(L) Mushishi

[DaFool]

Heh, ep21 is interesting. If they had lawyers back in the day they could have sued Ginko for malpractice.

lol.

[Sorrow-K]

Originally Posted by lavielove

by the way,I would like to ask a question to Mushishi fans/viewers.Which episode is your favourite episode of Mushishi so far ??? The episode I like most is the one with a green-haired girl in it.She lived with a inland river so long and her hair became green color.

For some reason it feels like we've already had this conversation. Anyway, I thought 12. The way they portrayed Ginko's past was so beautifully ironic and and execution was near perfect and emotional. But, there's still 5 episodes I've yet to see, so one of them could possibly overtake it.

[Zappster]

I can think of at least 4 off the top of my head that I'd consider for that position. I just don't remember the episode numbers of most of them, mainly because it's been a while since I watched them. Hopefully someone can help me out with the ep numbers. Favourite if I had to pick just one would be the one with the guy that can see the future or something(episode 4 I think). Then there's the one about Ginko's past, the one with Ginko's love interest/future wife(at least I'm hoping she is) ep 20 I believe and the one with that floating lady.

[Muir Woods]

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

For some reason it feels like we've already had this conversation.

After episode 20 aired, a few people voiced their opinions on their favorite episodes during that void of time without Mushishi. I'm waiting until Mushishi has completely aired before I reveal my choices. I just realized there's only two episodes of Mushishi left. Oh no, the feeling of dread from an ineluctable end is looming over me. I wish Mushishi would never end, just like Ginko's journey...*sigh*.

Anyways, saw episode 24.

Spoiler for Comments on episode 24:

A conflict of wits and words between two mushishis. Oh Ginko, you are so piercingly wise, so much so it makes you seem to be possessing a sixth sense. I'm relieved that Ginko manages to figure out a way to save Yahagi in the end of the episode. She was just trying protect the well-being of the village, even if it made her commit too prematurely to an action. I don't think that understandable mistake deserves death; it would've been another tragic episode if she did die. So, Ginko is a dart champion? I thought it was pretty cool and amazing how he shot that needle with elegant ease and hitting that flying "dark fire" mushi squarely in the center. Ah, the miscellaneous skills of a mushishi...

[aliensporebomb]

Re: Episode 21:

Brilliant as usual. It was worth the wait.

[Lost]

Originally Posted by lavielove

by the way,I would like to ask a question to Mushishi fans/viewers.Which episode is your favourite episode of Mushishi so far ??? The episode I like most is the one with a green-haired girl in it.She lived with a inland river so long and her hair became green color.

I also really liked that episode, cause you kinda really felt for that girl.. I also liked the Rainbow Ep (7 i think) as well as Ep 17 and 19. The best so far for me --> 20. But like Muir says, best to wait till the end.

Originally Posted by Muir Woods

Oh no, the feeling of dread from an ineluctable end is looming over me. I wish Mushishi would never end, just like Ginko's journey...*sigh*.

Sometimes waiting for subs is good? Jk Jk. Speaking of which C1 I LOVE YOU!!! Downloading now. Can't wait Can't wait.

[Muir Woods]

Originally Posted by Lost

Sometimes waiting for subs is good?

Maybe you're right. I could delay the impending end, in a sense, by simply waiting for the English subs. But Mushishi is so good that, despite its self-contained and non-overaching stories, everytime a new episode has aired, I have a strong urge to watch it as soon as possible, to get my Mushishi fix. It's like...an addiction. I apologize if my words are too quick. When the anime ends, I think I'll have Mushishi withdraw, unless somebody continues translating the manga where Mangascreener left off a long while ago (last October). Someone? Please?

[Lost]

Originally Posted by Muir Woods

It's like...an addiction.

Dude, I understand exactly how that feels. Sigh. Okay, 21.

Spoiler for GINKO OWNS MY SCREEN AGAIN!!:

Sigh.. it feels so good to be seeing the art and hearing the beautiful contemplative music again. Ginko as usual is spectacular, this time he's really grim: near the end, when he had to decide for that guy that he couldnt leave it to them anymore, that was a pretty grim and firm tone.

