Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師続章

2014 spring | Episodes: 10 | Score: 8.7 (122756)

Updated every Saturdays at 00:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Aniplex | Kodansha | Delfi Sound

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Synopsis

Perceived as strange and feared by man, over time the misshapen ones came to be known as Mushi. Although they harbor no ill intentions towards humans, many suffer from the side effects of their existence and strange nature; exploiting the Mushi without understanding them, even unintentionally, can lead to disaster and strife for any involved. Mushishi Zoku Shou continues the story of Mushishi Ginko on his journey to help the visible world to coexist with the Mushi. During his travels, Ginko discovers various gifted individuals—those cursed by circumstance and those maintaining a fragile symbiosis with the Mushi—inevitably confronting the question of whether humanity, talented and tortured alike, can manage the responsibility of the unseen. Moreover, as a Mushishi, Ginko must learn more about these strange beings and decide if he has the right to interfere with the complex relationships between Mushi and mankind. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Nakano, Yuto

News

Reviews

CandleNekra
12/15/2020, 12:55 AM
Usually I don't enjoy anime series with no plot, but this anime is one of a kind. Each episode has its own story; it could be tragic, bittersweet, or happy. You never know what could happen in the end. In the series, you follow this man named Ginko on his adventure as a "mushishi." Despite him being a protagonist, however, he illustrates the quality of a side character. Instead, the patient and their relationship with the monster causing their symptom is usually the main focus. This type of storytelling is quite rare, but the anime was able to pull it off and create a beautifulmasterpiece. The art was also very beautiful. The sound and the visual created such a aesthetic feeling inside me. Sometimes I find myself pausing on certain scenes to enjoy the quality of the work. The studio and the author did a really good job on creating this art! The only problems I had was the characters design. Many, especially the kids, looked very similar. It could be confusing... Nevertheless, I highly recommend this anime for those looking for a peaceful anime to watch. Or to those who just needs a break from all the action or heavy animes.
PixlReality
07/27/2018, 08:47 PM
Another amazing adventure... Mushishi Zoku Shou! An anime about exploration, weird happenings, and more mushi. The story is weird because there really isn't any concrete "story" here. Like the first season, this anime follows an episodic type format, where no two episodes have the same happenings. Again, we follow Ginko in his mysterious travels to uncover more interesting mushi that may be causing some unwanted troubles. This time around it felt a bit more serious, with a slice of darkness added. While the entire anime has a very distinct, serious tone to it. I can't help but notice a very slight tonal change, as many eventsthat take place feel much darker than the first time around. But if there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's the art & music. The music has always had a very mysterious feel to it, and I love it. The OP in particular is amazing this time around. It just honestly really fits. Art direction is also very similar, with some slight changes that make the anime feel a touch more alive than the first. Characters can be very hard to make sometimes, and many times they feel over done and exaggerated beyond belief. But Mushishi does something that has always amazed me: it always delivers on amazing characters and scenarios that Ginko may run into. While the characters may always have a very bland look to them, it really shines when we're told intriguing backstories to go with them. Ginko, like the first time around, is done fantastically. You would think that seeing the same character do the exact same things would eventually get boring, but there's just the right amount of variety and complexity here that really makes it special. Overall it's no surprise to me that this anime was so great. The very second I heard the OP, I knew it was going to be great. Everything from the stories, to the characters and music, there's always something interesting to find here. I highly recommend that you give this one a watch!
DesolatePsyche
10/14/2017, 10:30 AM
✦Story Well, it's a episodic type of Anime. Point of it is main character traveling the world, helping people whilst learning about him over time. That is all you need to know regarding story of Mushishi. And ofcourse the part where the world of this anime consists of "mushi" the somehow spirit of everything in the world. Rain, wood, water, handcraft or anything basically. Where mushi can cause all sorts of efffects on human and nature itself. Mushi is basically nature in a more "spiritual" form. This is basic thing to know to enjoy this anime. Now, aside general plot of this Anime, I shall comment thisseason (or both zoku on this manner), would be that this season felt a bit toned done. Whilst first one was darker, creepier and more mysterious this felt more of a more family-friendly version. It had still it's relaxing touch, mystery and simply enjoyment, but it lost it's darker and deeper feel which is a bit letdown for me. In the end story of Mushishi is a very relaxing and great thing to enjoy. Simply sit down and watch and very nice to watch before sleep. ✦Art&Sound Superb OST and music, very relaxing and emotional. As for art, it felt a bit plainer than its predecessor aside that, it’s superb ✦Character There a are only few characters that you can tell apart and have more importance to the franchise than rest of the cast. Our MC Ginko is a calm and person with deep link with Mushi. He travels around the world for various reasons. Can’t really tell much about him, most things you learn about him are pretty much spoilers. Only other character I can think of that has any sort of presence is certain doctor. Rest of the characters are basically copy-paste looks and voice wise, but presented with a different story. For a episodic Anime this is a quite enjoyable touch/style for such a thing. ✦Enjoyment&Overall Anime that I enjoy wholesomely, only letdown of this season was that it felt a bit toned down. Hence the lower score. If you want mysterious episodic Anime to watch that is generally with relaxing feel to it then be sure to check this out.
amollide8
06/28/2016, 07:21 PM
“The world is filled with life unknown to man.” Before I had the chance to watch this, I have high expectations. I was hoping this season won’t fail to liven up the splendor of the first one. And after watching, I was dumbstruck. It totally exceeded my expectations. What makes it interesting? One major point is that it maintained the relaxing atmosphere as that of the first season. The stories in each episode are more profound. Compared to the first season, this one touched a much deeper connection among the groups of living things; human, animals, plants and mushi’s. Some of the episodes have adarker air on it. The art was more detailed and even the background scenes seem realistic. I was gaping at the scenery since it somehow draws me in. The only thing that bugs me is that Ginko, our main character, have lesser screen time in most of the episodes. It’s such a waste since I really like to see him more. Don’t you agree? I mean he’s interesting. He’s a mystery himself! But maybe this season tried to focus on other people than on Ginko to make it more understandable how Mushi’s affect their lives. So? Is it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. It’s a worth watch. If season one wasn’t enough to satisfy your curiosity, this season will fill that for you.
TheBrainintheJar
02/26/2016, 12:18 PM
Mix a few of these episodes in the original Mushishi, and hardly anyone would notice the difference. That’s not a compliment. The original Mushishi had mainly novelty value. It was a deeply flawed show with a brilliant premise. Next Passage doesn’t do much but gets more steam out of it. The fact it’s still fun speaks volumes of its premise. The appeal of Mushishi was its weirdness. It’s both because it’s so far away from Western thought, and because weirdness is integral to its themes. Nature isn’t a benevolent or a destructive force. It just exists, indifferent to us and we have to learn to harnessit. The mushi and the mushishi are an expression of this idea. It’s also a unique take on fantasy, one we don’t see enough. Instead of grand heroic stories, Mushishi is personal. The plights of the characters are always simple and relatable. They deal with relationships, sickness, raising children and depression. They live in the mountains, but they face the exact issues we in the 21st century face. Some themes are eternal. The series doesn’t know how to handle these stories, though. If they are personal, they need something to bring them to life. The world is full of people raising children and losing their loved ones. The only reason we care about a story like this is because we identify with the person, because we know him. You need ‘relatable’ characters, but it doesn’t mean they need to reflect the viewer’s personality. It means they should be written with specific speech patterns, behaviors, and reactions that establish a personality. Once you establish a personality we can believe this is a real human being and we’ll be invested in their struggle. After all, don’t they say that a million deaths is a statistic, because the numbers strip the people of their personality? Now, the people in Mushishi aren’t numbers but they’re rarely human beings. They exist so things will happen to them and Ginko exists so he will reach them. All of this is so a story will be told. All of this without any grand purpose. It’s odd to have such a unique anime that never tries to lift itself up. There are moments where it improves on the original. Next Passage is noticeably darker. The situations are often less certain. It’s a small addition, which adds a bit of danger and excitement. It also causes the characters to not just be peaceful. The emotional scope is wider, with a few characters bordering on the immoral. It was almost non-existant in the original, but here it makes the world more believable and alive. The improvement is only slight. It also shares with the original a horribly constructed first episode. The exposition was a nice re-introduction, but the first episode is never sure whether it’s concerned with the main character’s story, or introducing elements of the world. The show settles for the usual format in the second and the quality improves. The art is more beautiful this time around. People always over-emphasized the atmospherics, as if the stories didn’t matter. The art this time though is a wonder to behold. The level of detail is high, but it’s almost negligible. Every story has its own atmospheric focus, and the extra darkness helps the atmosphere. There is always a little dread in the scenery, nature looking good but always hiding something. The movements of the characters are also very smooth, helping bring them to life a little. The stories themselves, even without characters are interesting enough. The novelty value hasn’t worn off. There’s still nothing quite like Mushishi and it’s hard to think something will ever come. The Mushi don’t appear visually so much, but their odd presence still takes the center. The mushi always represent some idea, in some episodes much more clearly than others. They way they operate is tied to that idea. Every detail about a mushi is a part of the theme it represents. This makes them both magical and fantastical, but also interesting. This is how magic should be. Next Passage got its acclaim because most of those who watched were already fans. It’s not brilliant and it’s not a step forward, but it shows the idea still has steam in it. Even if it didn’t improve on the flaws, the uniqueness of Mushishi still works. If you enjoyed the original, there’s no reason not to enjoy this one. In some cases it’s better. 3 mushi out of 5
Sam_Sid
02/25/2016, 01:39 AM
Having written a short review on Mushishi with vague statements (it's in the first season of Mushishi), I feel like writing a full fledged analytical (self proclaimed :v ) review on the series as well. I'm not giving a spoiler warning because it's not really possible to spoil Mushishi like that. But, this review will contain plot points from within the series. So it's better if you've already watched it. This will take a really long time. Alright, let's get to the point. What is mushi? To put it simply, they are the most primitive lifeforms. They're unlike any flora or fauna we're familiar with. But,they're not creatures from outside this world, rather they are the basic living beings. These entities are the closest to life itself. To be more precise, they derive directly from the essence of life, known as kouki. I'll give an idea of what 'kouki' is a bit later. But before that, let's take a moment to think about how brilliant the very idea of such existence is. I don't know about others, but this elegant idea produces deep respect for the series in me. That alone wouldn't amount to much if it wasn't deeply thought out. 'Kouki' is the essence of life. It can be said that kouki is life itself. Don't make mistake, life is different from physical organ. Organs and organisms are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, while Kouki consists of rain/water and sunlight. I found this to be a metaphor. Most of us probably know that water as well as light are called life. This anime literally uses them as the source of life. The form of kouki is quite vague. It's mostly shown in a liquid form. This semi-physical substance is what provides life energy to the living beings. And mushi are the beings that originate directly from kouki, thus they're closest to life. As a result, they're also vague in existence and don't have particular physical distinction to categorize them. Thus, there isn't any particular taxonomy for these beings. But, as we can see in the anime, there are researches constantly being done as well as a collection of data on them. The concept of mushi is also explained through comparing them with other organisms. To put simply, the more primate the creatures are, the further they are from life. As mushi's existence is vague, people are divided into those who can see them and those who can't. The people who deals with mushi related incidents are called mushi-shi. There are more elements that the anime deals with, like koumiyaksu, second eyelids, mountain lords, etc. All these are explained in a very wonderful and attractive way. The explanation never created any hindrance to the story. It naturally comes off as a part of the story. Japan is a country with rich and interesting culture, traditions, etc. Japanese folklore is considerably vast. Mushi-shi explores these folk cultures, folk tales, traditions, etc through the concept of mushi and also explains them with it. That's something I would like to call 'theme/source rewrite'. I dunno if there's a specific name for this type of buildup since you can't look them up just that simply. Anyway, Mushishi does this job very well. I found almost every episode to have a theme from Japanese folk tales and traditions, and in each of them, Mushishi rebuilt those elements through the concept of mushi. This anime uses scientific ideas to solve many problems and explain many incidents, which I found to be quite amusing. Fantasy series tend to have very sloppy writing because of its fantasy genre. But, as we can see from the points above, Mushishi is not one of them. It is intelligently thought out. It is well rounded, well fleshed out and quite plausible. Mushishi presents the connection between man and nature. The message it carries is "Cure lies in the curse". Snake's venom is used for making its antidote. Extermination of snakes is uncalled for. This point has been addressed multiple times in Mushishi. The mushi interact with people in different ways. Sometimes they bring happiness. And sometimes they bring sufferings and sorrows. But, it's not their fault. They're just living their lives. This is a very valuable message this anime delivers. This is, of course not the only message provided by the anime. There are life lessons hidden in every episode. When a fiction works with so many themes, there's always a chance for loose ends, improperly tied plot points or untied points (Hunter x Hunter 2011). And even if it does tie them up, they may seem too sloppy, desperate and/or implausible (To Aru Majutsu no Index), in fact, may totally fail. Mushishi is something that doesn't fall into these inconsistencies. The elements are well connected and very well executed. The themes it works on are coherent. Before going for flaws, I'd like to inform/remind you that there are two basic types of flaws. Flaws that matter, and those that don't. Amongst those that do matter, there are major ones and minor ones. Having that cleared, let's shed lights on some points that seem like shortcomings. Firstly, there are, albeit very few, cases when the mushi related incidents are not explained as much as the others. Due to this, those occurrences seem a bit awkwardly unbelievable. Make no mistake. They do explain them, but it just that the explanations are a bit weak compared to others. This is a very minor drawback, which might not even appear to all. Next, we have a common complaint. Not explaining why Ginko is the only one seen in Western dress. Also, how there are modern instruments. The era of this anime is never really explained in the anime. But, iirc, it's set in an imaginary era. Well, as a fiction, we can allow a bit different world. So, yes, we can leave this issue as a part of its world building. Another issue I found is that it never explained why some people attract mushi so much. It's an issue that doesn't matter much, because it could be considered a random occurrence. It doesn't need explanation. An irrelevant side note: If you're thinking "what? This guy just gave a little solution for the problems too. What a fanboy!",then I'd say that I'm not audacious enough to dig deep to find problems but not do it for finding solutions. And yes, the fact that I'm a Mushishi fanboy also contributes. Well, one might complain that the history of mushi's arrival is avoided using 'time immemorial' excuse, but that would be a retarded complaint. Mushi are the closest beings to life, so their appearance could very well be older than us humans. That being said, this anime doesn't completely avoid history. There are old incidents and they're adequately explained. The world it built up is unique. The existence of the mushi has been effective on its world. We have people who makes a living dealing with them. They are mushi-shi. There are people who