Mushishi Review

"Mushishi" is an episodic anime that has only one main character~ Ginko. Ginko's purpose is to travel from town to town, researching a phenomenon called "mushi" and their effects on humanity. He also helps the different villages deal with any mushi "problems" they may encounter.

Story:
This is the SINGLE MOST beautiful and original story I have ever seen, both inside and outside the anime community. The concept of "mushi"~ an entity that is neither human, plant, or animal, that affects the daily lives of humans is intelligent and thought-provoking. How Ginko deals with these phenomenon, whether he is just researching or "treating" them is even more compelling. Mushishi's stories have great life lessons hidden within them, and they are brought to life beautifully.

Art:
Beautiful. Gorgeous. Breath-taking. What else is there to say? The scenery art for this series is some of the best I have ever seen. My only complaints about the artwork in this series, is the character art (other than Ginko's). The different characters who appear episode after episode seem to be drawn identically, but just with new clothes and a name tacked on to differentiate them from the last episode. However, this is easily over-looked because of the characters themselves (which will be discussed later.)

Sound:
Well, I'm afraid my review will fall short here. I'm afraid sound is not usually something I really pay attention to, typically. I will say, however, that the OP song is one of my favorites (if not my favorite) among all anime I have seen. Yes, it may be my age saying this, but it is reminiscent of the old 70's folk music that I love so much. It really is a beautiful song. I'm giving the sound a 10, though, based on this song, and the music I did notice through the series, which was quite appropriate for the scenes.

Character:
Aaaaaahhhh... the BEST part of the series. Ginko... Ginko... well, he's just awesome. Sometimes he may come across as one of your old "monotone" teachers/professors, but you get the feeling that he truly LOVES what he does, and the interest he has in researching the mushi is undeniable. The way he sees mushi as neither "evil or good" ... they "just exist, like we do" is a testament to his character. Another great thing about this series is the episodic characters. Other than Ginko (and a doctor that shows up in 3 episodes), all characters are only present for 1 episode. But as someone states in the forums, you come to care MORE about some of these 1 episode characters than you do for some recurring characters in other 26+ epi series.

Enjoyment:
Well, if it isn't obvious by now, I enjoyed/am enjoying this series immensely. I was not sure if I could enjoy an episodic anime with new characters introduced each episode, but I was pleasantly surprised. This series has become quite endearing to me, and has taken it's spot as my #1 favorite series of all time. All of the different aspects of this series, good as they are, individually, combine to make one hell of an awesome and original series.