Mushi-shi: The Complete Series
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DVD details
Brand: FunimationDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Japanese (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 654 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Funimation
Product features:
- Between this world and the next, there is a point where it becomes impossible to distinguish between plant and animal, between life and death. It is a place man was never meant to tread This is where you will find the mushi. Neither good nor evil, they are life in its purest form. An unseen river reshaping the path of man, through their very presence we are changed. Vulgar and strange, they hav
DVD Reviews of Mushi-shi: The Complete Series
DVD Review: Incredible!
Summary: 5 Stars
I wasn't sure what to expect, but decided to purchase this series on a whim since it was well regarded on [...]. I was looking for another seinin or josei anime to sink my teeth into and this fit the bill more than I ever would have expected.
Each episode pretty much stands alone, however I would still suggest watching in chronological order as the character is revealed and develops from episode to episode. He's a great protagonist - mysterious and enigmatic but you come to love him and laugh with him. The storytelling in each episode was captivating and made me feel like a child again exposed to a whole new world of unusual beings. In the same way I grew up wondering about fairies, dragons and unicorns from the stories I read, Mushishi made me wonder about the details of the mystical creatures they dreamed up called mushi.
The box set is nice - very simple, slim and complete. The cover is nice but not at all obviously "anime" so if you're not one who displays your anime habit for the world to see, you can comfortably include this on your shelves ;). There is the original Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub. The special features are also worthwhile as they have an interview with the Japanese director which is pretty interesting as well.
I can't adequately describe how this series affected me. The music in each episode was great. The art and animation was different if not unusual, but so perfect for the story. A series I could easily re-watch over and over again. I think this series will probably impress most people - particularly if you are an adult who still finds themselves fascinated with classic dark fairy tales and cultural mythology. I think younger audiences could also watch if they're already comfortable and familiar with darker stories (like a classic Grimm's fairy tale or a Greek myth) but I believe much of it would go over their heads. In any case, this series is very highly recommended.
DVD Review: Meditative anime
Summary: 4 Stars
If you like watching the countryside of Medieval Japan rendered in marvelous colours, this is the anime for you. The director is right in the interview: the maximum effort they put into the backdrop and scenery was absolutely worth it. If only, some more effort were shown in the variety of character design too. Unfortunately, all the female, and most of the male, characters have the same countenance. It did not pose a problem for the first two disks, but by the time I got to the third, there was a "not again" feeling when the faces of a new episode appeared on the scene. Fortunately, the personalities showed much more variety.
However, not even the scarcity of "players" stopped me watching. Why? Because the timing and pacing of each of these stories are like eastern meditation. The background music is without too much variation and of repetitive nature, but you do not mind it at all. The opening song was a little more bothersome by the end of the series. But it's a product of the (commercial) west, so it is understandable. (I never watched more than half a disk a day. Generally tried to keep it as low as two episodes a day.) Most of the stories do not show too much variation either. Most have some predictable turns of events. The only thing you cannot always predict if they will have a happy ending or not. Or if such a thing as a happy ending exists at all. Not all of the problems are or can be solved. Not everyone is fully cured. Not all deaths can be avoided. It's not always the skill of the Mushi-shi that saves the day.
Recommendation: try to see one or two episodes online. It's really not a problem if they are not episode one and two. The stories are self-contained and the quality of the series is quite even. If it seems to be your style, buy the whole box. It's worth its price. Of course, if you are of the patient type, try to wait for a better bargain. And do not forget that the movie version Mushi-Shi: The Movie also received favourable reviews.
