AnimeSuki Forums

Freeter · 2014-12-14, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I feel some sympathy for Shigeru too, in the sense that this was obviously not premeditated (like Shino) and he certainly was given a reason to be enraged. But I wouldn't go so far as to say Shinobu expected to be killed. If he did, that was a pretty selfish act to confess, knowing he had a child himself he'd be making an orphan, and leaving his fate to the clutches of the man he expected to kill him.

He was offering Sousuke as penance for his actions. He went in knowing the worst possible outcome, but he couldn't bear the shame any further.

Shigeru is still despicable for what he did though. He felt zero shame in covering up Shinobu's death to his nephew, and even if Sousuke would have eventually retaliated, there's little doubt that Shigeru would just sit there and take it. He would probably kill Sousuke as well. Even Ginko would have been an unfortunate victim had he pursued his inquiry further (which he wisely chose not to do).

If Shigeru had shown even a hint of remorse for his actions, then I would elicit some sympathy towards him. But he felt murder was the only dignified choice, so he's beyond forgiveness.

Jan-Poo · 2014-12-14, 21:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Ginko's role in this is very typical. He figures out the truth, but even though he's just deduced that Shigeru is a murderer he doesn't appoint himself the arbiter of justice. He's the ally of truth, and he lets Shigeru know that he knows the truth - and what the truth is about how Shigeru might save himself. What Shigeru does with that information he leaves up to him. You'll notice there was no voice-over from Ginko this time saying what happened after he left, which suggests a tragic or at least downcast end for Sousuke as well.

It's a very interesting trait of Ginko, he never passes judgement on anyone. I wouldn't go as far as saying that he is an ally of truth, at least not the way I intend it, if he was an ally of truth he'd want the truth to be known. I think it's more like he has a policy of minimal interference with the places he visits.

He must have visited hundreds of villages but always as Ginko the Mushishi. Whatever traces he left behind whatever changes he caused, they were always justified by his Mushishi role, or at least that's how he wants that to be.
If Ginko exposed the crimes of Shigeru, then he would have stepped outside the boundaries that he is imposing on himself.

That apart I feel that anyway Ginko also believes that even the most heinous crime has probably a reason behind it and the criminal has his\her situations which are not up to him to judge. He also probably believes that nothing good can come by exposing criminals anyway.

Flower · 2014-12-14, 22:11

Ep 09

A good thought-provoking ep. It is indeed a very sad story. Shigeru's daughter died by accident, and the one who unknowingly was the cause of her death was wracked with remorse and terrified at what he had done and perhaps also at what might happen (if this was the case the actions of Shigeru certainly show his fear was not without grounds). Even so, Shinobu lived a life of inner pain and remorse for many years and had some bravery to admit to what he had done.

But Shigeru...poor Shigeru snapped and went into a rage, killed Shinobu and took in Sousuke. God only knows what he eventually intended to do with Sousuke, but what is sure is that that moment of rage and killing Shinobu caused something to die in his soul. Something of his humanity was killed by the act, and very interestingly the mud grass mushi sensed this, and both infected and grew as if Shigeru was already partly dead. To me that tiny moment was the most poignant part of the ep.

I think we got a glimpse that some part of Shigeru's humanity had died by the dead, flat, cold gaze he turned to Sousuke when the latter confronted him about his father's murder. I read his speech to Sousuke afterward as a cold rationalization to himself to kill the boy as well, but there was something in it that was slightly inhuman to me...a logic that had been unfettered by whatever death Shigeru had brought upon parts of his soul by killing Shinobu. In many ways that brief scene was chilling - kudos to the anime and the VA for conveying it so effectively.

Amarantine · 2014-12-14, 22:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

It's a very interesting trait of Ginko, he never passes judgement on anyone. I wouldn't go as far as saying that he is an ally of truth, at least not the way I intend it, if he was an ally of truth he'd want the truth to be known. I think it's more like he has a policy of minimal interference with the places he visits.

