Apologies for this post coming in late, I know Mushishi was released around the same time as Jojo’s and I did watch those two back-to-back…I just couldn’t find anything of worth to really say about Mushishi. It’s more of an anime people need to experience to truly understand, as words simply do not do this anime justice.
If you are not familiar with Mushishi, it chronicles stories of various phenomena in a mysterious world where creatures caled ‘mushi’ exist. They aren’t plants, they aren’t animals, but they’re close to life itself, as organisms. Not everyone can see them, but our ‘protagonist’ (if you want to call him that) Ginko, can. He is a ‘Mushishi’ – a mushi expert that goes around researching mushi and helping people with problems surrounding mushi.
This pilot episode does not break away from the narrative structure of the first season, and is another short one-episode story about a boy who runs into mushi that love the taste of ‘kouki’ (you’ll have to watch to find out what that is, it has been covered multiple times in season 1) and his relationship with his father who had a similar experience.
Don’t let my loss for words confuse you regarding my opinion on this anime. It is phenomenal. There is absolutely nothing like it, and I’m glad to say that this sequel will be maintaining the extremely high standards the first season has set for itself. Its production team remains the same – director Nagahama Hiroshi and sound director Tanaka Kazuya (they worked on the original Mushishi together, as well as on uhm…Aku No Hana) and they really are a fantastic team. Sound director Tanaka in particular really helps to nail the Mushishi experience, each track in the mind-blowingly amazing OST, each sound effect, every track creates a certain special atmosphere that sucks you right into this mysterious, yet beautiful world of the mushi that Nagahama has in mind based off a near flawless manga material. Artland’s no big studio in the anime landscape at present, but do not worry, Mushishi is still beautiful, both to the ears and the eyes. Backgrounds are lush, beautifully coloured, and shots are framed perfectly. It is pretty much indistinguishable from the first season (which says a lot about how well-animated the first season was, really).
So yes, please do watch Mushishi if you haven’t already. You’re missing out on one of the best anime out there, period, and it is absolutely worth dropping anything and everything you’re watching right now to just give the series a try. I promise you will not be disappointed.
I talk a bit more about the themes of Mushishi that make it the landmark anime it is over on my post of the special episode which you can read here if you’re interested. You can also give just the special episode alone a try to see if Mushishi’s up your alley, every episode is pretty much a standalone story so no harm will be done if you watch things out of order (though you really should just start from the original first season).
Possibility of Blogging: No. As much as I love Mushishi, I really do struggle to describe the unique experience I have with it. It is something best experienced by the viewer themselves.
Possibility of Watching: Definitely. This is without a doubt, going to be one of my top picks for the year.
Also, the new OP for Mushishi is fantastic. I’m not the biggest fan of the ‘Sore Feet Song’ but damn, this new OP just blows everything I’ve heard from anime OPs right out of the park. It’s beautiful, just like the anime itself.