With the final episode being out on fansub any day now I was a little surprised to see that at least one subbing group has ceased work on it. Unfortunately this means I won’t be reviewing that last episode so my following of this series on fansub ends here.
HOWEVER
It’s turned out to be something of a Studio Artland double bill today but in all honesty I was so eager to see the penultimate instalment of Mushishi that I couldn’t help but download it ASAP. It’s yet another visually stunning and bittersweet tale of sacrifice and loss that leaves the viewer deep in thought for a long time afterwards.
In this episode Ginko meets a travelling musician who knows a thing or two about mushi and those who study them. As she recounts the story of her childhood Ginko hears a story of how a certain mushi has affected her life and those of the people she was closest to.
The next eagerly-awaited OAV episode of Mushishi, entitled Bound for Bonfire Field, isn’t quite up to the standards of other recent outings but highlights some unfortunate aspects of the human condition. The visuals, possibly because they are free from the constraints of a TV budget, are of a very high standard and the bleak, dystopian view of an entire field set ablaze is a sight that will linger long in the memory.
The idea that individuals can suffer immeasurably through a combination of human ignorance and the harsh laws of nature is one that is recurrent in Mushishi. For this reason The Sound of Rust is quite formulaic by this series’ standards but is no less moving and dramatically powerful.
A girl named Shige is an outcast in her village because she is blamed for a terrible affliction that has struck the inhabitants: they lose the ability to move normally and their skin is covered in a rusty substance that only Shige can see. Fate has dealt Shige a bad deal as her parents live in fear of being driven away and Shige herself cannot bring herself to speak to anyone.
After being dragged through the emotional wringer by the heart-rending tale in the previous episode this instalment, The Offshore Shrine, is a more uplifting affair. Unusually it portrays the effects of a mushi as having a positive effect on human lives; at least that’s how it appears initially.
Imagine you can bring back a dying loved one, just by taking them to a sacred spot a short boat journey out to sea, and later they can be literally reborn. That is the situation at a certain island village, the home of the mythical Uminaoshi. Isana is the reborn Mana, given a new lease of life through her daughter Mio. It is a common occurence in this village: many inhabitants have found happiness by this method.
After the fairly uplifting and inspirational episode #20 it’s quite a shock to see Mushishi take a sharp darker turn as it resumes its broadcast run. The Cotton Spore is possibly the most depressing episode to date - chilling and heartbreaking in equal measure.
Imagine the pain and anguish when you find out that your child is a mushi, and what’s worse, he is doomed to die. This is the cold truth that Ginko must explain to a distraught couple whose eldest son has taken ill with a mysterious disease. The recurring theme of mushi and human life interfering is something that fellow fans of this show will be familiar with, but rarely is it so heart-rending and tragic as it is here.
And so the initial run of Mushishi finally draws to a close. This episode is an understated and insightful (temporary) conclusion to a series that has, without exception, been one of my all-time favourites.
A Sea of Brushes concerns itself with a young woman who, because of a mushi-related curse that has left her with a birthmark and a physical disability, chronicles the stories from visiting mushishi and stores her writings in a vast library; needless to say that the library and its dedicated author are of immense interest to Ginko.
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.
Packing slightly less of an emotional punch than recent offerings but compensating in a more inventive narrative, Clothes to Embrace the Mountain is a touching tale of a tortured artist who loses what matters to him but tries to overcome adversity to seek redemption. He leaves his village and family behind to learn the trade of a professional painter at a distant town; he eventually learns that everything he once held dear has been irretrievably lost and he must work hard to bring some good out of the misfortunate that he finds upon his return.
My Mushishi catch-up continues as Ginko visits an old acquaintance who has lost her sister through the complex interactions that sometimes exist between the human and mushi worlds. I’ve learned that watching this show after drinking is probably not the best idea when trying to understand the finer points of what’s going on but this is still an uplifting tale of loss and hope.
Aya and her sister Ito were selected to help an old man near their home in working with mushi to help with the communications that the mushishi use. Through an unfortunate accident Ito is snatched away and Aya is left awaiting her return.
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