The 2005 anime adaptation of manga artist, Urushibara Yuki's Mushishi is a rare piece of work. It's the kind of anime where all the components (art, music, story, direction, etc...) not only flow together perfectly, but accentuate each other to create a finished product that challenges preconceived notions of what anime is and what it can do.
Mushishi follows the travels of Ginko, a wandering doctor and researcher of sorts who specializes in cases involving primitive life forms known as "mushi". They are neither plant nor animal, but something more like life in its purest form. Though not everyone can see mushi, they can have serious and very real affect on human beings.
A Masterful Use of Atmosphere
Mushishi's strongest selling point is it's ability to create an atmosphere and then to ensnare the audience in it; a trait already present in its manga form, but taken to the next level in the anime with expertly and carefully done sound and color.
The music score, which prominently employs the use of bells, chimes, and somber piano arrangements, has a light touch that fleshes out the whimsy and quiet subtly of the series. Even the opening song is an airy guitar piece which is serene and relaxing, but with the slightest twinge of bittersweetness.
While the animation is smooth and vibrant, it is the highly detailed and painting-like background scenery of Mushishi which deserves praise. A palette of lush greens and earthy browns is used to match the forests and mountains that Ginko travels through and varying shades of blue, black, and gray blend with white to create snowy settings.
The Power of Storytelling
The series spans 26 unrelated episodes of self-contained stories of Ginko's travels. Despite the lack of an overarching plot each episode, each story, is compelling and memorable. The characters, though different every time, are easy to relate to because they seem so fundamentally human rather than exaggerated characterizations. Also, the variety of mushi, their effect on people, and Ginko's cure for the mushi all help to make each episode special.
Nature and the Environment
The series approaches the theme of nature and the environment in way much like anime director Miyazaki Hayao handles it in his films.
Mushishi is fondly preoccupied with depicting natural beauty and situating human beings and their stories within the natural world. Very few scenes throughout the whole series take place indoors or within cities.
Furthermore, Ginko approaches mushi with cautious reverence, favoring coexistence with mushi when possible, and refrains from resorting to extermination as the first solution. A central premise of the series is to show mushi and human beings living together rather than being at odds.
More Mushishi
- Manga - Urushibara Yuki's original 10 volume manga version of Mushishi was published from 1999 to 2008 in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine. The manga earned two awards: the Excellence Prize at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival and the 2006 Kodansha Manga Award
- Live Action Film - In 2007 a live action adaptation was directed by Otomo Katsuhiro (director of influential Sci-Fi anime film, Akira)
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