Audience reviews
16 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Mur-CuoreDiVirgo
I found this sequel to the original Mushishi series to be a beautiful film with a deeply poetic essence. It features a melancholic, low paced, dark, yet harmonious visual art that evokes a spiritual atmosphere which, along with the narration itself, is capable to create a perfect blend of the real world and the realm of folklore.
I truly appreciated how the fantasy elements harmonize perfectly with the narrative and scenic context, without seeking any kind of forced eccentricity in a frantic, at-all-costs search for a supposed originality. Fantasy in Mushishi is, first and foremost, the expression of the author's poetic vision in the most genuine, simple, yet deeply expressive way possible.
It is a sincere work that establishes an emotional bridge between reality and spiritual poetry, s…
Read at the sourceAntonyAV
Masterpiece, what are you doing still reading this? Go watch, you can't go wrong with this beautiful anime, from the visuals to the calm music, I always find peace watching every episode. I've rewatched a couple of times and I'm sure I will do so many more times in my life, truly one of my favorite series.
The Shadow that Devours the Sun is one of Mushi-shi’s more unsettling stories, showing how quickly everyday life can collapse when nature turns against us. It is a fitting last tale to let go of this beautiful experience.
The story shows how limited human effort is when nature shifts beyond our reach. Its steady rhythm mirrors the growing unease, giving each moment time to settle. What lingers is less the threat itself than the reminder of how easily the balance we rely on can break.
Read at the sourceShruti_Srayan
Season 1 of Mushishi was beyond fantastic and going by the release order
You will watch this next like I just did
This special just like season 1 delivers greatly in storytelling, music, animation and atmosphere
but The Shadow that Devours the Sun improves on the first season in terms of scale
and when compared to the first season this special improves not only on the animation but most importantly character design which was kind of lackluster in season 1
I can't talk about much else because it really is best to see for yourself
Mushishi:The Shadow that Devours the Sun is in my book a masterpiece
Read at the sourcewhiteflame55
I'd break this one up, but honestly, my reviews of each season/OVA are pretty consistent.
It's the story of a mushi master named Ginko who goes around investigating and solving mushi-related incidents. Mushi are a class of life that is entirely distinct from others, only visible to a select few and yet capable of interacting with the world in various ways. I'd say "often to the detriment of humans," but that's really just what we see: the places and ways things go out of whack, often due to changes in how humans interact with their environment. But it's not an environmentalist message, either. Humans, like the mushi themselves, are just trying to survive and thrive. They often simply don't know about the mushi they're dealing with, or even if they do, they don't understand it well enough…
Read at the sourceGleefulViolin
A special masterpiece. A special episode of a masterpiece.
Almost a decade after the last episode of Mushishi season 1 back in 2006, this special episode relieved the thirst of Mushishi's fans. Luckily for me, I didn't have to wait long for this special episode, because I just finished binge watching Mushishi season 1 yesterday.
What makes this special episode special is the appearance of supporting characters from the season 1. Besides Ginko, Adashino, and Tenyuu, all supporting characters from almost each episode made brief appearance during the solar eclipse.
Yes, this story is taking place during solar eclipse. I assume this special episode happened few years after season 1. Although I'm not sure, but it seems like a brief moment had passed from the hint of the supporting characters…
Read at the sourceResting_Bonfire
Mushishi: Hihamukage
Contrary to my expectations, this season of Mushishi surprised me considerably.
Despite everything, the Ova possessed one of the more interesting approaches in this story. With equally one of the more interesting Mushi.
Honestly, this episode didn't feel like 40 minutes, it flew by relatively quickly. Whereas some normal episodes feel like half a day.
The plot about the eclipse and the two sisters had a certain charm, especially with the allegorical representation of the event. This was also narratively one of the smarter episodes, in terms of morality and depth as well. Predominantly, however, nothing happened in this Ova, it was only character-driven and the Mushi was already almost trivial. Even if the plot had to do with his influence, this was mostly charact…
Read at the sourceBabyGirl06301
Alright, here we go. This'll be a short one, but let's talk about this special episode of Mushishi.
Visually, this special has the same charm as the main series: simple yet enchanting. The music, while not something I paid much attention to this go-round, only enhanced the feeling of grandeur that's always been in Mushishi.
This particular installment brought with it some fascinating Mushishi and equally fascinating characters. The story here was crafted beautifully as the story stood on its own while also bringing all the past Mushishi stories together. As always, this individually story was written with such uniqueness and vitality that it allowed for it to stand out amongst the rest of the Mushishi franchise. I will say that this story didn't appeal to me personally as much as some o…
Read at the sourceThorNN-heim7
Mushishi Special: Hihamukage is the continuation of the the original series of Mushishi, serving as an interlude between the original and later seasons.
It follows Ginko as he tries to solve a disastrous event where a mushi blocks the sun. It came out several years after the original, surprising many.
The art style remains true to the original and the soundtrack is as astoundingly beautiful as ever.
As the original show followed a very episodic structure you can watch this without much trouble, even if you didn't watch the original series, but some of the characters lose some background and introduction.
I would say that anyone who liked the show will most likely like this as well.
Enjoy!
