Welcome to part 2 of my top ten anime! This week I will be reviewing the series Mushishi, which includes 26 episodes in season one, 20 episodes in season two, as well as 2 OVAs and the film Bell Droplets. This is a really peaceful show and definitely not action oriented, but has beautiful imagery and interesting tales to explain the ties between humans and nature.
The setting of the show is in an older Japan, although it does not strictly follow a specific time period. In the world there are creatures called mushi that are invisible to most people, but can have physical affects on humans and their surroundings. They are usually depicted as glowing organisms similar to insects or microscopic creatures. Some choose to study mushi, they are known as mushishi.
Mushishi works in a sort of “monster of the week” format, so each episode features a new problem and a new mushi. Though, when I say “monster of the week” the mushi aren’t really monsters. The main character, a wandering mushishi named Ginko, often has to prove this fact to afflicted villagers who have been exposed to mushi. This show really exemplifies how close nature and man really are, and how nature isn’t necessarily evil, but is instead trying to survive just as humans are.
One of the reasons I love this show so much is because it doesn’t follow an overarching plot line and yet it’s still so satisfying to watch. The only things tying each episode together is Ginko and the mushi. However, we very rarely see the same mushi twice and little is even known about Ginko. Only two episodes focus on him and his past, and sometimes the other episodes focus more on the people he encounters rather than him. But, he still remains a enjoyable character because of his level-headedness and his desire to study the mushi without harming them.
The animation is also quite unique, usually being more simplistic (shown by the very blocky Ginko below),while the background art is always well-done and scenic. This animation style I think fits the show anyway because the story is often more important than the image.
Overall, I think if you enjoy slice-of-life anime that have a different story each episode, then Mushishi is for you. It’s in my top ten because of that and because it’s so calming and loveable. If you’ve watched this anime before let me know your thoughts on it! I’d also appreciate any recommendations if you’ve seen an anime similar to this one. Thanks!
Cinema Anime 
by reading your post, sounds very similar to Japan’s suicide forest which is opposite that tries to make human go crazy and kill themselves or not. the nature in this anime series seems very realistic and detailed like you can imagined it in your mind and I love anime shows that folklore, creatures, spirits and etc.. which makes it very interesting to watch and learn more about it.
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This anime sounds so interesting I will have to add it to my list. Also, from the pictures above it seems that several of the mushi are shaped like plants, and it made me think of the what you said about nature in your post.”This show really exemplifies how close nature and man really are, and how nature isn’t necessarily evil, but is instead trying to survive just as humans are.” Nature and humanity are extremely close to the point where a lot of animals, like cows, cannot survive without humans. And many beaches would have been gone long ago, because of regular water erosion, without human interaction. In a way humanity has forced itself into the position of care giver for nature (they just aren’t good at it). I am actually really excited to watch this anime now because I want to see the different interactions.
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I’m glad you’re thinking about watching it! It’s definitely a fitting anime for a “literature and film” class, since a lot of the episodes remind me of the themes we can see in stories or myth.
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This reminds me a lot of the film Warm Bodies. I’m not sure if you’ve seen it, but there’s this main idea that not all of the zombies are bad and they can be turned human again. The only person who seems to realize it at first is the love interest Julie, and because she recognized R (the main character zombie) for having the humanistic qualities instead of a monster, she was able to see these qualities in the other zombies as well and while nobody else believed her and were still scared of the zombies, Julie and R are able to convince everyone else (although everyone was reluctant to believe them) that they aren’t monsters.
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I remember that movie coming out but I never watched it, I’ll have to check it out.
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