Mushi-Shi vol. 6 — anime review — early!
NOTE: This is my introduction to Mushi-Shi. Anything below was gleaned from vol 6. Hopefully I will get to watch more!
In hidden rural pockets all across historical Japan, supernatural beings called “mushi” roam, ravaging villages and village folk. Because humans become immersed in routine and tangible expectations, sometimes the mushi invade invisibly, inadvertently (due to reckless human error or ignorance), and the only way to tame them is through a Mushi master, vigilantly trained in creature classification and warding. In Mushi-Shi, the master is an enigmatic supernatural-scientist named Ginko, who can best be described as efficient because his stoicism surpasses any emotion he may or may have ever had. In a tidy psuedo explanatory episode in volume 6, we learn that Ginko was orphaned at an early age, loosely attached to a druidic tribe who abandons him later in the episode to the care and tutelage of a mushi master. The hint at his background portends a melancholic glaze, since he believes himself to be disposable, a throw-away kid.
By profession, Ginko is honest and earnest, so there is a tenderness in his pragmatism. Although he exists to assist with interminable impact and an almost paternal quality, he has no problem being a perpetual nomadic loner.
Helping to soften the blow of impending doom and destruction are the soft illustrations and straightforward lack of details. In some scenes, tertiary characters possess featureless faces, which surprisingly isn’t entirely creepy, it skillfully displays a sort of shallow depth of field and forced focus. The creatures and their illnesses are vibrant and energetic, often more than the villagers who are swathed in muted shades and shadows.
Animes usually employ a set physiognomic repetition, as if everyone is inbred, but the similarities in Mushi-Shi are almost welcoming and reassuring, exemplifying that those who are destined to help humanity are just as indiscernible as those who may bring about our downfall.
Mushi-shi vol.6 will be released on DVD on February 26th, 2008.
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