uses mushi in different ways. There are people who does business with mushi related objects. Some like to collect these things. The group of mushi-shi isn't monolithic. They have different points of view, mindsets and different ways to deal with mushi. That's what makes it more interesting. There is a place where many mushi related matters are recorded. There are stuffs about clans and all. Mushi don't only have these long term influences, they also have short term effects on different spheres of people's lives. Through these small effects, these small points are also addressed. We get a peek into the characters' lives. That is what the stories of this anime are about. The lives of the characters. Mushishi is an episodic show, meaning that a story is told in one episode each time and there isn't any particular connection between the episodes. So, if you're expecting an overarching and highly progressing plot in its story, this is not what you are looking for right now. But, if you wanna take a break from your daily action series, have a different experience, or simply relax, then Mushishi is something to look forward to. And as a person, that is highly likely to happen one time or another. This anime usually takes place in a village, or a town, or a mountain, forest, seacoast, or in the sea and sometimes even on the road. These handful of types of places contain the stories. So, each type of places are used multiple times in the anime. But, they aren't identical to each other. Each place is different from the other, even if a little. Which shows us how it's not written by a lazy person, but rather someone who puts some thoughts on what she works on. Due to its episodic nature, one might presume that all the episodes follow a single pattern. But, that isn't the case. Each episode is unique and different from each other. They don't follow any specific pattern or formula, so it's not repetitive. Thus, they're each a different experience and that makes it really interesting. Through its 46 episodes and 3 specials, it delivers 49 stories that are different from each other and interesting in their own ways. The stories are written wonderfully. There is no info dump to interfere and cause hindrances to the storyline. I've previously said that the stories don't have highly progressing plot, but that doesn't mean that the plot is stagnant. There is progression even if a little in almost all the episodes and that is more than enough for an episodic anime. This anime has a great balance of dialogues and actions. It knows when enough has been told and where to start showing, and vice versa. The transition from dialogues to action or action to dialogues, and sometimes the coexistence of both is masterfully handled. Another aspect that makes it well written is that this anime doesn't come up with retarded, baseless incidents to create climax or tension. Rather it's well thought out and reasonable at coming up with a climatic situation. The solution is also equally intelligent. That's what makes its stories excellently thought out. This anime doesn't resort to convenient storytelling. No sloppy writing. If you put each of its stories in a nutshell, some of them might not stand out as a masterpiece, but most of them will. More like almost all of them. It has some extremely high quality stories that can rival the best of the bests. They are top tier masterpiece stories. This anime is really comprised of compelling stories. But, what makes every episode of it a masterpiece is the excellent presentation and the narration. it gives us a feeling of listening to folktales told by Grandma in a small house in a rural area. It's a precious experience. And Mushishi thrives with this specialty. Mushishi's atmosphere is strong and impacting. It relays its atmosphere perfectly. You could really feel cold in winter and hot when it's hot summer in the anime. The suspense absorbs the viewers deeply. The ending of every episode is excellent. Most of them are bittersweet. Some endings are the bests I've seen in anime. They sometimes show you hopes that in the future, the characters may be happy. Sometimes they imply that they may not. Some says that there is no other choice. Each endings are unique. Nuff said. Mushishi's pacing in every episode is perfect and extremely coherent to the story telling method. Mushishi has some very well written twists and revelations. They're not well written in the way that 'it provides all the clues but you won't predict them before revealing'. No, Mushishi is not like that. You actually don't know anything before they tell you and you don't have any clue to the twist. But, when it's delivered, you will think, "Oh so that's how it's done!" Usually, the definition of a good twist or revelation to me is that it provides all clues but you still won't be able to predict it before it shows the twist/revelation. Mushishi is probably the one of the rarest fiction that excels in this aspect without following the definition. All these make Mushishi one of the best episodic experience, if not the best. As a show where the story begins, progresses and ends in a single episode, almost all the side don't appear in multiple episodes. This leaves a risk of not having properly fleshed out characters. There are risks of not having a cast to care about. But, in all honesty, Mushishi didn't fail at fleshing the characters out. And in each episode, you will root for the characters. At least I did. All the significant characters had proper amount of traits. This is an anime about normal people and Mushishi perfectly pulled that out. As someone who lived in a village, I could relate to them and share their feelings. That's the most important thing in Mushishi. The difference between each character is small but realistic and adequate. The main character of this anime is a mushi-shi named Ginko. It follows his adventure as a mushi-shi. He goes around helping people with different mushi related matters. But, that doesn't mean that he's just a tool for the adventure. His past is well explored. His characteristic is fleshed out. He doesn't like to kill those that are alive. But, it doesn't mean that he won't do it if it's necessary. He would stain his hands to solve problems if the situation requires it. He wouldn't want to do so at first, but he still convince himself to do what's necessary. Here's a conversation from the anime that shows his resolve- Mushi: Why are you going to kill us? Ginko: Because you consume human children. Mushi: But it's not our fault. Ginko: It's not our fault either. But we're stronger. So you will die along with your seed. Then he destroys all mushi. Just kidding. But, yes. He's not your goody justice guy either. He'd do what needs to be done. But, he would definitely not resort to killing if there's any other way. Ginko has other flaws as well. He can make mistakes, he acts on instant impulses. He gets annoyed at others. Furthermore, he's much more human than one would expect. His character development is also well done. Not just Ginko, but all the mushi-shi have different and interesting personalities. Thus, the group of mushi-shi is not monolithic. Despite the short span, the characters in Mushishi is delivered wonderfully. Their wishes, goals, point of view, all these have been well executed. Some of them even develop in this short period and the development is really natural. Let's have a look at the visuals. Mushi are designed excellently, with superfluous details. The animation work on the mushi is carefully done, which makes them come to life. The art style used for designing the characters is artistic, realistic and lovable. The character design for most side characters in Mushi-shi is actually quite similar, but they're never identical. Although little, there are differences in the design of each characters. That much difference is adequate in my opinion because you can't expect all the village people to be totally different from each other. The main character, Ginko is excellently designed as well. The anime is not a piece of art, rather a huge collection of tremendous amount of art pieces. It feels like it uses moving artworks as its background. Each frame is a beautiful piece of art. The effects are masterfully used and colors are wisely chosen. The animation makes these amazing sceneries lively. The slow and subtle animation deepens the tone of the moments and gets us completely absorbed into the scenario. The art of the characters and the environment are a bit different in quality, but they blend in wonderfully. This is accompanied by excellent background music played by Masuda Toshio, which blend in perfectly with the atmosphere, intensify the moods and move us subconsciously with their captivating rhythms. They don't distract the viewers, but rather engage them more into the anime. Both of the opening songs are extremely refreshing and enjoyable. Just listening to them removes your weariness. The ending themes are different for each episode with different sceneries presented with them. They are relaxing and possessive. The voice acting is realistic and amusing. The narration is excellent. The sounds that the mushi make, along with the visuals are ecstatically wonderful. The environmental sounds are equally compelling. The natural sounds alone can form the sceneries. The screenplay and audio are carefully measured and synched. This anime has one of the best production job ever. All these make Mushishi one of the most relaxing and refreshing experience, if not the most. It was intriguing, at times enticing, sometimes funny. Then at times depressing or melancholic. But, even in the presence of all these emotions, one feeling is always there. It is a deep, absorbing, overwhelming feeling, which in one word, is 'awe'. A feeling of respect combined with wonder. It's atmosphere is perfectly relayed. It's aesthetics caused me euphoria. It provided me with many forms of enjoyment mixed up magnificently. Now, let's see what Mushishi tries to do. To be frank, it's quite difficult to ascertain what it aims for. Not because it has no goal, but because it's so naturally presented that it never seemed to be desperate to achieve anything. But, one thing is for sure. It doesn't aim for your cheesy and shallow entertainment with brain dead humor. It doesn't aim for an attractive shonen battle. What it tries to do is to deliver a genuinely well written, well executed mature experience. And it succeeds greatly. It tries to be a soothing experience and turns out to be the most soothing anime. It's tries to deliver its message wrapped up with an excellently fleshed out elements. And we get from it elements that are some of the bests of fantasy. It tries to cover rural people's lives, Japanese folklores, connection between man and nature with its elements. It does the job as good as possible. Despite all the details and depth, Mushishi manages to be a simple show, which is another one of its achievements. It is in no way pretentious. It's an elegant form of art and pure with its context. It's an unique experience. Mushishi couldn't have been better. As far as perfection goes, this is as close as it gets. 9.7/10. I just love this show.
athenasrage
02/21/2016, 07:04 PM
(This review is completely my opinion, but any constructive criticism to better myself as a writer and critic is greatly appreciated) It's time again. My first and only review on this site was on the first season of Mushishi. I wrote that review over a year ago and in that review, I referred to Mushishi as one of my favorite shows of all time. Has that statement changed? Well...no. I re-watched the first season before coming to Zoku Shou, and it captivated me all over again. That's enough about the past though, time to get onto the main reason you're reading this. The second TVinstallment in the magnificent Mushishi series, 8 years after the first season: Mushishi Zoku Shou. Story-10 As most people should know by now, the stories of Mushishi are told in an episodic format with (generally) a single conflict between a mushi and a human. Ginko, our intelligent main protagonist, shows up with a cure to the problem. However, the events that take place provides enough content to pad out the episode length, and does so without feeling forced. Yet, despite this never-changing formula, it is never tiring or boring to watch. This may be because of the amount of originality between stories. Each episode feels fresh, and exciting, and generally piques your curiosity as you try to decipher the events taking place. After every episode ends, there is a sense of satisfaction, it just feels right. Comparability to the first season, the episodes are paced more naturally. The conclusions felt a little rushed in the original. Art-9 Like my complaint with the last season, it still feels eerie to have almost all of the supporting characters to like alike. Ginko, on the other hand, looks great. He has much more detail on his face, particularly around the eye, and his jawline is much more consistent now. I have mixed feelings about the mushi themselves. On one hand, every mushi is unique, and on the other hand, I can't say that I'm a particular fan of many of the designs themselves. They feel a little too abstract for me, but it's nothing that I can't get over with some time. (We don't even see mushi that much anyway) Now, the final part of the art section, and the part that kept me glued to my computer screen, even when there was no dialogue and no character interaction; the backgrounds. When people ask me what anime world I would want to live in the most, I reply with “Mushishi”. Each setting is incredibly detailed, and seems to live on its own. Trying to explain it won’t do it justice. I recommend looking up some pictures of the world yourself, it really is breath-taking. In terms of animation, it isn’t anything ground-breaking, but each character moves decisively, and slowly, giving it a realistic feel. Sound-10 The original soundtrack for Mushishi has been hailed as one of the best in anime history for a reason. It is absolutely amazing. The tracks were obviously meant to be atmospheric, and use to set the tone, but each track stole the show in its own way. Every ending song was original, and served to maintain the mood of the episode conclusion, whether it be happy, sad, or satisfying. “Shiver” by Lucy Rose is a haunting ballad that fits the melancholy tone of Mushishi perfectly, and the photo-realistic visuals are a joy to watch. Not much else to say. Character-10 There are only a handful of reoccurring characters in Mushishi, and Ginko is the only main character. Every other character is introduced in an episode and never seen from again. So how can we as viewers be attached to these one-off characters? It’s simple, fantastic writing. Each character is written to have a realistic personality, no over-the-top, moronic “moe” here. Even if the characters can be unlikable at times, their feelings and personalities are incredibly human. Now let’s talk about Ginko. He is still the mysterious, intelligent traveler that we know and love, but in this installment, we get to see him in scenarios that he can’t handle, and in a wider variety of happenings. (Particularly in the Path of Thorns Special) Ginko is such a fun character to watch, and as such, I have him listed as one of my favorites on the site. Enjoyment-10 I think it’s easy to tell how much I enjoyed every episode of Mushishi Zoku Shou based on this review. Mushishi has slowly become my favorite series of all time, and this season doesn’t disappoint. In fact, with the improvement in production and pacing, I would declare Zoku Shou superior to the outstanding original. Overall-10 Mushishi is my favorite Anime Series of all time, and Zoku Shou is just as good, if not better, than the first season. Now, onto Zoku Shou 2nd Season!
711nono
01/10/2016, 10:04 AM
My very first review on MAL was of the 2005 anime Mushishi. I mentioned in that review that it was one of my favorite anime of all time Then I found out that there was a 2014 continuation that would be seperated into two 10 episode seasons,2 specials, and a conclusion movie. The subject of this review will be the first 10 episode season of this new saga of mushishi. Mushishi Zoku Shou(next passage) season 1 is the continuation of the 2005 anime based off the manga by Yuki Urushibara. The subject is pretty much the same as it's predecessor with this showbeing mainly episodic in nature and basically follows a wandering expert on the forms of life known as mushi as he attempts to solve different cases involving them. Normally when we think of mushishi in general we think of relaxation. The calming atmosphere of this show is implemented spectacularly however this atmosphere is heavily supported by the musical soundtrack. The music can range from calm to suspenseful in a heartbeat and has some serious versatility and can match any scene perfectly. The voice acting, while nothing spectacular, was well done and I didn't have many complaints with the voice acting in general. Storyline is a fickle thing in mushishi considering it is primarily episodic. Yet in a way when you are watching this show you feel that you are watching a mini movie. Each episode has a fresh narrative that is well told and makes great use of story telling even for an episodic anime. Another special thing about this is that in every episode you can interpret several themes that are present and some forms of philosophy is present as well and I think that it gives some of these short stories some added depth and makes them open for thinking and analyzation. The genres of mushishi seamlessly blend with hints of mystery and supernatural which can keep you guessing and you are always yearning for more information. The whole central idea of mushi kind of creates a central mystery of sorts of what exactly the mushi are. In a way the episodes kind of feel as if they are Japanese folklore, and that really says a lot about how good the atmosphere and tone is. Characters are also pretty strange, but despite characters appearing for a short time you can still sympathize and understand the problems these characters are having. More often than not the problems connect to some sort of central theme that is present within the episode. The only character that appears often is Ginko. Ginko is one hell of a main protagonist with interesting views on life and mushishi that are different than other mushishi like him. Animation and art improved from 2005 considering this has a more modern polish which is saying something considering how good the art in the first series was. He art is beautiful and detailed and it works with the amazing soundtrack. In conclusion I heavily enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the first season of Mushishi Zoku Shou. I found it to improve upon what made the old series so brilliant and I am highly looking forward to watching the remaining season of this masterpiece. So overall if you loved the first series you need to check this out.
