*Please Read Other Anime Reviews in the Older entries Section or Under Animejournal at the top *
**THE FOLLOWING ANIME IS Seinen AND IS MEANT FOR AN ADULT MALE AUDIENCE, though anyone can enjoy it*
In the following review about the anime Mushishi, I will be discussing the story/plot(s), the characters, design and tidbits about the writer.
Story/Plot(s): Every plot in the whole anime has two things in common: nature and Ginko. Ginko is a Mushishi. Mushishis collect Mushi. Mushis are supernatural beings that are considered even purer than nature itself. Some people can see them, some people can’t. They are beings that only act to survive, but they don’t really have feelings or care about other beings that are not them. Most Mushi aren’t to be trusted. This is called a “psychological horror”, but I consider it a “nature horror”, because it focuses on how Mushi take the form of normal things in nature and give each natural thing an abnormal ability. And not just like regular supernatural abilities, like super powers. Really, most of the Mushi in the show rarely take the form of humans. Majority of the time it takes the form of something in nature, like water, and the humans use it or sit too close to it, and it latches on to the human, causing the human to act strange. Some of them look like bugs or large swamps, or fish, or sometimes just plain shadows, or light. Whatever form it takes, for instance, like a mountain, the mountain will have a strange addition to it. Like maybe it will constantly change color or something. In each plot, Ginko is a wanderer who helps each place when they encounter the Mushi. As a Mushishi, a Mushi Master, he is very knowledgeable about Mushi and how to get rid of them. Sometimes he has higher knowledge than other Mushishis. The main thing about him is he never wants to kill the Mushi, he only wants to send them away from the person they have latched on because he realizes the Mushi do this in order to survive, just like any other being. It is in a Mushi’s nature to do what it can in order to survive, whether it is latching on to a human ear or human eyes or anything in nature. Each plot is different from one another. It’s normally a different circumstance everytime. And we do get some insight into Ginko’s past throughout the anime. So, I was quite satisfied. You definitely need to be mature in order to appreciate the content. It is not particularly action oriented, hence the “psychological” part means you have to use your mind.
Characters: There are no recurring characters except Ginko. But there is a doctor who appeared in at least two episodes. Other than that, most of the characters are new everytime. However, the use of the “type” of character is very similar. For instance, children are heavily involved. It seems more children are victims of Mushi, especially because, I suppose they are more naive and appreciate nature more and are curious enough to mess with the Mushi. In almost every episode, children are usually involved. Also, the partnership of male and female or siblings, whether it be brother and sister, marriage, twins, but it seems to have an Adam and Eve like feeling from the beginning. Most of the people in the story live in the mountains or in valleys or by large bodies of water, anywhere in large clumps of nature, where Mushi normally reside. They live in small villages too, so many of them lack education and dress very traditional. No cell phones or anything like that. Ginko doesn’t dress very traditional. He stands out completely. He has silver white hair, and one greenish eye. He is very dry, often humorous. He doesn’t have much expression in his eyes. He travels from land to land making a living off collecting Mushi, gathering info about them, and selling them. Throughout the story we also meet other Mushi experts and even Mushishi. Some people know about them, some don’t. But most Mushishi travel for fear of Mushi causing trouble if the Mushishi stays too long.
Design and writer: I get a XxXHolic feel from the design. Realistic features, like normal Japanese hair color and eye color, except Ginko. Height is normal. Greenery is brought out well, but colors are quite bland on the people as they dress very practical, with darker colors, which is more practical. None of them wear exceedingly extravagant and unrealistic fashions and hair dos. The difference with this is it’s just not as lanky as XxXHolic. The writer seems fairly new to the manga world. Her name is Yuki Urushibara. She seems to use nature in her works a lot like with “Filament” and “Waters”.
Well, that is my review on this anime. I felt each portion was pretty original. When it came to the plot, not many people handle a plot dealing this heavily with nature. Most people handle the city in Japan at least once. The creatures were creatively designed and used effectively for the plot. The story didn’t seem to “cash in” on a fanbase. It kept it’s “composure”. It did give a few laughs here and there. Ginko is a pretty dry character, giving a humorous effect. I give this anime a 10/10
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