Mushi-Shi: Series Profile - All About The Mushi-Shi Anime Series

The Gist:

A young man travels from place to place trying to help people who have been affected by the "mushi", supernatural entities to whom he has a bizarre psychic connection.

The History:

Mushi-shi was originally created as a manga series by Yuki Urushibara and ran in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine from 1999 to August 2008.

The series was adapted into an anime show in 2005 and premiered in Japan in October of the same year. The series ran for 26 episodes and ended on June 18, 2006.

The Mushi-Shi anime series won "Best Television Series" and "Best Art Direction" at the 2006 Tokyo Anime Award competition held at the Tokyo International Anime Fair.

The series was licensed by FUNimation in 2008 and debuted on DVD on July 31, 2007.

Manga vs. Anime:

The Mushi-Shi anime series follows the manga in plot but doesn't stick to the timeline. For example, episode 5 - The Traveling Swamp is taken from Volume 1, Chapter 5 of the manga while episode 6 - Those Who Inhale the Dew is from Volume 2, Chapter 8.

The anime series covers the first 5 volumes of the manga in their entirety and the first chapter from volume 6.

How To Watch:

Mushi-Shi is currently streaming for free on Hulu.com and the entire series can be purchased in 6 DVD volumes.

See all the Mushi-Shi DVDs

Genres:

Supernatural, fantasy, mystery, horror, adventure

Learn more about anime genres and themes

Studios:

FUNimation

Rating:

14 and up.

Learn more about anime and manga age ratings

The Review:

Mushi-Shi is a fantastic, vivid interpretation of that "afterlife" we all wonder about except its not really an afterlife at all but a parallel universe of sorts that interacts with our own.

Ginko is our storyteller and main character. A wanderer, seeking to understand the mushi and help those dealing with mushi-related problems. There's Shinra, a boy with the ability to make anything he draws come to life. Renzu who's actually half-mushi herself but since her human form died, she's now incomplete. Sui with a disease that leaves her super-sensitive to light except for the true light she sees when she closes her second eyelid.

But what really makes this series unique is that it doesn't follow the traditional "on-going" plot found in most anime shows. Instead, each episode is a standalone story but with the common thread of our protagonist Ginko. This makes it easy to pick up the show at any point during the series without worrying about what you've missed or feeling that you should go back and watch the eps in order.

Based on the original MushiShi manga by Yuki Urushibara and directed by Hiroshi Nagahama, Mushi-Shi will draw you in and not let go. The artwork is beautiful and the storyline full of mystery and mystical forces. If you like contemplating the "unknown", Mushi-Shi is definitely a must-have series for you.

You can get more Mushi-Shi at FUNimation's official website.