Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
OmriScooter
(Note: English is not my main language, excuse me if i have grammar mistakes.)
This show is successful at making you think that it's good, but when you look into it, you see how badly written it is. I really wanted to like mushi-shi, but it looks like the writers went out of their way to ruin this show.
Things i liked about mushi-shi:
Art: Probably the best looking show i have ever seen, art, animation and direction is top tier. The art compliments the atmosphere and the atmosphere compliments the art.
Sound: Soundtrack is fitting and adding to the atmosphere, some songs are a little overused and voice acting is well done.
And that's about it.
So where do i start from? I guess the characters, or more specifically, Ginko.
Characters: The worst part about this show. Ginko is not a goo…
Read at the sourceOptigisa
Worshipping triviality and being unimaginative to a certain degree, are things that a solid narrative should always strive to avoid in order to culminate fans everywhere. When a fantasy narrative fails in painting an addictive universe for the viewer to grab onto, then it has certainly failed it’s job when it comes to being a well thought out story. However, even though the case is true with most Anime and other works, some prosaic Anime manage to escape the route of obscurity by chance, and end up receiving a ton of praise and gratitude from fans everywhere, simply because of certain factors that went into play. Mushishi is the best example of this, as it is the epitome of both triviality and a lack of thought and imagination when it comes to it’s episodic nature, and it is a prime exampl…
Read at the sourceKrunchyman
“Mushishi is a beautiful tragedy…”
“Tragic, in the sense that it was tedious to watch; beautiful, because it’s finally over” — Krunchyman
Conceiving an interesting, well though-out anime is not as problematic as one might assume, because, as Hayao Miyazaki has demonstrated, quality is not subservient to complexity; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Simplicity, done correctly, is exceptionally sublime. There is nothing more pleasing than watching a “basic” show that executes its own themes splendidly, with a cast of characters that exude authenticity. A simple anime has the potential of conveying a wealth of information that can impact the viewer in a myriad of ways, including: cognitively, psychologically, and viscerally. It can hit all the pertinent emotional chords, permitting a cathar…
Read at the sourceTheBrainintheJar
Some people will tell you Mushishi is great because it doesn’t contain action and fanservice. These must be the same people who praise a film for not including Adam Sandler. They also make Mushishi look more pretentious than it is. It’s far from it. The problem is, even though Mushishi has a worthwhile aim and the right methods, it doesn’t know how to use them.
In order for something to be pretentious, it needs to put up a cover while not including the methods. An anime that has a realistic art style with dramatic characters is pretentious. It looks realistic, but the methods that are used are opposed to it.
Mushishi makes it clear what it wants to be in the first episode. It’s a series that’s concerned mainly with men’s relationship to nature. The mushi are just the physical embodiment…
Read at the sourceFranzor
Mushishi is a unique show in many ways. It’s rather weird and bizarre but is also very intriguing and definitely grabs your interest. This show was much different from what I expected it to be (in a good way) and for many episodes I had my eyes glued to the screen, watching intensely. Mushishi has a calm, mellow, and soothing, but also very deep and powerful feel to it.
---STORY---
I think the story is one of the strongest points in this anime. What makes Mushishi different from most anime is that it does not focus on a single overarching story and instead each episode has its own short story with a new plot and characters (aside from Ginko who is in every episode) And this actually works quite well as each story is beautifully well told with many powerful moments that sometimes leave you…
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Overview:
Mushi-Shi is a a very unique series about microscopic mystical creatures called the "Mushi" and a man named Ginko that goes around studying them and helping people with Mushi related problems. Mushi-Shi tries very hard to be an artistic and sophisticated series and many hail it as a masterpiece. Whether or not it meets that criteria in your book of course depends on your answer to that eternal question of aesthetics, "What is Art?".
Plot: 7/10
The Mushi are said to be much simpler than bacteria or even viruses, but have intelligence and are sometimes able to take human form. In the first episode, a woman is asked to become a mushi herself at the behest of several mushi. The mushi often grant people magical powers, but more often than not act as a serious detriment and are tech…
Read at the sourceTheNeko
Mushishi is the most simplistic yet beautiful series that I had the pleasure to experience until now and is one of the examples that shows the incredible variety that anime has.
Well then, ladies and gentlemen I welcome you to my Mushishi review. I hope you enjoy it.
