Mushishi

2005

published in Empire No.74, Sydney
Volume 1

2007

Proving that the best anime merges ancient tradition with advanced vision, Mushishi is a superbly crafted rumination on the metaphysical dimension of nature and its elemental energies. Structured as a chain of discrete tales, the series follows Ginko – a researcher into ‘mushi’ or spiritual energies – as he travels across rural Japan. In a mix of exorcism and naturopathy, he engages with their forces and resolves their conflicts with the human world. Distinctively animated, inventively rendered and captivating in its measured pace, Mushishi eschews the urban futuristic pyrotechnics of staple anime and ventures into the countryside of the present, where spirits still live.