Search - Mushi-Shi, Vol. 2 on DVD

Close to perfection

sanoe.net | 09/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have had the privilege of watching the entire Mushi-shi series and I can honestly say that it is an amazing series that continues to take my breath away.

The story is hard to describe but easy to understand once you begin to watch it. Ginko, the Mushi-shi who collects the mushi, is as mysterious as the mushi he collects. The pastoral pacing and the episodic nature of each installment is a departure from the usual anime/manga series of late which have long arcs. One does not know if it is modern or pre-Meiji. There is a sense that the timeline is non-linear which in turn makes it timeless.

Yet, as we follow Ginko as he wanders in and out of the lives of people who are touched by mushi, there is a completeness to each story that is told that is very rare in the world of anime. There are stories that end happily and stories that are bittersweet and stories that are tragic but all are told in a way that makes no judgment and allows the viewer to take away what they want from the story.

Then there is the art and the music. The artwork from Mushi-shi is so beautiful and arresting that I am still wondering how they pulled it off. And the music is at once spare and rich at the same time and it fits so perfectly into the story that it is like a character unto itself.

I freely admit to a bias for the Japanese track and mostly it is because this is a Japanese story so the Japanese voices seem more natural than the English ones. More precisely, watching Mushi-shi in English would be like watching Kurosawa's Seven Samurai or Rashomon in English. It is hard for me to do it, but if one prefers English to subtitles, the English cast does a more than respectable job and I do love that Travis Willingham (the English VA who made FMA's Roy Mustang his own) was chosen to play Ginko. He doesn't quite reach the level of cool that Yuto Nakano's Ginko gets to, but he comes pretty close and who is to say what Willingham will pull off as he gets more comfortable in the role.

When I first heard that Funimation had acquired the rights to distribution, I was a little concerned. Funimation has a reputation of being a bit free with its "reversioning" as they call it. Sometimes the reversioning works and sometimes it doesn't. I have to admit that the first DVD's reversioning left a bit to be desired, but in DVD 2, it almost seems like they knew that it is best to stick as close to the original as possible when it comes to a series like Mushi-shi.

Still, no one packages a top-level series like Funimation does and it is clear that Funimation is packaging Mushi-shi with the care and attention of a top-level series even though it is quite probable that, due to its very uniqueness, the series may only reach cult status rather than the mainstream status of a Full Metal Alchemist so I give them kudos for this effort.

I do hope that people give this series a try. Once again, it is a very different anime than what people might consider anime to be, but it is a close to perfection as a story can be, be it anime or not."

A different anime

Ravencatt | Portsmouth, OH USA | 10/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mushi-shi is not your action-type anime; no giant robots or sword-wielding ninja or vampires. But I find myself returning to Mushi-shi more than I do the other anime series I own. So many series get placed on the shelf and not visited again except for one or two key episodes once I've watched it through to the end and know how everything turns out. But I return to each episode of Mushi-shi again and again, and find something new to appreciate in it each time. I'm not waiting anxiously for the next volume so I find out who lives/dies or how my favorite character fares: I'm anxiously waiting because this is a series that I enjoy every moment of every episode and enjoy it just as much the fifth time I view it as the first."

My favorite anime

Jayou | 02/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mushishi is an absolute masterpeice. It's a fantasy/drama unlike any you'll ever find, and it's my favorite anime.

Each episode tells a different story. I thought I would be bothered by this, but I wasn't. This adaptation is very faithful to the source material.

Mushishi evokes many different emotions while viewing it. Some episodes may have a really nice ending, while others can be really sad. The beautiful background music amplifies these effects.

The music is very serene. Listening to the OST, something I do everyday, is the best way to relieve stress. It really works wonders for the anime, especially when considering the quality of animation maintained throughout all 26 episodes.

I have yet to see an anime series animated as beautifully as Mushishi is. Everything was so well done, you can tell they spent a lot of time translating this from the manga. The Mushi are reminiscent of the creatures you would find in a Hayao Miyazaki film, the Kodoma of Princess Mononoke perhaps. They have a certain magical aura, a mystifying presence, that makes you want to see more and more of them.

I suggest you buy the DVDs, which come in a very nice package with lots of extras. This is an anime which should be seen by anyone who enjoys anime.

This DVD contains episodes 6-10"

Originality, finally

miles | 11/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was out looking for something different, a good story, and when I found this I set my hopes pretty high. Thankfully this series did not disappoint in the least. Volume 1 delivered with an easy going and engaging story which hasn't dried out by the end of Volume 2. If you're looking for action this'll put you to sleep but that's not what it's all about, the stand-alone episodes are fable-like and well written and the animation is gorgeous. Overall, Mushi-Shi has a sober tone but lacks nothing for imagination, it invites you to wander for a while and just take it all in."