushi can infect people and cause numerous problems, like making anything you draw come to [...]
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I was a little late with watching Mushishi but I’m glad I decided to add it to my list of anime to watch. I just finished the last episode a few days ago and, surprisingly, for a series that remains basically the same throughout all of its 26 episodes, it was one of the best [...]
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The top Hot Picks for January 2007 are… 4. E’S - Satol Yuiga, 16+ (Brocolli) Set in a world were some humans have developed pyschic abilities, this story follows Kai who works for the eilte psychic forces taking illegal psychics into custody. I’ve not seen the anime E’S Otherwise, which has poor reviews, but I’m hoping this [...]
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Twitch Film reports that Mushishi live action website has now released the official trailer. You can still see the teaser trailer on the site as well. I'm still not convinced with Joe Odagiri as Ginko and his hair looks like a wig but the special effects don't look bad so I am still interested in this. Anime on DVD mentions that one of the shows that VIZ will include as their exhibition pieces in the upcoming NATPE conference is Honey and Clover season 1. This means there's a likelihood that licensing for NA is imminent. I'm just hoping that they'll keep the insert song intact and not replaced by some other songs. Neowing, CD Japan's Japanese-language site reveals that some of the tracks included in the upcoming Honey and Clover Complete Best are Dramatic, Waltz, Fugainaiya, and Split's "Original Soundtrack Version". I believe that these are the long-awaited Piano version of the above songs. Nodame Cantabile anime site has information on the OP and ED theme for the series. Suemitsu & The Suemith will perform the OP, a Nodame Cantabile-inspired theme called 「Allegro Cantabile」. The ED theme will be performed by Crystal Kay and will feature a segment from the 1st movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony. I thought the OP and ED will use classical songs like the drama but it seems the producers has opted for original OP/Ed.
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5. Mushishi Anime is a very specific medium, if you think about it. When anime fans get together to talk shop, words like “shounen” and “bishoujo” fill our conversations. We have exact descriptions for most anything. It’s all compartmentalized. Because of this, it’s easy to find the things we like. Like angsty [...]
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Mushishi has been on my computer in my “anime-to-watch” folder for a while before I finally sat down and marathoned the first 4 episodes last night. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the series, and after watching these few episodes, I think it definitely deserves the praise it gets… I haven’t [...]
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Wow, one year later and I finally completed this series. I'm sorry for the long delay but I'm kind of reluctant to watch this because I know that once I watch it, there'd be no more episode left. I suppose there is always the manga but seeing the series animated feels different. I think this is one of those shows which benefits from colors and movements. It's also rare to see a series which can produce interesting discussions after each episode but Mushishi manages to do this on a consistent basis despite its episodic nature. I really hope that there will be a second season somewhere down the line but unfortunately the majority of the stories from the manga have been re-told in the anime. I'm just glad that the anime has been well-produced right through the end. I really should buy the rest of the special edition DVD before they're sold out.
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It's nice to see another powerful episode after some rather lacklustre ones that preceeded this one. Although I enjoyed all episodes in the series, I find that my favourite episodes are always the ones where the Mushi's creep factor is quite high. This includes episode 4 (Imenonoawai), 12 (Tokogami), 17 (Uro-san), 21 (Watahaki), and this one (Ganpuku). This episode also contains a much richer color pallette for some reason. Normally a Mushishi episode is heavy on one principal color (ie. Green for Spring, White in Winter, etc). In this one, however, the animators use various colours to illustrate the difference between those with normal sight and those without one. Come to think of it, have we seen how the world looks through Ginko's eyes? Especially considering the fact that one of his eyes was eaten by Tokogami.
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Back in the days when I was a mere novice at writing rants, one of the series that met the wrath of my keyboard was none other than Jyu-oh-sei. At the time, I had only seen four episodes of the series, but my opinion was clear- four episodes were more than enough. Nonetheless, almost half [...]
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Mushi are mysterious and strange beings that are neither truly plant or animal. They are feared by people. Ginko is a mushi-shi who investigates about mushi. Watch as he journeys to learn more about Mushi and help people along the way. (c. 2005 Rating: Excellent)
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If you haven't seen it before, there is actually a trailer for the live-action Mushishi available at the official website. You can find this by clicking on the blue button on the right hand side of the screen and choosing the desired size. Unfortunately the quality is not that great but at least you can see a few snipets from the film, which includes the boy with the horn and Ginko facing off against the sound Mushi. I took a few screenshots from the trailer and put them at the end of this post if you're interested to see them. I've read some mixed reviews about the film and not too surprised about it since I don't think a live-action series can replicate the feeling that the manga and the anime managed to capture thus far. It's unfortunate since I was really excited about the live-action film. I'm just hoping the story is not radically changed.
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