Tuesday
Apr272010
Manga Moveable Feast: Mushishi
In 2007, Del Rey released the first volume of Yuki Urushibara's Mushishi to the US market. Having received an award at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival and the 2006 Kodansha Manga Award, expectations were high for this series. At the time, I wasn't too familiar with Seinen manga outside of the cutesier titles such as Yotsuba. While I can't imagine who would sell it so soon, I found my copy on the shelves of a used book store only a -week- after its initial release. I was intrigued after scanning through the pages in the store, and took it home. I fell in love with it and have been a huge enthusiast of the series ever since. In addition to the manga, eventually I bought each volume of the anime, watched Otome's disappointing film adaptation, and even cosplayed as the protagonist for a convention. It also became my introduction into the world of serious seinen which would become my demographic of choice. My article will not be an overview of the series, but instead my opinion on several aspects. Those completely unfamilar would be better off started elsewhere in the Mushishi MMF.
Mushishi is an episodic series with no overarching plot. What strings these stories along is Ginko's involvement in each. The plot is a chronicle of his travels and mushi-related situations; Ginko is what binds these stories together and the familiar object to rely on throughout the series. Ginko is a character shrouded in mystery, but whose personality and past becomes clearer as the story progresses. It can't be said with absolute assuredness what exactly drives Ginko. He is concerned about mushi and obviously wants to learn more about them and their world, but doesn't have a shounen obsession with being the best mushishi. He helps people with genuine concern, but remains detached and reasonable. Ginko is a quiet character who speaks little more than necessary. He sees mushi not as an enemy to be destroyed, but another creature just trying to survive. Ginko favours a passive solution, but is not above eliminating the mushi if need be. Ginko is, in some ways, comparable to Black Jack, but is not quite the "dark doctor" that Black Jack is portrayed as.
Ginko's backstory is a tragic one, revealed in volume three. Ginko himself has no memory of his early life as his mushi encounter left him with no memory. His ability to see the mushi, normally invisible to human sight, lead mushi to have a strong influence on his life regardless of his wishes. He is blind in one eye due to the mushi-related accident. Mushi are also attracted to his body from the incident, leaving him unable to stay in one place for a long duration, without the area becoming overrun with the lifeforms. The lends itself to the story of a man forced to wander the countryside with no hope of settling down.
The characterization of Ginko is based having a quiet character's detail slowly show themselves. However, he doesn't really grow as a character in the traditional sense of character development. Perhaps the way he handles situations later on in the series is different from at the beginning? The development may be subtle or perhaps he doesn't advance at all. Character development has become such a defining feature of Japanese storytelling that many readers cannot accept a character who is already so excellent at his job and solves the problems so readily. The term "Mary Sue" has been thrown around numerous times to describe Ginko. I've always felt that this is the wrong way of looking at the series, and I wonder if they even know what that means.. Ginko fills a specific role, and does so exceptionally. The focus of Mushishi is on the episodic stories, with Ginko as a the vehicle to push the events along and flesh out the story.
-
The early volumes of Mushishi can't help but show Urushibara's amateurish workmanship. Characters are drawn loosely and inconsistently. Faces can appear muddled and certain angles reveal a degree of awkwardness. It is obvious though that she has an aesthetic in mind that shows through numerous times, particularly in the environmental artistry. Instead of specific detail, brushstroke-like lines and heavy crosshatching give it an impression of rich earthiness. The artistic quality noticeably improves, and by volume four and five you can see the craftsmanship really taking root. The art is Mushishi, especially in the settings, are very evocative and contribute to the tone of the series. The mood of the series is usually relaxed with an inescapable eerie feel, but occasionally grows into moments of grand flourish- pages 14 and 15 of volume 2 come to mind here. Mushishi can have moments of near otherworldly delight, but without falling into surrealism that would keep it from feeling natural and grounded within the story.
It would be easy to just scan quickly and reveal the outcome of each chapter, but the relaxed pacing encourages the reader to take it easy and absorb the story and atmosphere.
Protip: The Mushishi anime soundtrack makes good background reading material. I don't normally feel this way, as soundtracks are designed where each track reflects a particular scene. However, the Mushishi OST is always subtle and unobtrusive and molds well with reading it.