So one of the rare times Ginko has to go into "destroy" mode eh. Yet, he retains his humanity and compassion. Hmm. It was really interesting how he said "Sorry" to the first 'son' before injecting/killing him, and even when he knows that that is really the Mushi who killed a foetus. Thats our Ginko alright. And at the end, when that Mushi asks why he doesnt kill him, Ginko's says its because it still "has life." I love Ginko. No wonder Tanyu finds him special

That second-last exchange with the Mushi (the sick boy) was interesting, how it said that it wasnt its fault that it killed babies, and Ginko said it wasnt his either, how Humans can do it just coz they are "stronger" - really reflects some things going on in the world today.

One thing I dont understand tho, is how did he get that Mushishi into the flask. I tho that by the burning, their seeds were supposed to be scattered or something; after all, the mushi said that they had the win. Anybody?

And I don't see how Ginko's reaction to being stabbed was comical?

This was another strong episode.

[Syaoran]

That episode 21 was one I really liked
Just having the feeling Mushishi could mix with humans, learn from them, live like them and not raising suspicion is fantastic ^^
It's almost like a higher form of mushi evolution

.. never mind ... I'm ranting again, isn't it ?

[Muir Woods]

Saw episode 25.

Spoiler for Comments on episode 25:

I love this episode's tale. It was a bittersweet story that carried easily apparent messages, and garnered my sympathy for Amane (again, forgive me if my romanization is wrong). Hmm, there was a brief glimpse of Ginko's past, his earliest memories at about 10 years old. I wonder what that hint carries. There was one scene that I really liked in the episode: it was near the beginning, where Amane was singing on the streets about the story of the mushi in episode 6. The bystanders laughed at the end, thinking it was a ridiculous anecdote, save Ginko, who was the only one who understood the tale. Something about that scene struck me. Perhaps it highlighted an overarching theme of the series: the people's misunderstanding/lack of understanding of mushis, that is often the fundamental reason of their troubles with them. Or maybe I just liked the music .

One episode left. I hope it ends as a pinnacle.

[wao]

I've had problems getting 23, but I grew impatient and took a glimpse at the 2 eps I have (24 and 25). I only skipped through 24 but for 25, I was goin to skip through it at first yet... I couldn't help but continue watching and before I realised it there I was, watching the whole thing. I liked this story quite a bit in the manga too, because for once I felt Ginko had a strong sense of respect and sadness at the same time for Amane (all very subtle, of course). I liked the last bit the most, but the scene Muir Woods mentioned was also quite poignant - it was very striking, and the scene itself somehow made you feel uncomfortable at first but at the same time a strange feeling of "Ginko's one of the few who really understands things" ... very mysterious feeling.

One scene that was very effective, though, was Ginko's earliest memories.

Spoiler for Really not much a spoiler:

For some reason, the bit where he was groping his way through the darkness and came to a place where the moon just continuously set and rose was extremely creepy and memorable to me. In fact I think it's because for some reason I have this enigmatic residue of a memory - I don't know where it's from, but I've had it since I was young - of going to a balcony, and looking above over the tops of trees, and seeing about 3 or 4 moons in the sky; in various stages (crescent, half crescent, 3/4 crescent, almost a full moon)...
It's a memory that keeps coming back at weird times and I find it delightfully surreal. I know it doesn't have much connection but that feeling came right back when they showed that bit. Those times when it seems like the night goes on forever... that's what it might be like for Amane from now on.

But the difference is that she's got a memory of light. She knows what light is; or rather, she knows what "not dark" is. It's much better than the despair and hopelessness felt if all you know is darkness and nothing that is not darkness.

....and I swear, I couldn't believe it when I saw Amane was played by Maaya Sakamoto. Makes sense given the singing but... I couldn't recognize it!!! Perhaps it's because the character she's playing here is quite different from her usual ones in general. She sounds so serious and less sweet, and you can feel a bit of the melancholy coming through. I suppose this is closer to what her real voice is like.

[Lost]

Originally Posted by wao

[...] Maaya Sakamoto. [...]

Maaya Sakamoto!!!?? I love one of her songs from Wolf's Rain.

[Snoop']

Duh, it's been weeks since I stock the Mushishi episodes on my hard drive while not having enough time to watch them (I don't want to watch them in a rush)...

I watched ep.23 though, it wasn't perhaps the best episode of the series, but the scene near the end with the golden sunset/sky was gorgeous. Oh, and a beautiful beach at the very end, too.