ShadowBunny
12/02/2015, 08:10 PM
This show is a fantastic show for various reasons, one being it was a real nice breather from all the other shows I have seen. The show itself is none other than anything I have watched or even heard of. The concept of the show is this man wanders around, village to village to see if people need his aid from these creatures called Mushi. Mushi are being not familiar to us, they can not be seen by regular people, and are not classified as plant nor animal. At times Mushi might enter into peoples lives and either improve them or destroy them, and that'swhere the plot for this show comes to life. This show is a nice change of pace and it is a very relaxing show to watch. PLOT: Our main character is one of what seems to be very little of people who can actually see these beings, and because of that he travels to see if people need help with any Mushi related problems. These problems are beyond any type of regular illness, they create other worldly problems that range from attitude change to life threatening. CHARACTERS: The characters in the show are believable, they don't act in ways that make the show painful to watch. The main character acts the way he should would it comes to certain Mushi, whether it be calm and collected or panicked. Some episodes hardly show him too, some episodes hardly show him and are focused around other characters, which is a very nice touch. ART: This show is extremely artistic, from the visual to the music. The environment is breath taking, it looks like they have spent hours on end on details. And their music choice was superb, making each scene amazing. SHOULD YOU WATCH? PROS: Art is amazing, the story in each episode are amazing, the music is beautiful, the characters are nice, the Mushi cause unique and awesome conflicts. CONS: The show can be slow
HabitPlays
07/24/2015, 06:43 PM
Mushishi: Zoku Shou is the next season of Mushishi and a lot like the 1st season I loved it such a good series. No real story to keep track of it is basically a bunch of stories put together. I love the way the anime is put together really gets you hooked because it is something new every episode something fresh to catch your attention. I recommend this anime to anyone who likes fantasy style anime this anime is honestly incredible and still one of my top watched because of how every episode is filled with something interesting there is not a single episode I'dwant to skip or think should be taken out. This is the prime example of a perfectly rounded anime good story, animation, characters, and overall nice feel everything brings you into this anime more and more with every episode.
jowb63
04/15/2015, 05:46 AM
I've got to admit, by the end of episode 9, I was ready for the series to end. This may be because I had been watching this anime in long sequences and being an anime with single episode arcs, it's not really an anime that is good for watching in long sequences. When I watched Mushishi, I would watch a single episode and then play video games and read. I suspect that made me enjoy it more then I would have if I watched the episodes back it back. It may also be that the stories in Mushishi were more interesting, perhaps because theywere more intense or maybe just because Mushishi was more novel the first time around. What ever the reason, I find myself not wanting to watching the next season. Know that this anime is more of the same of Mushishi, same great music, same melancholy tone, same hard rural setting, and each story is fairly interesting. It was enjoyable for a while, but for me, enough is enough. I want to watch something more exciting with longer arcs.
GonzyChan
12/31/2014, 12:36 AM
There is a common saying that lightning never strikes twice at the same place. We can apply the same analogy to how a sequel of a classic never reaches its predecessor's quality. However, both statements are far from the truth; it’s just that we don’t often see both happen very often. But when we do see it, it's nothing short of magical. What transpires in the discussion of Mushishi Zoku Shou is how it can keep the spirit of the original series alive and well. When you get right down to it, there isn’t any need to try anything new or different to the sequel tomake it seem fresher. This is how Mushishi structures into different story arcs centered on its mythological lore of Mushi. The arcs supply a deeper meaning to the characters as we learn about the different types of Mushi we come across. From this perspective, Mushishi doesn’t need to do anything other than give us more than what we bargained for; they sure as hell made another accomplishment for the ages. From a stylistic perspective, Mushishi Zoku Shou follows the same atmospheric tone as before. It transcends itself into a breathtaking journey into what the world of Mushishi brings to the table. From my previous review of Mushishi, I criticized it for how the world didn’t feel like the actual world that it wanted it to be. It tried to go far, but at the same time, it didn’t go far enough. With Mushishi Zoku Shou, it is apparent that we are shown a closer look at the various mythical structures of its world. This is one aspect of the sequel that I think improves more than the prequel in many ways. Here, more meat is to be explored, and it's gratifying to experience the rich landscape and how the Mushi engulfs the world. As there are many plot arcs in each episode, there is the question of whether these new plot arcs hold a candle to the original series. While there were many great episodes of Mushishi that I can name, I could also name some that felt rather underwhelming compared to others. In many respects, Mushishi Zoku Shou offers more episodic stories that are stronger and more vibrant. From beginning to end, there was never an episode where I thought it was average, mediocre, or even decent; they are all merely good to magnificent. What makes them more vital is how the characters that our hero, Ginko, comes across in his travels are more memorable to the viewing experience. Many of them garner praise because they manage to fit in in-depth characterization in only under 24 minutes. Like in previous episodic iterations, they all lead to a well-crafted conundrum that Ginko has to solve. This problem can vary in how they are approached in how the tone is settled. The mood is always the main focal point of Mushishi, ranging from mystical and transcendent to dark and unsettling. All are accomplished with high tenacity and wit that won’t fail to impress many who want a lucid experience in their anime viewing endeavors. Animation has evolved since 2004, and Mushishi had a minimalist methodology for its artistic aesthetics. Although it may not look like it has changed its vibrant colors and lighting, it indeed flows in its animation more fluidly. New designs of Mushi pop up that look stunning to the eyes. Characters now have more range in movement thanks to the higher budget. Amazingly, it still feels freshly new, although it doesn’t do anything too drastic to make it more “modernized” for modern anime fans to enjoy. Music has never been a prominent hallmark for the Mushishi series regarding how repetitive it becomes after the fifth episode. Not that it is unlistenable by any means, it is good by its standards, but I would’ve appreciated it more had there been more variety. The noteworthy thing to mention is the new opening to Mushishi Zoku Shou, which is far more welcoming than in Season 1. The first one’s problem stems from the fact that the singer was trying to do a bad Bob Dylan impersonation throughout. Mushishi Zoku Shou’s opening, sung by Lucy Rose, feels more in line with the peaceful tone that defines Mushishi. In closing, I would call this a triumphant swan song for Mushishi to end on. Its efforts in bringing it back to show these remaining stories in animation form are admirable. The series continues to be considered a classic from the 2000s. Now it’s become a future classic in the 2010s. I can’t say I’ll be surprised by that assessment if it becomes a reality. Grade: A
JackCox
12/30/2014, 09:54 AM
I don't think my opinion on Mushishi is going to change at all, after many years, I was beyond thrilled to have the chance to dive back into this show. Quite simply this show is just beautifully animated, written and acted. STORY: (10/10) This is an episodic series and is pretty much in the same format as the previous season. I'm a lot older and wiser then I was when I first saw Mushishi I think around 2007, most of the stories of Mushishi I believe are more metaphors about people dealing with their own lives, take for example the third episode known asBeneath the Snow it's about a boy who is insensitive to cold and warmth is painful for him, I see this as a metaphor for people who are closed off from humanity or are depressed. Most of these stories are all revolving around philosophy and Mushishi: The Next Chapter brilliantly incorporates the philosophy into it's stories. ART: (10/10) Mushishi and it's sequel are in a very elite group when it comes to the quality of it's art-work, quite simply it's absolutely beautiful and stunning, the episodes change locals and change the color schemes. The lighting effects are a feast for the eyes, the only knock as has been pointed out has been at times most of the characters look exactly the same, I think it's been somewhat eliminated this time around. CHARACTER: (10/10) There is only one character in the Mushishi universe that is in every episode and that is Ginko, the Mushishi. I think Ginko is a very interesting main character, he's kind of more of an observer, the brilliance is that each episode introduces new characters and you get so invested in these characters story that you over the course of only 20 minutes emotionally connect with them. it's truly remarkable and I cannot think any other show that manages to introduce characters so quickly, make you connect with them emotionally and put closure to their story in such a short amount of time. SOUND: (10/10) Toshio Masuda returns to score the 2nd season of this show, he also is known for scoring Naruto, and despite the knocks that show has gotten, Naruto always had terrific music. Here again Masuda incorporates a very nature-like and earthly score. Most of it relies on traditional japanese instruments. Masuda's score is so beautiful and relaxing I could even recommend it to people who are having trouble sleeping. I should also mention the 2nd season's theme song by Lucy Rose entitled Shiver", I think this song is even better then the first season, it plays over gorgeous live action visuals, she has an beautiful voice and the song fits in very well with the mood of the show. ENJOYMENT: (10/10) In an anime world like today, there comes a time where every season you get maybe one or two truly amazing shows. Very, very rarely do shows come around that are masterpieces. This is one of them, it has things in it that many people can relate to and has universal themes. The characters feel real they don't feel like tropes or stereotypes, they are all real people. OVERALL: (10/10) The previous season is in my opinion the greatest anime ever made, this show is pretty much a continuation on that, I had the pleasure seven years ago watching the english language premiere of the first season at Anime Expo, it was an amazing experience and I had the pleasure of meeting the director this anime Hiroshi Nagahama, he was an absolute gentlemen and it's clear he absolutely cared about making this masterpiece. HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
slowpok
12/04/2014, 03:10 PM
"Now make yourself comfortable and cosy, after 8 long years your beloved mushi master Ginko will take you to the mysterious world of mushi once again." Or that I thought before watching the series. From the very beginning I had some vague feeling that something here isn't how it should be. I mean I know it isn't an action whatsoever, but don't you think 10 seconds of completely white screen in the opening is an oversimplification? Well, who needs the opening, one may say. That's true I was going to skip it anyway. But after watching several episodes you will notice that good art andnice music are the only things present in this show. Just think about it, you can completely delete main character from the series and nothing would change! NOTHING AT ALL! The main character isn't doing a simplest tiny bit of action not to mention other characters. They are there only to link together the art animators made for you. They have drown nice mountains? Fine, let there be a mountain village. Pretty ocean? Let there be a sailor. And so on. So, what was so charming about the original Mushishi series? Maybe the way the main character Ginko tried to explore some irrational stuff instead of wiping it out? Are you going to watch it to feel that atmosphere of mystery when humble folks got influenced by some mushi leading them to the final sometimes funny sometimes spooky? Then step aside you are not missing anything here. Or do you just want to relax watching nice art with good music? Then this show is for you. To summarize this series is OK as independent anime, but is a complete disaster as the continuation of the original Mushishi.
Dangime
11/28/2014, 11:08 AM
Mushishi Zoku Shou continues the story of Ginko, a mushishi, which roughly equates to one part medicine man, one part paranormal expert. Mushi exist in a sort of gray area between living creatures and spiritual, other worldly beings. Mushishi's greatest strengths carry on into the second installment, beautiful artwork of natural landscapes and pre-industrial Japanese rural locations. It feels very authentic at every turn. The stories of what Ginko gets into during his travels are very easy to relate to, and I found myself caring about the characters involved even though most of the characters only appear in one episode given the nature of Ginko'stravels. While each episode of Mushishi is a great piece of work in and of itself, beautiful and engaging as it is, there is criticism to be handed out to the series as a whole. Ultimately, almost every episode of Mushishi is based on a simple plot formula with little to no carry over or progression in an overall plot. Here's an episode in a nutshell. Ginko enters some beautiful majestic rural setting...the mountains, the forest, a small farming or fishing village. Ginko discovers Mushi causing some disturbance in people and/or the environment. Through a combination of paranormal knowledge, moral superiority, and his box of trinkets Ginko saves the day, or at least mitigates the problem, gets out alive, etc. The people are happier and better off for his coming, and Ginko wanders off into the wilderness to some other pristine local, never to meet any of the people he just helped again. Almost every episode of Mushishi follows this formula, and it creates really the only serious criticism I have of the series, if you've watched one episode of Mushishi you've basically watched all the episodes of Mushishi. Out of this latest set of new episodes, only 1 or 2 carried over to characters I recognized before and contributed to an overarching plot line. Technically, that episode (or two parter) is a special and listed under a different heading on Animelist so I could say none at all if I wanted to. Now none of this is to say you shouldn't watch Mushishi, you should. It's a great piece of anime. It just doesn't offer much in terms of plot development for this reason. For the most part, Mushishi is simply great single serving anime, which probably explains it's broad appeal, you don't have to marathon the entire series to enjoy it. I'm just left with the feeling that I'll have to read the manga if I want any closure when it comes to this story.
r3quiem
09/06/2014, 10:37 PM
Back in my days absorbed into slice of life anime, a word like "fascination" with Mushishi understated my feelings at the time. Try "enamoured." "Obsessed." It has a likeable, highly capable protagonist with such an introspective personality. It integrated the elements of mystery, fantasy, and the supernatural in far better ways than its dystopian (Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou) or complex (Ghost in the Shell) seinen contemporaries. It should also be noted that Aniplex’s responsibility for a great deal of superior anime promised a series like this success. And yet, I am somewhat disappointed with this reboot…at least enough to squeeze a review out of me. Episodic and unpredictable,Mushishi thrives on the characters and their accompanying pathophysiological development with mushi. A series of this nature demands this formula, especially considering Ginko’s knowledge and capability. The very first episode of the original series pulls us in; it is not the misleading shots of ghoulish, bacteria-shaped organisms with a quirk, but rather because of the characters and their interactions with them. In respect to the first season, Zoku Shou starts off in a similar predicament. A new episode, and there are new characters, new mushi, new conflicts, and a new set of consequences. Simply, the formula that rebooted this series is also what dried it up. I knew that each episode could be enjoyed as a story on its own, and yet the continuing pattern of unresolved questions left the series to hang and dry like a dying rose. Even following the last episode, Ginko himself remains as enigmatic as the mushi he identifies with great ease. Needless to say, with nearly a decade of improvement in animation techniques, the artwork maintained the quality of the original. Mushishi’s beautiful, postmodern approach to animation competes even with the most fluid of action-packed series. Colorful, mouth-watering brooks. Enchanting stares from teenage girls. Even the smoke rising from Ginko’s lip-glued-to-paper cigarettes looks sexy. While I’d love to offer it a perfect score, the animation had nearly a decade of room to offer even more dazzling footage, of which it did not. As for my favorite subject in all of my reviews, the music and sound in general is breathtaking. Zoku Shou’s entire atmosphere benefitted from a ponderous, folk-like poem like Lucy Rose’s “Shiver” on the acoustic guitar. A series like this needs to have contemplative and mystical background music, such as the chimes and xylophones oscillating during mushi encounters. The ending themes, too, resonated well with whichever conclusions were reached. Toshio Masuda’s composition technique worked well in the ninja-ridden environment of Naruto, so I can imagine him being the perfect choice for a series as mysterious as Mushishi. Overall, Zoku Shou lives up to the quality of a series like Mushishi, but only does that. I understand that many a fan would obsess about the nature of slice-of-life series or consistency with the manga (because for some reason all stories need be exactly like their manga or else they’re crap or some garbage like that), but as an avid fan myself I can only insist that the potential behind a supernatural mystery series such as Mushishi is wasted on single episode encounters, or rather as a break from pantsu shots and power ups. I am truly and deeply fond of this series and hope to see more of it, but I await the day someone at Aniplex—even if it be Urushibara herself—takes a risk to give the series what it deserves.
