In a fictional rural world there are strange beings known as Mushi, they are neither animal nor plant but " a different form of life". Mushi are invisible to most people and their existence can mean luck as well as tragedy. Mushishi are people that can see Mushi and know all about them, they are often hired by people to get rid of their Mushi-related problems. The main character, Ginko, is a Mushishi who attracts these Mushi and thus needs to keep moving from place to place in order to prevent a build up of Mushi. So essentially he is an awesome nomadic weird-creature detective.
- Interesting and relaxing stories
- The many different characters and environments prevent stagnation of the plot
- Mushi come in all kinds of shapes and sizes creating a diverse animal-kingdom-like system
- Philosophical elements introduced through a fictional lens
- You can watch one episode and be satisfied for a week
- Episodic nature means that you can watch one episode a day, week or month and not feel lost
Cons:
- Can be boring if you watch episodes consecutively/one after the other, each episode is like a full meal and there is no reason to eat a meal if you aren't hungry
- Episodic nature can APPEAR not to go into much overall depth and as the episodes don't follow on after one another it feels as if the story is not progressing at times
Verdict:
Essentially this is a creative, intriguing, fun and relaxing anime. Although it may seem to lack depth if you watch each episode immediately after the other you should definitely watch them a week apart in my opinion. This allows each episode to sink in, that is the magic of Mushishi, every episode is an artwork. If you go into an art gallery with a whole bunch of paintings you will most likely skim through them, leave before you planned to and recall it as a boring event. The same could be said with Mushishi, each painting (episode) needs to be appreciated in order for you to truly enjoy it. This anime is a calming and sometimes emotionally moving escape into a world of strange but beautiful creatures and landscapes, cool characters and thought-provoking ideas.
YES YOU SHOULD WATCH MUSHISHI
(recommended on a weekly basis)