Indeed, and one need only look at the ending of Cotton Changeling, for instance, to see that Ginko is even willing to lie to his patients/clients should he consider it to be the wise or right thing to do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

That apart I feel that anyway Ginko also believes that even the most heinous crime has probably a reason behind it and the criminal has his\her situations which are not up to him to judge. He also probably believes that nothing good can come by exposing criminals anyway.

As I've said before in this thread, even though Ginko's forgotten all about Nui, his first mushishi mentor, he still seems to live by her words of advice to him, which I feel can be seen to an extent as the ethos of Mushishi as whole: "Don't let yourself be blinded by fear or anger. Everything is only as it is." Ginko seems very much in tune with that idea; he is wholly capable of observing and analyzing a situation without being judgmental or moralizing, which allows him to find rather elegant solutions to normally difficult situations, or to least make it through them without causing them to develop into something much more troublesome and dangerous (although, of course, he's not infallible, as if he were the series might become a little boring

).

Platypus · 2014-12-20, 16:36

2015 summer movie
http://otakomu.jp/archives/196380.html

Stark700 · 2014-12-20, 16:47

What a wonderful season once again and the finale was quite memorable as well. Can't wait to see the movie to see how this show will wrap up.

Flower · 2014-12-20, 20:10

Ep 10

Now that...that was rather thought provoking, but interestingly in a non-rational kind of mode of thought. It leaves you (no pun intended) thinking and pondering about many things, touching on the longevity of the natural world alongside the lives of individual people, the relationship between the two, and suggesting that we are much more part of the fabric of nature as our default reality than we think.

Excellent, excellent stuff. And moving, but moving because it simply IS, as opposed to coming across as an "objectively contrived lesson". Almost like a reminder of how things actually are, but a reminder that is like the sound of a running river or stream, or of the wind in the trees, or waves rhythmically lapping the shoreline.

Looking forward to the movie, but man, I am so thankful for the wonderful source material and the wonderful adaptation. Hands down, no contest, with nothing even coming close, this is the anime of the year for me. It has been magnificent.

Guardian Enzo · 2014-12-21, 02:00

That was a slight shift (only one chapter) to finish with "The Tree of Eternity" but I think it was a good choice. It charts a middle course between the darker and lighter sides of he Mushishi tonal spectrum, and gives a lot to ponder when it comes to its deeper messages.

Hard to believe it's over. Mushishi will be missed, but at least it got a comprehensive and sterling adaptation.

Dop · 2014-12-21, 19:08

I suspect that about a year and a bit ago nobody had the slightest idea there'd ever be any more Mushishi anime. "They just don't make things like that any more", for example. After all those years since the first TV series ended, and the manga itself ended, nobody would expect a continuation!
Then last year's special was announced, followed by this series.

For me, this was my anime of the year. There's just nothing else like it. The show is its own little world that just drags you in for the duration of each episode.

This last episode was another great example. Trees can be very old, and what would a very old tree have seen if only it could tell? What could it tell us about things which have happened in the past?

So now we just have the movie to look forward to, and unless Yuki Urushibara decides to write more stories that'll be the end. The end of the series, and in a real way the end of an era.

We may never see its like again, and that saddens me. I hope I'm proved wrong.

Amarantine · 2014-12-22, 01:51

Wow. Once again, Nagahama Hiroshi knocks it out of the park when it comes to deciding on the order and placement of the stories. Tree of Eternity turned out to be the absolute perfect sendoff for televised Mushishi - a truly powerful tale that touched on just about every major theme the series has concerned itself with throughout its various and varied vignettes. The series' central concept of the mushi is obviously grounded in Shinto beliefs, but its worldview is every bit as much shaped by Zen Buddhist and Taoist philosophy (the two overlap a lot, in fact), and Tree of Eternity was as sublime a story about the Taoist principle of living in harmony and cooperating with the ways of the natural world as you'll ever see. Kanta's predicament and its unpredictably fortuitous consequences even reminded me of one particular Taoist story:

Spoiler:

Kanta's transformation as a result of his bodily and spiritual entanglement with the great cedar tree was beautiful to behold and echoed the oft-witnessed Mushishi sentiment that Mother Nature is the best of teachers, having led the wayward father and husband to finally and truly take root in his home and thus fully nourish his love for it and his family. The fact that - perhaps for the first time in Mushishi - there was no fade to black to accompany the credits, and the characters even continued to talk over them, made the episode feel even more special and precious.

