[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Mushishi episode 12: One Eyed Fish
It’s late, it’s dark outside, the rain is lashing at the attic window and I’m tired…somehow watching an episode of Mushishi at times like this just feels right. Episode #12, One Eyed Fish is a break from the norm in terms of theme and structure; it’s also the most interesting one yet.
A boy is found lying unconscious in the forest. His his mother, a travelling peddler, has been killed in a landslide and the boy, named Yoki, is injured. The passerby takes him to her house in the woods and nurses him back to health (above); she is a mushishi by the name of Nui (below). As he recovers Yoki helps Nui with household tasks while she teaches him about the mushi that live in the forest and pond near her home. Yoki has always been able to see mushis but in the past his mother, unknowing and afraid of his ability, dismisses them as ‘illusions’. Now his new friend is telling him about the mushi and how they can affect humans; one particular type manifests itself as a form of darkness, and eats the mushis in the pond which then give out light. It is this light that has given Nui’s hair and eye their distinctive colour, and also explains why the fish in the pond only have one eye…
It would be so easy to let slip massive spoilers here but I’m guessing that you’ve probably figured it out for yourself already. Whether you have or not, this episode is unmissable for any fan of the series: Nui’s knowledge adds more information to the Mushishi universe and as always the central themes are a compelling mixture of folklore, nature and fantasy. It’s quite a sad story in a way, especially considering Nui’s real reasons behind her solitary life next to the pond and the potentially damaging mushi that lives within. I was scratching my head all the way through, coming up with numerous theories and assumptions surrounding Nui and Yoki but gradually the fog began to clear.
Then, as the episode draws to a close, there is the satisfying and mesmerising sensation of everything falling into place. In the space of twenty-five minutes I had not only seen an imaginatively-written Mushishi episode but an explanation that resolves my only criticism of the series so far. If you’re a fan of this series you have to watch this episode - whatever nagging questions you may have about story and its characters chances are you will find them here.
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