A Mushi-shi and a Mushi

Well after a really long time, I finally got around to watching Mushi-shi, and it was more than worth it. The stories, the characters, almost everything was executed with such precision and elegance. It really was a series I loved watching unfold.

Mushi-shi follows the stories of Ginko as he wanders around different towns and cities, working. His profession? He’s a [surprise!] Mushi-shi. And what does he do? He deals with [surprise!] Mushi. Mushi are basically existences that are quite different from our own, and can be said to be primitive forms of life. However, that does not mean they aren’t complex in nature, which essentially creates the need for the Mushi-shi.

As stated before, the series basically follows Ginko as he deals with multiple cases involving different Mushi. The series is entirely episodic, and each single episode deals with a different area with different characters with a different Mushi to deal with. Factor in the fact that there are 26 episodes, and you end up with 26 distinctly different stories that are connected by one single character’s wanderings.

Now normally, for most types of series, I’d prefer a consistent storyline that flows from one episode to the next, as opposed to Mushi-shi’s episodic nature. That way, there’s enough time to develop each character involved in each story, and there’s enough time to give background information and truly make the story come to life with elaborated expression. When a series is forced to contain each story within a single episode, it runs the risk of losing all of that. Instead, we’re left with a rushed story with rushed characters that seem to really add nothing to the story. And when you add nothing to a story for 26 episodes, it understandably gets tiring. Another potential problem is the repetitiveness of creating “new” situations in every episode. Similarities between stories may come about, and the entire watching experience may just feel like watching the same episode again and again. Jigoku Shoujo, a series that was mostly episodic, had some problems with underdeveloped characters in its many stories, and its many stories had some problems with the very similar situations shared between them.

Mushi-shi, however, was a series that managed to pull it off. Every episode had engaging characters with a unique story. Quite honestly, it blew me away. Each episode had a completely new set of characters [less Ginko], yet they still managed to paint each character with life. Despite the lack of screen time, these characters had backstories that tugged at the heart, and had to deal with issues plaguing their present, just so they can hope to secure the future. It wasn’t difficult to sympathize with characters and identify with them as they struggle with whatever life was throwing at them.

And my oh my, did life ever throw things at them. Shifting my discussion from the human characters, I move to the non-human characters, the Mushi. The Mushi are the primary source of each of the problems featured in each episode. So, being the Mushi-shi he is, Ginko sets out to attempt to solve the issue by the end of the episode. However, it’s not a simple matter of “oh noes, the mushi are releasing a poison into the air, and we need to do something before they start harming the village. How do I killed mushi?”. It’s more of a “oh noes, the mushi are releasing a poison into the air, and we need to do something before the start harming the village. So THIS is how I killed mush—WHOAMG WHAT IS THAT?!?!”, except better.

But don’t misunderstand, this isn’t a series about a man saving the world, one Mushi at a time. It’s not a shounen series where the male lead goes out, kicks some massively impossibly strong butt, then comes back home [a la Namek]. The goal isn’t to rid the world of troublesome Mushi, but attempt to deal with the many issues and problems that arise when Mushi appear. It’s about the situations the Mushi cause. It’s the side effects of the existence of Mushi. From these side effects, we get to deal with other issues. Issues that are more… human, so to speak. For example, I’ll speak a little bit about my favourite episode of the series [and thus, my favourite story]. The episode was centered around death and rebirth, the ability to live eternally by reincarnation. The Mushi are just used as a plot device to allow for the creation of such a situation so that the main issue [in this case, death and rebirth] can be addressed and dealt with. And it works beautifully. The characters are placed in a story where reincarnation is a very real and immediate event, and the events that unfold from that is what we, as viewers, explore.

…Which is the appeal of Mushi-shi. The existence of Mushi allows for the creation of any story without limit. While “normal” anime series are constrained by their settings and direction [for example, a normal highschool romance will have trouble expressing the issues of, say, time travel and the hardships of waiting for a loved one to come back from the future], Mushi-shi can do any subject it wishes. What’s more is that due to its episodic nature, it can change topics instantly. One episode can be about death and rebirth, while the very next episode can be about living your life as a bringer of death and suffering [note: yes, it actually does that]. Mushi-shi is an incredibly flexible series, and it’s not afraid to take full advantage of it.

I will admit that I felt the series had some faults, however small. Although being episodic allowed it to have such great flexibility, I still felt that some episodes suffered. Timeskips were often used to bring closure to the many stories, and it really disrupted the flow of continuous events in the episode. We would watch an entire episode, and in the last five minutes, it will suddenly state that six months have passed [instantaneously to the viewers] and that Ginko has visited the town in question once again. The closure was indeed needed, but the sudden jumps in time were a little detracting.

Music and animation are never big points that I take into consideration, as I don’t really pay attention to them. The OP I listened to about… two times. And I don’t think I ever made it through the ED fully. I don’t care much for either, so I simply moved on. Animation was fine, nothing hideously ugly or anything. Something that I DID notice, however, was that there just seemed to be a lack of unique character designs. I don’t know, maybe I’m just crazy, but every new episode, I would see the same character designs [excluding Ginko of course, since he’s an actual recurring character], and I’d be saying “hey, it’s that guy again!”… when it really was a new character. I’m probably just crazy though.

Overall, there’s not much that I can really truly complain about. Mushi-shi is a very well done series, and I enjoyed it immensely. Each episode, standalone with independent characters encountering vastly different situations in their fight through life, captured my interest and never let go. A series that definitely ranks in one of my favourites, and I’d highly suggest it to others.

Recommendation: Watch it. NAO.

//Soda