25th January 2008, 6:57 PM
Synopsis: The series follows the exploits of experts mushishi named Ginko who travels across a medieval world and helps people whose lives are disrupted by primordial creatures called mushi. Only a select few can actually see mushi and fewer still know anything about them, which makes them all the more dangerous given their inherent ability to interact with the human and animal world.
First Glance: What's going on here?! A series with no action, no real storyline, episodes with almost zero connection to one another, and everything's all weird and SMART! Okay, just relax, I've seen worse before so there's no reason to panic just yet. I'll give it some time and see what happens.
Impression: This can be a very difficult series to get into by its very nature. Episodes are set all over the place and Ginko is rarely in the same place twice, which also means a new set of supporting characters in each episodes. The mushi themselves are also very bizarre, running the gammot from ones that appear as rainbows and others that get inside your head and feed off of sound and that's just getting started. The episode format can also be a bit off-putting, in that it follows the same format everytime. Ginko comes to a village, someone is having a weird problem, Ginko figures out what's going on and solves the problem. It probably would be a mediocre series if it weren't for the fact that Mushishi does what it does incredibly well and in every way.
The characters and well-designed and unique, the music is suitable surreal and calming, the animation is muted but pleasant to look at, and Ginko is a likable main character, but the area where the show really shines is in it's art design. From misty mountains to lonely, seaside villages, every locale is breathtakingly crafted and all those weird little mushi are given their own unique designs that could have been ripped straight from Hayao Miyazaki's sketchbooks.
Conclusion: Mushishi is a series that requires some amount of patience to really get into, but one you're there the rewards are more than sufficient.
Score: 5/5
Specs: 26 episodes across six DVDs, the last of which is still a month or so away.
First Glance: What's going on here?! A series with no action, no real storyline, episodes with almost zero connection to one another, and everything's all weird and SMART! Okay, just relax, I've seen worse before so there's no reason to panic just yet. I'll give it some time and see what happens.
Impression: This can be a very difficult series to get into by its very nature. Episodes are set all over the place and Ginko is rarely in the same place twice, which also means a new set of supporting characters in each episodes. The mushi themselves are also very bizarre, running the gammot from ones that appear as rainbows and others that get inside your head and feed off of sound and that's just getting started. The episode format can also be a bit off-putting, in that it follows the same format everytime. Ginko comes to a village, someone is having a weird problem, Ginko figures out what's going on and solves the problem. It probably would be a mediocre series if it weren't for the fact that Mushishi does what it does incredibly well and in every way.
The characters and well-designed and unique, the music is suitable surreal and calming, the animation is muted but pleasant to look at, and Ginko is a likable main character, but the area where the show really shines is in it's art design. From misty mountains to lonely, seaside villages, every locale is breathtakingly crafted and all those weird little mushi are given their own unique designs that could have been ripped straight from Hayao Miyazaki's sketchbooks.
Conclusion: Mushishi is a series that requires some amount of patience to really get into, but one you're there the rewards are more than sufficient.
Score: 5/5
Specs: 26 episodes across six DVDs, the last of which is still a month or so away.