Read at the source711nono
Now I loved mushishi.I thought it was clever,emotional,beautiful and philosophical all at the same time. This series came out in 2005 and now that in 2014 a special and a second season were announced I was very excited. It took me a while to get to but I am finally starting my crusade to watch all of the fairly new mushishi content we have been presented with.But enough of my rambling now onto the review.Mushishi Special: Hihamukage is a 45 minute special and is the kickstart to the slew of mushishi content to grace us in 2014. So what makes this special so amazing? Well it starts with what made mushishi amazing and is condensed into a 45 minute special. The story is great with Ginko up to his same antics, the side characters are still well developed despite there short appearance, the plo…
Read at the sourceangelsreview
Let me first remind you what I thought of the TV series. I adored it. The subtle storyline, the calming feeling, the idea of small creatures that are mostly misunderstood taking roles in peoples lives. I love everything about it. It doesn’t go as surprising then that I really love this special then, right? It just felt like a long episode from the TV series. The storyline and soft music was a perfect match to it.
The story followed what happened when an eclipse happened in this strange world of Mushi. Of course the Mushi are misunderstood so when one ends up cutting off the sun for three or four days, it makes life hell for everyone in the town that can’t get crops to grow. Well, I could say everyone but there was one person that was happy just to go outside finally. She had a condition s…
Read at the sourceVeronin
Nearly a decade later, the anime industry has seen a sequel to the beloved Mushishi adaptation. It's rare enough for any anime to receive a sequel, but after eight long years? Did anyone expect there to ever be more Ginko on-screen? I certainly did not. But it seems Ginko's absence has not made him any more weary than before.
Mushishi: Hihamukage, the first instalment in a larger second season, details Ginko's experience in a village approaching disaster. The sun in the surrounding area has been been blocked by a Mushi, creating eternal darkness and a scarcity of food. With the winter around the corner, total annihilation seems inevitable.
Making matters worse, one of the village's children has run away from home. As her disease makes any source of sunlight hazardous to her skin, she i…
Read at the sourceStark700
Watching Mushishi is not just a mystifying experience but one that you will remember by for its atmosphere of exquisite presentation. Through understanding, Mushishi presents problems but also solutions in which main protagonist Ginko solves throughout his journey. As a journeyman, Ginko takes on the road once again in this special OVA that chronicles his expedition.
Mushishi Special: Hihamukage is a special OVA that adapts a two-chapter manga released in the Afternoon magazine. The OVA itself runs for about 45 minutes and once again takes on that mystifying theme with an elegant atmosphere. If memory serves correctly, the last time Mushishi aired on TV was over 7 years ago. There was no mention of a possible sequel or continuation of the series in any way or form. However, now fans have…
Read at the sourceSatire
There's a perpetual sense of wisdom that can be attributed to the series called Mushishi. Each story is unique and offers a diverse spectrum of intricate stories. These stories often portray something similar to life lessons and are beautiful representations of teaching tolerance through a creative medium of animation. Despite this feeling of attaining an essence of enlightenment and understanding, it's also quite difficult to express what the actual lessons are that you've learned. That's the beauty of Mushishi.
The story of Mushishi Special: Hihamukage holds an almost identical feeling to that of the first season of the series. It's calm, likeably strange, intelligent, and intriguing. It holds a lot of ambiguity and showcases what a mysterious, yet creative species Mushi are. The episod…
Read at the sourceQuietDiscourse
2006 marks the last airing of Mushishi, a small journey within a rural Shinto-inspired Japan. It is, in essence, about harmony—emanating the struggle for humans to find balance in their lives and to attain kiyome ("purity") among the cycles of nature. Prospects of a sequel have been teased for a while now, and as time passed, hopeful fans were beginning to lose faith. Now, 8 years later, studio Artland and director Hiroshi Nagahama relaunch the series with a one hour-long Mushishi episode, entitled "Hihamukage" ("Sun-Eating Shade").
Hihamukage is in tone with the original season, with a spiritual phenomenon kindling discord, followed by a diagnosis by the mushishi Ginko, and then character-driven drama bringing about resolution. In this case, the mushi "hihamukage" is cosmic in scale, blo…
Read at the sourcesasameiv
The new special was a shock to us all. Mushishi is, well let’s be blunt, an older series – and being “old” (returning after almost nine years have passed) it has all the charms of seeing an old friend after a long time. Or falling into your bed after being away from home a long time. The world is nebulous, the time frame uncertain, but it is unquestionable blend of Japanese folktales, pre-industrialization Japan and modern world technology. Like the word itself, viewers can suspend belief when it comes to the supernatural mushi. And that belief has a kind of subtle magic. For fans, the re-visitation of the series was good one, a nice segaway for the new season coming out in 2014. Additionally, there are some "Easter eggs" to please return watchers.
The plot, like the episodes before it,…
Read at the sourceXiaraith
Do not take anything for granted, not even life itself. This simple yet profound message is splendidly conveyed by another episode of the calming drug called "Mushishi". What an adventure this series has been; watching Ginko investigating various mushi species in a clever but always comprehensible way, not only curing every human in need of help whatever their origin, but also depicting the essence of life.
An anime not for everyone, to say the least, but certainly for anyone who wants to shed light on human mysteries. Ginko as our protagonist, being the most sincere and suave guy you could probably imagine, doesn't miss a chance to research the nature of the mushi. In this special "Hihamukage", he comes into a village which suffers from an unnatural darkness caused by an eternal eclipse.…
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