The foundation of Mushishi are the chapter long stories of when man and mushi come together with Ginko as a catalyst for change. The quality of these stories make or break the series as a whole. Fortunately, the quality has stayed consistent with a handful of particularly enthralling chapters that more than make up for occasional slight dips into less captivating territory. These short tales all deal with Ginko's involvement in some Mushi-related incident. Despite this, there isn't enough a pattern to it that would have it feeling repetitive. The situations take for more than just Ginko's scholarly knowledge to solve. The meat of the stories revolve around how humans react to how the mushi have intruded upon their lives. The series encourage thinking on the readers part with contemplative scenarios.
The tone of the series is generally poignant, but the actual results of each story varies. At times the problem is solves and it concludes happily. At other times, the results can be a disturbing look at the reality of human frailty. What I really like is that the series isn't too steeped in tragedy for its own good. The trend in storytelling is that a tragic ending equals a deep one. Mushishi has its share of bitter offerings, it knows when to let things work out nicely. Add in some unobtrusive wry humor, and Mushishi is a series that doesn't fall into being so dark that the only expected outcome from each chapter is an unfavourable one.
To wrap up, I'll mention something more personal. This has nothing to do with the quality of the series, but its a fact that personal experiences can add to the enjoyment of a work. As a child, I was fascinated with the world of insects, mollusks, and arthropods all around. My books of choice were not picture books; I usually carried large tomes detailing insect species and the like. Even today, I have an insect collection and even breed slugs. Mushishi takes this world of miniature creatures that I love and makes fictional stories around them. The is what initially led to my interest in Mushishi as I scanned through it in the bookstore. Just like sports enthusiast Tom Langston over at Nigorimasen is drawn to sports-themed series, my own interests lend me an affinity for Mushishi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This review is based on volumes 1-6 of the Del Rey US localization, purchased by the reviewer.
Mushishi is an episodic series with no overarching plot. What strings these stories along is Ginko's involvement in each. The plot is a chronicle of his travels and mushi-related situations; Ginko is what binds these stories together and the familiar object to rely on throughout the series. Ginko is a character shrouded in mystery, but whose personality and past becomes clearer as the story progresses. It can't be said with absolute assuredness what exactly drives Ginko. He is concerned about mushi and obviously wants to learn more about them and their world, but doesn't have a shounen obsession with being the best mushishi. He helps people with genuine concern, but remains detached and reasonable. Ginko is a quiet character who speaks little more than necessary. He sees mushi not as an enemy to be destroyed, but another creature just trying to survive. Ginko favours a passive solution, but is not above eliminating the mushi if need be. Ginko is, in some ways, comparable to Black Jack, but is not quite the "dark doctor" that Black Jack is portrayed as.
Ginko's backstory is a tragic one, revealed in volume three. Ginko himself has no memory of his early life as his mushi encounter left him with no memory. His ability to see the mushi, normally invisible to human sight, lead mushi to have a strong influence on his life regardless of his wishes. He is blind in one eye due to the mushi-related accident. Mushi are also attracted to his body from the incident, leaving him unable to stay in one place for a long duration, without the area becoming overrun with the lifeforms. The lends itself to the story of a man forced to wander the countryside with no hope of settling down.
The characterization of Ginko is based having a quiet character's detail slowly show themselves. However, he doesn't really grow as a character in the traditional sense of character development. Perhaps the way he handles situations later on in the series is different from at the beginning? The development may be subtle or perhaps he doesn't advance at all. Character development has become such a defining feature of Japanese storytelling that many readers cannot accept a character who is already so excellent at his job and solves the problems so readily. The term "Mary Sue" has been thrown around numerous times to describe Ginko. I've always felt that this is the wrong way of looking at the series, and I wonder if they even know what that means.. Ginko fills a specific role, and does so exceptionally. The focus of Mushishi is on the episodic stories, with Ginko as a the vehicle to push the events along and flesh out the story.
-
The early volumes of Mushishi can't help but show Urushibara's amateurish workmanship. Characters are drawn loosely and inconsistently. Faces can appear muddled and certain angles reveal a degree of awkwardness. It is obvious though that she has an aesthetic in mind that shows through numerous times, particularly in the environmental artistry. Instead of specific detail, brushstroke-like lines and heavy crosshatching give it an impression of rich earthiness. The artistic quality noticeably improves, and by volume four and five you can see the craftsmanship really taking root. The art is Mushishi, especially in the settings, are very evocative and contribute to the tone of the series. The mood of the series is usually relaxed with an inescapable eerie feel, but occasionally grows into moments of grand flourish- pages 14 and 15 of volume 2 come to mind here. Mushishi can have moments of near otherworldly delight, but without falling into surrealism that would keep it from feeling natural and grounded within the story.
