[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Mushishi episode 16: The Daybreak Snake
In order to have any hope of catching up on Mushishi with the way things are going generally I’m going to go for one episode every two days…episode 16, The Daybreak Snake, is another sad and solemn affair that highlights how people deal with problems in their lives in an understated and eloquent way.
Ginko is approached by a boy named Kaji who is concerned about the erratic behaviour of his mother Sayo: she’s always been rather clumsy and forgetful but lately, accompanied by chronic insomnia, her memory has worsened and she can no longer even remember what meals she has eaten or the names of relatives.
It’s clear that she is too young to be suffering from any natural cause of senility but eventually Ginko identifies the mushi responsible. As is always the case with Mushishi this is no open-and-shut case and Sayo and her exasperated son have to come to terms with some harsh realities. It’s one of those episodes where Ginko catches up with them later to see how they got on; when this happens it’s always interesting but often bitterweet as well.
It’s something I’ve pointed out before but it’s such a central theme to Mushishi that I feel that I have to repeat it. Even though this series has strong supernatural elements and a idyllic historical setting we can draw parallels between the show’s issues and those of our own time. The sight of Sayo, at times frustrated with her failing memory and at others blissfully unaware and going about her daily life, is a familiar-looking sight that anyone can relate to. The Daybreak Snake demonstrates how we have to accept such situations and make the best of things; sometimes though, some things are better off forgotten.
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