Mushi-shi, Vol. 6 - Region 1 DVD

Neither good nor evil, they are life in its purest form. 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." The stories of the Mushi and the people they effect are all linked together by a traveling Mushi-shi or "Mushi Master" who seeks rare Mushi sightings and uses his shaman-like knowledge of Mushi to help the effected people. What are the Mushi and what do they want?


Not surprisingly, Mushi-Shi concludes the way it began, with Ginko wandering through rural Japan, studying the mysterious, elemental life-forms known as Mushi. In the exceptionally handsome episode 23, he visits a hamlet in which the buildings and inhabitants all seem to be covered with rust. The condition is due to rare type of Mushi, and Ginko must find both the cause and cure. Episode 26 offers a rare look at Ginko's childhood, some of which was spent with a tribe of outcasts who followed the veins of light that nourish Mushi. At a time when many otaku complain that anime is falling into ruts, Mushi-Shi stands apart. Understated, deliberately paced, and delicately colored, it offers a genuinely new vision, one reminiscent of a folk tale. Given the popularity of the manga in Japan, fans can hope for a second season or a sequel: 26 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