Mushishi Zoku Shou 2nd Season

Ginko is back in the second installment of Mushishi Zoku Shou and is the third of one of the best supernatural series ever made.

The series has 10 episodes of beautifully animated, though-provoking encounters with the mushi. By now most viewers who have followed Ginko in his stories see a certain pattern in each of the episodes, but there are still some surprises around the corner. No matter how much mushi that mushi masters encounter, there's still a lot to know about them.

One thing I have been looking for are episodes that shed a light on Ginko's past, and probably his fate in the future. But what little we know about Ginko, like the mushi, may be one of the factors that makes the series so exciting to watch. Well, exciting doesn't really fit the pace of Mushishi, but you know what I mean.

If you have been enchanted by Mushishi so far, there's no reason to skip this one.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Mushishi Zoku Shou

Just like the first series, Mushishi Zoku Shou is intriguing and beautiful. The sequel was able to retain the mood and the quality of the previous series. Still episodic, it has the same qualities the fans loved in the first installment.  It almost feels like you're just continuing the first series.In a short 10-episode series, the viewer is taken by Ginko to the strange world of the mushi. The cases involved here are more complicated and mind-boggling. How the series can be so effective with such format and pace however is still amazing. One factor probably is how each case is concluded. The art is one of the best and it is consistently good from the opening song up to the last.

Mushi are neither good nor bad. They exist because they do. Whatever purpose they have is as mysterious as the question of the purpose of life. The series has managed to consistently put forth that idea. What was slightly different however is that people who are affected by strange phenomena are shown in a different light. Perhaps just like the mushi people are not inherently good or bad. We just make do with what available choices are offered to us.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Mushishi

Mushi are basic lifeforms, but to name them only as such is insufficient. Neither good nor bad, the mushi are not so different from animals and plants. They can affect and imitate other living creatures and cause phenomena. Unlike other living beings however, most people cannot see them although they are everywhere. But a few gifted people can. Ginko, a mushi master (mushishi) travels all over Japan searching for answers about the mushi. He has a tendency to attract mushi so he never stays in one place. In his travels, he helps people affected by mushi.

Mushi is episodic and has no overarching story. It has 26 episodes that are not directly related but when put together add to the understanding of the nature of the mushi. The pace is slow just like the laid-back Ginko and the calm, mysterious feel of the places he visits. Ginko acts like a sort of detective as well and that is why it's amazing how such a series with a relaxed pace can get your mind racing at certain moments.

Ginko

Unlike most protagonists, Ginko does not have superpowers and great physical abilities, except for the gift (or curse) of being able to interact with and understand mushi. One would think that the slow pace and episodic nature of the series would make for a bad series, but Mushi has the power to draw viewers who like occult, mystery and are looking for something different. Most series have stories whose main character is central to the continuation of the story and whose appearance is essential most of the time; but in Mushi, Ginko acts like a sort of guide in the various stories.

The animation is beautiful, the mood consistent, and once you start to like the series, you can never just stop halfway. It provides a good break from all the explosive and fast-paced series that try to compete for attention nowadays, but it does not lack the elements also present in most of the best that was ever made. What else can I say except that this is one of the best, and beautiful, series I've ever watched.

Rating: 10 out of 10