[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Mokke 2 and 3
I feel like I’m fighting for the underdog here. Even halfway through the season, Mokke has received comparatively little attention from the blogosphere while I’m finding it disappointing that so few of us have noticed its subtle charms. Maybe it’s because its charms are so subtle, it’s slipped quietly under the radar without any fuss. I feel a bit responsible in calling it Mushishi-lite, although that was intended as a compliment on Mokke’s part; there are similarities thematically between the two (aside from the Afternoon serialisations of the original manga series) and both give me a similar vibe. While Mushishi was dark, powerfully profound and deeply atmospheric, Mokke however is a much lighter and more harmless take on the idea of certain people attracting and/or being able to see spiritual beings and portraying how they affect the lives of humans.
As with its more ‘grown-up’ equivalent, Mokke takes the appearance of spirits and uses their form and behaviour as metaphors for situations and feelings on our own plane of existence. In one episode young Mizuki, the one who attracts spirits, meets a mischievous little specimen that sits on her shoulder and helps her with her studies; elder sister Shizuru, the one who is able to perceive them visually, identifies it as a squirrel-like creature called an Izuna. The Izuna has a reputation for causing trouble for the master or mistress it stays with by giving them information - the reputation of folklore turns out to be unfair because it is the human who misuses the knowledge that the Izuna gives them. As Mizuki discovers, the little critter is there to help her but it is the human who has to use the Izuna’s help responsibly: in her case, she decides to help her friends in their schoolwork with the invisible Izuna’s assistance but refuses to use him to cheat in an exam.
The other episode focuses more on Shizuru when she fears that a spirit that’s following her best friend’s brother is malevolent and seeks advice from her wise old granddad in how best to help him; she is torn between her gut feeling that something is wrong and the possibility that the spirit poses no threat if left alone. It also touches on the occasional feelings of helplessness at being able to see creatures that others cannot but I’m sure that the series will explore this more fully later. A recurring theme of Mokke is that of the delicate balance between the spirit and human existences and, indeed, right and wrong, so Shizuru works hard to build up the knowledge and experience to make better use of her ability.
Such questions are common in television aimed at children in that they carry an eductional or moral message; fortunately these points aren’t laboured so it comes across as a fantasy drama that borrows much from Japanese folklore and legend rather than some simplistic morality play that’s rife in Western kids’ TV these days. The bond that exists between the two sisters is really heartwarming too: some of the spirits they meet are really quite dangerous but there’s a sense of security in that the peril is kept at bay by the wisdom of their grandfather and the concern they show for each other. In that sense, it is a childlike production but the deft direction and underlying seriousness beneath the whimsy prevents it being childish. There is a difference between the two definitions, which Mokke demonstrates pretty succinctly.
For all this though, I’m still not expecting many others to get hooked onto this show. For all its spriritual themes and interesting interplay between human beings and supernatural ones, it ain’t the next Mushishi. The animation isn’t anything spectacular either; not that a spectacle is required to tell the tales on offer here. I don’t have a problem with that but it’s not a series that demands your attention, which is where the problem lies. With the sheer volume of new episodes available right now, there are other shows that make a bigger impression than this, even when it’s as gentle on the mind and eyes as this. Yeah, I’m still fighting the Mokke corner.
Posted on November 27th, 2007 @ 10:39 am
I’ll be getting right back into this after Shinsen picks up with the subbing. Apparently SubsAnon has a terrible encoder or doesn’t know that much about Xvid, for Shinsen made an entirely different version of Mokke. Check it out for yourself.
Posted on November 28th, 2007 @ 5:16 am
I agree, this series has definitely been largely overlooked. The problem is that it’s not really one of those shows that grabs your attention and compels you to watch it religiously every week to see the latest new plot development.
As with many iyashikei type stories, it’s a dish that’s best served in small helpings, on a sort of “whenever I feel like it” schedule. I fully plan to watch the rest of Mokke at some point, but for now I’m saving it for a rainy day.
Posted on November 28th, 2007 @ 9:04 am
@Owen S: Point taken with Shinsen Subs. They’re not exactly speed-subbers but the quality makes it worth the wait on occasion. I seem to have fewer playback problems now anyway. CCCP is the way forward, comrades!
@Orion: Absolutely. It’s not the sort of show that I’d want to marathon in one go but it’s the sort of thing to unwind to after a long day. It needs more bloggage for sure.