On a more trivial but still interesting note regarding Nagahama's choice of the stories' order and placement, the character of Isaza almost served as an anchor to bind the series' polar ends together, having been featured in the final episode of season one as well as the first and now the last episode of season two. Not bad, he gets to join the ranks of Adashino and Tannyuu as one of the few non-Ginko Mushishi characters to pop up in more than one story.

And so televised Mushishi comes to an end, which in turn serves as a good opportunity to put into practice the series' recurring theme of learning to let go of things.

Only it's not really the end yet, since the final story still awaits us in theatrical form, which is great in the sense that it might result in Mushishi looking even more gorgeous than usual and indeed ever, but not so much when one thinks about the time it'll take for it to become available to those of us outside Japan. Oh well, good things come to those who wait, and all the more so when those things are mushi-related.

FlavoryFantasy · 2014-12-29, 04:01

An excellent story to end on for the season and tv broadcast of the series.

This was easily my anime of the year and it has been a truly wondrous and unmatched weekly viewing experience. Now all that's left is to patiently wait for the final story in glorious theatrical form. And while it may happen in the unlikely near or distant future I very much do look forward to another series of this nature and quality. It will definitely be a nice treat later on.

BBOvenGuy · 2015-09-08, 17:31

The finale is available online now, and it's another winner.

Spoiler for Finale:

2014-12-14, 22:11	Link #383
Flower Blooming on the mountain Join Date: May 2010 Location: Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light....	Ep 09 A good thought-provoking ep. It is indeed a very sad story. Shigeru's daughter died by accident, and the one who unknowingly was the cause of her death was wracked with remorse and terrified at what he had done and perhaps also at what might happen (if this was the case the actions of Shigeru certainly show his fear was not without grounds). Even so, Shinobu lived a life of inner pain and remorse for many years and had some bravery to admit to what he had done. But Shigeru...poor Shigeru snapped and went into a rage, killed Shinobu and took in Sousuke. God only knows what he eventually intended to do with Sousuke, but what is sure is that that moment of rage and killing Shinobu caused something to die in his soul. Something of his humanity was killed by the act, and very interestingly the mud grass mushi sensed this, and both infected and grew as if Shigeru was already partly dead. To me that tiny moment was the most poignant part of the ep. I think we got a glimpse that some part of Shigeru's humanity had died by the dead, flat, cold gaze he turned to Sousuke when the latter confronted him about his father's murder. I read his speech to Sousuke afterward as a cold rationalization to himself to kill the boy as well, but there was something in it that was slightly inhuman to me...a logic that had been unfettered by whatever death Shigeru had brought upon parts of his soul by killing Shinobu. In many ways that brief scene was chilling - kudos to the anime and the VA for conveying it so effectively. __________________

2014-12-20, 16:36	Link #385
Platypus Member Join Date: Sep 2014	2015 summer movie http://otakomu.jp/archives/196380.html __________________

2014-12-20, 16:47	Link #386
Stark700 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Somewhere on Earth	What a wonderful season once again and the finale was quite memorable as well. Can't wait to see the movie to see how this show will wrap up. __________________

2014-12-20, 20:10	Link #387
Flower Blooming on the mountain Join Date: May 2010 Location: Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light....	Ep 10 Now that...that was rather thought provoking, but interestingly in a non-rational kind of mode of thought. It leaves you (no pun intended) thinking and pondering about many things, touching on the longevity of the natural world alongside the lives of individual people, the relationship between the two, and suggesting that we are much more part of the fabric of nature as our default reality than we think. Excellent, excellent stuff. And moving, but moving because it simply IS, as opposed to coming across as an "objectively contrived lesson". Almost like a reminder of how things actually are, but a reminder that is like the sound of a running river or stream, or of the wind in the trees, or waves rhythmically lapping the shoreline. Looking forward to the movie, but man, I am so thankful for the wonderful source material and the wonderful adaptation. Hands down, no contest, with nothing even coming close, this is the anime of the year for me. It has been magnificent. __________________

