[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Mushishi episode 19: String from the heavens
It never ceases to amaze me how, despite being different every time, Mushishi is consistently brilliant. This episode, String to the Heavens, is another strange but wondrous portrayal of perseverance versus ignorance, with the stranger forces of nature in the midst of it all.
Thanks to an encounter with a powerful mushi, a young woman named Fuki disappears from the village where she works as a nanny to the daughter of one of its inhabitants. Ginko manages to return her safely but she is far from well and settling down to a normal life does not come easily to her, or the star-gazing Seijiro who tries to help her.
Lately I’ve found myself looking past the visual and literal side of things and looking at the underlying themes as well; it’s not that I don’t appreciate the animation or inventive storytelling, but I end up analysing the meanings and metaphors behind the episodes - perhaps a little too much at times! Fuki (who reminds me a little of Rakka from Haibane Renmei) is treated as something of an outcast because of her ability to see mushi and it is only Seijiro who tries to rectify the situation; on a more abstract level it is Seijiro’s devotion that is ultimately the only thing that can save her from the effects of the mushi. Once again it is the narrow-mindedness and fear of anyone or anything out of the ordinary shown by those around them who compound the problems that the mushi caused. Of course, the mushi is going about its normal existence until a hapless human crosses paths with it.
For all this, String From the Heavens is an uplifting and inspirational tale of romance that can brighten the worst of days. As Fuki and Seijiro find out, sometimes it’s just nice to see love overcome adversity.
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