Now the question is : will I skip ep.24 and 25 to watch ep.26, just in order to be in the debate ?

[gianna]

Originally Posted by Snoop'

Duh, it's been weeks since I stock the Mushishi episodes on my hard drive while not having enough time to watch them (I don't want to watch them in a rush)...

I watched ep.23 though, it wasn't perhaps the best episode of the series, but the scene near the end with the golden sunset/sky was gorgeous. Oh, and a beautiful beach at the very end, too.


Now the question is : will I skip ep.24 and 25 to watch ep.26, just in order to be in the debate ?

Not much of a discussion :/ View them in order.

[wao]

I just watched 23 and then 26. 23 was pretty good to me - personally I liked the original story, I think Shige and Tetsu made a very nice pair and I don't know why, I just found the story itself enjoyable.

As for 26, well it's not as good as episode 20 I'm afraid, and the animation isn't as good either (to me, anyway) ... But, they did the story very well. I think there was something about the scenes and pacing that kind of kept your attention and had you notice the feelings of Taku.

And it's one of those very few non-Ginko centered episodes, he's really in a largely minor role here, but it's interesting to know just a tad bit about what happened to him after episode 12 (it's hinted at, anyway).

I enjoyed it more than the manga chapter, anyway. I really could feel

Spoiler for however spoilery Mushishi gets!:

how Taku actually enjoyed Isaza's company even though he seemed to be quite rude to him. They came from two very different types of lifestyles and when they met I think they learne so much from each other that they didn't forget each other. Especially Taku - before this I presume he didn't have any other friends, and he didn't know anything outside his little world. It really must have been awful for his father to die and the mountain to erupt because that put an end to his paradise. What would life have been like for him if he went with Isaza?

It was really a good bond of friendship... and it was really nice in the end how Isaza was the one who hinted to Ginko to go there and help those people; that he remembered that place (and assumedly Taku) and was still doing fine.... and Taku smiled contentedly into the distance.

A beautifully understated "awww" moment. I have a suspicion fans of yaoi - or at least, GENUINE friendship between men (not the usual bullshit you get in BL-shows or whatever) - would greatly enjoy this. But people who don't like yaoi wouldn't be turned off by it in the least bit even. A nice ending for the series...

It's been a great effort from the production team; thank goodness people still make shows like these.

Someday maybe they'll do another 13 eps if there's enough books out and if they're given enough time and funding... I wouldn't mind seeing the more recent chapters

Spoiler:

with that totally emo guy who likes Tanyuu as well.
Actually I just want to see Tanyuu. Eheh.

EDIT: Oh, and I guess for the seiyuu nuts - there's Ami Koshimizu in this episode with a pretty surprising performance of Isaza. Quite a good performance, IMO. I've always kind of been impressed by her since she swung from Tenma to ... ANEMONE. Wow.

EDIT2: There was also a voice credit for teh role of a "Watari" in the credits. Is that the name of the

Spoiler for Again, not much of a spoiler:

Mushishi who tells Ginko to hurry up (because he's taking him away)? I wonder if they got it as a hint from the mangaka... I want to see more of his lifestory, dammit!

(actually, now that I heard Ginko speak again, I think Wataris actually refer to the nomadic people in this episode.)

And my favourite scene in ep 26 was, I think,

Spoiler:

when Taku is fishing in the crave and Isaza is sitting next to him, with a frog tied to a rope he's holding, struggling in the water... and Isaza asks whether Taku is jealous of his lifestyle (since Isaza gets to go aroudn to so many places and learns so much but Taku has to stay there); and Taku says he is. And the frog escapes from the rope. I guess it was hinting at how things were going to change for Taku and at the same time how they'd have to let go of each other - that Isaza can't come back every year anymore.

[Muir Woods]

Saw episode 26, the final episode.

Spoiler for Comments on episode 26:

Like Wao said, this episode did not surpass episode 20. Oh well. It was still interesting to watch the friendship formed between two highly contrasting lives. From the brief appearance of an adolescent Ginko, he exuded the same kind of sage aura he does as a full adult. I wonder if it's a consequence of initiating the journey down the wandering path of a Mushishi, which forced him to mature earlier than normal. Anyways, the final episode ended subtly and wistfully, like Mushishi itself.