greenblood1991
07/23/2014, 03:20 PM
Good Day all , this review is gonna be short and I hope you gonna decide that you watch it or not from my review . Story: The story is great but the evil side of mushi is not told not like the first season and I disliked the that is every episode contain story alone not connected to each other . The story was unique and the end was not satisfying. 8/10 Art: The style of art was not that good and not memorable at all and the character design is normal they all look alike.5/10 Sound: The actors voice was good especially ginko and the background music is relaxing. 8/10 Character: They don’t talk about the characters a lot only about the main one that’s for me the biggest issue and the growth of the characters is not there the same from 1-10 and I hated that were no villain like mushi want to destroy something in the world . 6/10 Enjoyment: I think the majority of the fans will like this anime but I will not re-watched again , I think this anime you watch it between action animes so it relax you . 7/10 Overall: 7/10
eyerok
07/12/2014, 02:37 PM
"once the rain stops and real tears can be shed, I will put down roots. Until then, with the rain by my side, I will continue to drift like the clouds" Mushishi Zoku Sho continues the episodic chronicles of Ginko, the white-haired, laid back, chain-smoking, wandering ‘Mushishi’ (Loose TL: Mushi-master). For the fans of the much praised 2006 series, Zoku Sho is, in every technical and aesthetic sense, true to its predecessor. The studio behind it (Artland), and the staff is the same, and there have been no dramatic stylistic changes, making Zoku sho, except in its more enhanced visuals and polished presentation, the direct continuationof the first season in every aspect. For those unfamiliar with this masterful adaptation of Yuki Urushibara’s seminal magnum opus, it is advisable to start with the first season because, despite the whole series being strictly episodic, Zoku Sho assumes that you are familiar with some parts and concepts of the Mushi lore, such as Komyuka (the river of life), its significance, mountain-lords, some recurring characters, and some part of the main character’s background story. With the above mandatory preface done, I can move on to describing the series, and what the second season is about. Mushishi is set in ‘imaginary rural Japan’ with the technology and fashion Coeval to 19th Century period. The world of Mushishi is inhabited by supernatural and otherworldly creatures called ‘Mushi’, which exist in various sizes, shapes and types (much like animals and plants); they are as important to the life cycle and ecology of the world as plants and animals. The effect of their interaction with the world and other species (humans, plants, animals) may range from neutral to potentially devastating. There are mushi that can turn the blood inside a human to milk, make cloudless rain to fall wherever their hosts travel, cause various disease/illness, or provide someone the power over life. They can be parasitic, harmless or even beneficial. The catch is that very few people can perceive, and even fewer understand these ethereal creatures. Some of those who do become ‘Mushishi’, people who deal with Mushi. Ginko is one such person, who has dedicated his life to ‘understanding’ Mushi and help those who are affected by them. In the various episodes we see him travelling to various places, and coming across Mushi related phenomenon, which he is almost always able to handle deftly thanks to his exceptional foresight and erudite knowledge (in fact, after watching two seasons, I am thoroughly convinced that Ginko is something of a PhD on Mushi and mushi related stuff). As a man of learning, Ginko does his best to further his knowledge through research, help people, and keep the ecological balance while saving man and mushi from harming each other. But Mushishi is about more than that. Almost every episode, despite the fantastical theme, is relatable to a diverse variety of practical real world philosophical, moral, social, or psychological dilemmas and issues. These range from coping with the loss of loved ones, a disease, failure, moral corruption, family woes, relationship breakdowns, loss of self-worth, natural disasters, man’s relationship with the environment, etc.The wisdom contained in these episodes is sometimes esoteric, and at other times, exoteric in nature. Having said that, every viewer will perceive things from their own lens. Mushishi is not pedantic, and rises above these snippets of existentialist wisdom into the realm of profound and abstruse artistic and aesthetic depth. It transcends to themes and emotions that cannot be easily put in words. The sparse poetic narration of Ginko and his erstwhile mentor Nui, the sublime background score composed by veteran composer Toshio Masuda, the masterful direction by Nagahama Hiroshi, the exquisite and soothing art direction with its lush, sweeping homage to nature’s beauty, Nakano Yuto’s powerful VA performance, all combine to bring alive the transcendental and minimalist piece of art that is Mushishi. The atmosphere and ambiance of the show is so strong that sometimes I almost felt like I was there, and at times felt what the characters were feeling. That is, at least for me, Mushishi in a nutshell. Any comparisons to the previous season may yield variable and subjective results. Many would prefer the first season, largely due to it offering a greater variety of stories, landscapes, themes and music score. Admittedly, there might be some weight to this preference. The incident fact that many of the stories in the second season have ‘parasitic’ mushis and follow a ‘problem, diagnosis, prescription’ format has also been pointed out by some. However, this point is made mute by the fact that every story is unique in some way or the other. To sum up, Mushishi is an important milestone in anime, and easily recommendable to most anime fans.
Ragix
06/23/2014, 04:17 AM
If I were to describe Mushishi in just a few words, it would have to be 'story-telling masterpiece'. Mushishi held this title and I'm proud to say that Mushishi Zoku Shou holds it as well. When such an eloquent blend of story writing, narration, atmosphere, art and sound come together it creates a fantastic, bone-chilling new world that those whom have the pleasure of viewing can't help but gawk at. Whether there is sadness, happiness, anguish or joy Mushishi Zoku Shou has delivered these feelings in a presentation so well-wrapped even its flaws cannot be seen. Mushishi Zoku Shou has been a remarkably soothingand yet exciting adventure that I can only say I am delighted of experiencing first-hand. Story(10/10): Mushish Zoku Shou is an episodic anime that I feel is one of the very few that succeed in its field. Being episodic only leaves the 21 minute time-frame to tell a story, which can be a difficult challenge; However, just like its prequel, Mushishi Zoku Shou is not only able to set up the plot and characters, but resolve it as well with ease in such a small frame of time. The Mushi, the very essence of life itself, and Ginko, the Mushi Master are at the heart and center of our stories. Ginko, always travelling and meeting new people, adventuring to exciting places and encountering strange beings all around are simply tagging along in our adventure as Ginko plays the part of mediator between Man and Mushi, helping both in times of need. This is how every story begins and ends and is delivered perfectly in a small 21 minute package. Art(10/10): Another reason why Mushishi Zoku Shou is able to present itself so well is not only for its story, but how the world is created. Beautiful scenic backgrounds, gorgeous vibrant colors of the Mushi and the fantastic distinction of characters using art are all perfectly-crafted. Whether a scene is meant to look beautiful or ominous Mushishi has no problem of displaying what it wants creating some of the most illustrious depictions of art to be seen. Sound(10/10): Once again, Mushishi Zoku Shou delivers superbly in this category as well. Whether we were panning out of a gorgeous mountainous scene or needed to feel the panic of those in the anime there was no failure in giving the audience what was needed to push what needed to be felt. The sound embodied any emotion it needed to and got it across well, giving me many moments where I just had to replay a scene to get that same 'chill down my spine' feeling over and over again. Without the sound, a lot of key moments would not have the same impact, but thankfully that problem never arised. Character(10/10): One thing that always surprises me is how well-established the characters were with this season granted the small time frame given. In just one episode the characters had to be introduced and fleshed out in order for us to have a sense of 'caring' for them otherwise the story would not have the same influence on us. Ginko of course is our main character, whom we learn of very early on what his profession is and what he does is very easy to get attached to. Where the real challenge occurred was creating the people Ginko meets and giving them a personality worthy of our interest in just a few minutes. This was done splendidly as the story progresses we learn of many of their conflicts with the Mushi and how it effects them on a personal level where we actually can feel the same sadness or joy they do whether it be through a back-story or a present event. In a funny way, the bane of a lot of their lives, the Mushi are also what really bring out a lot of the characters. Enjoyment(10/10): This was truly an enjoyable experience. Every episode told a new tale and even when there were times of distress there were times of calmness. Mushishi Zoku Shou tells a story with me just being able to sit back and enjoy without having to think about anything, but just purely become entranced with it. It doesn't end or begin with questions, nor pointing out faults, but just relaxing and experiencing everything it had to offer. Overall(10/10): Without a doubt Mushishi Zoku Shou lives up to its name. Those whom loved the first season should have no problem adoring this one any less if not more as they only fine-tuned what was already fantastic. This wasn't just simply an anime to watch, but to experience and it delivered well in every field to do just that. I cannot stress enough on that, which is why I'm going to leave it to you the viewer, to watch and experience it for yourself. I certainly hope you'll come to immerse yourself in this world and see for yourself what it has to offer.
Stark700
06/20/2014, 01:56 PM
Mushishi, a series that debuted over 8 years ago makes its return, and a surprising one at that. Beautiful is an underrated word to describe the franchise as it is much more than its natural beauty. Rather, Mushishi is a fantastic work of art, a feast of elegance to bestow upon for its storytelling. For fans familiar with season 1, the show depicts itself with an episodic format starring journeyman Ginko. Mushishi Zoku Shou (also known as Mushishi: Next Chapter) opens the door to a new saga with an mystifying adventure that will once again bring back those wonderful memories from near a decade ago. Ajourney into Mushishi feels like a dream where its world captures the fantasy elements at the best with its backgrounds and ideas. The nature of the show depicts creatures known as ‘Mushi’ that causes trouble in the surface world. For a show to work out in this way, the structure of the story is built in an episodic nature. Each episode involves Ginko where he deals with a problem. These problems lingers on with ideas, power, and knowledge. With every problem in his quest also triggers more than just resolutions. It formulates ideas that invites attention with its unique and style. In fact, the feeling of Mushishi is mature. The creatures known as the ‘Mushi’ influences humans and their way of life. But the most important part of the show is that these mushi can craft a story. These stories are transformed by the very essence of the show that captures each moment with a fine degree of mystical aura. No over-the-top antics, shounen-style battles, or the ‘save the world’ trope. It is simple yet feels complex. It’s intelligent without building a labyrinth of thoughtless tropes. It’s attractive without edgy art. Despite the show being set up as an episodic show, I do recommend fans to check out the first season first as well as the special that debuted earlier in 2014. This way, you can familiarize with the style of Mushishi and what it has to offer with its dynamics. There’s much to build off with that style which illustrates more than just artwork. The flagship behind the idea of the show is to adapt its themes and presents it to viewers to familiarize with the story. There’s no need to build on that in a story arc since each episode focuses specifically on such ideas. And even so, these stories are memorable for their themes that people can familiarize. Hatred, regret, despair, vengeance, solitude, greed, among others are just a few to name. It touches upon the nature of humanity in a fantasy realm to bring about fantastic stories. Ever heard of natural instincts? Mushishi will evoke that to a level beyond normalcy through its imaginative presentation. The world setting of Mushishi is perhaps one most fans of the previous season are familiar of. Even after all these years, it’s still memorable and feel nostalgic by Mushishi’s delivery. The lavish forests, organic swaps, and frosty mountains paints a dream – a theater of decorative ecology. As a show based off such nature, it’s appreciable to see how that functions with fantasy ideas. Namely, the environment has a mystical atmosphere to itself stretching beyond the boundaries of normalcy. Then, there are the characters involved in them that Ginko meets during his quest. But Ginko is a unique and complex character because he seeks knowledge, not power. Every episode, he gets himself involved with a problem and formulates a solution. These resolutions usually has a bittersweet ending but also invites a degree of relief. As mushi is mysterious to the core, Ginko uses his own knowledge to match these challenges by thought. As the brainchild behind the concept, Yuki Urushibara deserves praise for her work. The show is adapted from the manga of the same name. The second season covers from volume 6-9 to create legends to not be forgotten. Her concepts are captivating because it’s intelligently written with a surreal feeling. It’s distinctive that classifies itself as a rarity of the generation. 22 minutes each episode is all it takes to grab your attention with its nature. While sitting back, you’ll almost feel like you’re part of the world traveling along with Ginko on his quest. The rewards to reap is more than just enjoyment but an acknowledgement of the show’s concepts. Ginko is also a quiet man that people will find unique in a fashion to match the show’s style. At the same time though, he isn’t just there to solve problems but also to learn. Similarly, learning from this show isn’t like taking a biology class. Rather than grasping on the ideas to memorize them, Mushishi creates understanding. There’s no right or wrong answer as mushi and humans are a part in the same world. Rather than delivering a gruesome war or dominance for survival, both species seeks to live on their own terms. But make no mistake, the show doesn’t follow a game concept where survival is the fittest. Instead, its strength lies in the mystery engineered by an amalgamation of intelligence. Perhaps the show is too honest to itself, in particular with its world and premise. Ginko in particular is a man of mystery but we find out the complexity of his character through his many journeys. A lackluster concept involves the exploration of his backgrounds in this season as well as people he met in the past. A refreshment to the original season will perhaps remedy this for fans who are on an urge to get a deeper grasp of his character. But even so, the pure of the stories transits with elegance and characters to tell a story; stories of knowledge, thought, artistry beyond the scope of physical attractiveness. Speaking of art, Mushishi sets the bar high with its comeback. Even after all these years, the show still stands out as a magnificent piece of art. Feast your eyes on the very nature of the show with its alluring backgrounds. Each mushi also has distinctive designs to offer diversity. On the other hand, Ginko looks simple without too much to go on besides his noticeable silver hair and stoic expressions. Yet, it triggers the very mystery thought that Mushishi brings. At the same time, most of the characters are standard and matches their settings with simple clothing. The show’s setting doesn’t possess the technology of a futuristic world nor a historical age where wars are fought for supremacy. What it does have is the simple yet effective natural strength of its fantasy world. I give the animation studio Artland for their effective style of presenting such a world, one that is charming and captures every moment in respect. There’s an old saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. This show’s art is an epitome of that. Soundtrack also comes together as a prowess to its thought-provoking story. The soft and quiet OST offers credibility with its world with the mushi and animals. As humans, each character’s voice has a solemn yet realistic mannerism. Similarly, the soundtrack has a sense of hollowness with eerie rhythm. With its good balance, Mushishi achieves its goal of capturing what fans want – soundtrack to bring the stories from fantasy to life. Although some of Ginko’s dialogues may feel monotonous at times, it still stands out to reflect his character. The soundtrack also invites emotional appeal for each story seeks an imagery of imaginations based off its world with its narratives. Furthermore, the OP song "Shiver" by Lucy Rose reflects a tone of beauty beyond words. You’ll have to listen to it to believe it. Even after all these years, the Mushishi franchise still stands out as a dazzling piece of work, one that is most welcoming with the strength of its characters and story. It’s more than just an adventurous folklore or some quest to accomplish a goal. Rather, it offers intelligence and craftsmanship of human themes in a fantasy world. Despite the series being episodic and only structured with 10 episodes, they each have its own unique dynamics to bring about its focus. Its creativity and unique world will offer an experience just like its previous season, one that will be remembered for generations to come.

Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師続章

2014 spring | Episodes: 10 | Score: 8.7 (122756)

Updated every Saturdays at 00:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Aniplex | Kodansha | Delfi Sound

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Nakano, Yuto

News

Reviews

CandleNekra
12/15/2020, 12:55 AM
Usually I don't enjoy anime series with no plot, but this anime is one of a kind. Each episode has its own story; it could be tragic, bittersweet, or happy. You never know what could happen in the end. In the series, you follow this man named Ginko on his adventure as a "mushishi." Despite him being a protagonist, however, he illustrates the quality of a side character. Instead, the patient and their relationship with the monster causing their symptom is usually the main focus. This type of storytelling is quite rare, but the anime was able to pull it off and create a beautifulmasterpiece. The art was also very beautiful. The sound and the visual created such a aesthetic feeling inside me. Sometimes I find myself pausing on certain scenes to enjoy the quality of the work. The studio and the author did a really good job on creating this art! The only problems I had was the characters design. Many, especially the kids, looked very similar. It could be confusing... Nevertheless, I highly recommend this anime for those looking for a peaceful anime to watch. Or to those who just needs a break from all the action or heavy animes.
PixlReality
07/27/2018, 08:47 PM
Another amazing adventure... Mushishi Zoku Shou! An anime about exploration, weird happenings, and more mushi. The story is weird because there really isn't any concrete "story" here. Like the first season, this anime follows an episodic type format, where no two episodes have the same happenings. Again, we follow Ginko in his mysterious travels to uncover more interesting mushi that may be causing some unwanted troubles. This time around it felt a bit more serious, with a slice of darkness added. While the entire anime has a very distinct, serious tone to it. I can't help but notice a very slight tonal change, as many eventsthat take place feel much darker than the first time around. But if there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's the art & music. The music has always had a very mysterious feel to it, and I love it. The OP in particular is amazing this time around. It just honestly really fits. Art direction is also very similar, with some slight changes that make the anime feel a touch more alive than the first. Characters can be very hard to make sometimes, and many times they feel over done and exaggerated beyond belief. But Mushishi does something that has always amazed me: it always delivers on amazing characters and scenarios that Ginko may run into. While the characters may always have a very bland look to them, it really shines when we're told intriguing backstories to go with them. Ginko, like the first time around, is done fantastically. You would think that seeing the same character do the exact same things would eventually get boring, but there's just the right amount of variety and complexity here that really makes it special. Overall it's no surprise to me that this anime was so great. The very second I heard the OP, I knew it was going to be great. Everything from the stories, to the characters and music, there's always something interesting to find here. I highly recommend that you give this one a watch!
DesolatePsyche
10/14/2017, 10:30 AM
✦Story Well, it's a episodic type of Anime. Point of it is main character traveling the world, helping people whilst learning about him over time. That is all you need to know regarding story of Mushishi. And ofcourse the part where the world of this anime consists of "mushi" the somehow spirit of everything in the world. Rain, wood, water, handcraft or anything basically. Where mushi can cause all sorts of efffects on human and nature itself. Mushi is basically nature in a more "spiritual" form. This is basic thing to know to enjoy this anime. Now, aside general plot of this Anime, I shall comment thisseason (or both zoku on this manner), would be that this season felt a bit toned done. Whilst first one was darker, creepier and more mysterious this felt more of a more family-friendly version. It had still it's relaxing touch, mystery and simply enjoyment, but it lost it's darker and deeper feel which is a bit letdown for me. In the end story of Mushishi is a very relaxing and great thing to enjoy. Simply sit down and watch and very nice to watch before sleep. ✦Art&Sound Superb OST and music, very relaxing and emotional. As for art, it felt a bit plainer than its predecessor aside that, it’s superb ✦Character There a are only few characters that you can tell apart and have more importance to the franchise than rest of the cast. Our MC Ginko is a calm and person with deep link with Mushi. He travels around the world for various reasons. Can’t really tell much about him, most things you learn about him are pretty much spoilers. Only other character I can think of that has any sort of presence is certain doctor. Rest of the characters are basically copy-paste looks and voice wise, but presented with a different story. For a episodic Anime this is a quite enjoyable touch/style for such a thing. ✦Enjoyment&Overall Anime that I enjoy wholesomely, only letdown of this season was that it felt a bit toned down. Hence the lower score. If you want mysterious episodic Anime to watch that is generally with relaxing feel to it then be sure to check this out.
amollide8
06/28/2016, 07:21 PM
“The world is filled with life unknown to man.” Before I had the chance to watch this, I have high expectations. I was hoping this season won’t fail to liven up the splendor of the first one. And after watching, I was dumbstruck. It totally exceeded my expectations. What makes it interesting? One major point is that it maintained the relaxing atmosphere as that of the first season. The stories in each episode are more profound. Compared to the first season, this one touched a much deeper connection among the groups of living things; human, animals, plants and mushi’s. Some of the episodes have adarker air on it. The art was more detailed and even the background scenes seem realistic. I was gaping at the scenery since it somehow draws me in. The only thing that bugs me is that Ginko, our main character, have lesser screen time in most of the episodes. It’s such a waste since I really like to see him more. Don’t you agree? I mean he’s interesting. He’s a mystery himself! But maybe this season tried to focus on other people than on Ginko to make it more understandable how Mushi’s affect their lives. So? Is it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. It’s a worth watch. If season one wasn’t enough to satisfy your curiosity, this season will fill that for you.
TheBrainintheJar
02/26/2016, 12:18 PM
Mix a few of these episodes in the original Mushishi, and hardly anyone would notice the difference. That’s not a compliment. The original Mushishi had mainly novelty value. It was a deeply flawed show with a brilliant premise. Next Passage doesn’t do much but gets more steam out of it. The fact it’s still fun speaks volumes of its premise. The appeal of Mushishi was its weirdness. It’s both because it’s so far away from Western thought, and because weirdness is integral to its themes. Nature isn’t a benevolent or a destructive force. It just exists, indifferent to us and we have to learn to harnessit. The mushi and the mushishi are an expression of this idea. It’s also a unique take on fantasy, one we don’t see enough. Instead of grand heroic stories, Mushishi is personal. The plights of the characters are always simple and relatable. They deal with relationships, sickness, raising children and depression. They live in the mountains, but they face the exact issues we in the 21st century face. Some themes are eternal. The series doesn’t know how to handle these stories, though. If they are personal, they need something to bring them to life. The world is full of people raising children and losing their loved ones. The only reason we care about a story like this is because we identify with the person, because we know him. You need ‘relatable’ characters, but it doesn’t mean they need to reflect the viewer’s personality. It means they should be written with specific speech patterns, behaviors, and reactions that establish a personality. Once you establish a personality we can believe this is a real human being and we’ll be invested in their struggle. After all, don’t they say that a million deaths is a statistic, because the numbers strip the people of their personality? Now, the people in Mushishi aren’t numbers but they’re rarely human beings. They exist so things will happen to them and Ginko exists so he will reach them. All of this is so a story will be told. All of this without any grand purpose. It’s odd to have such a unique anime that never tries to lift itself up. There are moments where it improves on the original. Next Passage is noticeably darker. The situations are often less certain. It’s a small addition, which adds a bit of danger and excitement. It also causes the characters to not just be peaceful. The emotional scope is wider, with a few characters bordering on the immoral. It was almost non-existant in the original, but here it makes the world more believable and alive. The improvement is only slight. It also shares with the original a horribly constructed first episode. The exposition was a nice re-introduction, but the first episode is never sure whether it’s concerned with the main character’s story, or introducing elements of the world. The show settles for the usual format in the second and the quality improves. The art is more beautiful this time around. People always over-emphasized the atmospherics, as if the stories didn’t matter. The art this time though is a wonder to behold. The level of detail is high, but it’s almost negligible. Every story has its own atmospheric focus, and the extra darkness helps the atmosphere. There is always a little dread in the scenery, nature looking good but always hiding something. The movements of the characters are also very smooth, helping bring them to life a little. The stories themselves, even without characters are interesting enough. The novelty value hasn’t worn off. There’s still nothing quite like Mushishi and it’s hard to think something will ever come. The Mushi don’t appear visually so much, but their odd presence still takes the center. The mushi always represent some idea, in some episodes much more clearly than others. They way they operate is tied to that idea. Every detail about a mushi is a part of the theme it represents. This makes them both magical and fantastical, but also interesting. This is how magic should be. Next Passage got its acclaim because most of those who watched were already fans. It’s not brilliant and it’s not a step forward, but it shows the idea still has steam in it. Even if it didn’t improve on the flaws, the uniqueness of Mushishi still works. If you enjoyed the original, there’s no reason not to enjoy this one. In some cases it’s better. 3 mushi out of 5
Sam_Sid
02/25/2016, 01:39 AM
Having written a short review on Mushishi with vague statements (it's in the first season of Mushishi), I feel like writing a full fledged analytical (self proclaimed :v ) review on the series as well. I'm not giving a spoiler warning because it's not really possible to spoil Mushishi like that. But, this review will contain plot points from within the series. So it's better if you've already watched it. This will take a really long time. Alright, let's get to the point. What is mushi? To put it simply, they are the most primitive lifeforms. They're unlike any flora or fauna we're familiar with. But,they're not creatures from outside this world, rather they are the basic living beings. These entities are the closest to life itself. To be more precise, they derive directly from the essence of life, known as kouki. I'll give an idea of what 'kouki' is a bit later. But before that, let's take a moment to think about how brilliant the very idea of such existence is. I don't know about others, but this elegant idea produces deep respect for the series in me. That alone wouldn't amount to much if it wasn't deeply thought out. 'Kouki' is the essence of life. It can be said that kouki is life itself. Don't make mistake, life is different from physical organ. Organs and organisms are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, while Kouki consists of rain/water and sunlight. I found this to be a metaphor. Most of us probably know that water as well as light are called life. This anime literally uses them as the source of life. The form of kouki is quite vague. It's mostly shown in a liquid form. This semi-physical substance is what provides life energy to the living beings. And mushi are the beings that originate directly from kouki, thus they're closest to life. As a result, they're also vague in existence and don't have particular physical distinction to categorize them. Thus, there isn't any particular taxonomy for these beings. But, as we can see in the anime, there are researches constantly being done as well as a collection of data on them. The concept of mushi is also explained through comparing them with other organisms. To put simply, the more primate the creatures are, the further they are from life. As mushi's existence is vague, people are divided into those who can see them and those who can't. The people who deals with mushi related incidents are called mushi-shi. There are more elements that the anime deals with, like koumiyaksu, second eyelids, mountain lords, etc. All these are explained in a very wonderful and attractive way. The explanation never created any hindrance to the story. It naturally comes off as a part of the story. Japan is a country with rich and interesting culture, traditions, etc. Japanese folklore is considerably vast. Mushi-shi explores these folk cultures, folk tales, traditions, etc through the concept of mushi and also explains them with it. That's something I would like to call 'theme/source rewrite'. I dunno if there's a specific name for this type of buildup since you can't look them up just that simply. Anyway, Mushishi does this job very well. I found almost every episode to have a theme from Japanese folk tales and traditions, and in each of them, Mushishi rebuilt those elements through the concept of mushi. This anime uses scientific ideas to solve many problems and explain many incidents, which I found to be quite amusing. Fantasy series tend to have very sloppy writing because of its fantasy genre. But, as we can see from the points above, Mushishi is not one of them. It is intelligently thought out. It is well rounded, well fleshed out and quite plausible. Mushishi presents the connection between man and nature. The message it carries is "Cure lies in the curse". Snake's venom is used for making its antidote. Extermination of snakes is uncalled for. This point has been addressed multiple times in Mushishi. The mushi interact with people in different ways. Sometimes they bring happiness. And sometimes they bring sufferings and sorrows. But, it's not their fault. They're just living their lives. This is a very valuable message this anime delivers. This is, of course not the only message provided by the anime. There are life lessons hidden in every episode. When a fiction works with so many themes, there's always a chance for loose ends, improperly tied plot points or untied points (Hunter x Hunter 2011). And even if it does tie them up, they may seem too sloppy, desperate and/or implausible (To Aru Majutsu no Index), in fact, may totally fail. Mushishi is something that doesn't fall into these inconsistencies. The elements are well connected and very well executed. The themes it works on are coherent. Before going for flaws, I'd like to inform/remind you that there are two basic types of flaws. Flaws that matter, and those that don't. Amongst those that do matter, there are major ones and minor ones. Having that cleared, let's shed lights on some points that seem like shortcomings. Firstly, there are, albeit very few, cases when the mushi related incidents are not explained as much as the others. Due to this, those occurrences seem a bit awkwardly unbelievable. Make no mistake. They do explain them, but it just that the explanations are a bit weak compared to others. This is a very minor drawback, which might not even appear to all. Next, we have a common complaint. Not explaining why Ginko is the only one seen in Western dress. Also, how there are modern instruments. The era of this anime is never really explained in the anime. But, iirc, it's set in an imaginary era. Well, as a fiction, we can allow a bit different world. So, yes, we can leave this issue as a part of its world building. Another issue I found is that it never explained why some people attract mushi so much. It's an issue that doesn't matter much, because it could be considered a random occurrence. It doesn't need explanation. An irrelevant side note: If you're thinking "what? This guy just gave a little solution for the problems too. What a fanboy!",then I'd say that I'm not audacious enough to dig deep to find problems but not do it for finding solutions. And yes, the fact that I'm a Mushishi fanboy also contributes. Well, one might complain that the history of mushi's arrival is avoided using 'time immemorial' excuse, but that would be a retarded complaint. Mushi are the closest beings to life, so their appearance could very well be older than us humans. That being said, this anime doesn't completely avoid history. There are old incidents and they're adequately explained. The world it built up is unique. The existence of the mushi has been effective on its world. We have people who makes a living dealing with them. They are mushi-shi. There are people who uses mushi in different ways. There are people who does business with mushi related objects. Some like to collect these things. The group of mushi-shi isn't monolithic. They have different points of view, mindsets and different ways to deal with mushi. That's what makes it more interesting. There is a place where many mushi related matters are recorded. There are stuffs about clans and all. Mushi don't only have these long term influences, they also have short term effects on different spheres of people's lives. Through these small effects, these small points are also addressed. We get a peek into the characters' lives. That is what the stories of this anime are about. The lives of the characters. Mushishi is an episodic show, meaning that a story is told in one episode each time and there isn't any particular connection between the episodes. So, if you're expecting an overarching and highly progressing plot in its story, this is not what you are looking for right now. But, if you wanna take a break from your daily action series, have a different experience, or simply relax, then Mushishi is something to look forward to. And as a person, that is highly likely to happen one time or another. This anime usually takes place in a village, or a town, or a mountain, forest, seacoast, or in the sea and sometimes even on the road. These handful of types of places contain the stories. So, each type of places are used multiple times in the anime. But, they aren't identical to each other. Each place is different from the other, even if a little. Which shows us how it's not written by a lazy person, but rather someone who puts some thoughts on what she works on. Due to its episodic nature, one might presume that all the episodes follow a single pattern. But, that isn't the case. Each episode is unique and different from each other. They don't follow any specific pattern or formula, so it's not repetitive. Thus, they're each a different experience and that makes it really interesting. Through its 46 episodes and 3 specials, it delivers 49 stories that are different from each other and interesting in their own ways. The stories are written wonderfully. There is no info dump to interfere and cause hindrances to the storyline. I've previously said that the stories don't have highly progressing plot, but that doesn't mean that the plot is stagnant. There is progression even if a little in almost all the episodes and that is more than enough for an episodic anime. This anime has a great balance of dialogues and actions. It knows when enough has been told and where to start showing, and vice versa. The transition from dialogues to action or action to dialogues, and sometimes the coexistence of both is masterfully handled. Another aspect that makes it well written is that this anime doesn't come up with retarded, baseless incidents to create climax or tension. Rather it's well thought out and reasonable at coming up with a climatic situation. The solution is also equally intelligent. That's what makes its stories excellently thought out. This anime doesn't resort to convenient storytelling. No sloppy writing. If you put each of its stories in a nutshell, some of them might not stand out as a masterpiece, but most of them will. More like almost all of them. It has some extremely high quality stories that can rival the best of the bests. They are top tier masterpiece stories. This anime is really comprised of compelling stories. But, what makes every episode of it a masterpiece is the excellent presentation and the narration. it gives us a feeling of listening to folktales told by Grandma in a small house in a rural area. It's a precious experience. And Mushishi thrives with this specialty. Mushishi's atmosphere is strong and impacting. It relays its atmosphere perfectly. You could really feel cold in winter and hot when it's hot summer in the anime. The suspense absorbs the viewers deeply. The ending of every episode is excellent. Most of them are bittersweet. Some endings are the bests I've seen in anime. They sometimes show you hopes that in the future, the characters may be happy. Sometimes they imply that they may not. Some says that there is no other choice. Each endings are unique. Nuff said. Mushishi's pacing in every episode is perfect and extremely coherent to the story telling method. Mushishi has some very well written twists and revelations. They're not well written in the way that 'it provides all the clues but you won't predict them before revealing'. No, Mushishi is not like that. You actually don't know anything before they tell you and you don't have any clue to the twist. But, when it's delivered, you will think, "Oh so that's how it's done!" Usually, the definition of a good twist or revelation to me is that it provides all clues but you still won't be able to predict it before it shows the twist/revelation. Mushishi is probably the one of the rarest fiction that excels in this aspect without following the definition. All these make Mushishi one of the best episodic experience, if not the best. As a show where the story begins, progresses and ends in a single episode, almost all the side don't appear in multiple episodes. This leaves a risk of not having properly fleshed out characters. There are risks of not having a cast to care about. But, in all honesty, Mushishi didn't fail at fleshing the characters out. And in each episode, you will root for the characters. At least I did. All the significant characters had proper amount of traits. This is an anime about normal people and Mushishi perfectly pulled that out. As someone who lived in a village, I could relate to them and share their feelings. That's the most important thing in Mushishi. The difference between each character is small but realistic and adequate. The main character of this anime is a mushi-shi named Ginko. It follows his adventure as a mushi-shi. He goes around helping people with different mushi related matters. But, that doesn't mean that he's just a tool for the adventure. His past is well explored. His characteristic is fleshed out. He doesn't like to kill those that are alive. But, it doesn't mean that he won't do it if it's necessary. He would stain his hands to solve problems if the situation requires it. He wouldn't want to do so at first, but he still convince himself to do what's necessary. Here's a conversation from the anime that shows his resolve- Mushi: Why are you going to kill us? Ginko: Because you consume human children. Mushi: But it's not our fault. Ginko: It's not our fault either. But we're stronger. So you will die along with your seed. Then he destroys all mushi. Just kidding. But, yes. He's not your goody justice guy either. He'd do what needs to be done. But, he would definitely not resort to killing if there's any other way. Ginko has other flaws as well. He can make mistakes, he acts on instant impulses. He gets annoyed at others. Furthermore, he's much more human than one would expect. His character development