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Discovering Mushishi

By Nadia Oxford November 01, 2007

Mushishi
© Funimation

Everyone needs some hippie time. Well, that might be a bit of a broad way to put it, but it's true that humans need to take a breather now and again and remember Mother Earth and all that good stuff.

We either rule this planet or we're a blight on it; it depends on who you ask. The Bible makes it pretty clear from the outset that mankind is meant to watch over the plants and animals. Still, we get geniuses like Ann Coulter who somehow take that to mean we're free to pollute as we see fit because, apparently, shitting in our own bed is a really good idea.

Though Japan has its own environmental problems--over-fishing being a major one--one of its main religions, Shinto, has a heavy focus on nature and the environment. It's not surprising then that some of its anime deals with those very themes. Osamu Tezuka's work looks often at mankind's interaction with the environment, and admittedly, it gets a little preachy at times. Happily, there is something out there for nature lovers who don't want a lecture: Mushishi.

A little while back I talked about Cowboy Bebop, an anime so excellent that it transcends labels and genres to simply land in viewers' hearts as "a damn good show." In a similar manner, Mushishi doesn't alienate viewers on the basis of being an anime: There are no inside jokes or puns, no physical humour, no catgirls, no big eyes and small mouths.

Interestingly, the theme song for the anime ("The Sore Feet Song" by Ally Kerr) is in English. This alone helps rope in people who might feel a little awkward about J-pop, which has a tendency to get loud and rambunctious (further note of interest: Only the first verse of The Sore Feet Song makes it into the introduction. That's good because the second verse chronicles an attempt to rob a convenience store).

Predictably, the Mushishi anime is based around a manga localized by Del Rey. I heartily recommend both. However, the manga has had a considerably longer run (almost nine years and counting) whereas the anime is a mere 26 episodes with no immediate plans for more. But the animation and music in the anime are beyond gorgeous, plus the animation studio (Artland) seemingly chose some of the series' most powerful stories.

Unlike most anime and manga, Mushishi is very episodic. Its main character, a white-haired, one-eyed drifter named Ginko, is a "mushishi." The world, as it so happens, is filled with "mushi"…primitive lifeforms that are hard to describe (they can take on any number of forms) but live alongside humans and animals. Some mushi are harmful to humans, thus the need for the hunters, who are better known to people as "mushishi."

Each episode of Mushishi presents a problem that can be blamed on a mushi of some type, and Ginko works to assist people who are left helpless by the mysterious ways of the life form. Sometimes the path to balance is simple and involves a simple removal of the mushi; and sometimes the solution is far more complicated. Though this formula carries an undeniable danger of getting stale, Ginko's adventures are so varied that it never does. Furthermore, Ginko, unlike his fellow mushishi, takes care to stress the importance of mushi and humanity living side by side. Mushi are living entities; though they're mysterious and sometimes frightening, they're just trying to survive and are a vital part of Nature's balance.

But at the same time, Ginko won't balk when a mushi poses a serious threat to a human. In one particularly memorable instance, Ginko is called on to contain a spore-like mushi that infiltrates human eggs, devours the baby conceived inside, and is then "born" as a pile of green sludge. The sludge takes form a year later as the "missing baby" and presents itself to the parents, who feel compelled to protect it as it grows. Once the child dies within a handful of months, it releases seeds that repeat the cycle. Ginko is forced to kill the "children," despite their ability to reason and talk, and his reasoning is simple: You can't let something that eats human babies overtake Nature…and since humans are stronger, they will rightfully fight against threats to their existence.

Ginko himself is a nice change of pace in terms of fantasy protagonists. His personality is gentle, helpful and a little melancholy, but ultimately he wishes to go where he's needed and keep to himself. But at the same time the series offers quick glimpses into his past, his personality and motivations. There is a Romance That Cannot Be, for example, but the interaction between Ginko and his intended is subtle and tentative in a way that's far more heart-twisting than loud confessions of love and acts of grandeur.

If you're looking for the intense action of giant robots locking together in battle, Mushishi probably won't be your thing. But if it's a rainy day and you've brewed a pot of green tea with no one around to share it with, Mushishi will refresh you like an afternoon nap.