Mushishi

The movie 'Mushishi' requires a certain amount of patience to watch, if you're expecting fighting and major heart-racing theme then this is not the movie for you. Mushishi is a beautiful movie, got me to tears. Simply the movie is slow-paced but has a lot of positive points like the animation being used and color textures and mostly being pointed out by viewers are the scenery. At first the movie gets a bit boring but it does get interesting later, it took me while to figure out the scenes with the woman and the little boy was flash-backs of Ginko's past, and the flash-back did play a powerful role in the story of the movie.

If you're a patient type of person with a broader understanding and tolerance for films, Mushishi would be a film for audiences like so, but if you're searching for fighting scenes or something that makes your heart race from Mushishi then make a pass on this film.

Another thing is that please do not even comment on films just because you simply hated it or it did not have what you wanted because it's pretty useless to comment on something that doesn't hold your interest, instead simple make a pass and forget about the movie, it'll help calm your unsatisfied heart.

I picked this film up from a store, almost randomly, with a couple others, so had no expectations and no understanding of the films anime roots. I'm going to echo other reviewers comments in that it is a little slow in places, puzzling and unclear to me at points. But I really enjoyed the scenery, the characters, the story and the gentleness of the film. All the elements sat well together and nothing jarred or seemed out of place: a believable and consistent fantasy.

I'm sure I missed some of the subtleties of meaning and I wonder if things got lost because of the subtitles. But I'm confident that with a second viewing I'll understand things better and fill in the gaps, and it is worth a second viewing.

This film manages to capture or evoke roughly the same kind of gentle and mysterious feel about nature and Mushi when I was watching the anime.

Is it absolutely necessary for one to have watched the anime or read the manga? After reading the comments here and also reflecting upon my own feelings, I guess the best answer I can come up with is: give this movie a try if you are someone who likes to be closer to nature and life itself.

Despite the slow pace of the movie, you will not be totally disappointed if you are hoping for at least a slightly more engaging story plot to emerge somewhere. You see, after about an hour or more into show, you will find yourself worrying for the protagonist and waiting to find out if he will find his way out of his predicament.

Honestly, I wish to give this movie a higher rating. However, for the benefit of the those who haven't watched the anime or read the manga, I hope 7 will be a fair point of reference for them.

Already the beginning of this movie is amazing. The mystic forested mountains covered in fog, two people marching through the rain, mystic cloudy shapes emitting from the earth, a sudden landslide, all accentuated by this music. Impressive.

The cinematography is definitely one of the highlights. The scenery and costumes are also superb. The special effects are simple and of low quality (except for the landslide), but yet they work out very very well. Visually and acoustically the movie is wonderful. For real! I also like the cast, especially Aoi Yuu and Ri Reisen.

I haven't read the manga or watched the anime, though I was aware it existed, before I watched this movie. But I had no problem at all to follow the storyline. Yet, it is a demanding movie which only works on a spiritual level.

I think a problem many people will have with this movie is, that it lacks a dramatic structure, an arc of suspense.

It's not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

I had the opportunity to view Bugmaster at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. In all honesty, this was not high on my list of movies to watch, but my husband dragged me to it. I am very glad he did. I found everything from the plot line to the animation to be intriguing. The story has been adapted from Yuki Urushibara's relatively recent manga, and is crafted in such a way as to make the viewer believe this is an ancient Japanese myth. The cinematography is spectacular with a terrific blend of animation, colors, textures, and scenery. Rather than cheapen the production, as I thought it would, the animation truly enriched the movie. I was in awe of the relatively flawless addition of the animation to the live action. I'm not sure an actual landslide could look any more real. The costumes with their mix of colors and designs, and the indoor sets were beautiful and a real treat for the eyes. While the movie may drag a tad in a couple of spots, for the most part it was well paced and edited earning a no fidget factor rating on my part. I don't know if the subtitles reflect all that is said, but they give a complete story and are well written. If the opportunity to see this movie should ever present itself, take it. You will not regret it.