DVD Review: Mushi Shi
Summary: 5 Stars
There isn't much else I can say to back up this anime besides what the others have said. All I can tell you is that this is one collection that is worth picking up. Each episode is virtually stand alone, so there are no major arcs. It is an anime that is meant to be used as a way to take a break from shonen or action animes. It is well worth the money and can be watched in any order. Mushi-Shi is almost like a hidden gem.DVD Review: Most Beautiful Anime Ever Made
Summary: 5 Stars
This anime has become my favorite anime of all time, and I've seen a lot of animes. The story is episodic, which I normally dislike however it works to the advantage of this series because with every episode the characters that are introduced are well-thought and deep with a powerful past. Every episode is like watching a highly condensed Miyazaki film. You'll finish every episode in awe.DVD Review: Video quality disappointing compared to original discs
Summary: 3 Stars
There are seven, rather than four, episodes per disc, and the extra video compression shows. The picture of the box set cannot compare to the original, individual releases. This is a shame, considering the care and artistry that was lavished on the series.
Description of Mushi-shi: The Complete Series
The Cure Lies in the Curse.Between this world and the next, there is a point where it becomes impossible to distinguish between plant and animal, between life and death. It is a place man was never meant to tread...This is where you will find the mushi. Neither good nor evil, they are life in its purest form. An unseen river reshaping the path of man, through their very presence we are changed. Vulgar and strange, they have inspired fear in humans since the dawn of time and have, over the ages, come to be known as "mushi".
DVD Extras:
- Interview with the Director
- Production Studio Tour
- Mushi-Shi Manga Pages (presented by Del Rey Manga)
- Textless Opening Song
- Original TV Spots
The strikingly original series Mushi-shi (2005) features lyrically rendered backgrounds, unusual stories, understated vocal performances, measured pacing, and an eclectic score. Mushi many guises and represent "life in its purest form," according to Ginko, the Mushi-Shi or Mushi Master. Mushi bring the drawings of the boy-artist Shinra to life, and save a woman who was thrown into a raging river as a sacrifice to the water-gods. One type appears as a flowing stream of prismatic color whose beauty haunts a man to his dying day; another forms a mist over the sea that lures mariners to their doom. Soft spoken, chain-smoking, Ginko wanders through Japan, studying the problems produced by encounters between humans and Mushi and trying to alleviate them. Sometimes he succeeds; sometimes he fails. The many types of Mushi offer the filmmakers opportunities to create striking effects. In "Pretense of Spring," composer Toshio Masuda blends exotic percussion, guitar, and traditional Japanese instruments to heighten the viewer's sense of the winter cold in a remote mountain village. In the snowy landscape, certain Mushi take the form of spring flowers, luring animals and people with a false promise of spring, then feeding on their life-energy. In "A Sea of Writing," Ginko visits an archive that contains the writings of previous masters. But Mushi hidden in the precious scrolls cause the writing to flow out of them like spilled water. Only the archivist can control the writhing sentences: she delicately catches them with chopsticks and returns them to the pages where they belong. The filmmakers effectively blend hand-drawn and computer animation to suggest the differing realities of the humans and the living words. Mushi-shi is adult in the best sense of the term: intelligent, subtle, and thought-provoking. Given the popularity of Yuki Urushibara's award-winning manga in Japan, fans can hope for a second season or a sequel: Twenty-six episodes don't begin to encompass Ginko's travels--or the diversity of the Mushi. (Rated TV 14: grotesque imagery, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
(1. The Green Gathering, 2. The Light of the Eyelid, 3. The Tender Horn, 4. The Pillow Pathway, 5. The Traveling Swamp, 6. Those Who Inhale the Dew, 7. Raindrops and Rainbows, 8. Where Sea Meets Man, 9. The Heavy Seed, 10. The White which Lives Within the Inkstone, 11. The Sleeping Mountain, 12. One-Eye Fish, 13. One-Night Bridge, 14. Inside the Cage, 15. Pretense of Spring, 16. Sunrise Serpent, 17. Pickers of Empty Cocoons, 18. Clothes that Embrace the Mountains, 19. String from the Sky, 20. A Sea of Writing, 21. Cotton Changeling, 22. Shrine in the Sea, 23. The Sound of Rust, 24. The Journey to the Field of Fire, 25. Eye of Fortune. Eye of Misfortune, 26. The Sound of Footsteps on the Grass)
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