![[Image: 1zo0r.png]](https://i.imgur.com/1zo0r.png)
Synopsis / Story
Mushishi is an episodic epic about a lone wanderer and his quarrels with the fictional
entities that is Mushi. The concept of Mushi may possibly be the most profound and
philosophical idea I have ever seen as a plot factor in a cinematic material. It all
makes so much sense, while at the same time it's downright ridiculous.
This anime has no story, it's merely a tale about a man going from town to town solving
supernatural enigmas and mysteries like a mixture of Sherlock Holmes and Jesus. Still,
it seriously feels like it has one of the strongest, most deep and beautiful storyline I
have ever laid eyes on, and this is no exaggeration.
Characters
Mushishi has only one main character, a white-haired, one-eyed man named Ginko.
This sole character however has such an amazing personality and character development
he makes up for the whole damn series. Yes, Ginko is the most well-written protagonist
I've ever seen in fiction. Despite the story having no real destination overall, there are
a few reminiscence episodes dedicated to Ginko's past, giving an explanation everything
about him; his hair color, eyes, even his name..
However there are supporting characters everywhere, although new ones in every
episode. All of which also have noticeably well written scripts, almost neglecting the lack
of main characters. Only one supporting character appears in more than one episode aside
from Ginko, and that is Adashino-sensei; a doctor who has great interest in the
supernatural and usually buys things Ginko picks up on his travels.
The obvious lack of fixed characters in this anime may seem like a downside from the
ignorant eye, but in reality it's not. From my perspective it's a unique trait this series
utilizes unbelievably well.
Art
The art is very traditional from my view. By traditional I mean it's something you might
expect to see when watching classical anime, hard to explain.. It's nothing downright
amazing, but traditional is far from being bad. It's really unique in itself, but I wouldn't
say it's the highlight of the series. The backgrounds are spectacularly drawn, like art
on a canvas, it's without a doubt the best thing about the art. The characters are
drawn very basic (not poorly though), but the Mushi themselves are truly amazing.
Maybe I say this because I'm not used to seeing phenomenon drawn and animated in
such manner, but it still has this same effect.
Sound
The OST also felt like it was rather traditional. Very quaint, delicate and beautiful tracks
by Toshio Masuda. They're no symphonic dramatic pieces you often see in anime, but fit
the moral and setting of this series almost too well. It's like they're passive to the anime
itself, shifting your attention towards the beauty of the story instead of taking it all for
themselves. But that's just how I felt when watching it.
Example
Sugame no Sakana (Click to View)
The voice acting was also quite decent. I didn't pay that much attention to it while
watching (not that I ever do), but it's quality surely didn't bother me in the slightest.
Enjoyment & Finale
Let's end this here so we don't drag it too long. As you may have guessed if you read the
review, I love this anime so much it's nearing bias. Mushishi is a textbook example of a
successful adaptation throughout, nothing more to be said here.
If you like supernatural mystery in a beautiful fantasy world, there is no doubt you'll
enjoy this. While it may not be exactly underrated (this has a very high score everywhere
I've checked), it surely is under the radar among the general western anime culture.
Ps. I write my reviews based on personal experience with it, in accordance to
objectivity towards technical details.
Spoiler (Click to View)
Thank you for reading.
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