Now, the story of Mushishi follows our protagonist, Ginko, as he travels around the world working as a Mushi-shi. So, instead of having an over-arching story, this show chooses to have a more episodic nature. This way of telling the story has its own pluses and minuses. For one hand, as every episode has a different story the show never drags on, you can watch the show in any given order and you don´t need to pay attention to every little detail fearing that it might be really important to the overall plot, but in the other…
Read at the sourceGonzyChan
Many people struggle to wrap their heads around specific folklore that is entirely different from the cultural roots of their own country. It can be an arduous task for the ill-prepared minds that want to explore all facets of any country’s folklore that captures how its culture evolved from its roots to the present. There hasn’t been much anime that handled folklore with the level of atmosphere and creativity that the show Mushishi has to offer, and for this, we have to be thankful for its existence. A beautiful one, to be more specific.
How Mushishi develops itself from the ground up, in terms of its overall narrative, is by separating plot arcs into every episode with their own story that all feel unique and thought-provoking. The people, who Ginko comes across in these different episo…
Read at the sourcePixelPenguin
Coexistence is a difficult concept for humanity to grasp. All too often humans choose the path of domination rather than understanding and harmony, often to their own detriment. We fear the unknown. We reject the unusual. We hide our eyes from life's harder truths. Mushishi delves into these concepts as we follow the protagonist, Ginko, on his unending journey through a strange and beautiful world. In this world, their exist living creature that are neither flora nor fauna. These creature are made of pure life energy and are called mushi. In this world, mushi exist everywhere, but only a select few can see them. Ginko possesses that ability, and works as a mushi master. Mushi masters travel the world studying these creatures and helping any humans that are negatively impacted by them. Mush…
Read at the sourcemahoganycow
In spirit, at least, each episode of Mushishi strongly reminds me of one thing: A cave painting. A depiction of man and the outside world, brief and primal but perfectly expressive, radiating mysticism, possessed of more meaning than it first appears to have.
From minute one, Mushishi's representation of a vast world grabs the eye and doesn't let go. Lush forests with dew dripping from every leaf; barren winter mountains peppered with stubborn snow-covered trees; an innocuous pond with lilies on the surface of the still water. The series roams from setting to setting, and all are presented with a lifelike attention to detail. The color palette is richly varied, reaching from the brilliant emerald of vegetation to the deep turquoise of the sea to the dusky red of a far-off sunset. Lighting…
Read at the sourceKingIK
This anime was a very unique experience. The show introduces a very interesting concept called the mushi. It'd be very difficult to describe what the mushi are precisely. In a nutshell , they're essentially spiritual beings, but at the same time they inhabit the physical world ( Yeah I know what your thinking, you just completely contradicted yourself. I know, I know just go with it) and they use humans as a host ( very similar to a parasite). One aspect in particular that struck me about the show was how it was devoid of any western influences whatsoever. Many anime fans don't realize how anime is indeed heavily influenced by Western culture. But Mushi-shi primarily borrows stories from many east Asian folklore and myths. Although Mushi-shi does offer an original and innovative premise/co…
Read at the sourceSpfer
It’s very nice that Mushishi had showed a great way of enjoying such scenery, environment, and culture of each passing scene as you might find yourself exploring its wonders and deeper meaning of it, which the series proves when you’re into this world. Starting with its bunch of supernatural and mystery that engulfs the whole series, it never crossed to my mind that it is dull, boring, typical, and all used up theme just like the others, thus, it has shown such different mixture of drama, tension, and unusual phenomenon that will surely be a factor why this show is worthy to be watched
Now that you’re getting into the world of this show, expect some unusual sights that are being focused and centered all throughout the series. This is where there are such unexpected scenes to be seen and f…
Read at the sourceTheLlama
Mushishi is, to tell the truth, nothing very special. It doesn't try to stand out, nor does it feed us with anime standards, like moe, or fanservice. it doesn't have flashy action - hardly any at all in fact - nor has it excessive amounts of blood. In fact this in itself is what makes it stand up. Its tranquility and taking things at a calm pace is what makes Mushishi so great, yet in a way it is also what makes it a bit offputting to some.
Setting-wise, Mushishi is set in a world where being not human nor animal live. They are basic, pure; in touch with the very essence of life. They are called Mushi, as they are called, are often capable of performing supernatural phenomena, and naturally enough there are humans devoted to the study of Mushi. They are called Mushishi, and Mushishi follo…
Read at the sourceMargixx
“One direction, no destination”
The Story…
It tells about different tales that involves paranormal phenomena, phenomenon that has something to do with a so-called ‘mushi’. The story is about the expedition of a Mushishi named Ginko, whose expertise is on paranormal phenomena. On his journey he encounters various phenomena that have something to do about his expertise, making it as a part of his living, or a threat with uncertified safety.