is also well done. Not just Ginko, but all the mushi-shi have different and interesting personalities. Thus, the group of mushi-shi is not monolithic. Despite the short span, the characters in Mushishi is delivered wonderfully. Their wishes, goals, point of view, all these have been well executed. Some of them even develop in this short period and the development is really natural. Let's have a look at the visuals. Mushi are designed excellently, with superfluous details. The animation work on the mushi is carefully done, which makes them come to life. The art style used for designing the characters is artistic, realistic and lovable. The character design for most side characters in Mushi-shi is actually quite similar, but they're never identical. Although little, there are differences in the design of each characters. That much difference is adequate in my opinion because you can't expect all the village people to be totally different from each other. The main character, Ginko is excellently designed as well. The anime is not a piece of art, rather a huge collection of tremendous amount of art pieces. It feels like it uses moving artworks as its background. Each frame is a beautiful piece of art. The effects are masterfully used and colors are wisely chosen. The animation makes these amazing sceneries lively. The slow and subtle animation deepens the tone of the moments and gets us completely absorbed into the scenario. The art of the characters and the environment are a bit different in quality, but they blend in wonderfully. This is accompanied by excellent background music played by Masuda Toshio, which blend in perfectly with the atmosphere, intensify the moods and move us subconsciously with their captivating rhythms. They don't distract the viewers, but rather engage them more into the anime. Both of the opening songs are extremely refreshing and enjoyable. Just listening to them removes your weariness. The ending themes are different for each episode with different sceneries presented with them. They are relaxing and possessive. The voice acting is realistic and amusing. The narration is excellent. The sounds that the mushi make, along with the visuals are ecstatically wonderful. The environmental sounds are equally compelling. The natural sounds alone can form the sceneries. The screenplay and audio are carefully measured and synched. This anime has one of the best production job ever. All these make Mushishi one of the most relaxing and refreshing experience, if not the most. It was intriguing, at times enticing, sometimes funny. Then at times depressing or melancholic. But, even in the presence of all these emotions, one feeling is always there. It is a deep, absorbing, overwhelming feeling, which in one word, is 'awe'. A feeling of respect combined with wonder. It's atmosphere is perfectly relayed. It's aesthetics caused me euphoria. It provided me with many forms of enjoyment mixed up magnificently. Now, let's see what Mushishi tries to do. To be frank, it's quite difficult to ascertain what it aims for. Not because it has no goal, but because it's so naturally presented that it never seemed to be desperate to achieve anything. But, one thing is for sure. It doesn't aim for your cheesy and shallow entertainment with brain dead humor. It doesn't aim for an attractive shonen battle. What it tries to do is to deliver a genuinely well written, well executed mature experience. And it succeeds greatly. It tries to be a soothing experience and turns out to be the most soothing anime. It's tries to deliver its message wrapped up with an excellently fleshed out elements. And we get from it elements that are some of the bests of fantasy. It tries to cover rural people's lives, Japanese folklores, connection between man and nature with its elements. It does the job as good as possible. Despite all the details and depth, Mushishi manages to be a simple show, which is another one of its achievements. It is in no way pretentious. It's an elegant form of art and pure with its context. It's an unique experience. Mushishi couldn't have been better. As far as perfection goes, this is as close as it gets. 9.7/10. I just love this show.
athenasrage
02/21/2016, 07:04 PM
(This review is completely my opinion, but any constructive criticism to better myself as a writer and critic is greatly appreciated) It's time again. My first and only review on this site was on the first season of Mushishi. I wrote that review over a year ago and in that review, I referred to Mushishi as one of my favorite shows of all time. Has that statement changed? Well...no. I re-watched the first season before coming to Zoku Shou, and it captivated me all over again. That's enough about the past though, time to get onto the main reason you're reading this. The second TVinstallment in the magnificent Mushishi series, 8 years after the first season: Mushishi Zoku Shou. Story-10 As most people should know by now, the stories of Mushishi are told in an episodic format with (generally) a single conflict between a mushi and a human. Ginko, our intelligent main protagonist, shows up with a cure to the problem. However, the events that take place provides enough content to pad out the episode length, and does so without feeling forced. Yet, despite this never-changing formula, it is never tiring or boring to watch. This may be because of the amount of originality between stories. Each episode feels fresh, and exciting, and generally piques your curiosity as you try to decipher the events taking place. After every episode ends, there is a sense of satisfaction, it just feels right. Comparability to the first season, the episodes are paced more naturally. The conclusions felt a little rushed in the original. Art-9 Like my complaint with the last season, it still feels eerie to have almost all of the supporting characters to like alike. Ginko, on the other hand, looks great. He has much more detail on his face, particularly around the eye, and his jawline is much more consistent now. I have mixed feelings about the mushi themselves. On one hand, every mushi is unique, and on the other hand, I can't say that I'm a particular fan of many of the designs themselves. They feel a little too abstract for me, but it's nothing that I can't get over with some time. (We don't even see mushi that much anyway) Now, the final part of the art section, and the part that kept me glued to my computer screen, even when there was no dialogue and no character interaction; the backgrounds. When people ask me what anime world I would want to live in the most, I reply with “Mushishi”. Each setting is incredibly detailed, and seems to live on its own. Trying to explain it won’t do it justice. I recommend looking up some pictures of the world yourself, it really is breath-taking. In terms of animation, it isn’t anything ground-breaking, but each character moves decisively, and slowly, giving it a realistic feel. Sound-10 The original soundtrack for Mushishi has been hailed as one of the best in anime history for a reason. It is absolutely amazing. The tracks were obviously meant to be atmospheric, and use to set the tone, but each track stole the show in its own way. Every ending song was original, and served to maintain the mood of the episode conclusion, whether it be happy, sad, or satisfying. “Shiver” by Lucy Rose is a haunting ballad that fits the melancholy tone of Mushishi perfectly, and the photo-realistic visuals are a joy to watch. Not much else to say. Character-10 There are only a handful of reoccurring characters in Mushishi, and Ginko is the only main character. Every other character is introduced in an episode and never seen from again. So how can we as viewers be attached to these one-off characters? It’s simple, fantastic writing. Each character is written to have a realistic personality, no over-the-top, moronic “moe” here. Even if the characters can be unlikable at times, their feelings and personalities are incredibly human. Now let’s talk about Ginko. He is still the mysterious, intelligent traveler that we know and love, but in this installment, we get to see him in scenarios that he can’t handle, and in a wider variety of happenings. (Particularly in the Path of Thorns Special) Ginko is such a fun character to watch, and as such, I have him listed as one of my favorites on the site. Enjoyment-10 I think it’s easy to tell how much I enjoyed every episode of Mushishi Zoku Shou based on this review. Mushishi has slowly become my favorite series of all time, and this season doesn’t disappoint. In fact, with the improvement in production and pacing, I would declare Zoku Shou superior to the outstanding original. Overall-10 Mushishi is my favorite Anime Series of all time, and Zoku Shou is just as good, if not better, than the first season. Now, onto Zoku Shou 2nd Season!
711nono
01/10/2016, 10:04 AM
My very first review on MAL was of the 2005 anime Mushishi. I mentioned in that review that it was one of my favorite anime of all time Then I found out that there was a 2014 continuation that would be seperated into two 10 episode seasons,2 specials, and a conclusion movie. The subject of this review will be the first 10 episode season of this new saga of mushishi. Mushishi Zoku Shou(next passage) season 1 is the continuation of the 2005 anime based off the manga by Yuki Urushibara. The subject is pretty much the same as it's predecessor with this showbeing mainly episodic in nature and basically follows a wandering expert on the forms of life known as mushi as he attempts to solve different cases involving them. Normally when we think of mushishi in general we think of relaxation. The calming atmosphere of this show is implemented spectacularly however this atmosphere is heavily supported by the musical soundtrack. The music can range from calm to suspenseful in a heartbeat and has some serious versatility and can match any scene perfectly. The voice acting, while nothing spectacular, was well done and I didn't have many complaints with the voice acting in general. Storyline is a fickle thing in mushishi considering it is primarily episodic. Yet in a way when you are watching this show you feel that you are watching a mini movie. Each episode has a fresh narrative that is well told and makes great use of story telling even for an episodic anime. Another special thing about this is that in every episode you can interpret several themes that are present and some forms of philosophy is present as well and I think that it gives some of these short stories some added depth and makes them open for thinking and analyzation. The genres of mushishi seamlessly blend with hints of mystery and supernatural which can keep you guessing and you are always yearning for more information. The whole central idea of mushi kind of creates a central mystery of sorts of what exactly the mushi are. In a way the episodes kind of feel as if they are Japanese folklore, and that really says a lot about how good the atmosphere and tone is. Characters are also pretty strange, but despite characters appearing for a short time you can still sympathize and understand the problems these characters are having. More often than not the problems connect to some sort of central theme that is present within the episode. The only character that appears often is Ginko. Ginko is one hell of a main protagonist with interesting views on life and mushishi that are different than other mushishi like him. Animation and art improved from 2005 considering this has a more modern polish which is saying something considering how good the art in the first series was. He art is beautiful and detailed and it works with the amazing soundtrack. In conclusion I heavily enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the first season of Mushishi Zoku Shou. I found it to improve upon what made the old series so brilliant and I am highly looking forward to watching the remaining season of this masterpiece. So overall if you loved the first series you need to check this out.
ShadowBunny
12/02/2015, 08:10 PM
This show is a fantastic show for various reasons, one being it was a real nice breather from all the other shows I have seen. The show itself is none other than anything I have watched or even heard of. The concept of the show is this man wanders around, village to village to see if people need his aid from these creatures called Mushi. Mushi are being not familiar to us, they can not be seen by regular people, and are not classified as plant nor animal. At times Mushi might enter into peoples lives and either improve them or destroy them, and that'swhere the plot for this show comes to life. This show is a nice change of pace and it is a very relaxing show to watch. PLOT: Our main character is one of what seems to be very little of people who can actually see these beings, and because of that he travels to see if people need help with any Mushi related problems. These problems are beyond any type of regular illness, they create other worldly problems that range from attitude change to life threatening. CHARACTERS: The characters in the show are believable, they don't act in ways that make the show painful to watch. The main character acts the way he should would it comes to certain Mushi, whether it be calm and collected or panicked. Some episodes hardly show him too, some episodes hardly show him and are focused around other characters, which is a very nice touch. ART: This show is extremely artistic, from the visual to the music. The environment is breath taking, it looks like they have spent hours on end on details. And their music choice was superb, making each scene amazing. SHOULD YOU WATCH? PROS: Art is amazing, the story in each episode are amazing, the music is beautiful, the characters are nice, the Mushi cause unique and awesome conflicts. CONS: The show can be slow
HabitPlays
07/24/2015, 06:43 PM
Mushishi: Zoku Shou is the next season of Mushishi and a lot like the 1st season I loved it such a good series. No real story to keep track of it is basically a bunch of stories put together. I love the way the anime is put together really gets you hooked because it is something new every episode something fresh to catch your attention. I recommend this anime to anyone who likes fantasy style anime this anime is honestly incredible and still one of my top watched because of how every episode is filled with something interesting there is not a single episode I'dwant to skip or think should be taken out. This is the prime example of a perfectly rounded anime good story, animation, characters, and overall nice feel everything brings you into this anime more and more with every episode.
jowb63
04/15/2015, 05:46 AM
I've got to admit, by the end of episode 9, I was ready for the series to end. This may be because I had been watching this anime in long sequences and being an anime with single episode arcs, it's not really an anime that is good for watching in long sequences. When I watched Mushishi, I would watch a single episode and then play video games and read. I suspect that made me enjoy it more then I would have if I watched the episodes back it back. It may also be that the stories in Mushishi were more interesting, perhaps because theywere more intense or maybe just because Mushishi was more novel the first time around. What ever the reason, I find myself not wanting to watching the next season. Know that this anime is more of the same of Mushishi, same great music, same melancholy tone, same hard rural setting, and each story is fairly interesting. It was enjoyable for a while, but for me, enough is enough. I want to watch something more exciting with longer arcs.
GonzyChan
12/31/2014, 12:36 AM
There is a common saying that lightning never strikes twice at the same place. We can apply the same analogy to how a sequel of a classic never reaches its predecessor's quality. However, both statements are far from the truth; it’s just that we don’t often see both happen very often. But when we do see it, it's nothing short of magical. What transpires in the discussion of Mushishi Zoku Shou is how it can keep the spirit of the original series alive and well. When you get right down to it, there isn’t any need to try anything new or different to the sequel tomake it seem fresher. This is how Mushishi structures into different story arcs centered on its mythological lore of Mushi. The arcs supply a deeper meaning to the characters as we learn about the different types of Mushi we come across. From this perspective, Mushishi doesn’t need to do anything other than give us more than what we bargained for; they sure as hell made another accomplishment for the ages. From a stylistic perspective, Mushishi Zoku Shou follows the same atmospheric tone as before. It transcends itself into a breathtaking journey into what the world of Mushishi brings to the table. From my previous review of Mushishi, I criticized it for how the world didn’t feel like the actual world that it wanted it to be. It tried to go far, but at the same time, it didn’t go far enough. With Mushishi Zoku Shou, it is apparent that we are shown a closer look at the various mythical structures of its world. This is one aspect of the sequel that I think improves more than the prequel in many ways. Here, more meat is to be explored, and it's gratifying to experience the rich landscape and how the Mushi engulfs the world. As there are many plot arcs in each episode, there is the question of whether these new plot arcs hold a candle to the original series. While there were many great episodes of Mushishi that I can name, I could also name some that felt rather underwhelming compared to others. In many respects, Mushishi Zoku Shou offers more episodic stories that are stronger and more vibrant. From beginning to end, there was never an episode where I thought it was average, mediocre, or even decent; they are all merely good to magnificent. What makes them more vital is how the characters that our hero, Ginko, comes across in his travels are more memorable to the viewing experience. Many of them garner praise because they manage to fit in in-depth characterization in only under 24 minutes. Like in previous episodic iterations, they all lead to a well-crafted conundrum that Ginko has to solve. This problem can vary in how they are approached in how the tone is settled. The mood is always the main focal point of Mushishi, ranging from mystical and transcendent to dark and unsettling. All are accomplished with high tenacity and wit that won’t fail to impress many who want a lucid experience in their anime viewing endeavors. Animation has evolved since 2004, and Mushishi had a minimalist methodology for its artistic aesthetics. Although it may not look like it has changed its vibrant colors and lighting, it indeed flows in its animation more fluidly. New designs of Mushi pop up that look stunning to the eyes. Characters now have more range in movement thanks to the higher budget. Amazingly, it still feels freshly new, although it doesn’t do anything too drastic to make it more “modernized” for modern anime fans to enjoy. Music has never been a prominent hallmark for the Mushishi series regarding how repetitive it becomes after the fifth episode. Not that it is unlistenable by any means, it is good by its standards, but I would’ve appreciated it more had there been more variety. The noteworthy thing to mention is the new opening to Mushishi Zoku Shou, which is far more welcoming than in Season 1. The first one’s problem stems from the fact that the singer was trying to do a bad Bob Dylan impersonation throughout. Mushishi Zoku Shou’s opening, sung by Lucy Rose, feels more in line with the peaceful tone that defines Mushishi. In closing, I would call this a triumphant swan song for Mushishi to end on. Its efforts in bringing it back to show these remaining stories in animation form are admirable. The series continues to be considered a classic from the 2000s. Now it’s become a future classic in the 2010s. I can’t say I’ll be surprised by that assessment if it becomes a reality. Grade: A
JackCox
12/30/2014, 09:54 AM
I don't think my opinion on Mushishi is going to change at all, after many years, I was beyond thrilled to have the chance to dive back into this show. Quite simply this show is just beautifully animated, written and acted. STORY: (10/10) This is an episodic series and is pretty much in the same format as the previous season. I'm a lot older and wiser then I was when I first saw Mushishi I think around 2007, most of the stories of Mushishi I believe are more metaphors about people dealing with their own lives, take for example the third episode known asBeneath the Snow it's about a boy who is insensitive to cold and warmth is painful for him, I see this as a metaphor for people who are closed off from humanity or are depressed. Most of these stories are all revolving around philosophy and Mushishi: The Next Chapter brilliantly incorporates the philosophy into it's stories. ART: (10/10) Mushishi and it's sequel are in a very elite group when it comes to the quality of it's art-work, quite simply it's absolutely beautiful and stunning, the episodes change locals and change the color schemes. The lighting effects are a feast for the eyes, the only knock as has been pointed out has been at times most of the characters look exactly the same, I think it's been somewhat eliminated this time around. CHARACTER: (10/10) There is only one character in the Mushishi universe that is in every episode and that is Ginko, the Mushishi. I think Ginko is a very interesting main character, he's kind of more of an observer, the brilliance is that each episode introduces new characters and you get so invested in these characters story that you over the course of only 20 minutes emotionally connect with them. it's truly remarkable and I cannot think any other show that manages to introduce characters so quickly, make you connect with them emotionally and put closure to their story in such a short amount of time. SOUND: (10/10) Toshio Masuda returns to score the 2nd season of this show, he also is known for scoring Naruto, and despite the knocks that show has gotten, Naruto always had terrific music. Here again Masuda incorporates a very nature-like and earthly score. Most of it relies on traditional japanese instruments. Masuda's score is so beautiful and relaxing I could even recommend it to people who are having trouble sleeping. I should also mention the 2nd season's theme song by Lucy Rose entitled Shiver", I think this song is even better then the first season, it plays over gorgeous live action visuals, she has an beautiful voice and the song fits in very well with the mood of the show. ENJOYMENT: (10/10) In an anime world like today, there comes a time where every season you get maybe one or two truly amazing shows. Very, very rarely do shows come around that are masterpieces. This is one of them, it has things in it that many people can relate to and has universal themes. The characters feel real they don't feel like tropes or stereotypes, they are all real people. OVERALL: (10/10) The previous season is in my opinion the greatest anime ever made, this show is pretty much a continuation on that, I had the pleasure seven years ago watching the english language premiere of the first season at Anime Expo, it was an amazing experience and I had the pleasure of meeting the director this anime Hiroshi Nagahama, he was an absolute gentlemen and it's clear he absolutely cared about making this masterpiece. HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
slowpok
12/04/2014, 03:10 PM
"Now make yourself comfortable and cosy, after 8 long years your beloved mushi master Ginko will take you to the mysterious world of mushi once again." Or that I thought before watching the series. From the very beginning I had some vague feeling that something here isn't how it should be. I mean I know it isn't an action whatsoever, but don't you think 10 seconds of completely white screen in the opening is an oversimplification? Well, who needs the opening, one may say. That's true I was going to skip it anyway. But after watching several episodes you will notice that good art andnice music are the only things present in this show. Just think about it, you can completely delete main character from the series and nothing would change! NOTHING AT ALL! The main character isn't doing a simplest tiny bit of action not to mention other characters. They are there only to link together the art animators made for you. They have drown nice mountains? Fine, let there be a mountain village. Pretty ocean? Let there be a sailor. And so on. So, what was so charming about the original Mushishi series? Maybe the way the main character Ginko tried to explore some irrational stuff instead of wiping it out? Are you going to watch it to feel that atmosphere of mystery when humble folks got influenced by some mushi leading them to the final sometimes funny sometimes spooky? Then step aside you are not missing anything here. Or do you just want to relax watching nice art with good music? Then this show is for you. To summarize this series is OK as independent anime, but is a complete disaster as the continuation of the original Mushishi.