And with the anime over, it's time for my final thoughts. I will avoid going into detail analyzing the good qualities of Mushishi, because that would only repeat what many others have said before (and some have articulated well). The praises has been consistent and strong, and I'll let the thread speak for its eminence. So I'll keep it short: Mushishi has been a transcendent experience. I watch anime fundamentally for entertainment. Mushishi is indeed high calibre entertainment, but it goes beyond that. It stimulates the mind, and touches the heart, and does it without pretension nor fatigue. An anime close to perfection, and I'm hard pressed to find its faults. It easily earns a spot in my top three anime, no, shows in general of all time. Ginko is an entity that ranks and belongs with the immortals, and he has earned a permanent place in my memories.

[Snoop']

I finally didn't download ep.26 yet - because my current free disk space is 600MB...

Nevertheless, if I too would comment on this series - apart from the fact that the art is strikingly beautiful and animation is detailed, and the sound fits nicely - I would say that this series makes you think. But not in a tiring way, when for example you have to watch the show twice to get an idea of what's happening. Neither in a "hey, look, we are dealing with deep philosophical issues ! man we rock for being intellectual !" way. It's simpler than that. You watch the episode, and everything is obvious. Behind the simple story, you can naturally find issues connected to real life, which leave you thinking.

Oh, and another thing is that Ginko is über-cool. It's funny how sometimes a simple line, a slight grin make this calm character insanely appealing.

[wao]

I suppose you could say it's like nature itself - it's just the way it is, an everyday thing, and, in general, apparently obvious. But if you pay attention to it - like people of days gone by who lived closer to nature, or even like Mushishis - you'll realise there are many checks and balances and intricate
little differences that make things happen the way they do. It's not trying to prove a point or anything - it just is. But yet it makes you think.

...Something like that.

[Lost]

My goodness. Are we writing obituaries now?

In my imperfect words: It makes you feel. For the people who have their lives changed by Mushi, indirectly, or directly - they are the main characters of each episode, not Ginko. Their actions, their reactions, their tones, their expressions, their tears, their eyes. All touch you, and convey to your heart what they must have had in theirs.

Because of that (and together with the music, and the VA -- especially the VA, of which I must say that I've heard the best in Mushishi -- and the background art) it brings me to a level of immersion as never before. In no other Anime (not even Kino no Tabi) have I been taken along and been able to totally drown myself in an episode, such that even the room around me, the sounds from outside, the sofa I sit on, my ever-present mental to-do list, all disappears. This is the closiest that Watching an Anime has come to Reading a Book for me.

In no other Anime too, am I happier to let my feelings go and be taken whereever the episode chooses to lead it, whether tragic or happy. Honestly, in no other Anime do look forward to an episode as much as in Mushishi.

About what you've all written about thinking, yes, thats very true. It doesn't take much effort to really roll the episode over in your mind, its so simple that you can actually savour the nuances and intricacies of that particular episode, and all within the ED sequence. I swear, the music helps you think, and feel. Like I've said before, it doesnt end with the credits. The music carries so much feeling that you are again carried along as you ponder over the episode.

I suppose you could say it's like nature itself - it's just the way it is, an everyday thing, and, in general, apparently obvious.

Very true. I dont remember having ever had to justify a particular event. Its just the way it is.

[wao]

Nah, no obituaries yet until they finish the manga.

But what you said reminded me - I really am genuinely awestruck by the backgroudns in this episode. At first I was trying not to be impressed by them but the level of detail is ZOMG WTF. It's almost as good as movie-quality (though maybe not Studio Biho-level yet... especially their movie work)

Still - it's really, really very high calibre for a TV show. Amazing... And fitting, of course. I love those scenes where there's a lot of scenery and somebody is walking through it (such as during that episode with the haru-magai - that created fake spring in the middle of winter, and Ginko was walking through the snow... The image is still in my head.)

And like I mentioned earlier the whole "theme colour" design. It's the first time I've seen entirely separate colour designers for every single episode. They're put up there with the episode directors and storyboarders. I suppose they discuss the nature and objects of the episode and what kind of colour would be most suitable. The colours probably get reflected in the storyboards and image layouts for the episode too - which is why it looks so much more unified and coloriwise (is that a word? ), pleasing to the eye (to me, anyway).

If only other manga adaptations would follow their example of putting their money in the right places! Ah... maybe it depends on the producer, though.