Mushishi

Mushi-Shi (2005) from Japan is a brilliantly written and thought-provoking anime series, with lots of surprises in store for you if you are patient and open minded.

With Mushi-Shi you will refreshingly NOT see your typical anime cutesy big-eyed girls having crushes on boys, shallow harem sex stories that get old fast, or violent, senseless samurai blood letting. Mushi-Shi is in a class by itself, a gentle show with class and poignancy. As the teachers used to tell us in school, "You will need your thinking caps for this one."

At first you think you are watching a series about a life force called "mushi", and a traveling man named Ginko who is studying them, but the episodes all have moral tales to teach that transcend the outline of the basic stories. Most episodes are really about the relationships between human beings. The mushi are really incidental and act as catalysts to the dynamics of personal relationships.

For instance, in the incredible "A String from the Sky" episode the story isn't really about the mushi string that captures the girl, flinging her into the sky; the real lesson being taught is the essential trust that has to exist between a man and woman who claim to love each other. The relationship will not survive without that trust. In "One Night Bridge" the episode really isn't about a mushi bridge that appears once every twenty years; rather the story is about a love so powerful between a young girl and boy that even the experience of death cannot truly break the devotion of their relationship.

There are also surprising touches of humor in the stories and the main character of Ginko, both of which help bring some levity to serious situations taking place in most of the episodes.

I watched in both Japanese with English subtitles and then all over again in the English dub, and I ended up liking both equally. Also special mention should go to the beautiful music soundtrack, which was perfect for the series. If only all anime were of such superb quality! Each episode is basically a stand alone segment, with different characters interacting with Ginko, who is the traveling "Mushi Master" out to help them, if he can, extricate themselves from the mushi's influences.

I rented the series from Netflix. Although the rating there is TV-14 I disagree with this completely. There is nothing in Mushi-Shi that children ten years of age or older couldn't watch. No sex, hardly any violence, the language is clean except for a "damn" once in a blue moon. Compared to most other anime out there Mushi-Shi is very clean.

I have watched my share of anime series by now, but I could easily throw all the others out after watching Mushi-Shi. It's that phenomenal. It deserves its high rating on the IMDb. It is intelligent and boasts beautiful animation. Don't miss this wonderful series!

I am so thankful to have found Mushishi. The storytelling in each episode is masterfully thoughtful, creative and calm. The series isn't flashy, nor does it grab for your attention with action and fighting (don't get me wrong, I love a good anime battle just as much as anyone else), However, despite its simplicity, I find each story deeply thoughtful, containing themes which urge viewers to slow down and really think deliberately. In short, I would recommend this anime to anyone and everyone.

Mushi-Shi is by far one of my favorite animes. It follows Ginko the mushi master who travels between villages and helps people with mushi problems wherever he goes. In each episode he encounters new characters and their mushi problems. Each episode is a self contained story that rarely is ever mentioned again. The lack of an over-arching plot should be bothersome, but somehow Mushi-Shi makes it work. By avoiding a season-long quest and plot, Mushi-Shi invests itself fully into each episode. This creates more focus on the plot and characters unique to each episode, and ultimately makes each episode extremely satisfying to watch (most likely because the audience doesn't have to worry about saving the world or some other sort of season-long quest in the back of their minds).

Besides Ginko, other characters rarely reappear. Despite this, Mushi-Shi manages to makes memorable and compelling characters. The way the show treats its female characters is especially notable. The female characters are never sexualized, pushed out of the action, or poorly characterized. They get the same treatment as the male characters. Mushi-Shi always makes sure to explain enough about its characters for them to feel realistic in their situations, but always holds back enough information to keep a mysterious tone.

The soundtrack for Mushi-Shi is perfect. It feels calm, mysterious, and chilling all at once to fit with the strange situations Ginko faces. It contributes a lot to this anime's unique feel.

Though Mushi-Shi may feel a bit slow compared to other popular animes, it has a way of sucking you into Ginko's strange mushi-filled world. I found it a refreshing change of pace and an enjoyable adventure.

Being a huge fan of Anime i was looking for a really interesting anime to watch. i stumbled upon Mushi-shi on amazon and bought the set for reasonable price. I could not have been happier with the result. Mushi-shi is one of my now all time favourite anime series. It's only flaw is that there is not enough of it! The stories portrayed in the series are heartwarming, creepy or just plain intriguing. It kept me going back to the DVD player every day just to see the next episode. The animation and audio is all very stunning and adds a tranquil feel to it. Mushi-shi is a pure jewel and also emits all the right messages about nature and life. Anyone looking for a gripping anime with great stories. Watch Musih-shi!

MUSHISHI?! How on Earth did I end up here, smack bang in a middle of this wide-eyed& reason-free land taken over by some mysterious creatures, called sweetly but completely unlikely, errr - "Mushi"?.. Not exactly Fullmetal Alchemist, or Ghost In The Shell, I knew that before I even started watching, ahem, MUSHISHI, but I thought I'll give it a go (too scared to watch El Orfanato tonight anyways, what with all the April's rain beating against the window panes, and all). Half way through the first episode (23 minutes or so each, btw, including the obligatory long sing-along intro) and I knew I was caught hook line and sinker on the simple but haunting beauty of the whole thing. Watched 10 episodes by now, head filled with strange yet strangely believable, and, um, highly desirable world of Mushishi, with its magical scenery, just-so characters and non-judgemental story lines delivered with quiet ease and confidence by someone who knows what they are talking about. Unmissable.