It would be easy to just scan quickly and reveal the outcome of each chapter, but the relaxed pacing encourages the reader to take it easy and absorb the story and atmosphere.
Protip: The Mushishi anime soundtrack makes good background reading material. I don't normally feel this way, as soundtracks are designed where each track reflects a particular scene. However, the Mushishi OST is always subtle and unobtrusive and molds well with reading it.
The foundation of Mushishi are the chapter long stories of when man and mushi come together with Ginko as a catalyst for change. The quality of these stories make or break the series as a whole. Fortunately, the quality has stayed consistent with a handful of particularly enthralling chapters that more than make up for occasional slight dips into less captivating territory. These short tales all deal with Ginko's involvement in some Mushi-related incident. Despite this, there isn't enough a pattern to it that would have it feeling repetitive. The situations take for more than just Ginko's scholarly knowledge to solve. The meat of the stories revolve around how humans react to how the mushi have intruded upon their lives. The series encourage thinking on the readers part with contemplative scenarios.
The tone of the series is generally poignant, but the actual results of each story varies. At times the problem is solves and it concludes happily. At other times, the results can be a disturbing look at the reality of human frailty. What I really like is that the series isn't too steeped in tragedy for its own good. The trend in storytelling is that a tragic ending equals a deep one. Mushishi has its share of bitter offerings, it knows when to let things work out nicely. Add in some unobtrusive wry humor, and Mushishi is a series that doesn't fall into being so dark that the only expected outcome from each chapter is an unfavourable one.
To wrap up, I'll mention something more personal. This has nothing to do with the quality of the series, but its a fact that personal experiences can add to the enjoyment of a work. As a child, I was fascinated with the world of insects, mollusks, and arthropods all around. My books of choice were not picture books; I usually carried large tomes detailing insect species and the like. Even today, I have an insect collection and even breed slugs. Mushishi takes this world of miniature creatures that I love and makes fictional stories around them. The is what initially led to my interest in Mushishi as I scanned through it in the bookstore. Just like sports enthusiast Tom Langston over at Nigorimasen is drawn to sports-themed series, my own interests lend me an affinity for Mushishi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This review is based on volumes 1-6 of the Del Rey US localization, purchased by the reviewer.
tagged 
Featured, Headline, MMF, Moveable Manga Feast, Mushishi
Featured, Headline, MMF, Moveable Manga Feast, Mushishi
Reader Comments (7)
Evan,
Great write-up. You can't mention cosplay and not post pictures. That's dirty pool, sir. I hope you'll correct that oversight quickly.
problem: I have no pictures, and its been a while since I wore it. I've lost a lot of weight and the pants would likely fall off. However, I plan to wear it at Otakon so I will get more pants and make some additions to the box-backpack. It currently doesn't open; the front needs to be removed and put back as a door somehow.
Okay, but I'm hold you to this. I'll be at Otakon so you'll have no excuse.
I've heard mentions of Mushishi now and then, but I've never heard a definite opinion on it. It's nice to finally learn about it, and now I'm interested. I'll check it out sometime!
Also, dude, you're going to Otakon?!? I had no idea! I'm going for the second time this year.
[...] Evan Krell at Insert Disc looks at the first six books with some lovely art samples and a very personal fan approach. It works quite well as a counterpoint to Tim’s piece, addressing some of the same ideas from very different perspectives. As a child, I was fascinated with the world of insects, mollusks, and arthropods all around. My books of choice were not picture books; I usually carried large tomes detailing insect species and the like. Even today, I have an insect collection and even breed slugs. Mushishi takes this world of miniature creatures that I love and makes fictional stories around them. Similar Posts: Mushishi MMF: Today’s Updates (April 27) § Mushishi MMF: Today’s Updates (April 26) § Announcing the April MMF: Mushishi § Manga Moveable Feast: Mushishi — About the Book § *Mushishi Book 4 — Recommended [...]
Yeah, Saturn, the plan is to go to Otakon. I didn't know you would be going- cool! Patz will be there and possibly lwelyk if he can get a free ride XD.
Okay, but I'm hold you to this. I'll be at Otakon so you'll have no excuse.