2014-12-22, 01:51	Link #390
Amarantine Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014	Wow. Once again, Nagahama Hiroshi knocks it out of the park when it comes to deciding on the order and placement of the stories. Tree of Eternity turned out to be the absolute perfect sendoff for televised Mushishi - a truly powerful tale that touched on just about every major theme the series has concerned itself with throughout its various and varied vignettes. The series' central concept of the mushi is obviously grounded in Shinto beliefs, but its worldview is every bit as much shaped by Zen Buddhist and Taoist philosophy (the two overlap a lot, in fact), and Tree of Eternity was as sublime a story about the Taoist principle of living in harmony and cooperating with the ways of the natural world as you'll ever see. Kanta's predicament and its unpredictably fortuitous consequences even reminded me of one particular Taoist story: Spoiler: There was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "Maybe," the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "Maybe," replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "Maybe," answered the farmer. The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "Maybe," said the farmer. Kanta's transformation as a result of his bodily and spiritual entanglement with the great cedar tree was beautiful to behold and echoed the oft-witnessed Mushishi sentiment that Mother Nature is the best of teachers, having led the wayward father and husband to finally and truly take root in his home and thus fully nourish his love for it and his family. The fact that - perhaps for the first time in Mushishi - there was no fade to black to accompany the credits, and the characters even continued to talk over them, made the episode feel even more special and precious. On a more trivial but still interesting note regarding Nagahama's choice of the stories' order and placement, the character of Isaza almost served as an anchor to bind the series' polar ends together, having been featured in the final episode of season one as well as the first and now the last episode of season two. Not bad, he gets to join the ranks of Adashino and Tannyuu as one of the few non-Ginko Mushishi characters to pop up in more than one story. And so televised Mushishi comes to an end, which in turn serves as a good opportunity to put into practice the series' recurring theme of learning to let go of things. Only it's not really the end yet, since the final story still awaits us in theatrical form, which is great in the sense that it might result in Mushishi looking even more gorgeous than usual and indeed ever, but not so much when one thinks about the time it'll take for it to become available to those of us outside Japan. Oh well, good things come to those who wait, and all the more so when those things are mushi-related.

2014-12-21, 19:08	Link #389
Dop Mmmm.... Join Date: Sep 2006	I suspect that about a year and a bit ago nobody had the slightest idea there'd ever be any more Mushishi anime. "They just don't make things like that any more", for example. After all those years since the first TV series ended, and the manga itself ended, nobody would expect a continuation! Then last year's special was announced, followed by this series. For me, this was my anime of the year. There's just nothing else like it. The show is its own little world that just drags you in for the duration of each episode. This last episode was another great example. Trees can be very old, and what would a very old tree have seen if only it could tell? What could it tell us about things which have happened in the past? So now we just have the movie to look forward to, and unless Yuki Urushibara decides to write more stories that'll be the end. The end of the series, and in a real way the end of an era. We may never see its like again, and that saddens me. I hope I'm proved wrong.

2014-12-29, 04:01	Link #391
FlavoryFantasy ♪~Deculture~♪ (✿◠‿◠) Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Various Pocket Dimensions Age: 30	An excellent story to end on for the season and tv broadcast of the series. This was easily my anime of the year and it has been a truly wondrous and unmatched weekly viewing experience. Now all that's left is to patiently wait for the final story in glorious theatrical form. And while it may happen in the unlikely near or distant future I very much do look forward to another series of this nature and quality. It will definitely be a nice treat later on.

2015-09-08, 17:31	Link #392
BBOvenGuy Math Ninja Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ventura County CA Age: 59	The finale is available online now, and it's another winner. Spoiler for Finale: For a moment, it looked like the end for Ginko, but instead he's free to continue his travels.