[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Mushishi episode 6: The suffering of the Living God
This time around Ginko is called to a remote island by a young boy who has alerted him to the strange behaviour of the island’s inhabitants. The place is remote to say the least: surrounded by a turbulent sea and not the most hospitable of places, it can only be accessed at times of spring tides and life is hard for those who live there (below). Traditionally one member of the island community’s ruling family has the status of ‘living god’, a person who lives in a trance and ages every day to be reborn the next morning. This person is a messiah of sorts, attracting reverence and attention and allegedly able to cure dieases. The current ‘living god’ is a girl who is a friend of the boy, who believes that her powers are a result of a mushi-related illness.
In a situation reminiscent of the isolated communities of the real-life Easter Island and that of the film The Wicker Man the community has an attachment and dependence on something that they do not understand and have ultimately abused to suit their own ends. It goes without saying that the Living God’s powers stem from mushi possession but as always the intrigue comes from Ginko’s investigations into its cause and cure. There are some home truths about human reactions to the unknown, our relationship with the natural world and the cost of those affected with the conditions that result; for all the symptoms she shows and the fact that she is being exploited, how much is the Living God (below) suffering because of her status?
Every episode of Mushishi is similar in structure and atmosphere but very different in storyline; ep 4 finished tragically while ep 5 had a much happier ending. What makes this series so refreshing is that every instalment ends differently - this outing’s conclusion is far from predictable and by no means cut-and-dried. Because of the lack of background to Ginko’s character (my only remaining criticism of the series at this point) it is hard to gauge his motivations but what is clear is that he wants to help people and understand more about the mushi and their relationship with humans.
In The Crowd that Inhales Dew we see once again that this relationship is far from simple: regardless of whether the outcome is good, bad or bittersweet Ginko learns more about his strange world and so do we.
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