The main attraction would be supernatural and mystery of the story. It consists of long, serious and mind-boggling monologues that will never come up to boredom though it will surely hook to your senses. The way it attracts is through curiosity, curiosity that pushes you to find out what is the mystery behind it. It may be repetitive in such a way th…
Read at the sourceviviowns
Story - The anime has a rather simple story that is Ginko a mushi-shi travels to various parts helping people who have problems with creatures called mushi which are somewhat of a combination of plant/nature/animal. Each episode is a different story about Ginko helping people and there is no real ongoing plot. The main problem I had with the story is that they get very repetitive and about half way through the anime I had to take a break because I felt I was just rewatching the same episodes over again. A large portion of the episodes are about a woman and a man and one of them has disease or problem and tries to tie in a love into the problem which gets tiring after a while. This being said I did think the last five to six episodes were good. If you can stand repetitive plot lines then th…
Read at the sourcekiriska
It's pretty rare to see a purely episodic anime that isn't a comedy, and that's just another reason Mushishi was such a treat.
STORY - The series follows the journeys of a traveling Mushishi named Ginko who investigates paranormal phenomenon usually caused by creatures called Mushi. Each episode describes one of his encounters with self-sustaining villagers in and around vast mountain ranges. Something is wrong, and Ginko does what he can. It's very straightforward, but even though each episode more or less follows the same format, it isn't a simple case of Ginko saving the day every single time. Sometimes things are beyond his control; sometimes nothing can be done regardless, and sometimes, nothing need be done at all. It can be frustrating sometimes when Ginko has revelations that he w…
Read at the sourceTheCriticsClub
“Don’t let yourself be blinded by fear or anger.
Everything is only as it is.”
Story
Mushishi is essentially a series of stories styled after East Asian legends and folktales. In lieu of gods, spirits, and demons, the paranormal phenomena are attributed to more primitive yet no less enigmatic creatures called “mushi”. Dealing with their kind is the expertise of “mushishi”; professionals whose role may be thought of as an amalgam of healer, exorcist, biologist, X-Files investigator, and Jedi master (well, sort of). Ginko happens to be one of these mushishi and he wanders from town to town, looking for interesting cases and lending a helping hand to those adversely affected by these mushi.
As formulaic as its premise may sound, no two incidents a…
Read at the sourceVurtox
So what reason could there be to praise a show that's been reviewed four times already, receiving highest marks? The answer is simple enough: it's been a long time since an anime has impressed me as much as Mushishi did. Going beyond the boundaries of the entertainment-based pop culture, this deserves the term 'art' in every aspect.
The provided synopsis could hardly be more accurate, yet does it tell little to nothing about the series. The reason for this is that Mushishi, unlike usual modern entertainment, convinces the viewer through style - aesthetics. There is no flashy, grotesque or absurd story, competing for attention among the cliche-ridden anime market. The plot flows like a calm streamlet, contemplative in its very essence.
Each episode tells us a fascinating, coherent, artful…
Read at the sourceMaster10K
A compelling, mysterious and thought-provoking anime on being's known as Mushi. This unique show proves that an anime doesn't need to have romance, action, comedy or something thrilling to be interesting to watch.
Mushishi is comprised of a bunch of episodic adventures where each episode follows its own mini story of, Ginko's encounters with the natural phenomenon known as Mushi. Each heartfelt episode manages to cleverly bring a great deal of drama involving different types of Mushi, with different problems, and there are episodes that stand out from the rest. It's pretty unique how this anime is set out like 26 different Japanese folktales, which is a welcome change from the usual anime.
Having every episode telling a different story there's always something new to expect however this…
Read at the sourcelowell
I heard about this anime a while ago, but the synopsis didn't seem that appealing to me. So I basically forgot about it until recently and decided to watch a few episodes to see why it was so well regarded...
It's beautiful. It's like meditating.
Story: It's an episodic show that feels like a collection of fables or myths to me... almost as though these stories were from a world before science when people made up spirits or gods to explain life's mysteries. That's not really the premise of the show, but that's how it felt to me.
It's laid-back and meditative. But I was riveted ...maybe because it is such a quiet sort of show, I'm not sure. Absolutely riveted. I didn't want to blink. I wanted to see everything and soak it all in. I think it's astonishing that something that lacking in te…
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