Dangime
11/28/2014, 11:08 AM
Mushishi Zoku Shou continues the story of Ginko, a mushishi, which roughly equates to one part medicine man, one part paranormal expert. Mushi exist in a sort of gray area between living creatures and spiritual, other worldly beings. Mushishi's greatest strengths carry on into the second installment, beautiful artwork of natural landscapes and pre-industrial Japanese rural locations. It feels very authentic at every turn. The stories of what Ginko gets into during his travels are very easy to relate to, and I found myself caring about the characters involved even though most of the characters only appear in one episode given the nature of Ginko'stravels. While each episode of Mushishi is a great piece of work in and of itself, beautiful and engaging as it is, there is criticism to be handed out to the series as a whole. Ultimately, almost every episode of Mushishi is based on a simple plot formula with little to no carry over or progression in an overall plot. Here's an episode in a nutshell. Ginko enters some beautiful majestic rural setting...the mountains, the forest, a small farming or fishing village. Ginko discovers Mushi causing some disturbance in people and/or the environment. Through a combination of paranormal knowledge, moral superiority, and his box of trinkets Ginko saves the day, or at least mitigates the problem, gets out alive, etc. The people are happier and better off for his coming, and Ginko wanders off into the wilderness to some other pristine local, never to meet any of the people he just helped again. Almost every episode of Mushishi follows this formula, and it creates really the only serious criticism I have of the series, if you've watched one episode of Mushishi you've basically watched all the episodes of Mushishi. Out of this latest set of new episodes, only 1 or 2 carried over to characters I recognized before and contributed to an overarching plot line. Technically, that episode (or two parter) is a special and listed under a different heading on Animelist so I could say none at all if I wanted to. Now none of this is to say you shouldn't watch Mushishi, you should. It's a great piece of anime. It just doesn't offer much in terms of plot development for this reason. For the most part, Mushishi is simply great single serving anime, which probably explains it's broad appeal, you don't have to marathon the entire series to enjoy it. I'm just left with the feeling that I'll have to read the manga if I want any closure when it comes to this story.
r3quiem
09/06/2014, 10:37 PM
Back in my days absorbed into slice of life anime, a word like "fascination" with Mushishi understated my feelings at the time. Try "enamoured." "Obsessed." It has a likeable, highly capable protagonist with such an introspective personality. It integrated the elements of mystery, fantasy, and the supernatural in far better ways than its dystopian (Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou) or complex (Ghost in the Shell) seinen contemporaries. It should also be noted that Aniplex’s responsibility for a great deal of superior anime promised a series like this success. And yet, I am somewhat disappointed with this reboot…at least enough to squeeze a review out of me. Episodic and unpredictable,Mushishi thrives on the characters and their accompanying pathophysiological development with mushi. A series of this nature demands this formula, especially considering Ginko’s knowledge and capability. The very first episode of the original series pulls us in; it is not the misleading shots of ghoulish, bacteria-shaped organisms with a quirk, but rather because of the characters and their interactions with them. In respect to the first season, Zoku Shou starts off in a similar predicament. A new episode, and there are new characters, new mushi, new conflicts, and a new set of consequences. Simply, the formula that rebooted this series is also what dried it up. I knew that each episode could be enjoyed as a story on its own, and yet the continuing pattern of unresolved questions left the series to hang and dry like a dying rose. Even following the last episode, Ginko himself remains as enigmatic as the mushi he identifies with great ease. Needless to say, with nearly a decade of improvement in animation techniques, the artwork maintained the quality of the original. Mushishi’s beautiful, postmodern approach to animation competes even with the most fluid of action-packed series. Colorful, mouth-watering brooks. Enchanting stares from teenage girls. Even the smoke rising from Ginko’s lip-glued-to-paper cigarettes looks sexy. While I’d love to offer it a perfect score, the animation had nearly a decade of room to offer even more dazzling footage, of which it did not. As for my favorite subject in all of my reviews, the music and sound in general is breathtaking. Zoku Shou’s entire atmosphere benefitted from a ponderous, folk-like poem like Lucy Rose’s “Shiver” on the acoustic guitar. A series like this needs to have contemplative and mystical background music, such as the chimes and xylophones oscillating during mushi encounters. The ending themes, too, resonated well with whichever conclusions were reached. Toshio Masuda’s composition technique worked well in the ninja-ridden environment of Naruto, so I can imagine him being the perfect choice for a series as mysterious as Mushishi. Overall, Zoku Shou lives up to the quality of a series like Mushishi, but only does that. I understand that many a fan would obsess about the nature of slice-of-life series or consistency with the manga (because for some reason all stories need be exactly like their manga or else they’re crap or some garbage like that), but as an avid fan myself I can only insist that the potential behind a supernatural mystery series such as Mushishi is wasted on single episode encounters, or rather as a break from pantsu shots and power ups. I am truly and deeply fond of this series and hope to see more of it, but I await the day someone at Aniplex—even if it be Urushibara herself—takes a risk to give the series what it deserves.
greenblood1991
07/23/2014, 03:20 PM
Good Day all , this review is gonna be short and I hope you gonna decide that you watch it or not from my review . Story: The story is great but the evil side of mushi is not told not like the first season and I disliked the that is every episode contain story alone not connected to each other . The story was unique and the end was not satisfying. 8/10 Art: The style of art was not that good and not memorable at all and the character design is normal they all look alike.5/10 Sound: The actors voice was good especially ginko and the background music is relaxing. 8/10 Character: They don’t talk about the characters a lot only about the main one that’s for me the biggest issue and the growth of the characters is not there the same from 1-10 and I hated that were no villain like mushi want to destroy something in the world . 6/10 Enjoyment: I think the majority of the fans will like this anime but I will not re-watched again , I think this anime you watch it between action animes so it relax you . 7/10 Overall: 7/10
eyerok
07/12/2014, 02:37 PM
"once the rain stops and real tears can be shed, I will put down roots. Until then, with the rain by my side, I will continue to drift like the clouds" Mushishi Zoku Sho continues the episodic chronicles of Ginko, the white-haired, laid back, chain-smoking, wandering ‘Mushishi’ (Loose TL: Mushi-master). For the fans of the much praised 2006 series, Zoku Sho is, in every technical and aesthetic sense, true to its predecessor. The studio behind it (Artland), and the staff is the same, and there have been no dramatic stylistic changes, making Zoku sho, except in its more enhanced visuals and polished presentation, the direct continuationof the first season in every aspect. For those unfamiliar with this masterful adaptation of Yuki Urushibara’s seminal magnum opus, it is advisable to start with the first season because, despite the whole series being strictly episodic, Zoku Sho assumes that you are familiar with some parts and concepts of the Mushi lore, such as Komyuka (the river of life), its significance, mountain-lords, some recurring characters, and some part of the main character’s background story. With the above mandatory preface done, I can move on to describing the series, and what the second season is about. Mushishi is set in ‘imaginary rural Japan’ with the technology and fashion Coeval to 19th Century period. The world of Mushishi is inhabited by supernatural and otherworldly creatures called ‘Mushi’, which exist in various sizes, shapes and types (much like animals and plants); they are as important to the life cycle and ecology of the world as plants and animals. The effect of their interaction with the world and other species (humans, plants, animals) may range from neutral to potentially devastating. There are mushi that can turn the blood inside a human to milk, make cloudless rain to fall wherever their hosts travel, cause various disease/illness, or provide someone the power over life. They can be parasitic, harmless or even beneficial. The catch is that very few people can perceive, and even fewer understand these ethereal creatures. Some of those who do become ‘Mushishi’, people who deal with Mushi. Ginko is one such person, who has dedicated his life to ‘understanding’ Mushi and help those who are affected by them. In the various episodes we see him travelling to various places, and coming across Mushi related phenomenon, which he is almost always able to handle deftly thanks to his exceptional foresight and erudite knowledge (in fact, after watching two seasons, I am thoroughly convinced that Ginko is something of a PhD on Mushi and mushi related stuff). As a man of learning, Ginko does his best to further his knowledge through research, help people, and keep the ecological balance while saving man and mushi from harming each other. But Mushishi is about more than that. Almost every episode, despite the fantastical theme, is relatable to a diverse variety of practical real world philosophical, moral, social, or psychological dilemmas and issues. These range from coping with the loss of loved ones, a disease, failure, moral corruption, family woes, relationship breakdowns, loss of self-worth, natural disasters, man’s relationship with the environment, etc.The wisdom contained in these episodes is sometimes esoteric, and at other times, exoteric in nature. Having said that, every viewer will perceive things from their own lens. Mushishi is not pedantic, and rises above these snippets of existentialist wisdom into the realm of profound and abstruse artistic and aesthetic depth. It transcends to themes and emotions that cannot be easily put in words. The sparse poetic narration of Ginko and his erstwhile mentor Nui, the sublime background score composed by veteran composer Toshio Masuda, the masterful direction by Nagahama Hiroshi, the exquisite and soothing art direction with its lush, sweeping homage to nature’s beauty, Nakano Yuto’s powerful VA performance, all combine to bring alive the transcendental and minimalist piece of art that is Mushishi. The atmosphere and ambiance of the show is so strong that sometimes I almost felt like I was there, and at times felt what the characters were feeling. That is, at least for me, Mushishi in a nutshell. Any comparisons to the previous season may yield variable and subjective results. Many would prefer the first season, largely due to it offering a greater variety of stories, landscapes, themes and music score. Admittedly, there might be some weight to this preference. The incident fact that many of the stories in the second season have ‘parasitic’ mushis and follow a ‘problem, diagnosis, prescription’ format has also been pointed out by some. However, this point is made mute by the fact that every story is unique in some way or the other. To sum up, Mushishi is an important milestone in anime, and easily recommendable to most anime fans.
Ragix
06/23/2014, 04:17 AM
If I were to describe Mushishi in just a few words, it would have to be 'story-telling masterpiece'. Mushishi held this title and I'm proud to say that Mushishi Zoku Shou holds it as well. When such an eloquent blend of story writing, narration, atmosphere, art and sound come together it creates a fantastic, bone-chilling new world that those whom have the pleasure of viewing can't help but gawk at. Whether there is sadness, happiness, anguish or joy Mushishi Zoku Shou has delivered these feelings in a presentation so well-wrapped even its flaws cannot be seen. Mushishi Zoku Shou has been a remarkably soothingand yet exciting adventure that I can only say I am delighted of experiencing first-hand. Story(10/10): Mushish Zoku Shou is an episodic anime that I feel is one of the very few that succeed in its field. Being episodic only leaves the 21 minute time-frame to tell a story, which can be a difficult challenge; However, just like its prequel, Mushishi Zoku Shou is not only able to set up the plot and characters, but resolve it as well with ease in such a small frame of time. The Mushi, the very essence of life itself, and Ginko, the Mushi Master are at the heart and center of our stories. Ginko, always travelling and meeting new people, adventuring to exciting places and encountering strange beings all around are simply tagging along in our adventure as Ginko plays the part of mediator between Man and Mushi, helping both in times of need. This is how every story begins and ends and is delivered perfectly in a small 21 minute package. Art(10/10): Another reason why Mushishi Zoku Shou is able to present itself so well is not only for its story, but how the world is created. Beautiful scenic backgrounds, gorgeous vibrant colors of the Mushi and the fantastic distinction of characters using art are all perfectly-crafted. Whether a scene is meant to look beautiful or ominous Mushishi has no problem of displaying what it wants creating some of the most illustrious depictions of art to be seen. Sound(10/10): Once again, Mushishi Zoku Shou delivers superbly in this category as well. Whether we were panning out of a gorgeous mountainous scene or needed to feel the panic of those in the anime there was no failure in giving the audience what was needed to push what needed to be felt. The sound embodied any emotion it needed to and got it across well, giving me many moments where I just had to replay a scene to get that same 'chill down my spine' feeling over and over again. Without the sound, a lot of key moments would not have the same impact, but thankfully that problem never arised. Character(10/10): One thing that always surprises me is how well-established the characters were with this season granted the small time frame given. In just one episode the characters had to be introduced and fleshed out in order for us to have a sense of 'caring' for them otherwise the story would not have the same influence on us. Ginko of course is our main character, whom we learn of very early on what his profession is and what he does is very easy to get attached to. Where the real challenge occurred was creating the people Ginko meets and giving them a personality worthy of our interest in just a few minutes. This was done splendidly as the story progresses we learn of many of their conflicts with the Mushi and how it effects them on a personal level where we actually can feel the same sadness or joy they do whether it be through a back-story or a present event. In a funny way, the bane of a lot of their lives, the Mushi are also what really bring out a lot of the characters. Enjoyment(10/10): This was truly an enjoyable experience. Every episode told a new tale and even when there were times of distress there were times of calmness. Mushishi Zoku Shou tells a story with me just being able to sit back and enjoy without having to think about anything, but just purely become entranced with it. It doesn't end or begin with questions, nor pointing out faults, but just relaxing and experiencing everything it had to offer. Overall(10/10): Without a doubt Mushishi Zoku Shou lives up to its name. Those whom loved the first season should have no problem adoring this one any less if not more as they only fine-tuned what was already fantastic. This wasn't just simply an anime to watch, but to experience and it delivered well in every field to do just that. I cannot stress enough on that, which is why I'm going to leave it to you the viewer, to watch and experience it for yourself. I certainly hope you'll come to immerse yourself in this world and see for yourself what it has to offer.
Stark700
06/20/2014, 01:56 PM
Mushishi, a series that debuted over 8 years ago makes its return, and a surprising one at that. Beautiful is an underrated word to describe the franchise as it is much more than its natural beauty. Rather, Mushishi is a fantastic work of art, a feast of elegance to bestow upon for its storytelling. For fans familiar with season 1, the show depicts itself with an episodic format starring journeyman Ginko. Mushishi Zoku Shou (also known as Mushishi: Next Chapter) opens the door to a new saga with an mystifying adventure that will once again bring back those wonderful memories from near a decade ago. Ajourney into Mushishi feels like a dream where its world captures the fantasy elements at the best with its backgrounds and ideas. The nature of the show depicts creatures known as ‘Mushi’ that causes trouble in the surface world. For a show to work out in this way, the structure of the story is built in an episodic nature. Each episode involves Ginko where he deals with a problem. These problems lingers on with ideas, power, and knowledge. With every problem in his quest also triggers more than just resolutions. It formulates ideas that invites attention with its unique and style. In fact, the feeling of Mushishi is mature. The creatures known as the ‘Mushi’ influences humans and their way of life. But the most important part of the show is that these mushi can craft a story. These stories are transformed by the very essence of the show that captures each moment with a fine degree of mystical aura. No over-the-top antics, shounen-style battles, or the ‘save the world’ trope. It is simple yet feels complex. It’s intelligent without building a labyrinth of thoughtless tropes. It’s attractive without edgy art. Despite the show being set up as an episodic show, I do recommend fans to check out the first season first as well as the special that debuted earlier in 2014. This way, you can familiarize with the style of Mushishi and what it has to offer with its dynamics. There’s much to build off with that style which illustrates more than just artwork. The flagship behind the idea of the show is to adapt its themes and presents it to viewers to familiarize with the story. There’s no need to build on that in a story arc since each episode focuses specifically on such ideas. And even so, these stories are memorable for their themes that people can familiarize. Hatred, regret, despair, vengeance, solitude, greed, among others are just a few to name. It touches upon the nature of humanity in a fantasy realm to bring about fantastic stories. Ever heard of natural instincts? Mushishi will evoke that to a level beyond normalcy through its imaginative presentation. The world setting of Mushishi is perhaps one most fans of the previous season are familiar of. Even after all these years, it’s still memorable and feel nostalgic by Mushishi’s delivery. The lavish forests, organic swaps, and frosty mountains paints a dream – a theater of decorative ecology. As a show based off such nature, it’s appreciable to see how that functions with fantasy ideas. Namely, the environment has a mystical atmosphere to itself stretching beyond the boundaries of normalcy. Then, there are the characters involved in them that Ginko meets during his quest. But Ginko is a unique and complex character because he seeks knowledge, not power. Every episode, he gets himself involved with a problem and formulates a solution. These resolutions usually has a bittersweet ending but also invites a degree of relief. As mushi is mysterious to the core, Ginko uses his own knowledge to match these challenges by thought. As the brainchild behind the concept, Yuki Urushibara deserves praise for her work. The show is adapted from the manga of the same name. The second season covers from volume 6-9 to create legends to not be forgotten. Her concepts are captivating because it’s intelligently written with a surreal feeling. It’s distinctive that classifies itself as a rarity of the generation. 22 minutes each episode is all it takes to grab your attention with its nature. While sitting back, you’ll almost feel like you’re part of the world traveling along with Ginko on his quest. The rewards to reap is more than just enjoyment but an acknowledgement of the show’s concepts. Ginko is also a quiet man that people will find unique in a fashion to match the show’s style. At the same time though, he isn’t just there to solve problems but also to learn. Similarly, learning from this show isn’t like taking a biology class. Rather than grasping on the ideas to memorize them, Mushishi creates understanding. There’s no right or wrong answer as mushi and humans are a part in the same world. Rather than delivering a gruesome war or dominance for survival, both species seeks to live on their own terms. But make no mistake, the show doesn’t follow a game concept where survival is the fittest. Instead, its strength lies in the mystery engineered by an amalgamation of intelligence. Perhaps the show is too honest to itself, in particular with its world and premise. Ginko in particular is a man of mystery but we find out the complexity of his character through his many journeys. A lackluster concept involves the exploration of his backgrounds in this season as well as people he met in the past. A refreshment to the original season will perhaps remedy this for fans who are on an urge to get a deeper grasp of his character. But even so, the pure of the stories transits with elegance and characters to tell a story; stories of knowledge, thought, artistry beyond the scope of physical attractiveness. Speaking of art, Mushishi sets the bar high with its comeback. Even after all these years, the show still stands out as a magnificent piece of art. Feast your eyes on the very nature of the show with its alluring backgrounds. Each mushi also has distinctive designs to offer diversity. On the other hand, Ginko looks simple without too much to go on besides his noticeable silver hair and stoic expressions. Yet, it triggers the very mystery thought that Mushishi brings. At the same time, most of the characters are standard and matches their settings with simple clothing. The show’s setting doesn’t possess the technology of a futuristic world nor a historical age where wars are fought for supremacy. What it does have is the simple yet effective natural strength of its fantasy world. I give the animation studio Artland for their effective style of presenting such a world, one that is charming and captures every moment in respect. There’s an old saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. This show’s art is an epitome of that. Soundtrack also comes together as a prowess to its thought-provoking story. The soft and quiet OST offers credibility with its world with the mushi and animals. As humans, each character’s voice has a solemn yet realistic mannerism. Similarly, the soundtrack has a sense of hollowness with eerie rhythm. With its good balance, Mushishi achieves its goal of capturing what fans want – soundtrack to bring the stories from fantasy to life. Although some of Ginko’s dialogues may feel monotonous at times, it still stands out to reflect his character. The soundtrack also invites emotional appeal for each story seeks an imagery of imaginations based off its world with its narratives. Furthermore, the OP song "Shiver" by Lucy Rose reflects a tone of beauty beyond words. You’ll have to listen to it to believe it. Even after all these years, the Mushishi franchise still stands out as a dazzling piece of work, one that is most welcoming with the strength of its characters and story. It’s more than just an adventurous folklore or some quest to accomplish a goal. Rather, it offers intelligence and craftsmanship of human themes in a fantasy world. Despite the series being episodic and only structured with 10 episodes, they each have its own unique dynamics to bring about its focus. Its creativity and unique world will offer an experience just like its previous season, one that will be remembered for generations to come.

Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師続章

Movie for 'Mushishi Zoku Shou' Announced

'Mushishi Zoku Shou' to Have 1 Hour Special

Q2 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 7/12]

Spring 2014 Simulcast List [Update 4/19]

Spring 2014 Preview

'Mushishi' to Get Sequel in Spring 2014 and Fall 2014

Q1 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 3/30]

Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師続章

Movie for 'Mushishi Zoku Shou' Announced

'Mushishi Zoku Shou' to Have 1 Hour Special

Q2 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 7/12]

Spring 2014 Simulcast List [Update 4/19]

Spring 2014 Preview

'Mushishi' to Get Sequel in Spring 2014 and Fall 2014

Q1 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 3/30]

Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師 続章

Movie for 'Mushishi Zoku Shou' Announced

'Mushishi Zoku Shou' to Have 1 Hour Special

Q2 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 7/12]

Spring 2014 Simulcast List [Update 4/19]

Spring 2014 Preview

'Mushishi' to Get Sequel in Spring 2014 and Fall 2014

Q1 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 3/30]

Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師 続章

Movie for 'Mushishi Zoku Shou' Announced

'Mushishi Zoku Shou' to Have 1 Hour Special

Q2 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 7/12]

Spring 2014 Simulcast List [Update 4/19]

Spring 2014 Preview

'Mushishi' to Get Sequel in Spring 2014 and Fall 2014

Q1 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 3/30]

Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師続章

Mushishi Zoku Shou 蟲師続章